best DIY fix for digs/gouges in front bumper?
 

hey all, new member here. pleased to meet ya!

so i've got an '08 fit. bought her just a few days ago and, wouldn't you know it, i've already got a couple of tiny digs/gouges in my front bumper. i had the car parked at work and the jack-asses on the grounds crew were mowing... well they decided to mow right up next to the parking lot and blew grass all over my bumper/hood/windshield. must've shot a few stones into my bumper. :(

i have two small digs/gouges dead center in my bumper, just below the honda emblem in the grille. i'm wondering what the best DIY fix would be to remove these eyesores? i've been looking into something like dr. color chip, but i'm not sure if that's going to do the trick. these aren't paint chips. there is actually a very tiny bit of material gouged out of the bumper. would it be advisable to just do a whole bunch of very thin coats of touch up to fill them in? if so, then i think i will go with the dr. color chip. but if there's a better alternative, i'm all ears.

i'm so sad to see her already boogered up. other than the recent trauma, she's in immaculate shape for a nearly 5 year old vehicle!

follow-up post:

since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are a couple of shots of the digs/gouges to which i'm referring.


full view:

Attachment 88583


close-up:

Attachment 88584

I'd say put a license plate over them.

or use bottle of touchup. It is thick stuff and will fill the holes.

yah, i would put the front license plate to cover that up.

X2


Be prepared to fill the hole with paint several times. Once you get a "mound" of paint that is higher than the surrounding surface, let it dry for two months. (I'm not kidding)

THEN, use a standard wet-sanding technique to level the new paint. If the color match is good, the repair will be nearly invisible.


+++++++++

The license plate idea is good as well...especially if the front plate is a different number than the rear plate...:rotfl:

...and by that time expect to have more chips from normal use. :D

hah, i honestly did consider a front license plate!

they're not required in my state, though, and i'm not really a fan of vanity plates. and secondly, the one gouge is just far enough off-center that i'm not sure a plate will cover it.

i guess i'll give some touch-up a try. do you think a bottle of the OEM stuff from the dealer will suffice, or should i spring for something like dr. color chip or langka? i'm not at all experienced in any kind of paint and/or body work, but i think i'm going to do what carbuff2 suggested. the wet-sanding part makes me a little nervous, but if that's what it'll take, i'll man up and do it.

how many coats are we talking here? and how long should i leave each coat before applying the next one? until i get that "mound" at least.


EDIT:

yeah, this is something i'm a little worried about as far as letting the touch-up cure for a few months. this vehicle is my daily driver. with my luck, another stone will come up and whack my bumper right in the same spot!

yah, these little chips is part of ownership i guess, especially a dd. clearbra will definitely help in this case.

i dont know about langka how deep it can handle, but dr.colorchip will not work very well on deep indentations like that. best might be to keep adding touchup until you get a slight convex and sand it down after at least a month using a wetsanding block 2000grit+

the more reading i do around the net, the more i'm starting to come to the same conclusion, kenchan. dr. color chip is out, as a lot of people have reported it just doesn't work too well with deeper chips like mine.

i'm more than a little uneasy about doing any wet-sanding, though. i'm just not experienced with it, and i can foresee doing more harm than good.

i think i'm gonna give langka a shot and see how it goes. i'll be sure to post before and after pics. it'll probably be a little while before i get a chance to do it. the weather lately has been terribly cloudy, cold and rainy.

I've used Langka and Dr Color Chip products. Both are good (but it takes a LOT of material)

They both rely on the Fill-The-Chip-And-Level approach. They use chemicals to smooth the paint rather than sanding. Just be patient, and apply MANY thin coats. Key Watchword is, Let it dry a while as I said, THEN level the "bump".

If you are nervous about wet-sanding, practice on your neighbor's Impala. :p Or practice on a discarded metal fender from an auto body shop.


Any good OEM paint will fill the depression. To get a good paint match, I suggest Paintscratch.com Touch Up Paint from PaintScratch.com

They give you a test-card with each order, so you can test if the paint matches. If it doesn't, they will try again NO CHARGE. I'm a satisfied customer.

thanks for the heads up about paintscratch.com. i appreciate the insight and info!

my girlfriend's 2000 buick regal has a ton of road rash and a few deep chips, so i might practice on her granny boat first, hah!

so i went to order from paintscratch, and surprise surprise, i have another question!

is it worth getting clear from them too? i was just planning on the OEM touch-up, plus the langka to smooth out and blend the blob.

when you go to order from paintscratch, you check off these boxes based on what you're going to be doing, and it spits out a recommend set of items. i'm getting this when i tell it what i'm gonna do:

2 oz. Basecoat Paint Bottle @ 22.59
2 oz. Clearcoat Bottle @ 9.95
2 oz. Rubbing Compound @ 3.75
2 oz. Acrylic Lacquer Thinner @ 1.95

obviously i need the basecoat, but what about clear, the compound and the thinner? are these necessary?

^^^ with modern clear-coat paints, yes you should buy some clear to mix into the matched color you buy. The color coat itself would not have as much gloss as a clear-coat finish.

Mix a small quantity of each in the paper condiment cups used to hold ketchup in McDonalds or the like. ;)



Most factory touch-up bottles are actually a mixture of color and clear. And THAT'S why they don't seem to match as well IMO.

I have found at hwy speeds no one can tell if you are chipped or not. You will get a lot more.

Don't sweat it so much about a couple little chips. A bottle of touch up from the dealer applied with a "toothpick" will work just fine. If you try to use the brush inthe bottle it will be too much and you will need to wipe it off and try again.

Sorry to see your Fit got the typical mowers don't care so they blow grass and rocks on the cars instead of taking the time to avoid the cars. As above this is going to happen to your car and is something that you hate to have happen. Front plate would cover it over. I have a 2007 that I show in Import and tuner classes but this is my final year showing just for that reason. The car is 5 years old and starting to show the war wounds of being a daily driver.

i suppose after 5yrs of use, you can send the car in for bumper repaint? :)

I'd leave it.

Its just going to get worse.

yeah, i'm starting to feel that way, mike. caught a stone from a dumptruck today. it cut me off... seriously what kind of person (with a cdl no less) who's operating something that big just screeches his way out into traffic?! anyway, another day and another chip. at this rate, i might as well wait until i rack up enough of 'em to warrant a full kit from paintscratch. that way i'll actually be able to put a whole bottle of touch-up to use! :p

not to mention, the weather is just terrible and it doesn't look like it'll get much better any time soon. it's super cold, and it's been pretty rainy. not the best conditions for painting.

feel like this whole week has been one sustained "siiiiigh" as far as new car ownership goes. well, she's new to me anyway. still such a fantastic car though! i wish i would've gotten one sooner.

Be sure to read this thread on adding a screen to the front opening to save your A/C unit (click here) I'm working on mine today.