Help!!! Black Car, scratch gone worse???

A

aprasan

New member
People I need help, and that too big time... Someone or something scratched the back of my Nighthawk Black Pearl Honda Accord... it was pretty deep, i did some research.. got some putty, primer, wet sand paper... and got the scratched filled in and smoothed out... in the process, a little of the surrounding area also lost a "little" sheen.. i then tried the touch up paint, but its so thick that i'm not able to get a smooth finish... Do i have to sand the surface even after putting the paint? Do I need a clear coat? If yes, do I have to sand after letting that dry also? Can someone please look at the photos and tell me how bad it is!



http://autopia.org/forum/vbgarage.php?do=getimage&id=856

http://autopia.org/forum/vbgarage.php?do=getimage&id=857

http://autopia.org/forum/vbgarage.php?do=getimage&id=858



Thanks for your time guys...



aprasan

P.S. I'm not sure if you can see the pics.. if not i'll attach them again...
 
Looks to me like you sanded right down to the primer. After sanding a clear coat finish, the finish will look dull. Polishing the area will bring back the shine. In your case, I would find a professional who specializes in touch ups or a body shop.
 
Thanks ... I would like to get this fixed by myself, but if nothing else works, i'll take it in... though i've heard, they will have to do the entire part and won't do just one area... Nevertheless, do you think maybe putting in one or two layers of touch paint, will help?
 
brwill2005 said:
Looks to me like you sanded right down to the primer. After sanding a clear coat finish, the finish will look dull. Polishing the area will bring back the shine. In your case, I would find a professional who specializes in touch ups or a body shop.
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Second that. It's probably time for a body shop unfortunately.
 
I dont understand why people don't put their location..



Tell us where you are, and maybe someone can look at it and assist you
 
Sorry about that... but I guess, the forum sign up process doesn't ask for a location and so I didnt bother. I've changed it now... i'm up in Northwest Arkansas...
 
It looks like you burned through the clear and base coat. There is nothing you can do to fix it, the pigment has been removed and no buffing can fix it. Touch up paint will never lay in the area like the way you want it to.



There is another option then the body shop. There are mobile paint touch up business that are out there that do spot paint jobs. They normally paint at your house or on location. I have seen jobs that were pretty good and others that just plain suck. They are cheaper, but with the price comes the consiquence so keep that in mind. Not sure how picky you are. But you can check with them to get an estimate, they are normally at least half of what the body shop costs.
 
spot painting is your best fix.. a good mobile tech can get it looking new.

just make sure the match and blend are good.



the biggest error that I've seen with them is they dont tack the surface, between coats. So thats a big thing to look for when and if you have them spray it.



also have them cure it with an infrared lamp. the faster it dries, the less the clear will have wind blown contaminates.
 
Five Star said:
spot painting is your best fix.. a good mobile tech can get it looking new.

just make sure the match and blend are good.



the biggest error that I've seen with them is they dont tack the surface, between coats. So thats a big thing to look for when and if you have them spray it.



also have them cure it with an infrared lamp. the faster it dries, the less the clear will have wind blown contaminates.
Click to expand...



Hmm... I've a question, do you think the "dupli color" match for my car will be even close to factory color??? if not, where can I get a perfect match that comes in spray form? And also, how many coats do you recommend?
 
Each car has a paint code, and most of the mobile spot paint business have the technology with them to match your paint code so unless you have had your car repainted a different color then it is your best bet to take it to a paint shop where they can take a picture of you paint and match it that way, it's expensive technology and some higher volume paint shops have these cameras. The only way you might be able to find a match in spray form is go or call your local dealer that sells your make and ask them if they have spray paint to match your car, make sure you tell them your paint code on your car. Some dealers do not have the spray form only the touch up paint.



