Is this something that can be corrected?

Despite parking as far as humanly possibly from any other car 99% of the time, the one time recently I was forced to park near people I of course got brushed by another car.

Just to the right of the front right wheel well someone clipped me. The pics below are not that great as I only had my cell phone (and only noticed this after parking in my garage).

There doesn't appear to be anything dented, but in the first and second pictures you can see the spots and scuff marks. In the third picture (and also at the bottom of the first picture though not highlighted in red) you can kind of see a hazy patch. Again, it's not dented, just badly scuffed.

Is this something that a correction and/or touch-up paint would take care of? Or if it's gone below the clear coat do I really need a body shop to work on it?

Thanks for any thoughts.

 

It's impossible to say yes or no from those pics.... Can't see anything.

 

Yeah... I'm going to see if I can take better ones later. Without 'fancy' lighting, what's everyone's best suggestion on how to take the best closeup pic? Thank you.

 

you could try touch up then polish, it could be better than it is now, cant see how deep it is in the picture sadly

 

Maybe a flashlight would help get better pictures. It almost looks like it's rubbed down to the primer, and you'll need touch up paint like kyoshiro said. If it's paint transfer from the other car, you could clay it off and buff it out. But better pictures would be nice!

 

You are not going to make it worse by using a mild compound on there to start, and see if it will remove the paint transfer from the dolt that hit and ran. I have removed many marks from plastic bumpers, including different colors of paint. Just be patient, careful and not so agressive that you remove your own paint if possible.
Dan F

 

Better pictures would help. also add where you are from and maybe a member of the forum would be able to help you out.

 

sorry can't make them out from those pics.

 

Whatever you decide, if using an abrasive that close to an edge or seam, use caution. Can you 'catch' your fingernail in the scratch?

 

I was finally able to take some better pics. Couldn't get super close up but did the best I could. Below are the best (the full set can be viewed here: Photo Album - Imgur).

I can definitely 'catch a fingernail' in the oval shaped scratch just below the seam between the fender well and bumper (seen well in the first picture). The rest of it really appears to just be 'scuffed', not actually scratched, maybe... (it's hard for me to look at it for more than a few moments w/o getting too pi--ed off/upset).

If anyone is in the White Plains, NY area (I can certainly drive up to about 30 minutes away as well), and is willing to take a look, please let me know. Thanks!

 

Looks like three of the larger areas are right down to the plastic. I'd use a polish like Menz SIP or Power Finish lightly first as you are right on an edge so the paint is very thin to begin with. Get out what you can and the touch up the areas that are chipped. Shitty place to get nicked as you'll need to paint the bumper and fender to fix it properly.

 

you have no hope. to get it perfect...repaint...otherwise it wont change much

 

The scratched area below the headlights next to the fog light, will all buff out easily, its just scuffed.
The areas on the edges of the front fender, and bumper are harder to repair, but can be made to look a little better by buffing.
The places where the paint is completely gone where you can catch a nail, will have to be touched up or repainted.
Sorry this had to happen to your nice vehicle.
Shame on the Clown who did this and didnt leave their name and number so you could have their insurance pay for it.
DanF

 

Thanks everybody. I'm going to get some estimates from local repair places and see how bad the damage is. Any recommendations in the Westchester County area?

 

So I got some estimates and now I'm debating between:

A: Spend $100 to $150 for a buffing/touch-up only
B: Spend $800 to $1,000 for a full repair (removing bumper/disassemble for paint, repair/paint, etc...)

I know that A won't look perfect, but does anyone have any photos they can share of what black touch-up paint looks like an small scratches/chips? I'm ok with it not being perfect, but I don't want it to look overly bad.

Also, if I do the full repair, do I need to worry that the fender and bumper won't look exactly like the rest of the car (or will age differently or whatnot)? Or if it's done right it should be impossible to tell that it was ever repaired?

Thanks again.

 

From what I can tell from the pic it's probably best to do the body shop repaint $$$.

I know it's a bit of a long shot but...you could give the Dr. Color Chip a try.

 

Quick follow-up question: I often read about people asking how to remove overspray. I assume this is the result of body shop work where the repainting 'oversprays' onto other parts of the car? Should I be worried about that? Thanks again.