Scratches on new BRZ!
 

Hi Everyone,

I recently got a new 2014 SWP BRZ MT. Picked her up on March 27th. I'm still in breaking in period, totally loving the car, and I ended up scratching the front bumper while pulling into a parking spot. :(

Does anyone know the best way to go about fixing this? Will the dealers be able to take care of it or should I go to a paint shop.

I'm in Redmond Washing area.

Thanks!

Images for the damage:
http://imgur.com/T2nRYgN
http://i.imgur.com/p4p3pg0.jpg

The dealer will most likely send it out to an independent paint shop and charge you an arm and a leg. I'd do research and find a reputable paint shop. SWP is a difficult color to match, so I'd wouldn't go cheap.
Or you can fix it your self. Buff out the scratches and use touch up paint.

If you want it to look perfect, you'll have to bring it to a body shop. DO NOT bring it to the dealer. They will outsource the work anyway, and who knows what the quality of their place will be.

Do some research on good shops in your area, and you should be good. Your other option is to try and polish the area and touch-up the scratches with a paint pen or Dr Colorchip.

Good luck!

You got in just before me lol

Thanks so much for the quick reply. Do you know where I can get good quality/reliable touch up paint?

Thanks, Ill start researching.

The dealer has paint colored pens that have a clearcoat on one side and the paint on the other.

Probably a better alternative is Dr Colorchip like I mentioned in my previous post.

https://www.drcolorchip.com

Given the 2 pictures do you think Dr Colorchip would be the right solution to fix it?

Can anyone that's used it let me know the results?

Thanks!

Actually the more I look at it, you're better off building up layers of the OEM touch up paint, wet sanding and try to blend the best possible. If you're not comfortable doing this, just bring it to a shop. I would be way too OCD to not get an entire re spray of the bumper.

Did you scrape someone's car while doing this....?

I would ask your friends for a good body shop or use yelp. I would only go to the dealer for warranty work.

No, It was a pillar thankfully and not a car. I think I'll use Yelp.

As most have stated here. The paint is taken off all the way to the bumper. I would have the entire bumper returned to OEM via a reputable body shop. Do your research in terms of finding the exact paint code for matching. I can see how SWP is tough to replicate. It needs to be exact. Although I am VERY OCD. Would accept nothing less. You will be fine. Just take your time and do it right.

If I take it to a bodyshop will they redo the whole bumper? I really don't want that since I've been reading that it's really hard to match the original SWP color.

I would do it myself but I don't trust myself that much either.

You would want them to do the entire bumper. A good shop will be able to blend it with your fenders very nicely.

A good body shop will sand down the entire bumper until it's level. Then hit it with the new paint. Spot painting is not something I would recommend on pearl paint.

Ask the body shop to do a few test panels before actually spraying onto the car. When I took my 10 Series FRS to get a spoiler painted, it took about 2 hours to match the paint even with the paint code.

I've never heard of blending the front bumper with the fenders...

When I had to repaint my old car's fender which had Pearl White... I had to paint half the door, the mirror, and half the hood. Didn't need to touch the bumper.