Should I buy some facebook fixit car paint
April 21, 2024 4:33 PM Subscribe
A car side-swiped me in an attempt to cut me off in traffic. I have the license plate number and details etc. But the damage appears to be just to the paint. I have not yet reported the collision or called my insurance company. This was on Friday. Facebook is advertising magic rub-it-on-and-fix-the-scratches car paint. Should I just buy some stuff and rub it on my car and move on and avoid involving my insurance company. This is in Ontario. My deductible is $1000. If you think I should just buy something, is there any specific product you recommend?
Take it to a body shop. Get an estimate, then you'll know exactly where you stand. If it's significantly more than your $1,000 deductible, then go through insurance. If it's not, then you can try to do it yourself, or pay out of pocket and have it done professionally. Personally, given that you seem to have zero experience with this kind of thing and given that I suspect Sunburnt is correct and the gouges are down to the bare metal, I think it's worth getting it done properly.
What you should do, an do fairly soon report it to the police, which likely means popping by a collision reporting centre. That way, if you do need to go through insurance, the paper trail will be there.
posted by sardonyx at 6:10 PM on April 21 [1 favorite]
What you should do, an do fairly soon report it to the police, which likely means popping by a collision reporting centre. That way, if you do need to go through insurance, the paper trail will be there.
posted by sardonyx at 6:10 PM on April 21 [1 favorite]
That is way beyond anything that magically fixes scratches just by rubbing it on. Way, way beyond. The scratches are right down to the metal and there is a noticeable dent in the panel. The dent may be able to be repaired, but because it goes over a hard line in the panel, it would possibly need a new panel. Either way, this is definitely over $1k if you want the car back to perfect condition. The repair will involve removing the panel and the bumper, repairing (or replacing) the panel, sanding everything, painting the panel and the corner of the bumper and re-fitting everything.
If you just want to stop the panel rusting, some touch-up paint and a steady hand with a tiny brush will cover the bare metal and you're good to go. If you wanted to go a step better and are somewhat handy, you could first remove the inner mudguard (it's slightly possible you can access it from under the bonnet) and may be able to push the dent out with your hand (don't hit it with anything resembling a hammer) to minimise it . You won't get it perfect and there will likely be a crease along the top of where the dent is, but it will be a bit better.
If you're not worried about how it looks, the magic Facebook paint might improve the appearance slightly and may seal the metal where the scratches are, but I'm guessing the results are what you'd expect for a 'magic' solution sold via Facebook.
posted by dg at 6:48 PM on April 21 [1 favorite]
If you just want to stop the panel rusting, some touch-up paint and a steady hand with a tiny brush will cover the bare metal and you're good to go. If you wanted to go a step better and are somewhat handy, you could first remove the inner mudguard (it's slightly possible you can access it from under the bonnet) and may be able to push the dent out with your hand (don't hit it with anything resembling a hammer) to minimise it . You won't get it perfect and there will likely be a crease along the top of where the dent is, but it will be a bit better.
If you're not worried about how it looks, the magic Facebook paint might improve the appearance slightly and may seal the metal where the scratches are, but I'm guessing the results are what you'd expect for a 'magic' solution sold via Facebook.
posted by dg at 6:48 PM on April 21 [1 favorite]
I am also in Ontario. If you were not at fault and you have the info for the other driver, you likely will not have to pay a deductable. Check your insurance policy to be certain, but that is usually the case in Ontario.
posted by fimbulvetr at 8:02 PM on April 21 [1 favorite]
posted by fimbulvetr at 8:02 PM on April 21 [1 favorite]
I never understand fixing scratches. If the visual value is to you fixing it, then ok. But involving insurance?
Cars lose value the second they are sold. A scratch matters nothing to it's resale value, in my opinion.
Given the hassle, headache, and unlikely hood of you getting any money out of the other driver, I would consider this an "on my own" kind of problem. I know getting tagged like this sucks, I'm sorry that happened to you.
posted by tiny frying pan at 5:07 AM on April 22
Cars lose value the second they are sold. A scratch matters nothing to it's resale value, in my opinion.
Given the hassle, headache, and unlikely hood of you getting any money out of the other driver, I would consider this an "on my own" kind of problem. I know getting tagged like this sucks, I'm sorry that happened to you.
posted by tiny frying pan at 5:07 AM on April 22
(But if Ontario is kind this way, per the comment above mine, then great!)
posted by tiny frying pan at 5:08 AM on April 22
posted by tiny frying pan at 5:08 AM on April 22
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Your car has bare metal on which is layered primer (usually gray), the colored paint, and a clear coat. If you're only down to the paint, the stuff on facebook will probably be okay but it's hard to say. If you're down to primer or metal, I would do the job right.
However, in this small an area, this is totally a DIY job. Basically you're gonna need soapy water, sandpaper, primer, paint, and clearcoat, plus rubbing alcohol, masking tape, microfiber towel, and dust mask and gloves for PPE.
ChrisFix is a good youtube channel for this sort of thing. He's got this video on deep scratches (where deep means "hit the gray primer or all the way down to metal/plastic beneath) and this video for more shallow scratches that just mar the clearcoat and paint job.
posted by Sunburnt at 5:11 PM on April 21 [1 favorite]