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Buffing up scratches below headlight

8 messages,  Last post on Jan 29, 2012 at 8:22 PM

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What is this discussion about? Nissan Altima, Auto Body, Sedan

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#1 of 8 Buffing up scratches below headlight by walletless

Jan 24, 2012 (11:50 am)

I bought a new 2012 Nissan Altima in super-black color last month. This month, while parking the car, I managed to scratch it against the wall, and have a scratch below the head light that is about ~1ft long. I see the white metal in the area.
 
Is there anyway I can buff this at home and avoid spending $$$ at body shop or dealership? I can share a pic (can someone suggest a good place to host the pic?) if it helps.

#2 of 8 Buffing up scratches by kawaii12

Jan 24, 2012 (8:59 pm)

If you can see the bare metal and feel it with your finger than you can not buff it out. Scratches that don't go through the clear coat can be buffed out. Call some dealerships service departments and ask which company they use for ding and chip repairs. All dealerships use these type of companies for minor repairs like yours for their new and used cars. Contact them and let them see the scratch to see if they can repair it. I have used these type of companies to repairs parking lot scratches on my car. The company I use injects paint to fill the scratch with a syringe and then use a buffer to blend it in. It works great you can't tell there was a repair. You scratch does not sound major and would not need a body shop.

#3 of 8 Thanks by walletless

Jan 24, 2012 (11:58 pm)

Thanks kawaii2.
 
I will reach out to dealerships to find their preferred body shop.
Here is the picture of the damage: https://public.sn2.livefilestore.com/y1pHyDJ3BlI1yx72vZtyxGjpS8wehTTMdHO4aSRZ_Fc- xT4_XtpSd9jRezUkaERvVv3FB09zVaKQZWOXmtDoWsNvFA/WP_000314%20%282%29.jpg?psid=1

#4 of 8 Re: Thanks [walletless] by walletless

Jan 25, 2012 (12:31 am)

Replying to: walletless (Jan 24, 2012 11:58 pm)
That URL got messed up in copy-paste. Here is the shortened version: http://bit.ly/zPsIQ5

#5 of 8 Re: Thanks [walletless] by kawaii12

Jan 25, 2012 (10:35 am)

Replying to: walletless (Jan 25, 2012 12:31 am)
That is plastic not metal under the paint. Bumpers are made of plastic. I think you can clean it up and a re-conditioning companies can touch up the paint if needed.
You don't need a body shop just re-conditioning company like this one:
 
http://www.globalmars.net/exteriors.html#
 
Or you can try to repair it yourself with touch up paint.

#6 of 8 Re: Thanks [kawaii12] by walletless

Jan 25, 2012 (11:46 am)

Replying to: kawaii12 (Jan 25, 2012 10:35 am)
Cool! Do you think I can use at-home scratch removal tools like Quixx to get this done? I have not used it before, but their instructions and few youTube videos seem pretty clear on how to do that..

#7 of 8 Re: Thanks [walletless] by kawaii12

Jan 25, 2012 (4:35 pm)

Replying to: walletless (Jan 25, 2012 11:46 am)
I don't know. I do not have any experience with Quixx product.

#8 of 8 update by walletless

Jan 29, 2012 (8:22 pm)

With some suggestions from forum members on nissanclub.com, I tried some non-chlroinated brake cleaner, and its much better now. See: http://bit.ly/yhRf1D
 
There are a couple small scratches will I can easily conceal with ScratchX or Quixx. There are a couple larger scratches that will not go away with these compounds.. so I might try some touchup paint and then using scratchX on it.

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