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Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

19283 messages,  Last post on May 01, 2013 at 9:15 AM

You are in the Subaru Crew Forum.

What is this discussion about? Subaru Impreza, Subaru Outback, Subaru Forester, Subaru Legacy, Coupe, Sedan, Wagon, SUV


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Messages Page 1657 of 1929

#16553 of 19283 Scratch Repair - How To? by yankee617

Apr 12, 2005 (9:27 am)

Some basic advice is humbly requested here...
 
I have some scratches on the hood of my 2004 Subaru Outback Wagon H6 and want to know how to repair them. I think they were caused by my snow scraper this past winter. They are not terribly deep, but the SeaMist Green Pearl (19Y) color is very noticably lighter in the scratches and this makes the scratches quite visible. I do not see bare metal. Is there a clear coat on top of the color paint? If so, how can I tell if its just the clear coat that's scratched?
 
I have located touch-up paint at www.brandsport.com for $12 (2 bottles) and noticed they also sell a Plasti-Kote paint repair kit for $13 as well. Is this what I need to do a nice job fixing the scratches? Do I need something else instead (or in addition)?
 
I also have a more minor, less visible, scratch on the driver's door (probably caused by a key) that I will try to fix at the same time.
 
I've never done automotive scratch repair before and want to gather the right materials (and instructions) before I leap into this task. Advice on how to learn/proceed would be appreciated.
 
Yan

#16554 of 19283 Re: Scratch Repair - How To? [yankee617] by dcm61

Apr 12, 2005 (12:54 pm)

Replying to: yankee617 (Apr 12, 2005 9:27 am)
My suggestion would be to ask the dealer to give you a call when the "scratch repair guy" is onsite to repair the dealer's car.
 
Not sure what it would cost but I doubt it would be that expensive assuming touch or airbrush is all that's needed.
 
This is what these guys do for a living and in the rare case that they screw it up, they should be able to fix it. You may do more harm than good attempting to fix it yourself.
 
I like to fix things myself but I think for the little extra cost, I'd leave it to a pro.
 
DaveM

#16555 of 19283 Scratch Repair by leo2633

Apr 12, 2005 (1:06 pm)

You might to try some polish first. If the scratches are really light, that may take care of them. If not, you can move on to more drastic measures.
 
Len

#16556 of 19283 Re: Scratch Repair - How To? [yankee617] by yankee617

Apr 12, 2005 (1:53 pm)

Replying to: yankee617 (Apr 12, 2005 9:27 am)
Thanks for the suggestions so far. Additional comments would be welcome.
 
I contacted a Subaru rep (via mysubaru.com) and learned that the original/factory
finish is clearcoated. However, the rep could not comment on whether I should
use a clearcoat product (such as is supplied in the Plasti-Kote kit) after applying
the touch-up paint. Does anyone here have an opinion on using clearcoat?
 
Yan

#16557 of 19283 Re: Scratch Repair - How To? [yankee617] by subearu

Apr 12, 2005 (6:49 pm)

Replying to: yankee617 (Apr 12, 2005 1:53 pm)
There's a product called Langka that seems to be popular with DIYers. One of the packages includes clearcoat.
 
-Brian

#16558 of 19283 Re: Scratch Repair - How To? [yankee617] by crashton6

Apr 12, 2005 (7:05 pm)

Replying to: yankee617 (Apr 12, 2005 9:27 am)
Len is spot on. Those scratches are most likely just in the clear coat. I have used a product called Meguires body scrub. It's clear coat safe & works very well at removing scratches. Make sure any product you use is clear coat safe.
 
Chuck

#16559 of 19283 Re: Scratch Repair - How To? [yankee617] by hondafriek

Apr 12, 2005 (7:39 pm)

Replying to: yankee617 (Apr 12, 2005 9:27 am)
If the scratch is not to deeply in the clearcoat you maybe able to polish it out. Don't go nuts here as it is very easy to go right through the clearcoat. If It does not polish out easy my advice would be to let a professional scratch repair outfit do it.
 
 It has been my experience that unless you are extremely talented or lucky any attempts at repair usually finish up looking more noticable not less.
 
  Cheers Pat.

#16560 of 19283 Re: Scratch Repair - How To? [hondafriek] by crashton6

Apr 13, 2005 (6:21 pm)

Replying to: hondafriek (Apr 12, 2005 7:39 pm)
My experience has been if you can catch your fingernail in the scratch it's too deep to polish out. Do not use an aggressive compound!
 
Chuck

#16561 of 19283 I took the winter tires off this past weekend.... by fibber2

Apr 14, 2005 (8:50 am)

lubed all of the suspension bushings, and checked the brakes. The front inner pads on both left and right side are getting thin (piston side), while the outer pads are thick (just rolled 30k miles). Is this consistent with what others have found? At first I thought a caliper slider was sticking, but the wear pattern on both sides is virtually identical.
 
Steve

#16562 of 19283 Re: I took the winter tires off this past weekend.... [fibber2] by dcm61

Apr 14, 2005 (10:23 am)

Replying to: fibber2 (Apr 14, 2005 8:50 am)
I rotated my tires this past weekend and checked the brakes. The rears are getting thin and should be replaced soon. The fronts are also pretty thin and I will replace when I do the rears. Both pads (inner and outer) appear to be wearing equally on the left front. I think the other 3 corners were also wearing evenly but I only flipped up the caliper on the left front to get a direct view of the inner pad.
 
At 46k, the brakes are wearing MUCH quicker than my previous '96 OBW (the fronts were half worn at 65k, the rears were shot at 70k).
 
DaveM ('03 OBW - AT)

Messages Page 1657 of 1929

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