The spray form is not really what you want anyways because it is single stage paint without clear, so you will have to take some extra measures when doing it yourself. Regardless if you or someone else does it make sure they apply a coat of clear.
 
aprasan said:
Hmm... I've a question, do you think the "dupli color" match for my car will be even close to factory color??? if not, where can I get a perfect match that comes in spray form? And also, how many coats do you recommend?
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I'm gonna be perfectly honest with you,



please don't attempt this yourself, If you want it to come out to an acceptable repair
 
Five Star said:
I'm gonna be perfectly honest with you,



please don't attempt this yourself, If you want it to come out to an acceptable repair
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I agree with FiveStar, when it comes to paint, let someone professional do it, it's worth the time and money. I have come accross a lot of home paint jobs that were beyond the extent of fixing by detailing.
 
Five Star said:
I'm gonna be perfectly honest with you,



please don't attempt this yourself, If you want it to come out to an acceptable repair
Click to expand...





Would you believe me if i said that i'd already tried it? I taped off the entire area, I spray painted it, cured it for a day, used some rubbing compound then polished it off and i got a pretty good smooth finish, the only problem was the color didnt exactly match under certain lighting conditions, it had a bluish tinge to it. And so i then actually took off the paint coat i had added with some light alcohol...



I'd basically thought i'd the whole thing under control, when the color mismatch threw me off... i hadn't expected that... anyways... i'll let the pros have a go at it now... though a small part of me, still wants to try once more... :d



Though there was one thing i wanted to know... i've some small chips up front and i had very lightly closed them up with some touch up paint... now there's a slight bump 'cos of the excess paint, what's the safest way to smoothen the surface? Is wet sanding the only option?



Thanks to all for your suggestions...
 
I was about to say... What ever happened to good old DIY tips?



Anyone can do it. Its not a "professional only" task... Merely mask the area, clean it thoroughly, sand it with 600grit wet, then spray a coat, wait 15 mins, spray another, wait, spray another, all the while using a hairdryer to keep it tacking quickly, as to not attract dust.



After 4-5 coats, it should be good... If you want to clearcoat, by all means.



After its done, get a small block and learn to wetsand.... 1500grit with a 2x2" block, sand the edges and the orangepeel out.



Then go at it with rubbing compound and a rotary if you have one, get it polished.



The only question of how nice it is, would be the colormatching.. Go to Lordco or something and have them make an exact batch of your paint code.



Learning is fun, I don't know why anyone would say not to :werd:
 
Well, i gave it another try... and wow.... check out the pics in my gallery (http://autopia.org/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=28720) or look at the after pics at



http://autopia.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=20453

http://autopia.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=20454



I just repainted it and wet sanded it again and then used some rubbing compound and then followed it with the sonus 1-2-3 by hand... i didn't take the PC out, cos if you take a magnifying glass to it, you can still see some minor defects like the ridge of the paint that needs a little more sanding.... and so i'm planning on working at it some other time, but atleast now i know i dont need a professional to do the job... actually today i drove into a body shop here and the guy said that i'd done a pretty good job and he gave me suggestions on how to improve it.. he told me if i still wasnt able to perfect it, he'd do it for $50 bucks... so :) i'm a happy man!!! thanks everyone for your suggestions...
 
thats a heck of a lot better.. good job



I wasnt implying that you couldnt DIY.



but there is a big difference, and having a pro do it, you should be guaranteed satisfaction.



if the guy is going to spot blend it for $50, let him at it. I would charge double that
 
Five Star said:
thats a heck of a lot better.. good job



I wasnt implying that you couldnt DIY.



but there is a big difference, and having a pro do it, you should be guaranteed satisfaction.



if the guy is going to spot blend it for $50, let him at it. I would charge double that
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Thanks... you learn from bad experiences... and i realised what went wrong the first time and was just extra careful this time around... and yeah.. i think the $50 bucks is worth it...
 
aprasan said:
Sorry about that... but I guess, the forum sign up process doesn't ask for a location and so I didnt bother. I've changed it now... i'm up in Northwest Arkansas...
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Steve from Guru Reports is in your area. He posts on Roadfly. If you feel the area needs additional work, maybe he'd be willing to at least look at it and make some recommendations.
 
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