[PICS] Bumper Paint Repair ( BEFORE AND AFTER PICS)

[imaxsameer]

Okay today I decided to repair some scratches on my bumper for the very first time. I researched and I knew exactly what I was doing. It all went really well until I peeled the masking and removed the newspaper.

This is what it looked like before, I also have other marks on the car but I started on this because its the most minor:
http://img830.imageshack.us/i/img0376.png/
Masked up: http://img41.imageshack.us/i/img0377.png/

Okay so I painted the area like this:

1. Sand down 270 grit.
2. Wax and Grease remove.
3. Primer 2 coats.
Primed Pics:
1st coat: http://img194.imageshack.us/i/img0378.png/
2nd coat: http://img36.imageshack.us/i/img0380k.png/
4. Sand down 270 grit.
5. Wax and grease remove.
6. Car paint 2 coats.
7. Masking and newspaper removed
Masking removed:
http://img185.imageshack.us/i/img0382.png/
http://img259.imageshack.us/i/img0384.png/

Need tips on re-doing this job.

EDIT:
Read Page [2] for 2nd attempt at this repair

NEW PICS ARE ALSO UP ON PAGE 2 FOR before AND after pics. Check em up and comment (my very own DIY)

[aznstyler]

why 120? ..

[Oz_Striker]

Okay today I decided to repair some scratches on my bumper for the very first time. I researched and I knew exactly what I was doing. It all went really well until I peeled the masking and removed the newspaper.

Okay so I painted the area like this:

1. Sand down 120grit.
2. Wax and Grease remove.
3. Primer 2 coats.
Primed Pics:
4. Sand down 120grit.
5. Wax and grease remove.
6. Car paint 2 coats.

pics aren't working mate, also what exactly is the problem? then someone will be able to help you out ;)

[imaxsameer]

funny thing is that you guys start posting when I removed the pics and when I had em up no one posted for a good 2-3 hours. Wait a beat and ill post new pics up.

[Twest]

why 120? ..

Yea mate maybe 120 to sand down but definitely not 120 to finish the primer. 120 is for like, finishing wood before varnishing. You shouldve used minimium 240 or something like that.
Regardless doing what you are trying is very hard to achieve and you generally need to use some cut&buff after spraying the bumper to try and even out the colours.

[imaxsameer]

Im so sorry dude, but i got confused that the lower the number the rougher it is. I used 270 grit, I also have 120 but I didn't use in this case because they job wasn't that big. So all up 270 grit... Uploading pics soon.

[dougie_504]

Shouldn't you paint the whole bumper?

And who matched the paint itself?

Also for a smoothe finish you want to hit it with something like 800 grit. 400 wet to remove the clear, 800 to finish or after the hi-fill.

[grifty]

should use like 600-800 grit, and remember you will never be able to perfectly match white since the paint is old

[imaxsameer]

Ok ill buy a 800 grit tomorrow. Also if I paint the whole bumper, it would probably stand out to the rest f the car. I am thinking pf painting the hood black just like the civic on the homepage left hand side. Aside that i gotta fix this mark up.

Can i paint directly on the prime? Or i have to paint prime then sand, wax grease remove then car paint on top?
Also any tips on spraying?

[Twest]

Im so sorry dude, but i got confused that the lower the number the rougher it is. I used 270 grit, I also have 120 but I didn't use in this case because they job wasn't that big. So all up 270 grit... Uploading pics soon.

Okay 270 seems fine. You probably just have to cut and buff the bumper properly so that the colours mix.

[Rayle]

Also, by not actually taping the area you wanted to spray and instead folding newspaper and just taping the corners, you've got areas where there's primer went under the newspaper but no paint over it. I'd definitely recommend actually taping up the area (with good tape) so that you don't get what's now an outline of the resprayed area, this should make it significantly less obvious.

[imaxsameer]

What do you mean by cut and buff and at what step should i do it?

Ill post more pics tomorow going to do it again, is clear coat necessary?

Also how important is it to wear a mask when painting?

[dougie_504]

What do you mean by cut and buff and at what step should i do it?

