I got a couple of pencil thin scratches on the rear bumper of my '04 TL a couple inches long - you can see the black that's behind the silver paint. Not overly noticeable, so it doesn't seem worth painting the bumper. Has anyone tried to use the touch up? Maybe I'll ask my body shop guy to give it a try before painting it, or maybe I'll ask the dealer to give it a go.

 

apply and buff out by hand, very light scrathes may come out, if that fails body guy can try to buff out,

 

i was removing the dealer badge (it was cemented on!!)... and there were minor scratches... went to Walmart, bought this scratch fix thing (it came in a black tube, forget what brand)... followed the directions, and it made a huge difference... barely visible now, and i havent even re waxed it.

 

If it is down to the primer ( as it sounds) bufing will not help. If they are REALLY small and fine, just live with it until something else happens where you need some re-painting.

If they are bigger, then there is a procedure to fill them. Get some real touch-up paint from the dealer, and from an auto-supply store get some primer and some "paint leveler", also in the little bottles.

With the end of a toothpick (the brushes in the paint bottle are useless) carfully put some primer in the scratch. You can wipe off any excess as it starts to dry.

When it is fully dry, use a toothpick to put some paint in the scratch. Build up several THIN layers over an hour or so.

When the scratch is MORE than full, take a smooth piece of cloth, wrap it around a small stick or piece of cardboard to hold it flat and wet it with Paint Leveler. Rub it flat over the painted scratches, and it will dissolve the fresh paint down to the old paint level. If you do it carefully, you will never see the scratch!

Good Luck

 

Yep, its down to the primer, buffing will not do it. Okay Automophile, I will try out your suggestion. I've never used Paint Leveler. If I'm feeling brave I'll try it on one of the hard to see spots and see how it goes, there's three scratches to work on...or maybe I'll suggest it to my body guy. He's painted my cars before and he's done a fantastic job every time.