First Parking Lot Ding

[jetman]

Well, I knew it was bound to happen, but I was hoping I could get at least a couple of month's enjoyment of my RX330 without damage but it was not to be. :( Today, in a parking lot, someone opened their car door into my vehicle, causing a 1/2 inch scrape on my passenger-side door protector (doesn't seem to be any dig into the plastic). Tomorrow I'll be going to the dealer to buy a bottle of touchup paint (Bamboo Pearl). However, my past experiences with touchup paint have produced some crappy results.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to apply the paint to produce the best result? Look, I know no matter how good of a job I do, I'll always know that scrape is there. But, I'd like to do a job that is as inconspicuous as possible. What other items will I need to do a good job, and what is the best method to do the repair? Thanks for the help.

[Unlisted]

check out a detailer first. And lot of paint and a new car they may be able to buff out the scratch

[jetman]

check out a detailer first. And lot of paint and a new car they may be able to buff out the scratch

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The problem is that it's not a scratch - the paint has actually been scraped away from the surface. The scraped-off paint is actually bunched up at the edge of the ding. I'll have to remove it in order to have a smooth surface on which to apply the touch-up paint.

While on the subject, I just read an advertisement for "Paintless Dent Repair!" (emphasis theirs) "Large or Small: Hail Damage, Door Dings, Creases, Dents" How in the world could this repair be made without paint??? I'll give these guys a call in the morning, but I certainly have my doubts...

[mikey00]

Paintless dent repair is a special technique used to repair a dent where the paint has not been damaged. No painting is required hence "paintless". I had a dent repaired on my RX with method and it turned out great.

[RX in NC]

Paintless dent repair is phenomenal and very affordable when done by a trained, experienced craftsman. You may want to look into having your ding restored in this manner, and if paint touch-up is required (it sounds like it will be), you can do that once your metal surface contours are restored to their original shape. Let us know how it turns out.

[SW03ES]

I've probably spent $1000 on PDR for my Lexus LOL. I park carefully but the metal on these cars is really thin, nothing can bump into it without leaving a ding. I even had a pinecone fall from a tree and dent the roof.

So far every ding I've had taken out has come out perfect, and I've probably had getting close to 10. (I had only one ding on my Explorer in 6 years for comparisons about metal thickness). I just got a new one and the guy was a little shaky about whether it would come out but I'm confident the actual tech can get it out.

For your scrape I'd let a talented detailer buff it out, repaint the scrape and polish it. On that color you're not going to be able to do an adequate job yourself.

[RX400h]

There is a product called the "Chip Kit" that includes applicators (look like soft match sticks), various grit sandpaper, and some clearcoat. The idea is that you clean, abrade, clean and apply a thin coat of paint. After it dries, you apply enough clearcoat to overfill the chip/scratch. After the clearcoat dries, you sand it down until it is flush with the surrounding undamaged clearcoat paint.

You may not end up with a proffesional-looking job, but for $20 (can be used many times), you can't beat the price, either. If you go this route, you should find an older vehicle on which to practice - it does require a technique.

[jetman]

There is a product called the "Chip Kit" that includes applicators (look like soft match sticks), various grit sandpaper, and some clearcoat. The idea is that you clean, abrade, clean and apply a thin coat of paint. After it dries, you apply enough clearcoat to overfill the chip/scratch. After the clearcoat dries, you sand it down until it is flush with the surrounding undamaged clearcoat paint.

  You may not end up with a proffesional-looking job, but for $20 (can be used many times), you can't beat the price, either. If you go this route, you should find an older vehicle on which to practice - it does require a technique.

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After doing an Internet search on paint chip repair, I've decided to try a product called LANGKA. It seems a lot easier to use than the "Chip Kit" - their website (langka.com) shows a video of an 11 year old repairing a paint chip on a Lexus. If it works as promised I should be able to make a really nice repair. If it doesn't, I'm only out $40. Has anyone tried this stuff??

Here's a non-sponsored link about LANGKA: http://www.billsworkshop.com/P928S4/langka.htm

[SW03ES]

I have the Langka, works on flat colors but not metallics and definately not pearls.