Someone put a 1'' long gouge deep into the fender paint of our RDX (the paint is actually peeled back)… It was probably 'keyed'.

Any particular advice on getting it repaired? ...and what should something like that cost?


Thanks for any suggestions.

 

I got "keyed" too. I noticed it after I washed the car (touchless, of course) . I have a scratch on drivers door about the lengh of an arm in a semi-circle shape (like that of a swinging arm with key in hand). I was so mad that I just had to put it aside and try not to focus on it, cause I don't like to upset myself over something I can't control.

Now, I was wondering about maybe a little clear coat might help to hide it?
Did you mention something about that once Craig?

 

Really sorry to hear that appzter. If the a$$hole who keyed your RDX took off the paint down to the metal I don't believe there's a easy/inexpensive way to fix it.

If you want your 'baby' to look like new (and if it were my RDX, I sure would), you will have to bring it to a good paint shop to get your fender completely refinished. Ask your Acura dealer for a reference. Your insurance will cover the cost (less of course, your deductable!).

 

Look for an airbrush shop in your area (AeroColors is the local chain in my area). They can airbrush the gouge/scratch to fill it in. These guys do amazing work -- dealers often use them to fix new cars that have been scratched on the lot or in transit (in fact your local dealer can probably recommend someone). Do not get the whole panel repainted if you can help it -- not worth the tradeoff.

If the scratch is 1" long or less, I would have no problem filling and blending it with touchup paint, but it does take some practice/experience filling the scratch neatly. A product called Langka can help smooth out touchup repairs, though it too takes some practice to nail down. If in doubt, go to the airbrush guys!

Good luck!

 

I have heard good things about this kit - never used it myself:

http://www.langka.com/complete-paint...-kit-p-30.html

 

The ability of the airbrush guys to repair a 'deep gouge' with 'the paint peeled back' (as appzter reported) is highly doubtful. Granted, these guys/shops can work wonders with niks/pits/scratches, but there's no way if its a wide gouge down to the metal.

 

I had this done on a previous car which was scratched by a pair of skis that someone leaned on the fender and then slipped; it left a ragged 1/4" wide by ~7" long scratch down to the metal. When they were done airbrushing it looked like new. It's real impressive, especially since it avoids having to get a whole panel/side of the vehicle repainted just for a scratch. I would definitely consult with an airbrush expert before taking more drastic measures.

 

Thanks for the advice guys - it's really appreciated. While I'm almost over it, my wife is really aggravated over this.

pvsurfer: Fwiw, our local Acura dealer suggests the same thing you did and referred me to the paint & body shop they use.

c_hunter: AeroColors doesn't seem to have a shop in my area; how would you search for one of those kind of places?

 

Did you check their website? They have someone listed in Phoenix!

http://aerocolours.com/locations/west.html

Give the guy a call, he can probably provide an estimate and tell you how feasible the repair is. They don't attempt repairs that can't be done well.

Actually, if you have a picture of the damage, we can get a better idea here too. If it is only a 1" scratch, that should be a piece of cake to fix.

 

Thanks a lot for the link - when I googled for aerocolors, I mispelled it (as shown) so it didn't find anything.

Sorry, I don't have a digital camera or scanner (i'm still living in the 20th century!), so it's kind of difficult for me to post a picture.

Anyhow, I will contact aerocolours and let you guys know what they say.

 

Ok, here's what I found out...

Aerocolours rep: would fill and finish my deep scratch, BUT he said don't expect it to be perfect - a close inspection will reveal the 'touch-up'. ...2 hrs. - $140.

Acura-referred body & paint shop: would refinish the entire panel which he said would match the car's color perfectly. ...3 days - $670.

If I submit it to insurance, my deductable is $250 -- what would you guys do in my situation?

 

personally i have never seen a repainted panel that matched perfectly the rest of the car. i would go to the airbrush for the $ difference and after them only person who would notice it would be you...plus its unfortunately most likely gonna get scratched again at some point.

 

Personally I would go with touch up paint and do it yourself for about $10. If that really scares you then go with the airbrush. I'd stay away from repainting the entire panel. If I was shopping for a car and I saw a panel that was repainted, I'd immediately think it was in an accident no matter what the owner told me.

 

If you are going to do the touch-up, I strongly recommend getting the Langka kit that I linked to above. It is essentially a system to remove excess touch up paint to make a fill-in as smooth as possible. The GTO users on LS2GTO.com raved about it.

 

Well the concensus is to go with the airbrush solution (and the reasons seem to make pretty good sense to me)...

But I don't think trying to do it myself is a good idea... a 'pro' using an airbrush is much more likely to do a good job than me (with no experience at doing this), not to mention that the Langka kit + paint would cost me as much (if not more) than the cost of having the airbrush guy do it.

 

oh I thought you said the airbrushing would cost $140. Airbrushing will likely end up looking better than touch up paint.

 

It's all good...I wish you luck!

 

I agree with sasair and oasis, and it would only be $20 for Langka and touchup paint. But, it takes experience and practice to do a good looking repair (especially with Langka -- but if done right it will come out great). If you have any doubts, go with the airbrushing for $140. I think the guy was being conservative when he talked to you, just in case. In reality, it will probably look damn near perfect. Heck, I have regular old touchup repairs that you can't see without searching for them.

Definitely stay away from a full panel repaint -- total overkill for a scratch. Full repaints never come out perfect for a number of reasons, and will be less resilient to damage/wear/age than the factory paint/clearcoat. It will compromise the long term value of the vehicle.

 

Thanks guys - really appreciate the moral support ...c_hunter, where do I get Langka and touchup paint for $20? ....I don't see where I can even get Langka alone for anywhere near $20!


Btw, some guy I know who has a '05 TL highly recommends this...

http://drcolorchip.com/touchup-paint.html

 

http://www.langka.com/the-blob-eliminator-p-31.html

Choose the 2 oz bottle, it's $19.95. OK, you will need to spend another $4 on touchup paint, so let's say $24 total.

 

Thanks for the link... Btw, where do you suggest I should get the touchup paint? ....from Acura parts dept., or ??

 

Do not buy anything BUT the official touch up paint from Acura for color matching purposes.

 

Damn it!

My turn. Got about a foot long scratch from a little kid on a bike. I thought he just bumped the car, had no idea it was a scratch until I was home an hour later.

So now I'm very interested in how your repair went, did you go with the airbrush or a kit?

 

When I described my gash to AeroColours the guy wasn't very encouraging and he wanted $125 to do the job, so I decided to follow c_hunter's advice.
I just got the shipment from Langka a few days ago and picked up a small tube of matching paint from my Acura dealer for about $9. I haven't had a chance to do the job yet, but will report back when I do.

Describe your scratch, and is it on the plastic bumper or metal?

 

It's on the metal, just before the rear wheel on the drivers side, about a foot long and white against the Carbon Pearl.

 

Oz, are you sure you can't just 'fix it up' with rubbing compound? If not, I would go with the airbrush guys who would do a much better job with that long a scratch than you ever could.