My 1999 Camry is running fine after 158K miles and I am in a maintenance phase where I am trying to restore its paint job as I prepare to go another 150K miles! Unfortunately, the car has a lot of scratches in the paint job since kids on the block ride their bikes to close to the car in the driveway. :mad:

What is the best way to fix these scratches and have the paint blend in with the finish? I once got a small bottle of paint from the dealer and applied it to bigger scratches, but it was too obvious, looking almost like a scab on the finish.

Any suggestions on how to repair these scratches?

Thanks,
SZ18

Take it to a professional painter/buffer is all I know. Hope this helps. ;)

If you have the time and patience, you can minimize the "scab" look. You'll need fine grit sandpapers (800-1000, 1500, and 2000) and a small sanding block (maybe 1" x 2"). Something just small enough to be flat against the surface you're working on without being affected by nearby curves.

First, lightly feather the paint edge so that it isn't jagged and sharp with 800-grit paper. This helps the new paint stick to the old surface and will also make it less visible afterwards. Wipe any dust off with a clean cloth.

You can apply the touch-up paint in successive layers until it is built up to the original thickenss. Let it dry throrughly, then use the sanding block to smooth out the repainted areas that are too high. Paint & sand until the whole repaired area is smooth. Use a light touch and use sucessively finer grits. Finally use buffing compound to bring the shine back.

For tiny rock chips that have rust in them, I would highly recommend a Scotch product called a Sanding Pen which is a plastic pen that holds a small bundle of fiberglass strands you use to abrade the rust away. It works great at removing all the rust without having to sand down a huge area.

Hope this helps!

[edited]

Here's a link to the sticky at the top of the forum that gives some more detail...sorry, Brian for stealing your thunder.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=424744&page=3

I saw a video on repairing scratches on the advance auto parts website. I like to download a lot of these "how-to-videos" to my ipod and watch them while i do the repair.

http://www.advanceautoparts.com/

on the right menu, go to "advance know-how", then "how-to-video clinics". Scroll through the videos, the video is called "Scratch & Dent Repair"