paint problems, PLEASE help me

[Only4U]

firstly, there are spots of paint on one of my exhaust tips--do you guys know how to get the spots off? i figured paint thinner, but am not sure if there is anything and/or thinner won't work on the slp dual/dual tips.

ok, the big problem. i got in a wreck a while ago and i got a deep scratch on the side of my back bumper. first mistake i made was repainting it the wrong shade of arctic white--so it kind of looked yellow. today, i find some paint that is the color of my car and they only have it in bottles--not in sprays. so i sand off the yellow part before (what is noticeable to the eye anyway) and i cover where it sat with the new paint. then when the new paint dries i sanded it down. from about 10 yds away you can't tell i got hit...but when you get close you see all the faults...there's just too many problems with it and i don't know how to make it look better. also the other side has a few problems with it too--i just don't know the best way to cover these things up. can any of you guys that specialize a little bit in body detail plz help me out? thx a lot.

help is great!

[ September 17, 2002: Message edited by: Only4U ]</p>

[Sean37]

For the paint on the exhaust tips, Bar Keeper's Friend might work to get that off. I used it on the exhaust tips of my dad's truck and it removed all the rust and got them very shiny again. It might take that off too. It's only like $2 and you can get it at any grocery store.

For that deep scratch I guess what I'd do is pretty much what you did. After you wet-sanded it, did you follow that up with the buffer and rubbing compound? That makes it look great after doing the wet-sanding. Then I'd put some clearcoat over the area and do the polish/waxing. It should look pretty good after that. I think that's all you can do besides getting the whole bumper repainted.

[JAM]

If somehow paint got on your exhuast tips one trick to use is mineral spirits. It is not as strong as paint thinner. But, I had some paint on mine and it wiped them right off. Hope that helps.

[Only4U]

how do i buff it?

the problem is that i have a lot of paint on there that i can't sand down smoothly...if i sand it to much, the surrounding factory paint comes off and then i get to thebottom of the fender where there is no more paint. i dunno how to sand it right. any suggestions on how to smoothe this out?

[Only4U]

damn this town too, apparently they don't sell my car color in spray form ANYWHERE here. they have an arctic white that is a little off (a little yellow) but i'd have to spray very light coats of it for the yellowness not to show--but i dunno if that's going to be possible. any suggestions?

[Sean37]

I think you want to use a rotary buffer if you don't already have one. Use that with the 3M Rubbing Compound. But you gotta be even more careful on the bumpers because it can burn the paint easily if you don't keep it moving constantly. If you're not experienced with using a buffer you may want to find someone who can help you do this.

Make sure to use only 1500 or 2000 grit sandpaper, preferrably the 2000. You shouldn't have to sand it that much. Maybe 6-8 light strokes should do it. Then buff it and see how it looks. If you don't like it then maybe give it a little bit more sanding and buff it again.