Messed up the clear coat on my new Subaru Legacy... :((((

[jmcquaid1987]

I recently purchased a 2011 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Premium, great condition, 21,500 miles.  Love it; the car I've always wanted.  Now, for the horror (if you guys only knew how much I dwell on matters regarding my vehicles)....  On Sunday I had noticed a scratch on the rear passenger door.  It was significant, however not so deep that my fingernail got caught when running over it, so I got one of them 3M Scratch Remover Kits thinking I would fix it myself.  Treated the area with it, and once I was finished I noticed a round spot where the scratch used to be.  I took it to my local body shop (very reputable, but not a Subaru dealer), and they said I wore the clearcoat right off on that spot.

 

They said something about having to take off the door handle and strip something out, and reapply clearcoat to the whole door.  $300 job after tax, but it's not the money I'm worried about.  After they do all this, will the door look like it did before any of this happened?  Can I trust them to restore it to the way Subaru manufacturer's had it?  Or should I take it to the dealership (out of town).  I guess what concerns me is if the clear coat job that they do will restore it to the way it looked from the factory.

 

  Any advice would be great, as this has caused me untold amounts of anxiety..thanks!

Edited May 7, 2014 by jmcquaid1987

[willwright]

OK, something I know a bit about . You would have had to do a bit of sanding to remove all the clear coat. It is possible if you stayed on the spot for a while, however, goto your local parts store and grab yourself some fine cut Maguires polishing compound and see if you can buff it out. You may be surprised! Depending on how large the spot is, you can also buy a small rattle can ( spray can) of clear coat and fix it yourself! All you do is get some 1000 geit sandpaper for wet sanding. Wet sand an area about 6 inches around it. Clean it real good with some dawn dish soap to remove any wax or grease or road film. Then spray even smooth stokes with the clear coat. Let it dry 10 minutes then another coat. When your done, get some 2000 grits and go over it after it dries a few hours. Then with your fine cut Maguires compound, buff it out.

[1 Lucky Texan]

most dealers are just gonna farm the job out to a collision shop anyway. But, some dealers do have their own paint shops so.....

 

my experience with having some collision work done on a few cars is, they are very good at matching. Since you will know where the problems were, you may be able to tell under good lighting conditions. The odds that anyone not familiar with your car, or in the paint and body business or insurance adjuster would, are close to zero.

[jmcquaid1987]

Thanks guys, that's some peace of mind!  Considering I created this problem (or should I say, made it worse) by trying to be Mr. DIY, I don't think I feel good about trying to apply the clear coat myself.  Wouldn't that involve clear coating the whole door, not just the spot?  In any case, I don't want my poor Sub to endure anymore pain, so I'm just going to let the professionals handle it!

[Fairtax4me]

What color is the car?

Can you get a picture of the spot?

 

I know its hard to see depth in a picture but if the clearcoat is gone that's usually pretty obvious.

 

Depending on how fine the "orange peel" of the clearcoat was before you may just have a shiny spot where the orange peel is smoothed down and there are no longer swirls from previous washings and waxing. There could also have been a light layer of oxidation which was taken off, and now the rest of the paint appears slightly dull compared to that spot.

[idosubaru]

I would get a second opinion. It's totally normal for the finish to look like a big spot if it wasn't properly finished on the last step (or two).

 

A good detailing shop generally has lots of experience buffing out and addressing finishes.  May want to stop and ask there.

 

I wouldn't take it to a dealer either.  As said, most don't do any paint work, actually I've never seen a Subaru dealer that does.

Get a good, well known, reputable shop to do it and not a big deal.

[willwright]

If you don't feel comfortable then don't do it, but to answer the question, no, you don't have to so the whole door unless you messed up the whole door and you would have really had to be trying to do that lol. Anyways, thats why I said you do a few inches around it as well and then once its dried a few hours, wet sand it smooth with 2000 grit paper and buff it out with fine cut Maguires finishing wax. Most are intimidated by simple body work, but I assure you, if this dumb hillbilly can do it, anyone can

[jmcquaid1987]

My Subaru is the Graphite Gray color, a common color for the 2009-2014 generation from what I've gathered.  The way I see it is, there was a simple scratch on the door, and when I tried to get it out with the 3M Scratch Remover, I just made it worse.  On the estimate it says they have to remove and insert the trim panel, the outside handle, and the belt w/strip.  It says as a note: "The clear has been taken off small scratch in upper door, keep small and blend with in door panel.  It also says they will add Clear Coat, and do a Color Sand/Buff.  This shop is very reputable and honest, however I'm worried that they won't be able to restore the door to what it was before all this happened, not to mention having it match-up with the rest of the car!  I mean afterall, it's not just any car..it's a Subaru!!  Pictures to come when it's daylight!

[1 Lucky Texan]

you could just leave it as is. Then, you can start parking up close to the grocery store entrance like a normal person instead of at the remotest portion of the parking lot with no other cars around.

[KRB64]

Now that is funny no matter who you are!