Please help me, I`m a moron

[ronbo456]

Hi all --



I`m posting here in the hope of getting good advice and because I don`t have the stones to post this on FerrariChat.



I`ve had my 98 456GT for less than a month. Winter up here in the NE has been strange, with alternating record high temps and record high snowfalls. After the recent two-footer I took my baby to the mall for the first time. Per the advice of my fellow Tifosi I parked far away from everyone else, near where the front end loaders had piled the snow.



Well, I pushed the car a little aggressively into the snow and, because I am an idiot, I found the belgian block pavers underneath. :wall



Now, the only good news is that the Ferrari bumper curves under the front of the car (like a skid plate, I guess) and is not in the titanium silver body color: it`s either matte black or a very dark blue. The scratches aren`t visible to an adult standing in front of the car, but to anyone at the level of the hood the scratches are as obvious and ugly as Austin Powers` teeth.



I learned from reading some material on this site that (a) among other things I am going to have to touch up the scratches with paint and (b) touch ups should not be done in temps below 60 deg F. So here`s the question: since we aren`t going to see sustained temperatures in the 60s until April, what should I do in the interim to avoid rusting and other additional problems?



Any advice appreciated. Please don`t rat me out to the Scuderia.



Thanks,



Ron

[Accumulator]

ronbo456- Welcome to Autopia!



I`d take it to a good paint shop and have it fixed professionally. I`d do that with my least favorite beater, let alone something as nice as your 456. There`s no way I`d try to fix that on any of my cars, and I`ve done stuff like that before. Chalk it up to a learning experience and just move on.



Besides the rust issue, I don`t think you want to wait a long time just knowing that the damage is there. I know it`d drive me crazy if one of my vehicles had such damage, even if nobody else could see it.



Heh heh [insert lecture on driving 456 in such conditions here] There, that probably wasn`t as bad as the :nono you`d get on the Ferrari boards :D

[White95Max]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! :sadpace:



That`s a plastic bumper isn`t it? So you don`t have to worry about rust. Am I missing something? Is there metal that was damaged too?



I`d also have it professionally fixed. There are just way too many scratches there to try to fix on your own, and they look very deep.

[Accumulator]

That`s a plastic bumper isn`t it? So you don`t have to worry about rust. Am I missing something? Is there metal that was damaged too?



I couldn`t tell for sure either- but whatever it`s made of, it`s pretty :soscared: now so I`d get it into the shop ASAP.



The thought of detailing the 456`s undercarriage after driving it in such weather gives me flashbacks to when the Jag was my only car...

[JoeJ]

damn. Take it to a shop. That makes me want to cry.

[aaron33]

Wow, you`re lucky it missed the body coloured bumper and hit that plate. Well, as the others say, get it fixed up professionally. Good places have a temperature controlled work area, so they can paint even in winter.

[DaGonz]

My advice...



1. get it done professionally



2. take the damn Ferrari off the road and get a good car for winter! :doh