Calling BG Autorepair

[sephir]

So I was at the mall today and as I was heading out to my car I noticed a scratch on my car. It was not deep - it seems to have just broken into the clearcoat barrier on the back left part of the bumper. Its about 3-4 inches long and a about an 1/10th of an inch high. It doesnt seem bad at all (I can still see the paint colour but its a slightly lighter tone) - like a rogue shopping cart hit it at 3 mph or something.

The car is my parents which means that if there is one scratch on it im fucked. In my University town I am pretty much dependent on the car so I've decided to try to take care of it before I go home this week.


My question is: Can anyone recommend any scratch removal products or should I just take it into a repair shop? If I do take it into the repair shop how much do you think I am looking at? (my estimate is in the $400 to have the bumper repainted - although for the severity I hope I can buff it out)

And for those that are curious, I did check the car beside me and I didn't see anything to tell me they hit me. Fucking suburban mall drivers.

[Senoska]

The product billy mays was selling actually works if you want to try that...

[Alishe]

A wheel and compound. A body shop should do it for free, we always did.

[Ermac]

If you can still see the paint, your first (and cheapest) option would be to go get some Polish Wax or Cleaner Wax from Meguiars (sp?).... either that or anything with Carnauba wax in it. A soft terry cloth to apply, and buff the shit out of it.

I seriously take out all marks and scratches this way.... everything from other people's car doors... to their bumper rubbing mine.... to "rogue carts" hehe....

Seriously, no need to spend money.... let me know how it went

[Aerides]

Most decent car wash shops do a minor scratch/dent repair service - yours sounds pretty easy.

[Arrmani]

anything with Carnauba wax

Think swedish fish would work?

[alienmonkey]

ScratchX 2.0 from Meguiar's and make sure you do it right. Don't be gentle with it, you really need to press pretty hard with the edge of a wax pad. Don't use the center of the pad, but use the edge of it. Might need to go over it 2-3 times depending.

[Tyche]

Take it to a detail shop and ask them to buff it out (for the love of god, don't buff it yourself, there's so much that can go wrong, and if the car is black, you're destined for disaster). Find a reputable one too, don't take it to zeibart or some shit. A lot of large car dealerships will send their used trades to independently owned detail shops to get the trade-ins detailed. Call some of the larger new/used car lots and find the person who heads their used car sales, and ask them. I've never used any of the aforementioned products, so I cannot comment on them. My stepdad is the most sought after detail guy in the area, so I usually take my shit to him.

[Alishe]

Take it to a detail shop and ask them to buff it out (for the love of god, don't buff it yourself, there's so much that can go wrong, and if the car is black, you're destined for disaster). Find a reputable one too, don't take it to zeibart or some shit. A lot of large car dealerships will send their used trades to independently owned detail shops to get the trade-ins detailed. Call some of the larger new/used car lots and find the person who heads their used car sales, and ask them. I've never used any of the aforementioned products, so I cannot comment on them. My stepdad is the most sought after detail guy in the area, so I usually take my shit to him.

This is exactly what I was talking about. I worked at Brighton Ford Collision and we did all our own detailing, to an extent. We did everything other than clean dead people's brains out.

If you wheel it yourself, you're likely to burn through. It's going to be your best option though. Do not use touchup paint.

[Zigma]

run your finger nail downt he scratch, if your fingernail gets stuck in it, you'll have to get it repainted. If you can drag your finger nail down without getting stuck, you can buff it out.

[Elesirdur]

Try some ScratchX 2.0 from Meguires. I was really amazed at how it reduced the appearence of fine scratches and swirl marks on my Yaris (which has very thin clear coat and base paint, so it scratches easily ><). However, if the scratch is like Zigma described, then you'll have to get the area repainted - no wax, cutting compound, or swirl/scratch remover will fix it.

[kuronosan]

Like everyone said, if you can feel a groove in the scratch, you need to get it repainted. If you brush it with your fingers and little flecks come off, and you feel little to no groove, you can use that pen that Billy Mays sold to fill the scratch.

It's basically a matter of whether your base paint (the car's color) or your clear coat (the protective coating so that the paint doesn't fade or crack) is damaged. If it's the clear coat only, you're fine.