Front bumper scratched Help

Take a picture and show us what you got

 

Is it showing black plastic? If so, then buffing will not help. The best DIY option is to buy a spray can of paint. Mask the scratch and put a couple of light coats of paint on it. Buff it down and then spray with a clear coat.

 

If the silver has peeled off, then you can't buff it back on. Has the silver been rubbed off, or is it white paint from whatever rubbed on the bumper?

If you post a picture, you should get some useful advice.

Also, is your requirement perfection or a good 20 foot job?

 

That quite a bit of scratches. Since it is only in the clear coat, you can try hitting the area with rubbing compound, use a solvent to clean the area very well, apply a touchup pen for the two spots where black is visible, then spray a couple of very light coats of clear, wait a week, then buff and wax. It is probably $250-$500 at a bumper shop, whether you take it in now, or if it looks like hell after your try and you can't stand it.

 

I agree. And since it's down low sort of out of the main line of vision, he should use the rubbing compound sparingly, just enough to get the whitish areas looking good, not enough to make them perfectly smooth. He would probably go through the clearcoat and maybe the silver if he tried to rub it to perfection.

 

I had some similar scratches in the same area. Not as deep or large. The local shop wanted $1000 to fix it properly (painting and clear coating the entire front bumper), or $600-700 for a minor fix -masking the damaged quadrant and painting & clear coating only that section. They said that would leave a visible line. Either choice would require 3 days in the shop. I decided to touch it up with a paint pen from the dealer for $12. It isn't too noticeable, but mine was not as bad as yours.

Tom G.

 

If you can feel the scratches with your fingernail, then they're probably too deep to buff out.

You might try something called Dr. Color Chip (I think that's the name), it's a product used for filling stone chips. You wipe it on liberally, then use a special cloth that takes up the excess and sets the paint. From what I've heard, it works surprisingly well, and you don't have to be precise like with a touch up pen.

$350 is not an expensive quote for this sort of damage, BTW. It may be out of your price range, but it's reasonable, in my opinion. As long as the repair is done well, that is.

 

Rubbing Compound: 3M
Solvent: Duplicolor Prep Spray
Touchup paint for black spots: Toyota
Clear coat: Duplicolor Perfect Match Premium Clear Coat

Mask off everything, and make sure that your arm is already moving before you start to spray the clear. Duplicolor has some good how-to videos on their web site.

 

Good advice. But if the poster has never done anything like this before, what do you think the odds are that (s)he'll end up with the quality of repair (s)he's hoping for?

Anyway, I hope it works out for the best.

 

The mobile bumper guys that my local dealer in Sacramento uses for their used cars could probably sand and respray + clear that bumper for $200, if not less.

 

That's a good question. Minor scratches for sure I suggest using one of the little clear coat paint pen/magic marker things. Deep scratches requiring body filler and sanding, a pro is the best bet. Something like this, it really depends on expectations, but it should be to the point where needaprius can drive to the in-laws house and not have to hear all about "what happened to your bumper?" If needaprius is not satisfied in the end, the primary loss is $25 for materials and a couple hours of time.

 

The paint touch up pen comes from your Toyota dealer. You have to give them the paint color code of your car which can be found on the drivers side door jam. It is a number/letter combination.

Be aware that you will not get a very professional look and your damaged area is pretty large. Honestly, $350 to fix that isn't too terrible (my quote was 2-3 times that amount for a MUCH smaller scratch).

This is the second time I heard The Critic mention the "mobile bumper guys". They sound like a great alternative to the very high priced dealer. I don't think we have them around here in San Francisco, do we?

Tom G.

 

I would call the dealers and ask them who they send their used cars too. Usually they are more than willing to share. Colors on parade is a franchise that I've also seen around but I do not have any personal experience.

MB860 ?

 

Colors on Parade