Best way to fix a scratch on our black trim?

[StanF18]

What do you guys do for your black trim scratches, assuming you've had them??
I just received a pretty decent scratch on my front left bumper trim from a clueless truck driver who pulled out of Quik-Check with a big-ass trailer in tow.


Anyway, I am sure a lot of you can relate: It's one of those things where it's just NOT substantial enough to leave it in a body shop and pay $500 to get the trim replaced. On the other hand it IS substantial enough to give me a pit in my stomach every time I look at it. Essentially it's just a straight 4-inch long scratch across the black trim. No other deformations, I was very lucky.
My understanding is that Black Wow adds gloss, but it does not actually fix scratches?

What about "Forever Black Bumper & Trim Dye Kit"? It got pretty good reviews on Amazon.

[thedweeb]

As I'm from the UK I haven't heard of it. However by the sounds of it. it too will not fill your scratches. What you need to do is lightly rub the damage down with some wet and dry to take the edges off it. You then need to fill the scratch with body filler and then rub down flat. Before you start to put any paint on you need to treat the surface with an a substance which allows you to paint plastic without it cracking ( carnt remember the name of it) Once you have done this prime the filled area and let dry. Lightly sand with wet and dry to ensure its flat. You then need to apply whats called a structure coat to give you the dimpled look and let dry. Once you have done this you can then paint with paint that best matches your bumper, dupol do a range of plastic bumper paints designed to match original colour. Finally a coat of clear coat if required. Sounds a long job but isn't really.
Cheers

[Lookin4Trouble]

Which trim are you trying to paint? I've got a nice scuff in the front passenger door B-pillar trim that I don't have the courage to DIY without knowing someone else found a solution for it...

E

[StanF18]

Well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words....You can see it's a 2-part scratch: one deep narrow scratch extending towards the wheel well....and then a second much wider scruff/scratch above that.

My understanding from the Amazon reviewers is that the Forever Black is a dye, not a paint, so it should not alter the texture of the plastic the way a coat of paint would. But I would not want to use it unless someone here on the Forum can confirm that it would work (or suggest a different brand).

[X5rolls]

Bummer, sorry to see that for sure. Not sure how successful a dye or paint will be, the gouges will still be visible and the dye or paint won't match exactly. A professional re-spray of the bumper will at least give a uniform color but he gouge will still be present. Some places can fill, sand and paint on the plastic very well but your talking several hundred dollars again. You might want to try a few body shops and see what they say after they look at it. Good luck!

[admranger]

Call your insurance agent and ask for the name of a reliable bumper "medic" (repair guy). They use the services of these guys all the time and this can probably be fixed for $150 or less (guessing).

[motordavid]

Stan, a "bumper fixer" may or may not help...we had a very similar scrape on
the CEO's old Honda CR-V. The bumper/dent fixer, came highly rec'd, put some
product on, but it faded quickly. I kept applying Stoner's Trim Shine, Meguiars
Trim Shine, et al. Those prods would make it look good/ok for a while, but that
scrape was always "there" to me. Good luck with your fix and let us know what
you did.
BR, mD

[FSETH]

A good quality shop should be able to take care of that for you. My X was hit about a year ago. The shop I used recommended fixing the bumper rather than replacing it because insurance was only going to pay for an OE refurbished bumper and in thier experience, refurbished bumpers don't always math up as good as the bumper that came on your particular car. Apparently, something as simple as they way they are stacked in storage can change the lines a little. Anyway, here was my before shot. You can see the horizontal gouge just under where the upper fender trim peice meets up with the bumper. The upper fender trim was replaced due to low cost, but the bumper, which was scratched and gouged was reconditioned. It looks good as new now. I don't see it being cheaper than a few hundred dollars though.

[thedweeb]

Originally Posted by admranger

Call your insurance agent and ask for the name of a reliable bumper "medic" (repair guy). They use the services of these guys all the time and this can probably be fixed for $150 or less (guessing).

I ran my own business for a couple of years doing this sort of repair.
Or do it yourself. With a little know how it isnt difficult. Its not as if you're painting a door or rear quater, if you get it wrong just do it again. Take your time and enjoy doing your own repairs

[StanF18]

Thanks for all your feedback guys. For now I have ordered Forever Black and 3M Painter's tape on Amazon. I am going to try several coats and see how well it binds before I go the body shop route. I am not concerned about a tiny un-evenness because the scuff is essentially on the underside of the bumper. So I'm not going to worry about sanding everything down as long as I can get some color uniformity. Most of the searches I have done state that it withstands repeated rains and carwashes, unlike a lot of the other blackening products out there.