Ill post more pics tomorow going to do it again, is clear coat necessary?

Also how important is it to wear a mask when painting?


Use cut and polish, then a mechanical buffer after you paint. This has to be done to achieve the best finish unless you have an oven etc.

Clear coat is necessary to get a glossy appearance and to protect the paint from weather.

Wear a mask. They're cheap - don't risk it!

And I wouldn't bother to sand the primer. If you prime then paint another day you should wipe it down with grease remover or meth spirits or something to make sure it's clean/dry for paint.
You need to sand the surface of the panel very well, down to probably 400 or even 800 grit. 270 won't give you a glassy finish.

[imaxsameer]

Okay so I started doing it today as a second attempt:

1. Original Suffup:
http://img259.imageshack.us/i/img0384.png
2. Sanded down 120grit:
http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/5760/img0387nw.jpg
3. Sanded down 270grit:
http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/5097/img0388d.jpg
4. Sanded down 800grit:
http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/8942/img0389rr.jpg
5. Area masked up properly:
http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/7199/img0391e.jpg
http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/1415/img0393yn.jpg
6. First coat lightly
http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/373/img0394h.jpg

Looks good so far. Any comments?

[imaxsameer]

Okay paint is on 3rd coat and it set to dry. I have removed all tape etc and the results look pleasing. Well a lot better than they did before the job.

[dougie_504]

Did you prime it this time? There's no primer picture and I can still see the deeper scratches under the paint?

[imaxsameer]

I did this job before fully primed etc it came out real thick and was coming out. To fix, i sanded and cleaned and painted. I didnt use prime, didn't want it to be thick. Also is clear coat necessary?

[imaxsameer]

I did this job before fully primed etc it came out real thick and was coming out. To fix, i sanded and cleaned and painted. I didnt use prime, didn't want it to be thick. Also is clear coat necessary?

Here is the finished job
http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/4454/img0396g.jpg
http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/4079/img0397mc.jpg
http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/1794/img0398wo.jpg

[dougie_504]

Looks much better mate, good DIY job and props for having a go. Make sure you give it a really good polish to protect the paint.

Not sure about using cut/polish on it without clear though. Same with wax, I've heard wax on a new job isn't a good idea for at least a month?

[Rayle]

Looks good, well done.

[imaxsameer]

Thanks all for helping out. So I am guess ill leave it as it is and continue to use my car as normal? Also no clear coat yeah? And thats probably the best I can get it to blend. I can barely make out the difference unless I look at it from close up angle.

[mugen_ctr]

the rule is if ur gonna go to that lengths, its not worth doin it, as once the paint settles down, u will notice that patch of paint being a different... hence why many say just go for full respray rather than patch an fill job, but good work, seems to look good

[imaxsameer]

the rule is if ur gonna go to that lengths, its not worth doin it, as once the paint settles down, u will notice that patch of paint being a different... hence why many say just go for full respray rather than patch an fill job, but good work, seems to look good

Yeah Its done so much better than the one before and I can pull out another trick to make the side door panel better. I am going to leave it as it is today to continue its drying process (28 degrees today). The area is a little rough but doesn't affect the appearance might matter while washing. I will be today working on the rear side and post results hopefully in evening

[imaxsameer]

Hey guys I did my rear right panel today and here are the before and after pics:

BEFORE:
http://img178.imageshack.us/i/img0401t.jpg/
AFTER:
http://img714.imageshack.us/i/img0414wo.jpg/
Comments?

[~Sp33~]

Not bad, you can see where you masked on the door behind the molding, but still not bad at all.

[imaxsameer]

Not bad, you can see where you masked on the door behind the molding, but still not bad at all.

Yep pretty happy with the results, I might go over the edges with a light brush to fix it up. Hopefully it doesn't come off or flake etc.

[~Sp33~]

Only time will tell! Good luck.

[dc292177917]

thz for that, quite informative!

[imaxsameer]

Let me know if I can do anything else. I still have a scratch on the bumper but I need filler. I am a little short on money. When I get some money ill buy filler and do the front bumper.