Scratched right rear bumper....advice please~

[txtroutbum]

Took my '05 SR5 on my first long road trip from Texas to Colorado for spring break, and had some great fun int the snow and mud...unfortunately, I also backed into some rocks, which scraped my right rear bumper...not the end of the word, but still irritating.

Can anyone advise the best way to fix or minimize the damage? The bumper is the plastic color coated type to match my Galactic Gray color.

Thanks.....

 

[Jacobzky]

try to use a Porter cable 7424 with an Orange pad+ a good compound.

 

[jrs2]

I would just try hand rubbing with compound. Unless you have experience with a buffer, you can do more harm than good, especially in a place like that. Plus that saves you the cost of the buffer, unless you already have one.

 

[qballjr13]

I would just try hand rubbing with compound. Unless you have experience with a buffer, you can do more harm than good, especially in a place like that. Plus that saves you the cost of the buffer, unless you already have one.

If you use the Porter Cable 7424 you CANT do any damage. Its a random orbit that has plenty of power to work but will not harm your paint. First you start with the lightest polish possible. Get a Mother's Polish and stay away from anything that says compound. Compounds are too harsh and you will end up rubbing right through your clearcoat and you will not be able to fix it...unless you want to repaint it. Anything by Mother or Meguiars is a good start and they are labeled very well with how agressive they are. Start there...then work your way into something more agressive.

 

[slyangel9]

I think that you can rub most of it out. Try Bug and Tar remover and a lot of elbow grease.

 

[qballjr13]

I think that you can rub most of it out. Try Bug and Tar remover and a lot of elbow grease.

If you actually scratch the paint than bug and tar remover will not do anything for you. How deep is the scratch? A polish may help it look a little better but the more I look at that picture the more I think a repaint will be needed. It looks pretty deep.
Check out this forum, its all about detailing an has great information from professional detail...just be careful, its easy to get addicted!

http://autopia.org/

 

[txtroutbum]

Thanks for all the replys. I just received an order of some Zaino products, and will be doing a good detail in a few weeks, so I'll give these suggestions a shot....The largest scratch is pretty deep, but at least I got it in the rocks of Colorado, doing what the 4Runner is made to do...sort of a "badge of honor"....

will report results along the way.

By the way, I'm trying the new Zaino Z-AIO and Z-CS products, and will post some thoughts when I complete the detail...

 

[jrs2]

but at least I got it in the rocks of Colorado, doing what the 4Runner is made to do...sort of a "badge of honor"....

Right, it's things like that which add character to your truck!

Another great site for stuff like this is http://www.autobody101.com/

Go to the forums.

 

[blindside]

that scratch looks deep, i don't think you could just buff that out, you might need some touch up paint