Sup guys,

thought i'd just share my experience;

I've had my series 3 SX electro blue since Friday after an extensive wait, and have kept it locked in the driveway and keys hidden inside to 'discourage' my family members from borrowing it. Yesterday i went off to parklife, letting Dad drop me at a mates house in it and letting him keep the keys for overnight.

Imagine my feelings when the next day i see the front left side of the front bar has the biggest scrape, paint missing everywhere, and then having the lens not only scratched deeply but having the whole headlight unit pushed out of place? now this isn't a new car and has its share of scratches, but i almost died/could have killed someone when i saw it.

Now i have 2 questions; 1) have you had a similar experience? and 2) can we shed some light on your maintenance routines to get those scratches and scrapes out? has anyone used touch up paint on their 380?

Cheers, mick

Touch up paint sucks. I've used it before but I'd never use it again. It might make damage less obvious from a distance, but up close it looks tacky and sticks out like the proverbial.

Paint transfer can be cleaned off, either with polish or some other cleaner. Light scratches can also be removed. My favourite off-the-shelf product is Meguiars ScratchX. However, the rule of thumb is that if you can catch the scratch with your fingernail, you're not going to be able to completely remove it - the best you can do is make it less obvious. If you love your car like I think you do, your only option to get it fixed properly is to head to a panel beater.

Meguiars also make a product called PlastX for plastics (including headlights). I'd say it wouldn't completely remove the scratch on the headlight, but with a bit of elbow grease you could probably get it looking a bit better.

I've used touch up paint before (bottle and brush) and it looked crap - but if u you do go down that route make sure you use the thinest amount of paint possible and polish after.

Depending on where the scratch is, you can sometimes get away with spray painting it yourself. I have done this about 10 times on my car and the result is unoticable. My car is black paint with green flecks and you cant even tell where i sprayed - and the paint i used was straight black. But the scratch has always been really low on the front under the fog lights facing downwards - where the body kit scrapes on gutters etc. I wouldn't use this method on top or side faceing panels like bonets or doors.

Get your dad to bloody pay for it!

Get your dad to bloody pay for it!

This! Man I'd be sooo pissed off if that happened haha. But my dad is a good driver and I would trust him with my car more than I trust myself :P.

Put up a photo of the damage mate and maybe we could be more helpful :D. There are mobile scratch repair mobs around, some of which do a fantastic job for smallish scratches and scuffs and are fairly affordable.

Dude, I know its family but this needs to be fixed properly. Have your dad repair it.

Get your dad to bloody pay for it!


Dude, I know its family but this needs to be fixed properly. Have your dad repair it.

We don't actually no the whole story, maybe it wasn't his dads fault at all. Do you have insurance? Is the damage worthy of putting in a claim? Maybe your dad could help you pay for the excess and get it all done properly.

Reckon i could sue him for psychological shock/distress? Nah can't be sure it was him, and he had to put up with my filthy mood all day anyway... :D




Meguiars also make a product called PlastX for plastics (including headlights). I'd say it wouldn't completely remove the scratch on the headlight, but with a bit of elbow grease you could probably get it looking a bit better.

yeah i work at a fleet leasing company with many top mechanics gone maintenance controllers, going by the fingernail rule the car isnt in too bad shape, and most of them suggested meguiars, especially for waxing. i think what ill do is use the spray wax, so every fortnight you just give it a quick little touch up, seems legit.


We don't actually no the whole story, maybe it wasn't his dads fault at all. Do you have insurance? Is the damage worthy of putting in a claim? Maybe your dad could help you pay for the excess and get it all done properly.

I'm 19, green p's, i wouldn't dare make a claim on something this small haha. I got comprehensive as i drive 150kms a day, but pushed the excess to $2000 and the car value to $20000 (as much as i love her, she's not worth anywhere near that much) so i'd only really approach the insurance company if i managed to write her off.

It's not bad bad, but i guess enough to make me cringe every time i see it. i'll chuck a photo up, just as soon as someone can quicklink me to a page showing how to operate all these forum tools :)

www.picturestack.com

www.picturestack.com

Thanks mate, I'll get amongst it tomorrow and we'll get into some cosmetic surgery!

I used some Nu-Finish Scratch Doctor on a patch of scrapes on my boot. I had a fairly heavy cardboard box sitting on it and I slid it off rather than lifting. The resulting scuff marks survived clay-bar polish, but the Nu-Finish completely removed them in one application.
If I were you though, I'd be getting your Dad to pay to get it fixed.

I've got a peeling front and rear bumper! it started happening for no apparent reason its only the clear coat, but im looking into getting it fixed.
anyone who knows a good spray painter on the gold coast let me know ;)

From what you've described, I just don't see a polish type product fixing it, and I think a mobile repair place (while they are good) won't ever be able to fix it so that you can't notice it.

I lent my car to someone recently and they backed into a tap. The back bumper had to come off, be patched, sanded, painted and reinstalled. Was only about $600.

I was terrified it wouldn't quite match and I'd spend the rest of the car's life seeing it every time I looked at the car. I was surprised to find it is absolutely perfect, and I wouldn't hesitate taking it to a proper crash repairer again.

Can't hurt to get a few quotes. Might only be a few $100 more than a mobile place, and it won't bug you for years to come because it's "not quite right".

What did your dad say? Did he say he did it, or someone else? He should at least pay half - might bring down to about $300 each.

Has anyone had any experience with Yellow Wax?

And i honestly can't justify spending $600 on this fix, i only paid $9,300 for the car.

I can always just buy an evo front bar and try and attach it... :P

Meguiars yellow wax? Again, full of silicone. If price is a problem, poorboys waxes get good feedback although never used myself

If you're referring to your bingle, a wax won't do anything to remove scratches/scrapes/paint transfer - by their very nature they are nonabrasive.

Nah it's more so for general maintenance, I've promised my car i'll wash and wax it every fortnight. It could happen

Thats overkill

The previous owners of my car used genuine white mitsu touch up paint....looks like some kid used white out on the car. I had it sitting in the glove box, took it to be serviced the **** scratched the bonnet and used touch up paint to attempt to hide it. Couldn't prove it but I raged. Alot. Still am.

Thats overkill

Sorry i meant the spray wax, mcguiars brand. Sprays on, does it.s thing for a couple of weeks, then washes off

You and Kif need to meet

You and Kif need to meet

Haha why's that?

Cause He's got this

Cause He's got this

just the mcgeuiars spray on crap?

Alright i spent a good Sunday giving it a proper detail, including
1. Degrease (with laundry liquid)
2. Claybar (FML)
3. Paint Cleaner
4. Polish
5. Wax

it has come up amazing, it's like the colour has new depth to it. I might do the same procedure to Mum's Citroen C3 next weekend. Big scratches are still there however

p.s. don't think less of me for owning a C3 :P