I got my civic serviced at honda and they managed to scratch the front side panel (beside the hood). I took it back and they said they will wet sand it first and if I'm not satisfied they will paint it. I did the fingernail test and my nail catches. The scratches are thin but deep. the primer isn't visible. what do you guys think? will wet sanding work or should they save a step and paint it. BTW, once they sand the panel will it look different from the rest of the car. the entire car has swirl marks. Suggestions, comments?
Here's my thought Lukas Although it sucks that there is a scratch, wetsanding like the others have said won't leave you much room to play with. On the other hand, the water based clear coats that alot of body shops use, epecially on lower end cars, (anything under 100 grand) is very soft and a nuisance to keep in shape. I know this because four of my panels have been repainted. The car will look very different if you do paint it which gives you a good excuse to polish the rest of your car. Its a win some lose some kind of game with respraying, and just hope the body shop doesn't screw up the job. It's all about how perfert you want your car.
+1 for painted. Make sure to do your research and they take it to a painter of YOUR choice. Don't just let them have it done by the cheapest guy in town. Some of the dealerships in my area have started using the brand new Maaco that just opened up!
Thanks for all the responses. Honda has their own body shop in-house so I'm assuming they can paint-match and get it done perfectly.
Don't assume anything. The dealer will buy the paint from a local paint store, so the paint match will be up to the paint mixer.
Not all dealer painters suck... my friends dad paints for honda, they do in house mixing, and he is GOOD...
why would the body shop not mix there own paint? its a honda dealership. Having worked at body shops there are good ones and there are horrible ones. It does not matter if it is a Lexus dealership or Jacks Body Shop. The only way to know if they are good is to look at what they're putting out. If you do have them paint it. Dont let them wet sand and buff or for that matter even wash it. my 2cents
what color is the car? if its white then it most likely single state like all white hondas so wetsanding will be fine
Don't let them wet sand it after painting? how come? Here's another thought i had. If they wet sand it instead of painting, they're also going to have to polish it. Will the products eventually wash off making the panel dull? BTW, My civic is navy blue.
Jesus, some of the FUD being mentioned here is atrocious! If you want to be sure they are up to the task, ask them. If they paint on-site, then ask to look at the facilities - it's your car, they damaged it, you want to be sure their repair won't affect the residual value. Regarding the wet sanding and buffing, you don't know how good their guy(s) is(are), but you could ask to speak to them, to allay any fears you have. Find out what products they'll use to buff it with - if they only mention Farecla G3, then ask about refining with G10 to remove holograming and buffer trails. Bottom line, don't feel as if you're powerless in this situation, and don't agree to anything being done until you're absolutely happy with how they're going to fix their mistake.
I ended up getting it wet-sanded. it looks good. the guy told me the scratches weren't deep so they didn't take much clear coat off. I can only take his word for it.
If it would result in an obvious difference in the new paint and the reminader of the car, I would demand they respray the entire car. Their problem and responsibility to return your car a condition that suits you - to a degree.
Removing more that 0.5 mil (12µ) of clear coat will cause premature paint film failure as UV protection percolates to the top of the clear coat. A surface scratch that will `catch' your fingernail is approximately 0.04 Mil (1.0 µ) deep will usually require wet sanding and the clear coat refinishing
You need to get an old scrap panel, some 2K/4K grit paper, and do a bit of hands-on research. Wet sanding, or dry for that matter, will not, EVER, change the look of your car's paint, unless you sand through the clear, and paint layers. Equally, an experienced good painter, will use a 3M Sun Gun, with colour chips/spray outs of the manufacturer's paint code, contained within most car's VIN. The purpose of which, is to find the correct tone, which matches with that specific vehicle, as there are/can be variances. Wet sanding is no magical black art - it's very simple, so long as you use your noodle (brain) and have some idea of how much paint you've got to play with, via a paint gauge in hand or a depicted report done by a pro detailer who has one, and did a report for your vehicle.
