DevilsJim89

My TSX has some deep scratches along the drivers side doors. Since the body shop I wanted to go to was closed this morning, I went to get a quote from this very reputable detailer shop in town. I asked what he could do regarding the scratches and he told me he would do touch-up paint on it and it would come out looking good and less noticeable. My car as you can see from the pics, is in dire need of a good scrub behind the ears lol....exterior/interior cleaning and the touch-up paint work is going to cost me a grand total of $165.

I plan on going over to the body shop on Monday during my lunch hour to get a quote but I'm just not so sure on what to expect. My guess would be $400 at the very least but I'm not entirely sure.

Judging by the pics here, does anyone have experience with these kind of scratches and could suggest which route to go? How legit is touch-up paint?

Here are some pics (excuse the filthiness... )

R_R4

I think the answer is simple, really.

If you paid a lot for your car and want it to look its best, go the bodyshop route.

I've used touch up paint before and judging by the amount you need to use, it will only look good from 6-8 feet away from the car. But hey, if money's tight right now, I guess you do what you have to do.

Washing the car yourself would be a good place to start (or at one of the DIY touchless wand bays at a gas station if you live in a condo).

Buy the $6.00 touch up paint and do it yourself. Use masking tape to ensure precision.

$155 + dollars is not worth a quick wash and touch up. Your car is black too, which is much easier to blend in my opinion.



My previous acura RL was NBP as well, and got keyed near the trunk when I came out of the mall. Yeah I was pissed, but I made it disappear by carefully masking of the unaffected regions, used multiple layers of touch up paint (let each coat dry). Then wipe away the excess with paint thinner on a soft rag.

Use q-tips and toothpicks to help apply the paint.


When I sold the car recently, the buyer was very thorough and could not see where the touch up was done! If you're keeping the car for the long haul or are OCD about the exterior finish, consider getting it done professionally.

Duplicolor makes paint called 'Perfect match'. Get some from an auto parts store in your colour (honda/acura NBP). It's cheaper and you get a whole can of it. Spray into the cap and use the q-tip/toothpick method. Best of luck to you man, hope it all works out

andrewcjduong

I'd try claybar'ing it and buffing the hell out of it. Seems like the scratch only hit the clear coat, not the paint.

DevilsJim89

Thanks for the advice guys. I finally got an estimate from the local body shop and its going to cost me $750 (including tax). They're repainting both doors, touching up the car because theres little missing paint chips all around the car. The scratches are pretty deep. Basically, they're going to restore the car.

I'm dropping it off on the 22nd and it'll take 3-4 days. I'm pretty excited because you're right, I spent a lot of money on the car and it's still young in age (4 years) and miles (81,400) and I'll have the car for a very long time. I trust the body shop I go to, I've had body work done by them on my previous vehicle from a hit and run accident and they're work is remarkable.

I'm glad I didn't go the touch-up paint route. I cant wait to see what this car is going to look like on Oct 26 when I pick it up!

Davu

hmm, if i were you i would of tried to at least clean it up before getting estimates. Usually its just residue or paint coming from whatever you've hit. And probably with a good clean up it won't be noticeable. Like the other comment up top, there's a good chance that it only was the clear coat affected.

just my opinion

PACman

For $750 plus tax to restore the car's paint? If my local body shop charged that for the entire car, I'd go for it too. I was quoted $800 just to respray my front bumper.