ArjSiv

So I went to head to work on Thanksgiving morning (I work for a certain computer company in Cupertino, CA and things are a little hectic) and noticed a 15cmx15cm gash on the passenger side of my front bumper

It looks like whoever had parked beside me the night before had been a little careless while pulling out of the parking spot.

There's no actual damage to the bumper, it's just that there's this gash there. I'm not even sure if this qualifies as a scratch as it looks like the paint from the car that rubbed up against mine is on my bumper (I can scratch it off with my fingers).

I'm wondering what I should do with this, it's been bothering me quite a bit lately because I haven't had a single blemish on my car so far...

I think the bumper will ultimately need to be repainted... does anyone know how much that would cost on average? It's a 2000 ES, so the bumper is two tone, and will need to be painted twice...

I'm taking my car to the dealer on Friday to have it serviced, I might ask them to have a look at the scratch, although I think the fee they'll charge for repairing that will probably be outrageous.

Guitarman

Sounds like paint transfer for the most part, meaning it's likely all you need is to rub some polish (swirl remover, Scratch X etc.) on it and you might be ok if the contact didn't remove paint from your car or scratch/gouge it.

Give it a shot, it may look good as new after. Let us know how you do.

yESman

Arj,

If you can post some detailed pics, we could possibly suggest a solution.

jfelbab

I'd try using some clay on the area and see what can be removed. If after claying you have a scratch that you can feel with your fingernail you will likely not be able to polish it out.

If you can't feel it, I'd go at it with some ScratchX and a terry towel. Rub vigorously and you may need several attempts. This should reduce the defect if not eliminate it.

If you can feel it, ScratchX may improve it but you might look for a good airbrush expert in your area to completely get rid of it.

tuan92129

Touch-up paint.

ArjSiv

But his paint is smeared all over my bumper, that'll need to come off somehow. can I really use touch-up paint for that? I'll still have bumps no the car.

HarrierAWD

It happened to my old car. I just used a bug & tar remover. It took off the paint from the other car. No damage to mine except some scratches on the clearcoat. I was able to buff it out with wax. Hope this helps.

ArjSiv

I took the car to a shop to have them take a look at it. The guy used some sort of paste to remove the paint of the other car off my bumper. Underneath that, there weren't any real scratches here.


The guy didn't even charge me, but I gave him some cash though. It was a fairly young guy, oddly enough it looks like he's the owner.

Bryant Auto body, for those who are in the bay area.

Thanks for the help guys,