Door Scratches AKA I'm An Idiot - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

bluesy · 05-03-2010, 10:42 PM

Ok, so I'm pretty positive no major damage was done and these aren't too bad, but I've got to double-check with you all since I feel so stupid for doing this in the first place. I only picked up my new Camry a week ago today and did this within the first few days of having it.

So I go to pull my car into the garage in order to take some pictures of the interior and under the hood, and in the process of getting out of the car I fling the door into my lawn mower since I didn't pull up as far as normal

. Specifically, I opened the door of the car into the handlebar area of a push mower.

Pic below and damage is outlined in red, assuming I used the image link properly since this is the first time I'm posting pics although its previewing properly. Let me know if I should be worried about this or if there is anything I should really do other than be more careful with my brand new car

.

Also, I've got one other picture that came out good if that helps, but it looks essentially the same except the top scratch has more lens flare/glare in it so I figured this worked better. Can take more if need be, but this was about as good as I could get with my point and shoot Canon in manual focus mode.

eyezack87 · 05-03-2010, 11:29 PM

Seems like the paint chipped off. Buy a touch up pen and color it in. I had to buy one in the first month since my family parked too close to the wall and did that as well...

bluesy · 05-03-2010, 11:33 PM

Is there somewhere in particular I can find the magnetic gray in a touch up pen (dealer?) or should I just get a dark gray one from a standard auto parts store?

eyezack87 · 05-03-2010, 11:36 PM

I use the dealer

bluesy · 05-03-2010, 11:46 PM

Thanks much!

Is there anything else I should be aware of regarding the touch up pen? Do I need to put anything over it, wait an excessive amount of time to wash/wax afterwards (obviously I would think at least 24 hours, probably 48-72 just to be safe), etc?

Also, do you remember approx. how much it cost?

desentrix · 05-04-2010, 02:19 AM

Well, if you're going to buy the met. gray pen, you might as well follow up with the clear coat pen. Couldn't hurt to wait a week in cold temps, 2-3 days hot before washing/waxing..

eyezack87 · 05-04-2010, 01:12 PM

Wait a few days for it to dry after application. Clear coat isn't necessary with Toyota pens but it'll never hurt to apply it. I believe it was like $10-15 if I remember correctly

bluesy · 05-04-2010, 05:03 PM

Picked up the pen at the dealer today along with a Toyota keychain since my keyring feels nekkid with this foreign remote/key combo instead of two bulky things

.

Any tips for application? I figure the brush is a no-no since I don't really want to glob the paint on. I'm a little worried about using the pen portion as I don't want to cause further scratching and the guy at the parts department said it will dry out if I use the pen portion and leave the little orange seal out...toothpick?? q-tip?? IDK

Also, any suggestions for prepping the area? I have some of the Meguiars Quick Detailer so I figured I'd clean the area with that first and then apply the touch-up. I also have some scratch-x on hand if that would work better.

Thanks again everyone!

eyezack87 · 05-04-2010, 08:43 PM

I use the brush. Just do light coats each time. Don't blob it on thats all. I avoid the pen unless I'm fixing spots on the hood, or at least I tried before I found out the pen never worked on my thing lol

Prep the area by using a couple wipes 99% rubbing alcohol. You want it to be clean and wax free

bluesy · 05-04-2010, 09:25 PM

Actually I got impatient and decided to (*gasp*) search around this board and google a bit. Did the alcohol clean and let it dry for a bit. Then did one coat with a toothpick just to be sure I got the majority of the paint in the crack the first round through. Then I took a shower and such while that dried. I just did a very light second coat with the brush itself (I just get paranoid about these things since I don't have the steadiest of hands and I'm the type of idiot that globs on superglue until it doesn't stick - just have to keep reminding myself that I can do more coats later if need be and not to go nuts on the first coat or two). I'm going to let that dry overnight especially as I have to drive the car to work in the morning.

I'll see how it looks in the day light and go from there since the lighting in my garage isn't very good. I couldn't see any of the primer/base coat white-type stuff after the first coat so I'm thinking I'm pretty good. Especially since its on the side of the door, I don't care about perfection I just don't want it to stand out like a sore thumb nor do I want it to start rusting. I'll be sure to post follow-up pics once I'm done.

***mmasse*** · 05-05-2010, 10:00 PM

This is what I have used on my car and it works great

http://www.brandsport.com/trmg-402-05.html

bluesy · 05-06-2010, 10:30 PM

The repair is definitely coming along. I haven't had a chance to take more pics yet, but I think I'm pretty much done with the touch-up paint. I did a third coat yesterday after work and let it dry overnight. Checked it out today and it looks pretty decent in my opinion - barely noticeable unless you know exactly where to look. I would have taken pics, but the lighting wasn't great at that point.

I guess my only remaining question is, can I smooth it out a little with something like scratchx or would I really need to go the route of using something like 3000 grit wet sandpaper to smooth it? Its only rough in the area on the edge of the door where the chipped paint was so I don't really want to go at it with sandpaper, but I guess I'm just hoping I can get that much closer to making it unnoticeable.

I try to take a couple more pics soon, but I have to work late tomorrow so it probably won't be until over the weekend.

bluesy · 05-06-2010, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmasse

This is what I have used on my car and it works great

http://www.brandsport.com/trmg-402-05.html

Thanks mmasse! I saved the link in case I change my mind, but I just can't see myself doing this. I don't know where I got this from, but I feel like you have to be crazy old to put door protectors on your car. I mean I'm getting "old" and all, but give me another 30-40 years before I'm ready for these

.

eyezack87 · 05-07-2010, 04:15 AM

I always smooth out any touch ups with wetsanding. I have done it so many times to my rock chips that it doesn't even look like anything happened to the spots anymore. You're spot on with the slow and steady method though

***mmasse*** · 05-07-2010, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluesy

Thanks mmasse! I saved the link in case I change my mind, but I just can't see myself doing this. I don't know where I got this from, but I feel like you have to be crazy old to put door protectors on your car. I mean I'm getting "old" and all, but give me another 30-40 years before I'm ready for these

.

Ouch... Now I feel old. Well to each their own I should mention that it does blend in quite nicely since the car is a dark color. Since I live with a garage with concrete walls it seemed like a good choice. Good luck with the paint touch up.