Gaurdrail woes

[gymeni]

Scraped it good. Until I'm ready to break down and actually have someone fix it, is there any kind of compound I might be able to use, or something, to make it at least look better?

[sfhondapilot]

If that is the paint from the guardrail layered over the orignal paint, use claybar and a mild polishing compound to remove.

[pilotjoe]

I had the same thing happened to me when I miscalculated the siding of my in-laws garage.

Luckily it was latex paint.

I easily got rid of it by using OOPS! multi purpose remover (aerosol).

I got it from Walmart for $3.49.

It works well in removing dried latex paint and does not ruin the original surface paint.

Once the paint marks are removed, just rebuff the affected areas with wax or car polish.

Let's just hope the paint material from the guardrail is latex!

[humanoid]

Some of those scratches look reaaaaaaly deep! No amount of clay bar can get that out.

Do what you can with the clay bar and that aerosol stuff and bear with what you got until you get it fixed, good luck!

[el_teacher]

OUCH that looks like it hurt... to YOU and the car... Keep us updated on what you use and how it comes out!

[gymeni]

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions thus far. I will try claying it the best I can and using that oops stuff. You'd be surprised how softly (and briefly) I actually scraped the guardrail. I'll post back with how it goes.

[RcRaiders]

Gymeni, I would try these http://www.malcopro.com/cgi-win/mselect.exe/1147 (it available in smaller size too), then http://www.permashield.net/mainindex.htm , these are professional, not homeowner products. As a friendly reminder, use thick cloth towels (not paper towels) for best result, and rub up and down (never in a circular motion) to avoid swirls marks.

[gymeni]

Well, I finally got around to trying my clay bar on the damage. Thought about it as I was pulling into my garage so I grabbed the bar and couldn't remember what product I used when I clayed before. So... I used a little Mothers California Gold Showtime Instant Detailer, just because it seemed the most appropriate of the products on my shelf. Claying is indeed a good method to get out most of the paint from the rail. It looks better than it did.

Here's the deal: Upon close inspection I can assure you that this mishap resulted in nothing more than paint being scraped off, down to the bare bumper in some spots, but no physical damage (i.e., dents) to the bumper itself. It is purely surface cosmetic damage. I've gone to two different body shops thus far for repair estimates. The first is a smaller shop that gets a good amount of work. One of the guys came out and eyeballed the damage and verbally quoted me $300-$400. The second shop is the body shop that my stealer uses. After a lengthy written estimate, the bottom line I was quoted was a little better than $700. The latter estimate is really hard for me to swallow, especially now that I've clayed the area and see what's happening. Look at the "before" pic, first message of thread, above. Now look at it after claying (a second pic follows in the next post):

[gymeni]

Second pic...

[gymeni]

Any more suggestions? I honestly feel like getting it as smooth as I can and taking healthy doses of touchup paint and just cover it up. Then I realize how unprofessional it would look.

[dragoncoach]

There are some people who repair bumpers for dealers. They usually charge about $100. They sand, prime and repaint the bumper. A reputable guys' work will last quite a while if done correctly. They do the actual repair on the vehicle and it usually looks great (again, if done properly). We all go through these mishaps. Hope it works out well for you.

[gymeni]

Originally posted by dragoncoach
There are some people who repair bumpers for dealers. They usually charge about $100. They sand, prime and repaint the bumper. A reputable guys' work will last quite a while if done correctly. They do the actual repair on the vehicle and it usually looks great (again, if done properly). We all go through these mishaps. Hope it works out well for you.

That sounds pretty promising, dragoncoach! I'll have to call around and see if there are any bumper folks around. Thanks for the suggestion.

[gymeni]

Colors on Parade fixed my bumper paint damage in about 3 hours, and at a fraction of the cost the body shops quoted me. The picture does it no justice, you can't even tell there was a repair. I am really pleased. I'm adding body shops to my list of "pocket pimps" (joining d/stealers, insurance companies, drug companies, etc.).

[cwa107]

Originally posted by gymeni
Colors on Parade fixed my bumper paint damage in about 3 hours, and at a fraction of the cost the body shops quoted me. The picture does it no justice, you can't even tell there was a repair. I am really pleased. I'm adding body shops to my list of "pocket pimps" (joining d/stealers, insurance companies, drug companies, etc.).

What is it that they actually do? I take it they don't use traditional painting methods? How much did it cost?

[Pilot-Matt]

Looks good, a job well done.
Are they a local company? Is the company an automotive repair shop or automotive paint shop?