Car Touch-Ups

I decided to clean up my vehicles a bit, and took of the few bumper stickers that were on them.
While most of them came off with nary a mark (I did run some Goo Gone, then washed and waxed the spots where the stickers were just to be on the safe side), one required a bit of scraping with a razor. Unfortunately, in my clumsiness, I scraped through the paint in a few small spots. I promptly washed, dried, and waxed over those spots so they wouldn’t corrode, but the little scrape marks still stand out to me.
Unfortunately, I know nothing about touching up such spots on a car. The spots are all within a 3×3″ area, with none being larger than a quarter inch on a side.
It’s a bit of a long shot, but are any of my readers skilled at such things? I’d pay for all the supplies (e.g. paint, primer, etc.), but cash is a bit tight, so I may have to pay in beer or ammo.

8 thoughts on “Car Touch-Ups”

  1. Unless your car is an expensive one, just buff compound the area. Then, get matching paint spray can from auto-parts dealer (most have it). Mask the area with tape…Then lightly spray coats until the scratches are covered…May have to use polishing compound to blend edges. Will work nicely unless your paint is faded badly

    1. Charlie: I presume the buffing compound is used for removing the existing paint in the area so the sprayed-on paint will apply evenly?
      Thanks for the advice. Seems a bit easier than I expected.

  2. Charlie is correct on the process. If the marks are thin scratches then I would use a paint pen, also available at auto parts stores, these can fill the scratches or cuts without being very noticeable at all. You can use the paint pens for larger areas but they will get blotchy if you arent very careful and thn you will have to do the job as laid out by Charlie any way. I would be happy to help you do it, but Southern California is a hell of a commute, even for ammo and beer.
    Thom.

  3. The next time you are taking off something with adhesive on it – try WD40. As long as the WD40 doesn’t hurt the finish (try some in a hidden area) it does wonders.

  4. Primeval: I thoroughly soaked the sticker and the area around it with WD40 and allowed it to penetrate for several minutes. On this particular sticker, it had minimal effect: it had been on for some time, and had likely been waxed over a few times.

  5. Well, unless it is a very thin scratch, the buffing compound will feather the edges of the scratch so that you don’t get a “step” at the edge. Also, the buffing compound roughs up the cars high gloss paint to enhance adhesion. The complete process takes some time, but will produce a very good repair. The trick is to do everything in moderation until you get a feel for the process. Heck, I’m off this week, just drive 2000 miles to Louisiana and I’ll help!

  6. Oh, forgot 1 thing…if you have bare metal, get a small bottle of phosphorous rust treatment. Will insure no rust bubbles later.

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