Hoosier Daddy
SILVER Star
IMO, it probably looked much better before the touch-up. A little acetone can easily remove all that mess.
Is this acceptable touch up by professional shop? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter dstewart3ss
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bloc
SILVER Star
Truer words were never said.
- Thread starter
- #23
I agree.
When I first got the pictures, I responded with “is the paint not dry yet, it doesn’t match”. He just texted me and responded with “those are the effects of water based paint on touch ups. I can remove it??”
- Thread starter
- #24
Damn that looks terrible, I’d be pissed.
Absolutely horrible and in no way acceptable.
FWIW, Automotive Touchup has some great products. I've done repairs similar to the ones in your 'before' pic and they've turned out great. To do it correctly you need to sand smooth, apply primer, then base and clear with high-grit sanding in between. It's not hard, just time consuming. A body shop will extend the paint job out to an adjacent body line to hide the blend, but you can get pretty good results by feathering it over as long as you have a high quality paint match. Metallics are definitely more difficult, but again, you can get 80-90% of professional quality from your garage if you take your time.
As far as the work done... a professional also is professional in his communication, not just his trade. This was a horrible effort on both accounts. Makes me wonder what other shortcuts are being taken in that shop. Not sure if this is a symptom of our relentless push for cost savings or of a generation where everyone gets a trophy. Either way, quality is becoming scarce. Find a good wrench and treat him like gold.
As far as the work done... a professional also is professional in his communication, not just his trade. This was a horrible effort on both accounts. Makes me wonder what other shortcuts are being taken in that shop. Not sure if this is a symptom of our relentless push for cost savings or of a generation where everyone gets a trophy. Either way, quality is becoming scarce. Find a good wrench and treat him like gold.
That's not professional, it looks like some kid did it, a kid with no artistic talent that could not stay between the lines.
If it was me, I would go to he shop manager and ask him what he thought about the quality of the work. My guess is he may not have even seen it. If he has approved it, go to another shop or do it yourself.
If it was me, I would go to he shop manager and ask him what he thought about the quality of the work. My guess is he may not have even seen it. If he has approved it, go to another shop or do it yourself.
Awesome, thanks for the link. Just ordered some stuff for my black ‘11.
- Thread starter
- #33
Spoke to the shop manager finally. He said the “bad” touch up work is a result if the fact that they only use water based paint (don’t have solvent based) and it’s about as good as it can get when it doesn’t go through the full process like when you remove the part, sand it down, etc. This is why he doesn’t like doing touch up as customers often complain (didn’t communicate that well to me). Anyway, I decided to have him remove the touch up work for obvious reasons.
I got before and after pictures of the front bumper where they completely removed it. Looks good IMO.
I’ve given him the green light to remove the cladding piece and repaint the entire thing. Now I’m debating if I should have him do the same on the rear bumper or try my hand at touching it up myself. Can I touch up the rear bumper good enough myself without spending HOURS and actually save some money? I’m thinking my <$500 quote initially was nearly all in the front bumper now that I’ve seen the effort of the touch up.
I got before and after pictures of the front bumper where they completely removed it. Looks good IMO.
I’ve given him the green light to remove the cladding piece and repaint the entire thing. Now I’m debating if I should have him do the same on the rear bumper or try my hand at touching it up myself. Can I touch up the rear bumper good enough myself without spending HOURS and actually save some money? I’m thinking my <$500 quote initially was nearly all in the front bumper now that I’ve seen the effort of the touch up.
Replace the rear plastic bumper for some metal. Never have to worry about scratches and add some protection. I hate the plastic and just waiting for an excuse to upgrade.
This goes for just about everything. Even a house build.
- Thread starter
- #36
I 100% agree with this. But unfortunately I have to draw my line in the sand somewhere because I could have a full time job doing stuff myself. Maybe when I retire in 25-30 yrs and my kids are gone, I can live this out!
The experience and input from this forum is invaluable to determine what I can and can’t take on.
86aggie
SILVER Star
For the rear bumper, get Automotive's matching color and clear coat, watch their videos on how to do soft tape lines and prep technique. You'll get pretty good results. Worst case, you sand it, and do it a second time. You'll have plenty in the can to do that small area.
- Thread starter
- #38
I take it you’re recommending the aerosol cans of paint that you spray on and feather/blend in rather than the brush-in bottles or paint pens?
Hoosier Daddy
SILVER Star
Was that Lexus OE touch up paint they tried on the rear bumper, or a custom mix?
86aggie
SILVER Star
Yes, I've used them. They match well. The soft edge taping technique they show works well. Paint pens or brushes are good for scratches and rock chips, not larger areas as it’s tough to avoid build up and brush marks on a flat area. A pen or brush can help fill in to build up a scratch or chip.
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