Adam, brilliant pearl touch up?

[ElDiabloJoe]

Adam,

I got my bumper rubbed in a parking lot. My 06 Avalon is painted brililant pearl, it has a sparkle to it in direct sunlight, but the rubbed portion is now black.

What is the best way to touch/fix this up?



Thanks!

EDJ

[TrailDust]

Given the type of damage, I'd take it to Carsmetics in Lake Forest. I've used them for my Avalon twice and they're awesome at that type of repair, and for an excellent price too!

TrailDust

[humanoid]

Adam's Polishes is no longer a site sponsor on TN.

[eddie926]

It's hard to tell from that picture. Is there any dent/scratch or is that just something that has transferred onto your paint from whatever you rubbed against?

If it's the latter, get some Meguiars ScratchX (Wal Mart) and see if you can rub it off. I've removed some pretty bad looking paint transfers using ScratchX. Takes some effort, sometimes many passes. If it's something worse than ScratchX will handle, I've used 1500 and 2000 grit sandpaper also. Tread lightly there though as too much sanding will take you thru your clear.

[ElDiabloJoe]

Traildust and Eddie, thanks for the suggestions.

Traildust, about how much would that run, rough ballpark-wise?

Eddie, it's not the other car's paint on mine, I think the rubber on their older car's bumper sanded off the layer of paint on mine

Humanoid, thanks for the info, I didn't know he was no longer affiliated with TN.

EDJ

[eddie926]

Dunno. Could it be their bumper left some rubber on your paint? That would be more my guess on the black areas. If you haven't tried the ScratchX or wet sanding you might try it. You might be surprised. I've cleaned up some pretty nasty transfers that looked as bad or worse than that.

[TrailDust]

Originally Posted by ElDiabloJoe

Traildust and Eddie, thanks for the suggestions.

Traildust, about how much would that run, rough ballpark-wise?

I took a hit to the rear bumper similar to your's with scratches and paint transfer from the other car and it came to $68. I had more damage another time to the same bumper that actually punctured the bumper, and that was $300. In the end, who knows without an estimate? What I like about Carsmetics is they do such a damn good job, and for a cost that's often half what other shops will charge. Sounds like my personal mechanic. Anyway, go get an estimate from them...doesn't cost anything and it won't hurt.

TrailDust

[aaronwt]

hmm try to rub it off first then use a detailing kit.

[ElDiabloJoe]

Traildust,

Thanks again for the Carsmetics tip. I went for an estimate and it was $250. I'm going to take it in next week. I'll post how it went.

EDJ

[TrailDust]

Glad to have been of help to you. When you get the repair done by all means post the pictures. I think you'll be very happy with the result.

[ElDiabloJoe]

Well, for a grand total of under $300 (tax, etc.), Carsmetics in Lake Forest did such an outstanding job repairing my bumper, that I cannot even tell it was ever damaged!! They perfectly matched up the pearlized white paint, and you can't even tell the original 2 year old section with the freshly painted section.

The pix were taken in the evening, so the shadows are deceiving, but I checked it out closely in the bright direct daylight, and I'm VERY pleased!

The end result pix are posted below

Thanks again for the great tip!!!

EDJ

[TrailDust]

You're welcome! Glad to help out, man. Looks like they made a perfect match with the paint...an equivalent luster/depth to the paint on the hatch. And the best thing of all is you can't beat the price...awesome!