Paint Scratch/Scuff on bumper

[Jack Soulfire]

Tonight I was parallel parking and missed a small pole in my blind spot and gently grazed it leaving a small black scuff mark on my back drivers side bumper. Some of it I was able to rub off after a few tries with my thumb, but a very small amount of the paint was removed leaving a couple of very small thin black scuffs maybe an inch or two long by a centimeter or two wide.... but visible and completely ruining my night.

I basically want to know what my best option is and to know what it might cost if I went to the dealership. I don't mind spending the dough to get it fixed right, but if I can save myself a raping at the dealership I'd certainly like to try. If it's any concellation my paint is Lunar Mist and again this is a very very small black scuff but it's my first brand new car that I just bought so you can understand my grief.

I'll post a picture tomorrow, it's 2:19am and I need to get some sleep.

Thanks in advance for anyone who can offer some advice or tips.

Jack

[TW85]

My first suggestion before I recommend anything more intensive and expensive is to go to Wal-Mart, Target, Auto Zone, etc., and try to find a tube of Meguiar's Scratch-X (black soft plastic tube with flashy graphics last I saw it). I personally do not care for the product because it has a high oil content and can streak something horrible but it does have abrasives that can remove scuffs and minor scratches. It is intended for use by hand on isolated areas and for a few bucks, it is definitely worth being a first step.

[Jack Soulfire]

That sounds like something I may want to try. It'd be great if it is actually black paint from the pole that is on my car's surface that could be removed with a light abrasive. I'm afraid it may be the contrary and that the pole might've scraped or removed a bit of the silver paint on my car leaving the small black mark in which case I'd have to cover it up somehow. It's hard to tell until I look closer tomorrow morning. If that were the case I'd also want to make the surface as smooth as possible to restore it back to like when it was new.

Any additional insight would be great. I'm so stressed out over this.

Thanks TW85.

['00vegas-solara]

I feel your pain bro. I wish I had some words of wisdom for you but I dont. I 've been driving around for years with this on my bumper.


My wife was swiped by a pickup truck when she was backing out of a parking spot. He took off, never to be seen again. Sorry I dont mean to take away from your question.

[Down2TheC]

With some good lighting you should be able to see/feel if it's black on your paint, or if it's a scratch. I have a small rock ding
in my front and it is black under the lunar mist. (on the plastic bumpers that is). So don't try to buff out a gap in the paint or
you'll make it worse. I'd go with touch up first to see how it looks and move on to a real paint job fix ($$$) if you still feel
the need. w/ our color, a little stip of touch up paint should blend in nicely.

[TW85]

Well, there is only one way to find out if it is just paint transfer or an actual scratch. If it is a scratch, it may be reduced depending on the severity. Try the Scratch-X first as it is the easiest first step for someone that does not have an arsenal of detailing supplies.

[BradOwens]

u could try buffing it out with some wax. when i hit a small pole it helped take off and hide some of the scratches

[linmk2]

I know how you must feel. As silly as it sounds, my cars are like family and I protect them as such. It makes me sick when something happens to them. I hope I can help. As stated, the first thing to find out is it a scratch or not. If its not, here are some things to try. Wax the area, most of the time the stuck on paint will come off. Try WD 40, that stuff has so many uses, its good about disolving "gunk", read scraped on paint. Lastly, tar remover, be sure to follow directions. I've not used the other products mentioned in the above posts, but I'm sure they would work well too.

If the scratch is in the paint, that is another matter. For many years at worked in car dealerships and have learned a few tricks. First off, used car managers don't like to send their cars to the dealership's bodyshop. In a dealership each department is a profit center. The bodyshop wants to make a profit on the work it does for the used car department and the used car manager gets paid a commission on the performance of his department, so he wants to keep his cost down. Hence, he goes outside the dealership for some repairs if he can. There are mobil trim guys that go from dealership to dealership working on used cars. Dying seats, fixing burn holes, taking out door dents, fixing windsheild chips, and yes scratches! I've seen these guys work wonders, if they are good. Some years ago, my then new 1996 Chrysler Sebring convertible got backed into in a hospital parking lot crushing my rear bumper. The dealership wanted $750 to repair it. The mobil trim guy looked at it, said he could repair it without replacing anything. The tab? Just $125! I looked fine till the day I sold the car. I'm picky. Check with the used car salesmanagers at some of the lots in your area and find out who they use. You will find some helpful, others will be A-holes. Most trim guys will work on the publics cars some won't, you will have to get a few names. Remember to bring cash, they don't like checks and will not take CC's. Good luck, and lets us know about your final outcome.

[KansasSolara]

Get some touch-up paint from the dealer (under $10) and apply it carefully. Have some mineral spirits close by in case you screw up; if you do crew up you need to wipe it off with the spirits before it dries, and the SOB dries in just a few seconds.

Another option is to take the car to a dent/scratch removal pro. It should come out perfect for under $100.

Scratches just suck in such a beautiful car.

Good luck,

[Jack Soulfire]

Well, there are in fact two scratches where the paint has been removed. I'm going to try to work on it tomorrow and I'll definately post before and after pictures. Hopefully this will come in handy in case something similar happens to anyone else who comes across the forum.

Thanks for everyone's advice and comments. Solaraguy has been such a great thing to have since I've bought this car.

All the best,

Jack

[steven0930]

I used "Scratch doctor". You can find it in Target or Autozone

[WSkids97]

Get some touch-up paint from the dealer (under $10) and apply it carefully. Have some mineral spirits close by in case you screw up; if you do crew up you need to wipe it off with the spirits before it dries, and the SOB dries in just a few seconds.

Another option is to take the car to a dent/scratch removal pro. It should come out perfect for under $100.

Scratches just suck in such a beautiful car.

Good luck,

When I had a bumber scuff I called my buddy who owns a dealership, he had me bring it in on a day where he has a guy who touches up all the cars with an airbrush. He said he could only do that on the bumpers, something about the plastic, but anyway point is that when I picked it up you could never tell it was scuffed, and it was a big scrape about 4" by 4".

[jim1974]

I have had these paint scuff marks on my front bumper and side door for a couple of years now. After reviewing this thread, I decided to see what I could do for less than 10$. Went to autozone, picked up

(1) turtlewax scratch and swirl remover 4.99
(1) Maguires application pad 1.99
I am happy with the results, but alot of elbow grease went into it.


Before


After





Before


After

[rossman945]

use novus, it works really well on plastics, like your bumper. You can order the stuff offline or get it at small airports, we use it on airplanes all the time.

Ross

[vice]

Ross, have you used it on a bumper? Did you just use #1, or did you start with #3 ? Works great on tail and head lights, makes them shine like new.