Bumper scratch (pedantic owner!)

almostover

Noticed some scuffing on the underside of the front bumper of my 132 Lexus IS300h today. It's relatively minor but now that I've spotted it I can't unsee it and every time it catches my eye I die a little inside.....sad I know but this is the first nice car I've owned and the rest of the body is immaculate. I've included a pic to show the scuffing, I have driven the car on one or two poorly surfaced backroads and the lip must have grazed the road. I'd like to rectify the damage even given how slight that it is. I can't feel any deep scratching so I'm wondering if a DIY fix is possible? Would appreciate some advice from folks more knowledgeable than I on paintwork repairs. TIA

GustavoFring

I've the exact same thing on my car, a little smaller but once you see it once it's all you see.

I wasn't impressed with the touch up paint so got some chipex the other day as the match is supposed to be quite good and I have a few stone chips to sort anyway. If you don't go mad you can take the edge off marks like that with a light coat and you won't see it. I've done similar before and unless you get on your hands and knees it's not noticable.

JoeA3

It looks typical of the type of damage you’d pick up if you drove nose first into a parking spot with a high kerb. Very common.

DIY touch ups aren’t likely to help, if anything it could make it look worse. If it was higher up on the bumper in plain sight I’d say no way, but as it’s so low down, I’d say give it a try. Just get the correct touch up kit from the dealers. Don’t use the thick brush that comes with it, use a cocktail stick or a very fine artist brush instead.
Seeing as it’s so low down on the bumper you might take the worst look of it away doing this.

Failing that, you could try looking for a local “chipsaway” type of operator in your area. Basically a man in a van who does local touch up repairs. A good way of finding one local is to call into the local main dealers and ask them who they use for touch ups on their used stock.

Comhrá

almostover wrote: »

Noticed some scuffing on the underside of the front bumper of my 132 Lexus IS300h today. It's relatively minor but now that I've spotted it I can't unsee it and every time it catches my eye I die a little inside.....sad I know but this is the first nice car I've owned and the rest of the body is immaculate. I've included a pic to show the scuffing, I have driven the car on one or two poorly surfaced backroads and the lip must have grazed the road. I'd like to rectify the damage even given how slight that it is. I can't feel any deep scratching so I'm wondering if a DIY fix is possible? Would appreciate some advice from folks more knowledgeable than I on paintwork repairs. TIA

I did exactly that sort of damage to a brand new VW a few years back. I took it to a local bodyshop here in Limerick who did a perfect, undetectable repair for around €180. No affiliation to this guy but he did an excellent job, reasonably priced.

Dermot O'Dwyer Crash Repairs
Car Servicing and Repair

Clondrinagh Industrial Estate
Ennis Road
Limerick
County Limerick

Landline: 061 324 494

almostover

Comhra wrote: »

I did exactly that sort of damage to a brand new VW a few years back. I took it to a local bodyshop here in Limerick who did a perfect, undetectable repair for around €180. No affiliation to this guy but he did an excellent job, reasonably priced.

Dermot O'Dwyer Crash Repairs
Car Servicing and Repair

Clondrinagh Industrial Estate
Ennis Road
Limerick
County Limerick

Landline: 061 324 494

Bit far away for me but thank you. I don't think the paint itself is damaged, just the clear coat. Is this something that's too deep to attack with Tcut or a light pass of wet and dry? Failing that who in Cork city would be best to perform the repair?

Del2005

I'd try a red T-Cut on it before I'd try painting it.

https://www.halfords.ie/motoring/paints-body-repair/scratch-repair-paint-restorers/t-cut-scratch-remover-red

almostover

GustavoFring wrote: »

I've the exact same thing on my car, a little smaller but once you see it once it's all you see.

I wasn't impressed with the touch up paint so got some chipex the other day as the match is supposed to be quite good and I have a few stone chips to sort anyway. If you don't go mad you can take the edge off marks like that with a light coat and you won't see it. I've done similar before and unless you get on your hands and knees it's not noticable.

Very tempted to try the chipex. It's £35 for a kit with the correct paint colour. Seems cheaper than €150 for a pro job and with the damage being so close to the ground it may do. On the other hand I don't want to make matters worse. What would be the procedure for a chipex repair?

GustavoFring

almostover wrote: »

Very tempted to try the chipex. It's £35 for a kit with the correct paint colour. Seems cheaper than €150 for a pro job and with the damage being so close to the ground it may do. On the other hand I don't want to make matters worse. What would be the procedure for a chipex repair?

I haven't used it yet myself but there's a good few videos on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/-dFaPraB74Q

https://youtu.be/uzKoYQLcFks

Seems to be more aimed at chips admittedly.

JoeA3

The paint is clearly scuffed right through to the black plastic underneath in a couple of places. T-Cut or anything like it is a nonsense suggestion I’m afraid! The only thing that will fix it 100% is a professional repaint. It’s location low down on the bumper means that repaint can be kept quite localised, and therefore reasonably inexpensive. A DIY touch up, whether using standard touch up paint or chippex, will give you so-so results, but it might look fine from 5 feet away as it is low down.

Personally, having tried it a few times, I think Chippex is madly over priced. It isn’t any more effective than a standard touch up kit.

almostover

JoeA3 wrote: »

The paint is clearly scuffed right through to the black plastic underneath in a couple of places. T-Cut or anything like it is a nonsense suggestion I’m afraid! The only thing that will fix it 100% is a professional repaint. It’s location low down on the bumper means that repaint can be kept quite localised, and therefore reasonably inexpensive. A DIY touch up, whether using standard touch up paint or chippex, will give you so-so results, but it might look fine from 5 feet away as it is low down.

Personally, having tried it a few times, I think Chippex is madly over priced. It isn’t any more effective than a standard touch up kit.

Going to get quotes from a few different places to have this repaired professionally. The financial hit will put manners on me to be more careful in future. Difficult on the crap roads in Cork city, almost certain this happened me on the roadworks on the skehard road but I can avoid that route until the road works are completed.

Comhrá

almostover wrote: »

Going to get quotes from a few different places to have this repaired professionally. The financial hit will put manners on me to be more careful in future. Difficult on the crap roads in Cork city, almost certain this happened me on the roadworks on the skehard road but I can avoid that route until the road works are completed.

Best decision tbh. It will only be expensive the day you pay for it and you'll have the satisfaction of your car looking as good as new.

A cheap 'touch-up' and you will look at the 'repair' every time you look at the car.

Let us have a pic when the job is done.

TheBoyConor

You could get one of the aerosol cans of paint that is for your model of car. They are reasonable money. It'll cover the scratches well and it's so low down on the bumper, practically underneath the car, that any imperfections won't be any way noticable.