Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with car and paint

Getting latex paint off a car

dw — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:28:41 -0800

Yesterday I managed to rub my car against a steel pole with about umpteen layers of latex paint on it. It left a streak of latex on my car. How do I get the paint off without wrecking the clear-coat finish of my car? So I'm at the gas station, and I'm backing my car (1996 Contour) up to the pump at about 2-3 MPH, and after I do so I notice I'm too close to the pump. So I slowly back out, move the car over, and then realize what this weird noise I heard twice was.

There are these steel poles filled with concrete that are there to protect the gas pump from, well, people like me hitting them. The poles were covered with about 100 layers of white latex paint. I was too close to the poll, and the top of my wheelwell rubbed against it.

The physical damage doesn't appear to be much -- a tiny dent that looks like it was hit by a hail stone. But it did deposit this white line of latex paint on the car. There was no green paint on the pole, and a little bit of picking at the white paint revealed the green clearcoat is still there, so that gives me hope I can get the white paint off and that'll be good enough. (I'm about to sell this car in a couple months, anyway.)

So, how do I get it off without wrecking the paint underneath? Buff it off? Goo Gone? Any ideas?

xB Touch-up Paint Pen Advice

FatherDagon — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 08:34:45 -0800

Anyone have experience using auto paint touch-up pens? I've got an '06 Scion xB that I bought new about a year ago, and from the night I brought it home on, other people expressed an almost pathological need to door scuff and keyscratch the sides while I slept. I've just purchased this auto touch-up paint pen which is the same paint color as my car. Anyone have experience using these things to cover key scrapes and those white scuffs from doors banging into the sides? Any advice or things to watch out for?

Should I repaint my car?

exceptinsects — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 18:17:50 -0800

Should I get my car repainted? I have a '97 Toyota Corolla, dark green. The clear coat on the hood and front bumper is starting to peel pretty badly, though the paint underneath seems okay. So there are two questions--

One, do I need to repaint it for actual structural reasons?

Two, if I do repaint it, will it look terrible unless I spend a lot of money?

I kind of don't like it looking this way, but since it's a pretty old car I don't see the point in spending thousands of dollars. If I go somewhere like Earl Scheib, will it end up worse than before? I could see spending maybe $500.

How can I stop my car from rusting?

chrisamiller — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 13:37:43 -0800

My car's paint is wearing off. I don't care about the cosmetic impact, but I'm worried about rust. What can I do myself (or have done cheaply) that will prevent further damage? I'll be honest - I don't take stellar care of my car. I bought it used a few years back, and mechanically it's fine. I only wash it once a month or so, though, and have never waxed it or anything like that.

Over the past few months, I've noticed that some areas have lost their finish, and now the paint is starting to go. The surface in these areas is kind of pitted, where some parts of the finish have worn down more quickly than others. (See pictures here: 1, 2, 3)

I'd like to fix this before my car's body starts rusting, but a full paint job is out of the question. I don't really care how the car looks. I just want to make sure that this car lasts for another 3 or 4 years, until I'm out of grad school.

Is there any kind of wax or sealant I can apply myself that will stop this erosion? Is there some kind of treatment that a body shop can do relatively cheaply? I know next to nothing about auto paint, so I'm hoping the hive mind can help me out here. Thanks in advance.

Am I getting ripped off paying for a car dent repair?

BeaverTerror — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 16:06:17 -0800

How much do a body shops typically charge for repairng small dents on cars? I rear ended a car while cycling today, chipped the corner of one of my front teeth, and made a small dent in the back of the guy's trunk. It's about 1/8 inch deep and 3/4 inch long.

We exchange information, and he calls me a couple of hours later with a quote from his mechanic. $350.

Is that reasonable, or am I getting ripped off?

Out damn spot!

backseatpilot — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 20:23:15 -0800

How do I get these black spots off my car? I think it's tree sap. They are small black spots all over my car, each about the size of a pinhead. The material is soft; I can scrape it off with my thumbnail. A run through the car wash (and plenty of ran and snow after) has not removed, well, any of it.

So, how can I get it off? I was thinking of something like Goo Gone, but I'm afraid of doing bad things to the paint. Am I going to be forced to pick each little dot off with my nails?

What is the best way to restore hazy car paint from the 70's?

