What are my options for this scratch/chip?

[olenderc]

Hey guys,

So I have a scratch in my rear driver-side door. Also a rock chip on my passenger-side a-pillar. The scratch clearly fails the fingernail test so it definitely won't buff out. Though, it does looks like there is still some color in the heart of the scratch so maybe it dug in as far as the base? The a-pillar rock chip is well, just your run-of-the-mill chip.

My question is what would be the most reasonable solution to go with. The car is brand new so currently it is one of the only blemishes on my car (which is a daily driver, that I try to maintain in as best a condition as I'm able to. I don't mind spending a little money to fix it since the car is still new, but I also wouldn't care for spending 900 dollars just for a single scratch.

Is this something you could wet sand, apply touch up paint to, buff to a smooth finish, then clear the one spot somehow, then buff it all again to a smooth finish? This is as far as my insight will take me, I don't have much expertise in the field of body work, so I was hoping to gain some knowledge and expert opinion from you guys.

Food for thought: I had one of my friends who works at an auto body shop mix me up some "touch up paint." Its more of a pint sized can of paint matching my color code, not necessarily a small touch up stick you would get from your dealership.

Look forward to hearing what you guys have to say! Thanks ahead of time for any and all input.

Scratch on driver side rear door:
http://i.imgur.com/QukXYvr.jpg

Comparison to show relative size of scratch:
http://i.imgur.com/wymTWzc.jpg

A-pillar chip:
http://i.imgur.com/vqPyWHt.jpg

[jamesboyy]

As for the scratch on your door it looks as if the clear coat was just remove i would mask the area off place one coat of the base color then three or four coat of clear then once dry wet sand the area till flat then you can buff the scratches away as for the rock chip i would do the same procedure but i would put three base coats then three coats of clear then wet sand and buff out the scratches

[Setec Astronomy]

Is this something you could wet sand, apply touch up paint to, buff to a smooth finish, then clear the one spot somehow, then buff it all again to a smooth finish?

You don't wet sand first, you build up with touchup paint, then you either wet sand or "langka" down the blob so it's even, then polish. If you sand, make sure to use a block and if it's a big blob tape around it so you don't unnecessarily remove paint around it.

[olenderc]

As for the scratch on your door it looks as if the clear coat was just remove i would mask the area off place one coat of the base color then three or four coat of clear then once dry wet sand the area till flat then you can buff the scratches away as for the rock chip i would do the same procedure but i would put three base coats then three coats of clear then wet sand and buff out the scratches

Would there be any issues with the clear bonding with the rest of the clear already on the door? Also would this restore it to an almost flawless finish and relatively unnoticeable?

If I went to get this professionally done, what ballpark estimate do you think I could be looking at? I asked my auto body friend and he started getting into wet sanding, painting, and re-clearing the whole door, which sounded like a ton of money. I hope I'm not being too naive but repainting the whole door seems a little excessive; something along the lines of what you just suggested is what I was thinking would be necessary and doesn't sound like it would be too expensive. The only thing I'm wondering is how good the final product would look like.

[Setec Astronomy]

Body shops generally don't do this kind of repair. They are used to doing "insurance quality" work which means returning it to a "like new" condition, when you got the car new it didn't have touch up paint on it...so they will repaint the whole panel.

How well it blends depends on the paint, the touch-up paint, and the skill of the person doing it. Mine usually come out like crap, but I have done some (that took a long time) that are barely noticeable. I frequently don't have a lot of patience with this, because I figure it's going to look like crap when it's done...I usually procrastinate unless there is rust or the wife is complaining.

One tip, which may not apply since your friend mixed your paint, but generally the stuff you buy is too thick and makes a huge blob, get your friend to give you some reducer/thinner so you can put very thin coats of paint into the chips and build it up. It works much better if you can wick it into the chip with a toothpick or something and just fill to the edges of the chip rather than making a blob.

[bmwgeek]

I think metallic paint will always look crap not matching. I've touched up plain white and looks fantastic.

[olenderc]

I'm really at a crossroad with this. Although I don't mind putting in time and getting it done slowly so it's barely noticeable, I don't want it to look like crap and stand out especially since this would be my first time attempting something of this nature.

On the other hand, I just can't fathom paying a body shop or whoever, to repaint the whole door/panel because I'm guessing that would easily run $300-500+.

[Setec Astronomy]

Where are you located? Perhaps a member who has done this before can help you.

[olenderc]

Where are you located? Perhaps a member who has done this before can help you.

I am located in Connecticut. Also if this were the case, I would have no problem helping and/or paying for the work/expertise. I'm just not looking to pay $500 for a scratch.

[jamesboyy]

Would there be any issues with the clear bonding with the rest of the clear already on the door? Also would this restore it to an almost flawless finish and relatively unnoticeable?

If I went to get this professionally done, what ballpark estimate do you think I could be looking at? I asked my auto body friend and he started getting into wet sanding, painting, and re-clearing the whole door, which sounded like a ton of money. I hope I'm not being too naive but repainting the whole door seems a little excessive; something along the lines of what you just suggested is what I was thinking would be necessary and doesn't sound like it would be too expensive. The only thing I'm wondering is how good the final product would look like.

The repair you make would bend in with the rest of the door panel and estimate to if you where to have it done professional done would rage from two hundred to about six hundred

[spence]

I remove scratches and chips from my car using the following method

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/tricks-tips-techniques/68248-griots-paint-touch-up-kit-megs-unigrit-sanding-block-review.html