[tnsatbhs]

So I was putting some stuff in my backseat today and hit my car right above the door which caused a pretty nice paint chip... Still pissed at myself... Anyone have any experience with repairing this? I've done some basic rock chips, but I'm a little more worried with this one since it's down to the metal in a couple places, and on a curved body panel. Thoughts? Any products you've used on PB with success? This is right at eye level and will drive me crazy if I have to look at it for the next 27 months.

[Burrcold]

Get some paint, a toothpick, and a very steady hand. It will hardly be noticeable.

[tnsatbhs]

That's kind of what I'm thinking. Anyone have any experience with this and lease return? It sounds like penetrating the paint, like this, is not considered normal wear and tear and may be charged. I'm wondering if touch up paint will be flagged or if I'm screwed anyways.

[RigaTony1982]

Based on my experience with lease turn ins, if you do the touch up paint I doubt they’ll even notice. Compared to the condition that some people keep their cars, I wouldn’t worry about this.

[tnsatbhs]

Originally Posted by syrup

First post! Sorry to hijack your thread, but I'm in a similar spot, a scratch on my beautiful Portimao Blue paint.

I noticed it today, and it was probably some jackass since I'm super careful on where I park it.

This is also a lease (5 months in), so what do you think is my best course of action?

Thanks!

PS: right side of the picture is the front passenger-side door. So the scratch spans both doors on the passenger's side.

Is that scratch all the way down to the primer or metal? Doesn't look like it is, but that's sometimes hard to tell in a photo. If not, this can be buffed/polished out. Any good detailer should be able to take care of that.

[claykin]

Dr Colorchip

[tnsatbhs]

Originally Posted by syrup

I know 0 about paint related stuff, but the scratch is white, so I guess it's down to the primer. It's not metal, that's for sure.

So it's something that requires professional work? Can't take care of it with one of those kits?

Thanks!

Could be, but maybe not. Primer is more gray than white. If you run your fingernail over it does your fingernail catch on it?

[tnsatbhs]

Originally Posted by syrup

Just took a more detailed look at it, with a flashlight, and it's not exactly white. It's grey-ish trending to white. I did the fingernail test and it catches, but barely.

You may be able to just have someone buff that out then. I would at least take it to a detailer before I took it to a body shop just to see what they say. They would pretty quickly be able to tell you if they can fix it or if it needs a body shop.

[tnsatbhs]

Originally Posted by syrup

Update

This is how it looks with one pass of Dr. Colorchip. It's clearly not perfect, but it was better than I expected. These pictures show the worst possible angle where the scratch shows the most. With this single pass, looking straight at the door makes the scratch unnoticeable.

It definitely will need some professional work at some time, but I think that with another pass it'll be good enough for the time being.

Nice! Looks way better!

[psaav]

Originally Posted by claykin

Dr Colorchip

Another vote for this stuff. Easy to apply and works well.