[&:] hey guys, i need some tips.. i have a minor scratch on my new benz.. about half the size of a dime but the paint is completely gone. i tried the MB paint touch up but it looks like crap. should i just take it into a body shop and get it air brushed? im afraid i might get ripped off. the scratch is on my rear bumper. the car is silver, you cant really notice it but im not sure what to do.. it looks bad to me. any tips?

 

If the paint is gone like u say and ur not happy with the touch up then i guess air brushing is the way to go.

 

Here you go. Please try this. The touch up paint should work fine (especially if you have a non-metallic paint job). The area must be clean, no soap , no wax no nothing in the scratch. paint an even bead of paint creating a high spot in the scratch. Allow to dry completely before driving. The paint is solvent based and will dry very quickly.

Now, take the vehicle to an auto detail shop. Call around first and ask if they have experience fixing rock chips, etc. They will sand the area flush with 1500-2000 grit sandpaper and buff out the scratch filler to a shine. If done correctly, only you Will know what happened.

I do this to repair rock chips in my hood and they turn out well. I do my own sanding and buffing also. Hope this helps! Please let us know.

 

Hey Drew? I've heard of this before and wanted to try it. Although, I fear my inabilities with a buffer would cause more harm than good. Anyway, I bought the designo copper touch-up paint ($78 [:-]) with this in mind. Do you think it would work with this color?

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I have several small chips and one big one on the hood and a pretty good scratch on the lower airdam.

 

That's great advise, BikerDrew. I learned something there, because I have an ugly scratch on my left passenger about 6" long, and it hurts me just to know that it's there, but lacked the knowledge of how to go about sanding it after the touch-up paint. I know now though. Good deal.

 

I hope that information has helped you, Stephanie. It sure has helped me. Alls we gota do now is act.

 

For those of you in fear of the dreaded rotary buffer, take your car to a good auto detailer. I drive a load of miles every year so I get lots of rock chips. I had to learn how to fix them in order to have any paint left on the front of my cars.

DesignoSLK, all metallic colors are hard to repair and I suspect you will not get A+ results with ANY repair method. You can get results the look good from 10 ft though and prevent rust by painting the damaged areas.

 

The sanding process is done VERY CAREFULLY with wet sand paper that has been soaked over night in water to soften the backing. If you can find the sandpaper that Meguiar's sells (2500 grit is safest. You can color sand the paint fill and the surrounding area very lightly ( the appearance will scare you since sanding IS intentionally scratching your car to level the areas and blend the repair) and use a foam pad and Meguiar's #83 cleaner/polishing cream to bring back a show room shine. Let the paint area dry for about a week then wax it.

It may be out of place here, but you guys should check out the Meguiar's web site. You can learn a lot there about paint care.

 

Thanks for the tip, sir! Will do!

 

You're ight...I'm OK with 10 ft...lol...it is my daily driver. I'm not taking it to any car shows.