Front Air Dam Repairs

[Schmooth]

Okay, I admit it. I won't even try and blame my wife. I backed down a driveway entrance onto the road a little too quickly and a little too square on. The result is concrete rash on the underside of each forward corner of the front air dam which extends a little up the side so that you can see it when you look at the corner of the car.

As a 5-day-a-week keyboard operator, with little to no idea about plastic bodyword and paint (or sheetmetal either), my instinct was to rub it back with some wet and dry and use the factory touch up paint (Silhouette). But given my background, I'm sure that's the wrong answer.

And yeah, I'm a cheap bas*ard. So keep that in mind when framing any (hopefully) useful answers.

Thanks

[Rik_Biel]

You are right - you are wrong

Touch up paint is just for, as the name implies - touch ups - small stone chips - that sort of thing. On a large area - anything bigger than a button, you need it to be sprayed to look half decent.

Black is a b!tch of a colour to match too. But that's just what I hear never having owned a black car.

[ColinT]

Did exactly the same thing when it was 5 days new.

But I must admit the Murcury Silver is nearly the same colour as the material the front skirt is made from. So I haven't bothered with a repaint. It was a serious thought at the time it happened. Never had a scrape since then.

[jasper361]

Same here, but I've done it a couple of times, brings tears to your eyes.

I took the cheap b*stard way out also, I thought who the hell is going to see it ? unless I'm running you down and then they wont live to tell anyone what a job I did.

[gotxr6t]

I confess too, that I have also give the front spoiler the kiss of death, but luckly for me it was a few days before it went in for some warranty painting, as the front spoiler in places looked like it only had one coat of paint on it. still cost a couple of bucks to get them to prep it, but cheapest respray ever on the front spoiler!!!!

[djgelling]

Every single XR6-T, XR-6 NA and XR-8 BA that I have ever seen that is not absolutely brand new, has these scrapes under the outer corners of the front dam. They're about 1cm too low, and if a steep driveway don't get you, then a slightly higher/angled curb that you park up to will. If you fix it, you'll only do it again somewhere/somehow no matter how careful you try to be. (As I have )

[harvyk]

Yeah I've done that aswell (it took the whole of 2 minutes when I moved into my new place...) I found that to start off with just the touchup paint will cover it, as the others have said it'll happen again before you know it so I wouldn't get to worried, and as long as you cover the marks properly with the right colour you'll never notice unless you \ someone else takes a good close look... (The touchup paint seems to do a good job even if it is a decent sized area...) I'd probably only consider fixing it up properly and spraying if the car is about to be enter into a show \ sold...

[Guest]

The car was 3 days old when SWMBO drive it to the shops

So just got a can of this stuff and sprayed it,didnt bother filling it with bog,cos she uses it to go shopping,and knowing my luck

vik...good stuff too

[Schmooth]

The car was 3 days old when SWMBO drive it to the shops

So just got a can of this stuff and sprayed it,didnt bother filling it with bog,cos she uses it to go shopping,and knowing my luck    

vik...good stuff too

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Damn, that wasn't a bad result. That'll keep SWMBO happy (boxed my ears pretty hard when I did it )

There's a fair colour difference for the car between the two photos - blue to phantom. Was that just the light?

[JimmyXR6T04]

well, my car has been lowered almost 2 inches, so scraping is just part of the deal now!!! Its been scraped so many times, I'm wondering when the thing will become see through!! No matter how hard you try and get up and down things, some times its just inevitable!

The first one really hurt!! but I guess over time you realise as long as its not blatantly obvious, no one else really sees or takes notice!! I just keep telling myself its not there!! until of course I get underneath for something!