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I have 3 scratches on my hood and some pitting/chips on my front bumper.
I had someone touch up the scratches on my hood with touchup paint ordered from Lexus and they did an absolutely atrocious job on it.
I was quoted 2,700.00 for bumper/scratch repair from one place and I'm obviously looking for more estimates. The scratches are a little deep and you can feel the groove rubbing a fingernail across it and one is just like a scuff with no groove.
What do you think is a reasonable price for this? Is this a pretty straightforward job for an expert with minimal chance of messing up paint continuity? I'm pretty skilled but I'm not sure I'm confident enough to do this on my own.
Looks like a clear coat scratch to me. I would first try the least agressive method of buffing them out by hand with Meguiar's 105 and then finish with Meguiar's 205. If this doesn't work, then I would try wet sanding with 2500 grit, then M205 and fisnish with M105.
You might not get them fully out but with polishing you should be able to make them almost disappear, wet sanding might get them all out but you will be taking a lot of clear away with wet sanding. I would try a mild polish first, then a medium or compound if the more mild polishes don't work. Having access to a random orbital or some kind of attachment to put on a power drill would make a bigger difference.
So after the ScratchX2.0 the scratches are pretty much invisible. I'm sure I would've gotten better results with the tan bottles but not too bad for an eight dollar product. Finished with basic cleaner wax then UQW.
The scratches were 2-3 inches down from the windshield right in the middle and about 3-4 inches themselves. There was also the one 5-6 inches down on the drivers side right near the fender.
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Good job. The remaining scratches are probably too deep for the ScratchX. You need to go to the next level of agressiveness with something like Meguiar's M105, and then M205/ScratchX.
So I'm thinking of picking up some M205 today and going over the whole car. I'm a bit OCD so after seeing the scratchx work pretty decent, I want to try and make the whole car better.
From what I've read the 205 is pretty forgiving and easy to work with by hand (I need a PC I know). The paint is in overall good condition with only those minor scratches, and maybe a few barely visible swirls. That's why I think the 105 is not really needed at this point. It's also Liquid Platinum so it hides mostly everything.
I was thinking this process:
dawn-type of car wash
clay
205
basic wax?
Your process will definitely enhance your finish.... But I would just wait until you get a dual action polisher before messing with it. You will work yourself to death doing it by hand and you still won't get as good of results as you would by machine.
Went ahead and ordered myself the PC kit from Chemical Guys this morning, after reading so much on them and how they are pretty much fool proof. Also picked up the M205 on the way to work this morning. Hopefully the kit comes pretty soon. I'll post up some before and after pics after giving the DA a shot for the first time ever! Bit nervous I won't lie but hoping for the best.
So I'll be using M205/7424/CG white pad, what speed setting should I have the machine on? Like I had said, There is light swirls from car washes, nothing too heavy but I would def like to try and get most of them off.
Some people say speed 5, some say 3 etc etc I know Lexus traditionally has softer paint from what I understand. Guess it will just be a small spot and check the work and adjust from there. Damn LP paint hides it well though haha.
Your pad, polish, speed, pressure, # of passes, etc is all determined by the result of your test spot... I would start with a white pad, with M205, speed 4-5, with 4 overlapping passes (2 side to side, 2 up and down), medium pressure. Inspect your results and make changes from there if needed. Sometimes the testing process can take a while, but it is worth it to maximize your results!
Silver paint is quite difficult to inspect. You have probably noticed that it is easiest to see the defects in your paint at night under gas station lights... try to mimic this in your garage by turning the lights off and using a single light source as a spot light.
Great video Zach! Very well put together and the points are spot on.
What I've noticed over the years from seeing customers try paint correction for the first time (when we give lessons) or some of our guys that have come and gone...the number one mistake everybody makes is not using enough pressure. I think initially people are just too afraid they will damage the paint from all the horror stories they read somewhere so they use the machine at maybe 50% of its full ability. It just comes with time and experience, then it's almost second nature.
Exactly... time and experience are more valuable than any amount of reading/research. It is always important to be prepared before doing something new, but practice makes perfect!
Thanks for the feedback on the video... was my first time really being in front of the camera, so surely I have a lot of stuff to work on, but I thought it turned out pretty well myself!
Exactly... time and experience are more valuable than any amount of reading/research. It is always important to be prepared before doing something new, but practice makes perfect!
Thanks for the feedback on the video... was my first time really being in front of the camera, so surely I have a lot of stuff to work on, but I thought it turned out pretty well myself!
06-20-16, 07:24 AM
Are these scratches repairable?
and I'm obviously looking for more estimates. The scratches are a little deep and you can feel the groove rubbing a fingernail across it and one is just like a scuff with no groove.
