Fixing a Nick in the Paint

[MaThGr82]

My wife was driving behind a big truck last week and she got hit by a rock thrown up in the air. It took her a week to tell me. I was somewhat wondering why she was backing into the garage. :nixweiss Well she didn`t want me to see the hood I suppose.



I have read the tutorial on this site about repairing scratches and nicks but I wanted to ask a few questions.



When prepping the area to be repaired, can I use S100 instead of the P21S?



Prepsol or Denatured alcohol is the same thing as rubbing alcohol right?



Can I use SSR2.5 and 1.0 instead of the hand rubbing compound recommended in the tutorial?



I think I am going to attempt the repair this weekend as I will be able to get her to park the car for 3 days. I also have a few other minor nicks I will be dealing with.



Any other recommendations from those of you who have repaired nicks or scratches that will make my experience more efficient/quicker/better results??? Thanks so much.



Here are a few pics of the Scratch/Nick I will be dealing with.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/MaThGr82/a0b0fa54.bmp



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v296/MaThGr82/d3eba25e.jpg

[Scimmia]

The P21S recommended is the Total Auto Wash, I think S100 has a Total Cycle Wash. That should work fine, I would think.



Denatured alcohol is ethanol, not isopropanol like in rubbing alcohol. Most rubbing alcohol is also only about 70% isopropanol, and 30% water. I think it would do the job, maybe just not as efficently. I`m not sure where Prepsol fits in.



As for the SSRs, they should work fine. I think the rubbing compound recommended is somewhat more agressive, though, so some of the sanding marks may be difficult to remove.



You may also want to check out Langka (http://www.langka.com/), you may be able to get away without sanding.

[MaThGr82]

I have the S100 total cycle wash left that I use to do a Harley (I am actually doing that this Saturday) I think I will use some of that to clear the surface of any wax or sealant.



Thanks for the tip.



Any other recommendations before I tackle this job in the next week or so??? Thanks

[C. Charles Hahn]

go SLOW with it. Don`t touch it up all in one pass, you`ll want to do 2-3 nice thin coats so it doesnt glob up. If you`re not wanting to wetsand after the repair, this will make your life ALOT easier because you will not be able to spot the repair as easily, even after touching it up.

[vdog0531]

i havn`t touched up a scratch like that before BUT i did wetsand the whole side of my parents truck bed and i used Menzerna Powergloss with a medium cut pad with my rotary and it took two passes to get it respectable so i`m not sure how the PC guys are able to remove wetsanding marks with a pc and some ssr2.5. i would be really cautious and maybe try it out first on a junkyard fender or somethin to make sure you are able to remove the wetsanding marks.



Vernon

[MaThGr82]

If all else fails, i will always be able to use the hand rubbing compound to remove the marks, I was just curious if anyone thought the 2.5 would do the job???

[kevmo327]

I might be wrong but I thought P21s and s100 were virtually the same thing, just repackaged for cycle/auto use.



I have reapired a couple of nicks about the same size on the wifes Jeep (why is it always the wifes car?) and had great success followiing the info here

[MaThGr82]

Originally posted by kevmo327

I might be wrong but I thought P21s and s100 were virtually the same thing, just repackaged for cycle/auto use.



I have reapired a couple of nicks about the same size on the wifes Jeep (why is it always the wifes car?) and had great success followiing the info here



Well of course, it is always going to be the wifes car. Even though I can count all of the nicks or scratches I have ever had on one hand, they had to have been put there when my wife was driving my vehicle. I mean come on, there is no way I could have ever done that right? :D

[MorBid]

Prep-Sol (made by Dupont) is a pre sanding solvent cleaner for removing Silicone,Tar,Wax,Polish,Gease, etc.



Since sanding alone will not remove those things. It needs to be follwed by another cleaner (like Dupont Final-Clean) or similar prior to appling paint/primer.

[MongooseGA]

I`m thinking about attempting this as well with the new Lexus. What are you going to use for the paint? I was going to try Paint Scratch for mine, but they don`t list my color. I`ll have to fill out the form and e-mail them.



I`m just gonna use Iso alcohol.



As far as compunding the area, you`re not doing a whole panel, so you`ll be able to focus more on that particular area. Just don`t hover in one place too long, there`s still the slight risk of damaging the paint.



Are you going to put any clear over it? I was thinking 2-3 coats of clear, just to be safe.

[MorBid]

http://www.autovisuals.com/

[MaThGr82]

Mogoose, I am actually going to try and see if BMW has any touch paint they offer to match my paint. I am thinking I will put at least 2 coats of clear on it. The process in the Autopia Tuturial says that you can go without the clear if you want and he typically does. I am still up in the air on that.



With me having very limited extra time lately, I will probably pick up everything I will need in the next week or so and then do the job next weekend. I`ll report back here with more pics and info on how it goes.

[Jesstzn]

Prepsol is high in Xylene which is hard on the clear .. shops use it before a repaint so no concern for the clear.



I have used the methods here for lots of chip repair on black and have wet sanded with 2000 and buffed it out with a PC/white pad / DACP/#80.

[the other pc]

Originally posted by MongooseGA

..I`m just gonna use Iso alcohol... I`d skip water-based solvents, especially any that have water in them from the get-go (70% isopropyl, 91% isopropyl, etc). If you don`t want to use Prep-Sol, SXA330 or Pre try enamel reducer, paint thinner or lacquer thinner.





PC.