Help - my car is scratched!

kelle

Yesterday, we were out in the garden. My 3-year-old daughter decided she wanted to wash my car, so I gave her a dishcloth. I didn't notice that she picked up a stone and found she could meke nice little patterns on the doors of the car!

I'm just wondering if one can buy paint to cover these scratches? It's a Mazda 5 and a metallic colour.

Any advice is appreciated - thank you in advance!

squod

No. short answer.

Owen

Completely dependent on how deep the scratches are. Try to drag your nail across the scratch, if your nail goes into it, it's not good and will probably need to be repainted.

If it's not so deep, a professional polish can remove them - contact the user Separate here, he has a detailing company who will be best able to advise.

Gumbo

have you any pics of the damage?
i'd imagine you need the door at least re-sprayed im afraid.

Jimmy Bottlehead

I'd recommend trading in your child.

kelle

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

I'd recommend trading in your child.

I'll take it out of her first month's wages!

I didn't spot it until this afternoon, and I thought it had been keyed while parked at a Shopping Centre. I must admit I was slightly relieved it was only her!

PaintDoctor wrote: »

Completely dependent on how deep the scratches are. Try to drag your nail across the scratch, if your nail goes into it, it's not good and will probably need to be repainted.

If it's not so deep, a professional polish can remove them - contact the user Separate here, he has a detailing company who will be best able to advise.

Thanks, PaintDoctor. They don't seem too deep. I'll contact that user.

CiniO

All depends what you want to achieve.
Paint is there for 2 reasons.
1. It protects metal from rust.
2. It makes car look nice.

If it's only about point 1. then you can easily paint it yourself.
If it's not deep get a paint in spray in correct colour, and just spray it.
If it's deeper or the rust has already started appering there, you might need to paint it using a paintbrush and something like hammerite or even primer first and then paint on it.
It will definitely secure metal from rusting, but it might look bad.

If you want it to look nice, you have to spraypaint the whole element (door, wing, whatever is was).

Owen

Don't follow that advice please OP, your car will end up looking like a quiltwork carpet. Just bring it into Andy (Separate) and I'm sure he'll advise you if it's possible to polish the car back to perfection or not, and you'll know where to go from there.

Can't believe someone'd put hammerite on their car - and I know it's just a suggestion to stop rust, but c'mon ... Hammerite?

ltdslipdiff

Or you could just get her to do the rest of the car and make it all match?

CiniO

PaintDoctor wrote: »

Don't follow that advice please OP, your car will end up looking like a quiltwork carpet. Just bring it into Andy (Separate) and I'm sure he'll advise you if it's possible to polish the car back to perfection or not, and you'll know where to go from there.

Can't believe someone'd put hammerite on their car - and I know it's just a suggestion to stop rust, but c'mon ... Hammerite?

Did I say something incorrect that you discourage to follow my sugestion?

Cars are different.
As on brand new 10' BMW hammerite might look big not in place, but on 91 toyota it'll probably do.

To be honest, 2 years ago I bought 01 Fiat bravo for almost half the price, as it was scratched in few places. Even dented in some. All I used to fix it was a small wooden hammer and a can of spray paint in exact colour as mine car. Cost - about 10 euros. + few hours of my work.
Car looks fine. Looking at it from more then 5m you'd never say it was dented or scratched. Besides that car is not supposed to be shiny and new. It's supposed to be nice to drive - and that what it is.

Owen

But it might only cost her a few quid to get it polished out, rather than putting Hammerite on the car, it looking like a turd, and having to go get it painted unnecessarily?

It's a Mazda 5, so it's relatively recent. She obviously cares a lot for the car for a few small scratches to upset her.

CiniO wrote: »

All I used to fix it was a small wooden hammer

I have this vision in my head, finger's crossed it didn't end up like this (No offense meant).

Esel

Nail varnish might work, depending on whether your daughter used a stone (usually causes a deep scratch) or a pebble (usually superficial damage only). I'd buy her some chalk (even a lot of chalk).

cuppa

its just the start. Say good bye too cd's, wallpaper, carpets, spoons, anything of value, and get used to fixing stuff

kelle

I've been through all that cuppa and thought I was finished! Just never thought my car was in any danger.