kammerz

So I went and got my 10K mile service done today at an Acura dealership, when I went to pick up my car, I always do a walk around to make sure that there are no dings/scratches...just as I almost completed my walk around, ouch....I saw a very fine LONG scratch on the driver side front wheel panel...I immediately told the service advisor and he took it out back to wash/buff it out...that did not work!! I was kinda pissed...anyway, he basically told me that I could have it sent in to a body paint shop and have it sanded/buffed out...but he personally didn't recommend it because he said it's a new car with new paint, and apparently with the fine sand paper they use, I could possibly see it after the buffing...

So...what do you guys/girls think? They'll pay for all work done...but I just don't want to make it worse! Like I said, it's a very fine scratch and you can't see it from all angles, just in bright sunlight...but being a car enthusiast I'll always notice it since it's my own ride...you know?!

Cheerz.

kyotousa

i have a similar situation
seems like a door ding that only scratch out the clear coat

btw...i did a touch paint job on my m3 spoiler....i want to sand it to make the blob go away
which grade of sand paper i need to buy? 400uni or 1500uni?

after i buy it...i need to put it in water for 1 day?

curls

A good body shop will know a LOT more than a service manager about this kind of stuff.

Factory paint is baked on, and a good body-man will easily be able to remove any non-color-coat-damaging scratch. ie: any clearcoat-only scratch will be fairly easy to remove with a high-speed orbital buffer and the right knowledge on how to use it.

Alin10123

Yep, i definately agree.
If it's only in the clearcoat and not physically down into the paint, i dont think you should have a problem. A good body shop should be able to buff that out without making it more obvious.

kyotousa

i have another problem.......i have PWP
sometimes bug or dirt will leave color stain on the car and i can't get it out
anyone experiencing that problem...

curls

Use "Bug and Tar remover" (available at any place that sells car washes and waxes). Use that, along with a clean TERRY CLOTH or MICROFIBER towel. Spray the stuff on, let it sit for 30 secones to a minute, and then lightly wipe off with the towel.

Use some nice detailing spray (Mother's, Meguiars, etc...) to bring the shine back.

Also, do you have a nice coat of wax on the car now? Waxing should be done every 6 weeks or so, and will make removing stains and bug guts a LOT easier if the wax is still "fresh".

I have PWP as well, and with a good coat of wax and the bug-n-tar remover, nothing sticks to the paint.

~Eric

TSXsurf

What color is your car? You can have them respray that panel and if they do it right, you should not be able to tell where it the scratch was or which panel was resprayed. I would vote for a respray and for touch-up paint IMO.

joerockt

Never, ever, never, never let the dealer wash your car, or anyone else for the matter if you can avoid it.

kammerz

I know! I just forgot to mention to them NOT to wash it...I always wash my own ride...

kammerz

It's a NBP...they're not going to respray but rather sand/buff out the fine scratch...in fact, I was taking pics yesterday and I can only see the scratch UP CLOSE...I'm still hesitant in having the work done because what if it makes it worse? (more obvious than before???)

TSXsurf

If it makes it worse or not perfect (how you gave it to them), then they have to do it again. Its that simple. NBP is prob the easiest color to match, so I'm sure it will work out fine.

I had a small scratch and they resprayed the area..I got it back and couldn't even remember exactly where the scratch was.