My car beat itself up!

Post by **jblackburn** » 27 Aug 2010, 07:21

4 1/2 hours into a 5 hour trip a few weekends ago (figures, right?), I hit a bump and my left turn signal fell off the car completely, and smashed into the bumper/fender a few times at 70 mph. It appears the tab was brittle and just broke off, but it did fall out a few more times before I gave up trying to put it back in, and completely gashed the crap out of my paintwork.

I'm wondering if anyone can tell me if there's anything I can do to fix her up again short of getting that fender/bumper repainted? The good news is it didn't get down to the metal, so it's not going to rust, but I haven't tried picking at it or trying to do anything that might further mess up the paintwork.

Here's some pictures:

daedalus · Post by **daedalus** » 27 Aug 2010, 11:37

Justin,
Try and find yourself some GS-27. I just did a quick search with no success, but with more time than I have now, it could probably be found. I have used this stuff for years with much success. If you cannot find it out there, I'm sure there is an equivalent or maybe something even better....my experience is with the GS. Good luck!

Post by **vjaneczko** » 27 Aug 2010, 14:05

Suck.

Is the blue paint gone and the white stuff is primer? Slide your fingers over the area to see if the paints been scraped off or if it's plastic from the turn signal. If its the plastic, I'd think you could use some polishing compound. If the paint is gone, check with a dealer for a paint pen. Or a touch-up stick. Or whatever they call it. If you go that route, then you'll probably want to follow-up with the compound to smooth it all out, then a good wash & wax.

C@lvin · Post by **C@lvin** » 27 Aug 2010, 14:18

+1 on the polishing suggestion. I'll bet that you will find that a lot of those marks will disappear with polish or even just a good rub wax (paste wax).

Post by **jblackburn** » 27 Aug 2010, 15:27

Some of them are deep and the blue is probably gone down to the primer, some are just scratches that I'm sure will go away. I wasn't sure if waxing/polishing it would just make it worse (more white) as it got down into the cracks or not, but I will certainly try that. I'm actually a bit impressed with how deep the paint is on this car compared to others I've owned.

Post by **Hoov** » 28 Aug 2010, 20:51

Three months after I bought my Volvo some young son keyed "As**ole" into the drivers side door. ... I'm still perplexed, as this was the first time EVER I had parked in this neighborhood, that the individual responsible knew so much about me!! ... LOL, ... Regardless, I did need to counter this perception from those that really know to others who might treat me more favorably not knowing! ... right? ... Hehehe
Anywho, check out http://www.paintscratch.com
They have killer advice on the subject & the result was fantastic!!! It's GONE!!!
I used their products in conjuction with "Turtle wax scratch remover kit"
Their "Clear coat blender product" really works too!
Sorry for your travails but at least it was honest damage, not outright vandalism AND there IS a cure!!!
You can still see a teense of the injury but not if you are just checking out the car. This was MAJOR deep & now almost invisible. Even I have to look hard to see it. ... Patience!!! Patience lad. Not an overnight project. Figure about two weeks!

Hoov

Post by **jblackburn** » 29 Aug 2010, 22:46

Awesome, thanks Hoov! I just had a chance to look through that site, and between that and the posts before I've got some ideas of things to try now. Guess I'll try one little scratch at a time and see what works...there's others I've wanted to tackle as well