Bumper scuff repair, DIY or pro's only?
Discussion
I've just put a deposit down on a car, which has spent its life being bumped and scuffed while parked on the street. It's the only thing that lets the car down. All 4 corners are pretty badly scuffed up, mostly light surface scratches and a few through the clearcoat. It's a black metallic finish if that makes any difference.
Because it's going to live out on the street, I know there's not much point thinking I can make it perfect, since it'll just get scuffed and bumped again. On this basis it would be preferable to do little and often, rather than invest in a big job e.g. respraying them. I'm also not a perfectionist, so good is better than nothing.
Looking for advice on whether I should attempt to tidy it up myself and if so, how? Or if I were to opt for a pro, which trade should I be looking for and does anyone have a recommendation for NE London (and any indication of what's a reasonable cost).
Because it's going to live out on the street, I know there's not much point thinking I can make it perfect, since it'll just get scuffed and bumped again. On this basis it would be preferable to do little and often, rather than invest in a big job e.g. respraying them. I'm also not a perfectionist, so good is better than nothing.
Looking for advice on whether I should attempt to tidy it up myself and if so, how? Or if I were to opt for a pro, which trade should I be looking for and does anyone have a recommendation for NE London (and any indication of what's a reasonable cost).
If it's only in the clearcoat you can probably polish them out. Try with something like T-Cut first, if that doesn't work go to 2000 grit wet, you can work down to more abrasive papers if 2000 doesn't touch them (always with water). To finish off, a bit of compound will remove the final scratches and a polish return the shine (I am told compund will take out scratches made with 400 grit, but never tried that coarse).
RLK500 said:
If it's only in the clearcoat you can probably polish them out. Try with something like T-Cut first, if that doesn't work go to 2000 grit wet, you can work down to more abrasive papers if 2000 doesn't touch them (always with water). To finish off, a bit of compound will remove the final scratches and a polish return the shine (I am told compund will take out scratches made with 400 grit, but never tried that coarse).
Coarse compounds like G3 won't really take out sanding marks coarser than 1200 gritGassing Station | Bodywork & Detailing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff