Side panel scratched in the parking lot...what should I do?

[DetailKitty]

Lol I hear ya man, but I really can't justify paying that deductible if I can do the job myself, especially when I have all the tools to get the job done...short of mineral spirits but that's like $5. Now if there was a dent in the quarter panel and things seemed out of line, then for sure I would get it done through my insurance. However, there only seems to be some surface scratches and you can't see any dent beside those white scratches on the paint when inspecting the panel from a short distance.. and I've been itching to use the DA polisher so....I guess now I have a bigger reason to use it haha.

Thanks again folks...!

I wasn't sure how bad it was from the pictures.... hopefully you can fix it yourself.
And like others said: worst case, cll the insurance co. if it doesn't work out.

[shane83]

Forgot to ask, when do I apply the touch up paint?

Before polishing?
After polishing with M105 and before Collinite 845?
Or is touch up paint applied at the very end?

[Blackthorn One]

Forgot to ask, when do I apply the touch up paint?

Before polishing?
After polishing with M105 and before Collinite 845?
Or is touch up paint applied at the very end?

I have found that using a cleaner wax by hand along the scratches takes off paint transfer rather well. After you get the paint transfer off, it will look much better and you will see what needs to be polished out. After the paint transfer is removed, it might not be noticeable from 10 feet away.

Lacquer thinner is MUCH more powerful than mineral spirits.
Lacquer thinner can dull paint a little. Mineral spirits I have always found to be safe. I use mineral spirits first.
After you get the paint transfer off with whatever, clean the area with mineral spirits before touching up the deep areas.

Definitely touch up before polishing. I like to use the touch up spray paint sprayed into the top of a lid and use a toothpick to apply the paint. Those brushes they have inside the touch up containers are really useless. Too big and make a big mess. Once you are done with the toothpick, you throw it away. No brushes to clean, and it works extremely well. Just allow the paint to flow into the scratch when moving the pick. You can even use the scratch as a guide for the pick to ensure a very precision job.

It dries quickly, so you must use only about a pea sized volume or two of paint at a time, and when the paint gets thick, you must start with a fresh spray, preferably with a new lid.

You will have only 1-3 minutes to use the paint, depending upon the temperature, in my experience in CA.

Best to do this in the morning when it is cool, so you have the most time to use the paint. Then it has the full day of sun to cure before nighttime comes.

It may take two coats. The paint will sink more after a few days, so don't think you are done when it seems flush the first day.

After about 4 or 5 days since you last applied the touch up and it is slightly above the surrounding area, and it doesn't sink, you know it should be ok.

Then wet sand the area very carefully to make the touch up paint flush with the surrounding. Try 2000 grit to start. Get it almost there, then get to 2500, 3000 to make it perfectly flush. be gentle and use a lot of water in a spray bottle with a drop of car wash soap in it.

I would wait at least a week before I buffed the whole area to make the fine scratches go away and make it all blend.

That should give you the best results if you can't afford repaint. The area will then likely be not noticeable past 5 feet away. Sure, if you know where to look for it you will see it, but it won't catch your eye anymore.

[shane83]

Thanks. Does it really take 4-5 days for the touch up paint to dry? I not familiar with wet sanding so I don't know if I should do that...don't want to screw things up even more..

[Blackthorn One]

Thanks. Does it really take 4-5 days for the touch up paint to dry? I not familiar with wet sanding so I don't know if I should do that...don't want to screw things up even more..

The spray type touch up will be dry to the touch in a few hours. It just will take a few days for all of the solvents to out-gas so that it finishes sinking in. The paint will sink a lot after a few hours, too, but will continue to sink significantly for a few days.

Curing is the paint settling and becoming harder. Curing takes days or months. You will need to wait a few days for it to be hard enough to sand and then a little longer to polish, because the heat of polishing softens paint. If paint hasn't cured enough, it will soften so much during the buffing process that it can smear or be pulled out of the scratch or chip.

Once you get it sanded flush, you can lightly polish it by hand, but I would want to wait 1 to 3 weeks before machine buffing.
I like to be careful and not risking ruining the touch up.


