two bodywork related questions

[08_MS3_GT]

as the title indicates:

1) i was backed into and recently got the car repaired. two door panels got painted as a result of the work. the body shop did NOT tell me to wait 30 days before waxing, and i proceeded to wax within a day... did i ruin my paint?

2) i f***ed up a part of my front bumper by scraping it on concrete. a truly stupid move. my research indicates that i could probably work out the scrapes with wet sanding followed by aerosol paint application - can anyone confirm this procedure?

please advise (2thumbs)

 

[BOOSTR]

Wax on fresh paint is a no-no because the chemicals in the wax can react adversley with the paint curing process. No paint manufacturer recommends applying wax to fresh paint.

There are body-shop safe compounds/polishes/glazes that can be used without issue on fresh paint. Its too early to say definitely that you ruined the paint, that will become clearer as time goes on.

Don't try to wet sand your car and paint it with a spray bomb. It will look worse. Have it corrected properly, again.

 

[08_MS3_GT]

Don't try to wet sand your car and paint it with a spray bomb. It will look worse. Have it corrected properly, again.

i was worried someone would say that...

i will contend that the scraped part of the bumper is low such that it would not be the end of the world if it did not look perfect. i have no idea what the charge would be to fix it but am guessing it'd be around $400.

is there any way that i could fix it myself? including primer and clear coat?

 

[BOOSTR]

If its so low that its not noticeable then sure it can be done so that you at least do not see white scratch marks. Make sure you use a wax & grease remover before you apply your new paint. You could tape and mask off the unaffected area of the paint and respray the affected area after prepping it. At least you won't see scrape marks.

Out of curiosity what made you decide to wax the repaired section after it was refinished?

 

[08_MS3_GT]

I waxed it right away cuz winter was coming and I want to protect the paint. I waxed the whole car.

I'll look for a good repair procedure. Hiding the scrapes is my goal.

 

[creina1221]

As far as wax goes, I believe you can use silicone free wax, there's stuff I use made by Presta called "fast wax" which is excellent for its purpose. Very easy to work with as well.

As far as your bumper, if it's low enough, you can most likely do it yourself but you know it'll bug you everytime you look at it. You'll be able to tell. The correct way to repair the bumper is to take the cover off the car, overhaul it, repair it refinish it and reinstall it. Depending on how bad the scrapes are, I'm thinking your initial guess of 400.00 would be pretty close.

Good luck!

 

[08_MS3_GT]

i'll look into the details of a DIY repair. it would appear as though i could do a pretty good job if i followed the right steps. the damage is primarily just surface scraping/scratching. smoothing out scrapes with a bit of sanding, followed by prime, basecoat, and clearcoat could give a nice result.

that said, having it done professionally, while costing significantly more, would only take probably a day and would look good as new. the odds of my work giving a 'like new' result are not as good.

 

[BOOSTR]

Anything which contains silicone or wax and that does not state Paint Shop Safe, should not be used on fresh paint, ever.

Presta contains siloxanes & silicones so it would fall into that not ever category on fresh paint.

No need to remove a panel for a spot repair, which can be done provided that you know what you are doing.

Take a picture of your damage and post it 08 MS3 GT.

 

[08_MS3_GT]

i'll get a pic up ASAP.

what do you recommend for the wax i put on my fresh paint? remove it somehow? call the body shop, especially given that they never told me not to wax it?

is it possible that they already treated the paint somehow, so my wax application won't cause issues?

 

[creina1221]

Anything which contains silicone or wax and that does not state Paint Shop Safe, should not be used on fresh paint, ever.

Presta contains siloxanes & silicones so it would fall into that not ever category on fresh paint.

No need to remove a panel for a spot repair, which can be done provided that you know what you are doing.

Take a picture of your damage and post it 08 MS3 GT.

The panel should be removed, even for a spot repair, the entire panel still needs to be cleared regardless of how much colors is actualy blown onto the panel.

 

[ForceFed]

You can use DIsh Detergent to remove the wax from the fresh panels..Its a harsh Soap that will strip the wax off..then you should only glaze them for the first 4-8 weeks.
Glaze will only last a wash or so..so it needs to be re-applied..but isnt neccesary.

You didnt ruin your paint either way...It will be fine.

 

[08_MS3_GT]

bringing this thread back from the dead...

i've managed to do some more research as well as scrape my back bumper - UNBELIEVABLE that i've scraped my MS3 multiple times while never doing so with another car in 7 years driving.

i got a quote from one shop with at least another estimate on the way - i've been quoted at $1100 total, roughly $600front/$500rear. strange how expensive it gets, especially because they're just sanding and repainting my bumpers. i could get new covers (unpainted) for $650.

at this point, i've (obviously) got three options:

1) do nothing
2) fix it myself
3) have a shop do it

1) is obviously straightforward, but i won't necessarily like leaving it as-is. it might drive me crazy, or maybe i'll self-soothe by keeping the rest of the car immaculate.

2) is risky - i've read a lot about what it takes to wetsand+prime+basecoat+clearcoat, including blending paint, multiple coats, etc., but there's no implication that i can do it. is this sort of work idiot-proof? automotivetouchup.com claims to have 'pro-grade spray tips'...

3) is the safe route, but also expensive. i'm not sure if i'm in a position to shell out that kind of money, plus there's the risk that i'll get too close to another curb and scrape again.

what do you think? i know i'm way overdue for posting pictures - i've had camera issues - but i'll try to get some up tomorrow.

please advise (drinks)