I need to touch up a scuffed bumper for a silver 2013 ES 350. Where should I go to find the right can of spray paint to do this?

 

Silver is the hardest color to match. If the orientation of metallic flakes aren't in the same direction, it will look like a different shade of silver. You may need to get the bumper repainted and blended with surrounding panels.

 

+1
With just about any color, the match isn't likely to be very good if you just try to spot in new color onto the damaged area, but that is especially true with a metallic silver. At a minimum, you need to blend in the new color and re-spray the clear over the entire bumper, and, with the metallic silver, blending into adjacent panels may be required.

With a do-it-yourself job, the odds favor the final result being one that makes it look worse, not better, than it was before the repair.

 

I suggest trying to use a cleaner wax or a very mild rubbing compound to see if you can rub it out. Of course if the paint is gone this will not do a thing but if it is just paint from another vehicle, this may just do it.

 

If you can't polish out the damage I believe you are better off having a good bumper repair guy refinish it for you. I have unfortunately had to do this twice in the last year at $225 per repair but it looks great. I have had this done some time ago for half that amount but this is what it cost me now. I got the name from a paintless dent repair man I have used occasionally. You might also get a name from your Lexus dealer's service department but my dealer now is only allowed to refer such work to the body shop they own where the cost would be much more, maybe as high as $1,000. You could go to a real paint store and have them mix your color in a spray can but the results just aren't going to be very good. You know of course that it is at least a two step process.

Dave Mac

 

I love my atomic silver but........now I have a little ding into the paint above one of the wheel wells. Very small and may attempt to dab just a wee bit of touch up on it. If it were on the plastic bumper, I probably wouldn't worry about it but worried about rust down the road some time. The first little scratch I got on the rear bumper was very low and 95% of it buffed out with a mild polishing compound......no harm no foul on that one....you wouldn't see it unless I pointed it out. Maybe I will post some before and after pics once I get around to it. I imagine a larger spot would stand out much more.

Just no matter how careful you are on where you park.........someone always gets ya.