Put the spray can in warm water before use, which will ensure the best atomization out of the can.
Be sure to dry the can after this.
The nice thing about spray type touch up is how thin it is.

Shake the can in between sprayings, too. Since this is a metallic, shaking is extra important, as is very frequent stirring in the lid. Metallics must be mixed a lot right before use to ensure the most even dispersion of metallic in the paint so it looks best, for the best color match.

[Just02896]

Yes...waiting on the store. However, I inspected the cameras around the area and to me it looks like my car is out of view since I park far away from the store entrance.

Did you file a hit and run report with local PD? You will probably need to in order to have access to any video footage that may help your cause.

[BlackRam]

Re: wetsanding - wouldnt it be best for that to be a last resort?

Remember the recent thread about a first time wet sander who went through the clear

[Blackthorn One]

Re: wetsanding - wouldnt it be best for that to be a last resort?

Remember the recent thread about a first time wet sander who went through the clear

I was only talking about wetsanding the new touch up paint to make it flush. I was not talking about wet sanding to remove the scratches caused by the other car.. If he was to try to wetsand the scratches out, THAT would be a problem, since it is likely he will go through the clear in the process, since the scratches are as deep as they are.

[shane83]

Well folks, I applied the mineral spirits to the scratches but the white paint marring that you see in the pictures, and some that you only see in person up close is still present.

After applying the mineral spirits, I clayed the area but it didn't make much of a difference.

Right now I'm thinking that the polish will be able to remove these scratch marks and marring.

The scratches don't feel as if they are "deep". If I run my fingernail across some of the scratches, there is some resistance but its not to the point where my fingernail digs into the scratch..if that makes any sense.

If I were to apply the touch up paint after the polish and before the sealant (collinite 845), would that work? As far as creating a permanent barrier between the clear-coat and the elements..to prevent rusting that is.

I want to leave wet sanding as a last resort because I'm afraid I might screw things up even more...remember, I haven't even used a DA polisher yet so I still have some learning and experience to gain in car detailing.

I would really like to fix this up ASAP...honestly I hate looking at all those scratches on my new car One of these weekends I was finally going to whip out the DA polisher and get working on the paint to make it nice and glossy for the summer. I just hope the polish will get rid of the scratches and that the end result doesn't look too bad.....oh well I'm just glad that there are no dents or any major damage to the car, things could have been much worse.

[Blackthorn One]

Well folks, I applied the mineral spirits to the scratches but the white paint marring that you see in the pictures, and some that you only see in person up close is still present.

After applying the mineral spirits, I clayed the area but it didn't make much of a difference.

Right now I'm thinking that the polish will be able to remove these scratch marks and marring.

The scratches don't feel as if they are "deep". If I run my fingernail across some of the scratches, there is some resistance but its not to the point where my fingernail digs into the scratch..if that makes any sense.

If I were to apply the touch up paint after the polish and before the sealant (collinite 845), would that work? As far as creating a permanent barrier between the clear-coat and the elements..to prevent rusting that is.

I want to leave wet sanding as a last resort because I'm afraid I might screw things up even more...remember, I haven't even used a DA polisher yet so I still have some learning and experience to gain in car detailing.

I would really like to fix this up ASAP...honestly I hate looking at all those scratches on my new car One of these weekends I was finally going to whip out the DA polisher and get working on the paint to make it nice and glossy for the summer. I just hope the polish will get rid of the scratches and that the end result doesn't look too bad.....oh well I'm just glad that there are no dents or any major damage to the car, things could have been much worse.

If you don't feel comfortable with wet sanding, that is fine. I suggest polishing enough to get all of the other paint color out of the scratches, and then clean with mineral spirits before you apply touch up. Once the other color is out of the scratches it will look much better. If there are any scratches to the primer, touch them up. If there are no scratches that far, and the color looks ok, you can just apply sealant to it.

If it were me I would just use a one step sealant on it and see how it is.
If it's presentable, leave it like that.

I suggest polishing after touch up because polishing will help to blend the touched up areas.