Best way to tackle this "scratch"?

**motobuild** · 05-09-2008, 12:17 AM

Ok, I know I won`t get perfect results. Luckily, this is primarily on the underside of the bumper so I really don`t need it to be perfect. I`m just looking for it to look better.

I`ve alread ordered my touch-up paint + clear. I`ve done lots of research on Paint-Chip repair. I have Optimum Compound at my disposal to remove wetsand marks.

Some of my questions are- what type of grits of sandpaper should I get? I imagine I`ll need to wetsand to smooth it down a bit, apply the touch-up, apply the clear, wetsand again to level, and then polish.

Anything else that I should have at my disposal?

Car is a 2008 VW R32 in Candy White. Scratch is about 1/2" wide at its widest point. The "crease" you see is actually were the bumper goes from the lowest front view to the underside.

Thanks!

**brwill2005** · 05-09-2008, 07:34 AM

I would find a professional who does small paint repairs, rather than try it yourself. Being on the bumper is going to make it a much more difficult repair.

**distrbd** · 05-09-2008, 07:46 AM

A small "how-to" on chip repair/wetsanding + spring cleaning (black G35) (56k = owie) - Autopia.org

**motobuild** · 05-09-2008, 11:41 AM

Originally Posted by brwill2005

I would find a professional who does small paint repairs, rather than try it yourself. Being on the bumper is going to make it a much more difficult repair.

hi brad-

Thanks for the info. Would u mind telling me why it would be more difficult? I thought it would actually be easier as I don`t need perfection. I`m simply looking for improvement. With it being primarily on the underside of the bumper (where one would need to lean down to see) getting it perfect isn`t really necessary.

Thanks!

**jhakken** · 05-09-2008, 11:47 AM

I`m not much of an expert but I do read another forum (autobodystore) and will share what I`ve learned. You will need an adhesion promoter because there`s bare plastic. If you need to putty it will need to be flexible (no bondo). Some people recommend adding a flex agent to the paint but I`m not sure it`s necessary for touch-up.

**motobuild** · 05-09-2008, 01:11 PM

Originally Posted by jhakken

I`m not much of an expert but I do read another forum (autobodystore) and will share what I`ve learned. You will need an adhesion promoter because there`s bare plastic. If you need to putty it will need to be flexible (no bondo). Some people recommend adding a flex agent to the paint but I`m not sure it`s necessary for touch-up.

Adhesion Promoter? Ok, that makes sense. Yeah, I probably won`t even bother with putty. Again, I`m not looking for perfection, but I think it will be a huge improvement to have it color-matched vs. a big black spot. haha

One thing I didn`t order from paint-scratch was primer. The more I read the more I see this may be a good idea. Yes? No?

**brwill2005** · 05-09-2008, 01:54 PM

Originally Posted by Tusin

hi brad-

Thanks for the info. Would u mind telling me why it would be more difficult? I thought it would actually be easier as I don`t need perfection. I`m simply looking for improvement. With it being primarily on the underside of the bumper (where one would need to lean down to see) getting it perfect isn`t really necessary.

Thanks!

Well, it is on a plastic bumper. The paint used on plastic bumpers is usually a different type of paint than used on metal panels. Usually it is thinner, which gives you less room for error during the wetsanding and buffing process. After you wetsand, you will need to buff out the sanding scratches with a rotary polisher. If you have not used one, they do build up heat and a plastic bumper does not dissipate heat like a metal panel. It is much easier to burn or melt the paint. In addition the area you need to touch up is rather irregular and could be difficult to fill properly. The touch-up paint is most likely not going to match. I just think it would be a shame to do a sub-par repair on such a nice car. Be sure to post pictures of you decide to do it yourself.

**motobuild** · 05-09-2008, 02:11 PM

Ahh...GOTCHA. Yeah, that makes sense. I did notice that the paint appears to be quite a bit thinner than on the metal panels.

Is it because of the plastic that I won`t be able to use a DA polisher? All the "how-to" threads show that you should be able to use a DA no problem. I was going to use my Orange 4" LC pad w/ Optimum Compound.

You`re right, it is a very nice car and I don`t want it to look like CRAP but because it`s in an area that can`t really be seen it`s hard to justify spending $300 to get it 100% fixed.

($300 quote is what I`m assuming it will cost. I had to get a small touch-up from some moron backing into me, consisted of very much the same thing and it was a smidge over $300)

**motobuild** · 05-09-2008, 03:37 PM

Originally Posted by brwill2005

Well, it is on a plastic bumper. The paint used on plastic bumpers is usually a different type of paint than used on metal panels. Usually it is thinner, which gives you less room for error during the wetsanding and buffing process. After you wetsand, you will need to buff out the sanding scratches with a rotary polisher. If you have not used one, they do build up heat and a plastic bumper does not dissipate heat like a metal panel. It is much easier to burn or melt the paint. In addition the area you need to touch up is rather irregular and could be difficult to fill properly. The touch-up paint is most likely not going to match. I just think it would be a shame to do a sub-par repair on such a nice car. Be sure to post pictures of you decide to do it yourself.

I took your advice and took it to get an estimate from a shop recommended by our local Euro board. It came out to much, much less than I thought it would be. I have an appt. set on Tuesday.

Thanks bud!