Full paint restore

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Discussion

thelawnet

Original Poster:

1,539 posts

156 months

Friday 17th April 2015
quotequote all
I have a 2007 Lexus LS460.

It is black.

The condition of the paint when I bought the car was that it looked superficially good, but in bright sunshine there is a lot of microswirling.

Since then unfortunately the car has been hit several times and scratched (now resolved! new job).

The current tally is roughly speaking:

  • bonnet - finger-length scratch half finger wide that is not deep at all , and looks it would polish out easily
  • passenger side, from the left of the head light all the way back to the fuel filling cap - several hairline scratches, not deep. Also on wing mirror. http://imgur.com/a/mY1zq
  • passenger side - on the bumper and just on the very edge of the panel in front - glancing contact with other vehicle - white mark around one-inch wide, six inches long. http://i.imgur.com/zONkZAL.jpg
  • driver's door - foot-long glancing contact from car resulting in white mark one inch high. Door possibly very slightly dented but it's not obvious. http://i.imgur.com/tvNzRmw.jpg
  • rear bumper - a couple of very minor bumps, e.g., one in the middle of the boot, and another below that. Signs of low-speed impact.
  • on points over the paint, minor spots in the paint
Also when I took it to the body shop they noted a smart repair on the rear passenger door which is visible in a different colour. It's not unsightly like the microswirling, however.

Anyway, I would like to get it looking nice - by detailing or whatever. Not interested in DIY.

I took it to the body shop and I was quoted around £900 to fix the damage, but that wouldn't be fixing the microswirling, so it seems a bit of a waste not to get it more perfect.

Any ideas how to proceed, ballpark cost to get a good finish? And do I need some kind of 'protection' (the paint seems very soft) or is that a waste of money?

thelawnet

Original Poster:

1,539 posts

156 months

Tuesday 21st April 2015
quotequote all
Adamski69 said:
Hi thelawnet, paint correction would be the best answer, what area of the country are you in?
West Surrey. Got a quote from one local chap, he said bring it in, but £300+vat/day for the polishing, and the first date currently 2nd week of July!