Suggestions on paint repair and or touchup for keyed car?
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Joined: Jul 2005
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Suggestions on paint repair and or touchup for keyed car?
I live in a big city and there tends to be "rude and disrespectful people" who have no regard for other people's property. I work from home and my '96 Acura 3.2TL is my first real lux. car at least for me it is. It's in wonderful shape. Low mileage for a '96. Anyway, last year over a period of 2 weeks, "rude and disrespctful people" had keyed the hood of my car and scraped a good portion of paint off the passenger and driver side back bumper. I took it to a Honda/Acura specialist in the city and gave me a quick quote of about $400 alone for the bumper to be re-painted. I didn't even ask about the hood of the car. I know where to find the color code on the car which is on the driver side door. I think I can do the touch up myself. I am a meticulous type of person and who is also a perfectionist. Any suggestions? Websites to check out? Materials to get? Do's and Don't's. Or should I say the "heck" with it and pay someone else to do it? Need some expert advice. Thanks in advance.
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 28
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From: Raleigh, NC
What kind of results are you seeking? If you want to simply fill in the scratches with touch up paint, I can give you a few tips, but if you're looking for a perfect "factory" finish, you may need to work with an experienced auto painter (or body shop) to sand, fill, prime, paint, rub out etc.
If you plan to touch-up, here are a few tips that have helped me. First, get a couple of good quality artist's brushes from an art or craft supply store. You can get brushes that are about as narrow as the scratch itself, which is much better than the brush in the cap of the touch up paint! Get some lacquer thinner to thin the touch-up paints (keeps it from drying too quickly) and to clean your brushes. You may want to try filling the crack with paint provided that it's isn't all the way down to bare metal and has begun to rust. (If it's rusting, you'll have to get rid of the rust, prime and then paint).
Go slow, build up the coats in the crack with several coats, and see if the results satisfy you. If you try and don't like the results, you can always take it to a pro who will sand it all off, anyway.
If you plan to touch-up, here are a few tips that have helped me. First, get a couple of good quality artist's brushes from an art or craft supply store. You can get brushes that are about as narrow as the scratch itself, which is much better than the brush in the cap of the touch up paint! Get some lacquer thinner to thin the touch-up paints (keeps it from drying too quickly) and to clean your brushes. You may want to try filling the crack with paint provided that it's isn't all the way down to bare metal and has begun to rust. (If it's rusting, you'll have to get rid of the rust, prime and then paint).
Go slow, build up the coats in the crack with several coats, and see if the results satisfy you. If you try and don't like the results, you can always take it to a pro who will sand it all off, anyway.