FearAndLoathingInLJ — Sun, 29 Oct 2006 14:49:25 -0800

Posting for a friend. He has a 1971 Chevelle that his Grandfather gave to him, but the paint is hazy and oxidized. He has tried a variety of different products with little to no luck. Can you help him find a way to get the paint as bright and shiny as possible without repainting?

hot rod hyundai

M.C. Lo-Carb! — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 15:40:55 -0800

Help me vandalize my wife's car! While my wife is away, I would like to paint flames on the side of her black '01 Hyundai. I would brush paint it on, but I would like the colors to be very vivid and opaque.

Difficulty: It has to wash off with soap and water once the expected merriment is acheived. I would be in pretty big trouble if it didn't.

Any ideas what kind of paint would work for this?

Scraaaaaape

ChrisR — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 20:41:41 -0800

How do I go about executing minimal, but adequate repairs to a damaged car paint job? I made a clumsy driving decision, and scraped the side of my sister's 10-year-old truck something fierce, rubbing it along a yellow-painted cement barrier post. The post is fine, thanks for asking, but there's a fair amount of yellow paint left on the truck that I'd like to remove, and there's some paint scraped away that I'd like to repair in some fashion.

The colour is not a common one anymore, although it was in its time, and the truck itself is one of those small, fuel-efficient Japanese-made units that isnt really popular around the scrap yard scene. Moreover, all the damage is cosmetic, so I'd view a panel replacement as a bit out of line.

So, how do I clean the yellow paint off, and how do I touch up/repair the underlying paint job?

My car would like to shed it's bra. Help!

utsutsu — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 18:46:42 -0800

Can anything be done about faded paint on my new (used) car? I recently purchases a gray 2002 Honda Civic and it is great except for the fact it is equipped with a bra. I would love to remove it but the paint underneath is faded.

Is there any way to fix this? Should I just leave it on? I am not sure if it is worth the cost of a whole new paint job.

Extending the life and beauty of my car

bove — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 12:37:00 -0800

I want to extend the life of my car and so I need some advice on touching-up paint scratches on my 2001 Civic as well as on the issue of window tinting. I read through this thread and it has some useful info on how to touch up scratches, but it is a little general. I am looking for more specific and practical information on this topic. I am just a little leery of sanding my car and applying paint and not having it look terrible. For instance, is there a certain type of touch up paint that is best? Is there a great online retailer?

We also just moved to Tucson, Arizona and it is tremendously hot here. I was wondering what people know about tinting windows. Is it recommended? How much should it cost? What difference will it make? How do I find a reputable place?

Where to get a car painted in Northern Virginia?

TommyH — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 06:32:53 -0800

Any recommendations for an auto paint shop in northern Virginia? I just purchased a classic car that is in great mechanical shape, but it needs painted. I'd rather not go to a bargain basement paint shop - I've heard far too many horror stories. I've tried searching on the net, but customer reviews or recommendations are just not coming up. Does anyone here have recommendations for a shop around Northern VA?

Also, any thoughts on what such a job would cost? This isn't for car shows, I would just like something that's reasonably shiny and durable.

Best body shop in Boston?

killdevil — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 11:57:02 -0800

Good people of Metafilter, what's the best place in the Boston area to get a car repainted? Actually, in addition to a repaint in a less obnoxious color, I'd also like some minor cosmetic dent removal. What are your recommendations and, secondly, roughly what should I expect this to cost?

Spooky mobile?

jeribus — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 19:10:18 -0800

Glow in the dark art car? (more glowing inside) So, we got some cans of glow in the dark paint on clearance and now are trying to figure out ways to put it to use.

One thought was to paint ye olden decaying minivan up with it.

But I got to wondering about the legal aspect of this. Thinking to all of the cars around here that have wierd running blinking lights things on them and snazzy glowing wheel covers. Would it be legal for us to paint something on the van? Or if we found more cans just paint the whole thing?

We live in Minnesota, if different laws apply.

Can I paint my white car blue?

clgregor — Wed, 10 Aug 2005 14:14:40 -0800

I recently bought a used car and I don't particularly care for the color. Can I have it repainted to a different color? Nothing special, just a new solid color. I see they do this to the extreme on shows like "Pimp My Ride" etc. I am wondering about several details:
1) The cost
2) insurance ramifications
3) other government/local ramifications (do I need to register the color change?)
4) where do you suggest I have this done?

Here are the details of my car for reference: White 2001 Toyota Prius, located in near Washington, D.C.

There's no rust or anything, but there are some unique things on the car that may be dificult to paint (i.e. around the Toyota logo, and the strange Prius battery vent outside behind the left passenger seat. Do things like logos and other insignia get removed before painting and then reapplied?