meanboy

I have a spot that needed touching up and I think I screwed it up. My sister in-law shut the seat belt buckle between the door and she caused a nice one inch scratch in the point. The door doesn't have the scratch; the body got it and now the metal was showing.

I put some white paint on top and then the pearl paint. I think I put too much on the spot now it looks terrible.

What's a safe way to remove the paint? I would like to remove it all and put some very thin coats on just to cover the metal.

Thanks for any info.

eppan

You could try some polishing compound by Blue Coral...purchase at Pep Boys.

I had to use it on some spots on my paint to redo the touch-up.

Although there might be other ClubLexus members with a better idea/solution.

mumbles

There's a couple of ways to fix this, but depends on how you "screwed it up".
If you got paint way outside the scratch mark, and want to clean it all up to start over, get some fingernail polish, dab a little on a rag, and then just rub at the paint until it comes away. This also works to lower "high spots" if you dab paint on a chip and it sits up too much.
The final blending to get the touchup to match the level of the paint around it is usually done with extremely fine sand paper, like the kind you use on model cars or planes, followed up by polishing compound like eppan said. To keep from messing up the paint around the scratch, I always surround the scratch with masking tape, and get it as close to the scratch as possible. If it starts to wear down before you are finished sanding, just add another piece in that area.
Just remember it's not going to be perfect, but you can get it to look real close with time and patience. Also remember to put wax back on any area you have sanded or used nail polish on.
Good luck and hope this helps!

lex430

what is real fine sandpaper?? I have some 1500 grade? is that enough?

xsuperjoex

fine is 2000 - 2500 grit

meanboy

Thanks for your help. I messed it up by putting on too many layers. It looks like a little pile of pearl mash potatoes. The color doesn't match up well at all either. After the pearl drys it looks silver even though it is the right part #51. I wonder if pearls are like that. Anyway, I can't get it to match either but I will try some nail polish and some fine grit sand paper this weekend. Should I be wet sanding it?

Again, thanks for your help.

Adam

LiquidSmile

I know I'm a newbie and all, but you meant Nail Polish Remover Correct? And don't forget to Wet Sand very very carefully, otherwise the Clearcoat would get feathered real close.


I would go a different way to fix the problem. I detailed while in college before getting my nice office job.

Until you level or mill the paint repair down to the same plane as the original paint, all you’ll have is an ugly looking blob. This is easily done using the Meguiar’s Unigrit Sanding Block, which helps remove sags, runs and other isolated defects with surgical precision. Don’t forget to soak it over night before use as the directions indicate.

To level your paint chips, use you finger to put a small dab of car shampoo on the chip repair for lubrication. Next, use the Unigrit Sanding Block to mill the high spot off of the chip repair. I always pull the sanding block towards me. Never rub it back and forth or in a circle. When the block dries out, dip it into your bucket of water again. Keep the area well lubricated with water and shampoo. The sanding block will dull the paint. Don’t fear, as your polish will easily restore the luster. When the surface looks level, dry it with a clean towel and inspect with your finger tips. If you can feel a high spot, it needs more work.

The final step is to buff out the repair with a good hand polish. I like to use Eagle One Scratch Remover (a medium grit compound) followed by Meguiar’s Hand Polish. Apply the compound or polish to a clean terrycloth towel or applicator pad, rub into the paint area using a short back and forth motion (not in circles), then buff out with a clean terrycloth towel.

Tada! The blemish is gone

Hope this Helps....

meanboy

Great!

You are correct in your assumption that my scratch is not even. To do it correctly, I will probably have to sand it down and then touch it up.

This might be beyond my skill level. How much do you think a shop would charge me?

LiquidSmile

I would go by the Detailing area at your local lexus dealership and talk to one of the guys working there. I used to always pick up side jobs. Just ask one of them how much he would charge to fix that paint chip. Some may say they don't do it, but at least one of the dealerships in your area will have a experienced Detailer that would more than happily fix it for 20-30 bucks.

meanboy

Thank you. I will give it a shot.

meanboy

I've decided to try it myself so what grit should I buy the sanding blocks? And where do I buy them at?

Thanks.

NYGS400

I've tried using the touchup paint on the pearl white also, i'll agree that the color looks different when completed. I would expect a slight variation in the color but honestly the touch up paint the dealership has for the Pearl White is really wayyyy off.

meanboy

It's way off for sure. The white's the same but the pearl just plain sucks. The first one pearl I bought ended looking beige and the second, silver. Totally sucked big time.