How Do I Fix A Scratch!?

Jameson · October 17, 2007

I have a scratch about 1/8" long and about the thickness of a fingernail deep on my tailgate. I calleda body shop and they quoted "atleast $300" to fix it. I bought touch up paint and it isnt thick enough to cover it up. I taped my tailgate up and sprayed primer on it so it wont rust. What can I do? I cant find anything that matches silver birch and I cant pay 300 bucks for this small of a scratch. Besides brake checking everyone until I get rearended is there an easy way to fix a scratch so its not so d**n obvious??

fourwheelinfool · October 18, 2007

You gotta just keep on touching-up until the paint is thick enough.

Jameson · October 18, 2007

Anyone know the code so I can get the right color? The silver birch at autozone was gold colored.

Zembonez · October 18, 2007

Anyone know the code so I can get the right color? The silver birch at autozone was gold colored.

Go to Duplicolor.com and see if they list it. Their touchup stuff is pretty good.

J45p3r · October 18, 2007

The dealer sells touch up paint also.

Micmac · October 18, 2007

Duplicolor is sold at Pep Boys if you have one locally.

iminaquagmire · October 18, 2007

Find a different body shop. $300 is a rediculous amount for that. $300-400 is a common price to shave a tailgate handle which includes welding, filler, and paint.

327BlackBird · October 18, 2007

First off, primering the area, you dident mention how big of an are you taped off. You just added more headaches to your problems. Even after you fix the scratch , if you try to match the color yourself to cover up the primer afterwards you will not match it correctly unless you strip and sand the whole tailgate and add new ELPO base and primer and base and paint and clear. and HOPE for no dirt, fisheyes, crater, pinhole, popping, mottle etc etc in the finished paint.

Now, get some light rubbing alcohol and lightly remove ALL the primer you just sprayed onto your truck. And remove ALL the primer you sprayed into your scratch. Now go to your local GM dealer and purchase the silver birtch touch up paint, " i have about 6 touch up bottles here if you were closer of silver bitch and every other GM color there is" then go to the bodyshop at your GM dealer and as nicely if you can have ONE or Two TRIZAC sanding discs. they will be about the size of a quarter "Its what we use in the paintshop to wetsand out imperfections in the paint,EXACT same thing".

Then if you get a disc, inquire on where to buy a small bottle of GRAY 3M Buffing POLISH, it will have diamond dust in it, or some other abrasive mater in it, it HAS to be gritty. Or you can see if the dealer bodyshop will give you a small amount for a small fee. what they use at the bodyshop is THE EXACT SAME THING NO SUBSTITUTES that we use in the paintshop.

IF you cant get either from them, find a bodyshop supplier and get both. The Trizac discs are from 3M and contain Diamond dust as well. They have to be very fine grit, and Gray in color. Or they may be clear or yellow, THESE other colors indicate a rougher abrasive and should NOT be used unless you have a deep scratch and gone past the primer. so use your own discretion when purchasing.

Now to the fun part. WASH the scratched area well. You will need water, and your trizac discs for this part.

apply water to the scratched area and lightly start sanding with the trizac discs in a CIRCULAR motion. When the water/ sediment starts turning white, add more water!! you DO NOT want to burn though the paint. after about 20 seconds of rubbing wipe off with a cloth.

If it is a deep scratch do not be too concerened about wetsanding inside the scratch as much.

Now to touch up the scratch, shake your touch up applicator very well for about 40 seconds as you have a metallic flake in your paint. get a paper towel ready. when you unscrew the cap there will be a brush attached to the end of it, gently dab excess paint off the brush onto the paper towel including the shaft of the applicator as it will run down onto the brush when you apply the paint.

Now apply the paint to the scratch by DABBING THE BRUSH into the scratch, DO NOT USE IT LIKE A PAINT BRUSH AND USE STROKES!!!!!!!!!!

Let stand for about 5 min to ten mins to dry then repeat this process until the paint buildup is flush with the body panel "IE, no more scratch"

Now the scratch will be filled but will look like s**t, What you do now is wetsand again to get a smooth as possible, but not too hard as you will strip off the layers of paint you just applied as it HAS NOT BEEN BAKED ON. When it is smooth as you can get it "use own discretion" wipe clean and let stand for an hour to solidify the layers of paint.

Now the last step you will need a high speed buffer with a FOAM ONLY PAD if you use anything else you will burn though the new paint!!

you CAN do it by hand with spidercloth "Ask for it at the bodyshop, we use it exclusively in the paintshop" or a Microfiber cloth but you will be there for awhile rubbing the tailgate.

What do do is to apply a general amount of the gray polish directly to the area and some to your foam buffing pad and in a CIRCULAR motion and with SOME pressure buff the scratched area for 25 to 30 seconds and it is important that you do do it for 25 to 30 seconds. Repeat as nessacary if you havent gotten rid of the wetsanding marks the first time. The fix is not as good as a whole respray of the area but it is what we do in the paintshop for paint defects and scratches. but if you take your time, you will NEVER notice the scratch was there. And if it improves the look but the scratch is still a bit noticable, at least you have it protected and cost you peanuts to fix.

AND also that gray polish can removes swirlmarks from washing and fine scratchs on your truck and scratches on your WINDOWS!!! and most PLASTIC parts!!

Good luck and take your time, for me to do something like that , would take me less then 5 mins without drying time. so it shouldent be an all day project ;)

Jameson · October 18, 2007

Thanks alot for the detailed steps. Im going to go try and purchase all that stuff this week so that I will have my own touch up kit on hand. Ill keep you informed. Thanks again bro.