[metalhawk]

Hi all, as I was parked someone reversed until my car "stopped" him/her.. I now have two small but annoying scratches on my rear bumper, basically the paint is gone and there are now black lines (the plastic bumper's original colour I guess) :wall:

Audi wants more than 500 GBP to fix it (paint the whole bumper), but since the scratches are so tiny, does anyone have any DIY ideas on this? There are no chipaway-like companies here

 

[xxup]

...There are no chipaway-like companies here

Sounds like a great idea for a driving holiday to the UK.. It should only take a couple of days to get there from Greece. :thumbsup:

 

[blackdevilcar]

You can order Audi paint touch-up pens, these usually work well for small dings. I'm fairly sure Audi would have these available via their website, if not you can always get them shipped from Audi NA.

A family member of mine with a silver A4 scuffed off several inches of paint around the front wheel arch. Even with a paint scrape of that size, he was able to fix it flawlessly with the pen--partly due to the fact that you can get the exact color of your car.

 

[metalhawk]

So the pens work on the plastic bumper too, with the paint scraped off? I was under the impression that they only work "between" the paint itself, I 'll give it a try thnks!

 

[mopsta81]

I have used the pens several times and have never cared much for them and the color has never been just right. This last go around i got a local body shop to mix some paint and and put it in a paint sprayer bladder. It has worked better than any other touch up i have used. They mixed clear in with it and its thinner so you can do a better job. They also supplied these very handy applicators. I would best describe them as plastic tooth pics with soft brissels on the end that form a circular shape. Im sure its a typical body shop supply.

 

[number2jcb]

Learn from my mistakes

Touch up paint is fairly scary but easy with enough patient and balls.

I tried to sand, prime, base coat and clear coat a lot of little dings around my car. Afterwards, I realized that the directions the touch up paint had given me were just not even close to accurate and lacked many important details that they figured I already knew.

1. You really notice paint that doesn't have clear coat.
2. You really really notice clear coat that is higher or lower than the surrounding paint.
3. Paint overage is really easy to remove with wet sanding and patience.
4. It will take several days to complete, and many hours of labor and could end in disappointment or excitement. At least you can try and if you fail have them repair it.
5. One thin coat of base and clear might make you happy with little effort. It won't look perfect, but it will match much better.
6. Swirl remover and an orbital polisher are your best friend.
7. When a car is wet, you don't see scratches in the finish and think that you are the bomb, later when it air dries, you cry. But no worries, that is what #6 is for.

A rough list of the things you would need to do a perfect pro job:

touchup paint kit with primer, base coat, clear coat (don't get the pens, you will tear your hair out)
prep solvent,
lots of tiny brushes with very small tips (the touchup bottle brushes are just too big),
a sand paper kit (220, 500, 1000, 1500, 2000),
and if you want to save your arms later, an orbital polisher with orange cutting pads and a swirl remover polishing compound,
microfiber cloths,
tack cloth

Important take aways, less is more. Always use very thin even coats with plenty of drying time. Take your time, and don't worry if you scratch the good paint surrounding the area with the sand paper. Light scratches that your fingernail barely catches can be removed by the swirl remover compound and cutting pad with no paint work at all.

I would post a massive step by step list but it would take me hours and probably miss something. Look at some other instructions out there. At least, you know that the repaint of the bumper is always an option, and knowing how to do this will save you lots of money in the future when new door dings or hood chips appear.

 

[Cosmicblue]

Some years (like 2+ decades) ago when I worked in the motor trade I watched one of the old paint shop guys touch up a scratch on his own car using a sewing needle dipped in touch up paint.

You can deliver very precise amounts of paint direct to the damaged area and then do the same with the clear top coat - polishing when dry for a near invisible repair. I do the same to this day - works great for stone chips too.