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So, I'm down in the garage, getting stuff out of the smart, and as I walk to my workbench, I hear a thumb and metal reverb behind me. I turn around, and the roof basket from my old Jeep is laying on the car! It is apparently ticked off that I got rid of the jeep and trying to mount the smart, I guess. I have no idea how it happened, but it left 3 deep gouges in the rear plastic panel above the air intake, and left a small scratch on the tridion and another little blemish on the tridion.
I'm not worried about the panels, yet, but the tridion blemishes are bothering me. The scratch is down to the metal, and the blemish is not, but looks obvious to me. The scratch is less than an inch long, and the blemish (it's like a dimple in the paint) is about the size of a small lentil. What's the best way to fix the tridion? I suspect that the blemish will clean up okay with a scratch filler and light polish. I have seen that Red Rock smart can provide cans (aerosol?) of tridion black touch up paint. Is it worth it, or will a gloss black work fine? What sort of prep is needed? Primer due to being down to the metal?
Thanks for the help. So freaking ticked off right now.
Since the Tridion is powder coated, anything you do is going to have to be "close", because you can't re-powder coat it. I picked up a touch-up kit from my smart center so I could fix a couple of stone chips by the windshield on my smart, matches pretty good. You have to really get in the light to see it. But these were tiny stone chips, not a large scratch. Powder coating repairs are really tough, if I were you, I'd leave it to the professionals, and I have painted several cars in my life.
I guess I'll be getting a touch up kit from smart. Fortunately, the blemish shouldn't need to be painted, just polished somehow. The scratch is along the spot where it wraps around to the back window, so it's not in a high visibility spot, so I think I'll be okay there.
I've used the touch up kit on my black tridon. I thought it worked well and I probably couldn't even find the line I painted and clear coated (it comes with the kit.) But, I'm not a show car guy so YMMV.
IMHO if its just one scratch and not a bunch of scuff marks or multiple scratches the best bang for your buck would be getting this thing that looks like a q-tip except its not. It has little microscopic hairs on it and you can fill the tinniest surface area w/ it. Thats how i am going to fix the scratch on my cell. It does wonders. Sorry but I don't know what its called or where to get it from but my neighbor is into detailing so he hooks me up.
I guess I'll be getting a touch up kit from smart. Fortunately, the blemish shouldn't need to be painted, just polished somehow. The scratch is along the spot where it wraps around to the back window, so it's not in a high visibility spot, so I think I'll be okay there.
I have two unused black touch up kits if you are interested. Ten bucks each mailed. They are $17 at the dealer.
I feel your pain. 5 weeks old and some careless motorist dented my Tridion cell wih a door. No paint scratch but a nice dent. It has been getting smaller, so I think the heat from the sun is working it out. Hope it keeps going but I'm not holding my breath.
I've been in the auto body repair business all my life. There is some controversy about the original paint process and repair technique on the tridon cell.To me,as a painter,it really doesn't present a problem.The scratch is refinished the same way as any other vehicle would be.A home touch up kit might help to do a job some of us would be happy with,but an undetectable spot repair is another thing.There is a procedure to follow and experience is the best teacher.Any body shop should be capable and the charge may be about $200.
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