Planet 9

I have 3 or 4 small scratches on my hood. They're little streaks, maybe 1/4" to 1/2+" long, results of tiny pebbles or road gunk smacking on the hood, and they drive me nuts as the paint is otherwise perfect. The body shop I deal with says they need to be filled in (they're not deep, but you can feel them with your fingernail), sanded, and the whole hood reshot. The color is aqua blue metallic, and I am about as sure as I can be that this body shop will do an excellent job. BUT... I am a little nervous about them having an exact color match. (I've seen other jobs they've done and they truly are excellent at this - but I'm just concerned is all).

Anyway - I'm wondering if in terms of resale appeal, am I better off ignoring the paint scratches and leave the hood its original paint... or am I better off having these repaired, and the hood repainted. And, then maybe getting a 3M bra or something like that?

So - original paint with little scratches, or fix and repaint?

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

Doug

I just got a tiny door ding repaired, and whilethere the head honcho advised against repainting the front end for resalepurposes. They said that you can paintover plastic as much as u want, but overmetal it is easy to spot a repaint due to thickness. Like u i hate the road rash, but im gonna live w it for now.

It's original only once. Keep it as is and deal with when you and if you go to sell. Most dealers do use paint depth gauges so they will know its been repainted if you do a respray.

Just an opinion.

I wouldn't repaint if it were me. What's to say on the way home from repainting you don't get more? As far as paint matching though, the industry has come a long way with computerized matching and they can do better than ever before. If it were a bumper, than maybe I would, but not a metal body panel unless it was a lot worse than you describe.

I'm sorry I don't see the resale issue here. A good shop can match it to the other bodywork if you really want them to, other than that what difference is there?

Porsche's own official in-house tollerances are very high and there is a wide band for varying panels due to the fact that many are supplied pre-painted prior to assembly. I saw a recent report which flagged the differences in paint thickness as an area of issue, but the official Porsche response sent to the dealer was that it was all within spec.

If it annoys you fix it!

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'06 GR CS (SC, PASM, 19" Sport Design Wheels, Alu look exterior package, Bi-Xenon, Nav, Bose, Short shifter, Sports Seats & Wheel)
MODS: Cartronic remap, AASCO LWFW, Clutch Masters FX300 clutch & pressure plate, Improved AOS, Borla XR-1, Pagids, SS brake lines, GT3 brake ducts, IPD race plenum, 82mm GT3 TB, H&R Springs & Spacers 7F/14R, Silver hood crest, LED lights and.....De-Snork.

There is no problem with resale or trade in with painted panels as long as they match. Porsche specs two paint companies Standox and Spies Hecker both are owned by Dupont. And Glasurit owned by BASF. You can check www.porschecollisioncenter.com for all the factory approved repair centers.
Bumpers and exterior plastic parts are usually painted and shipped to the plants for assembly with the car. That's why sometimes they differ in color from the car.
As far as mil thickness goes, factory cars should have between 5 to 7 mils on them. A mil is about the thickness of a dollar bill. It's ok to repaint something one or two times max. Over that the paint flim should be removed then reapplied.

Cman21

If it's a concern (would be for me but that's only after my experiences) one sure way to find out is to call the local dealer and ask if they check paint thickness (remember clear is twice as thick)

As they say mileage and opinions will vary....

Good luck either way....

I'm not a fan of repainting anything. Besides, without pictures or seeing it in real life, it's hard to tell. What will it cost you? $600 or so? I don't think you'll have color matching issues. Our hoods are kinda deep in there and tiny. There's nothing that is on the same plane that would look exactly the same. If you go this route, don't let them blend anything in.

I'd still recommend not doing it. If it bothers you, try to find a good filler/polish/glaze to hide the issue. I know people say factory paint is soft but I think repainted panels get even more chips somehow.

If it's just a chips, rather than major damage, you may want to consider a touch-up system, like Dr ColorChip. I've never used them, but I've heard reasonably good things about them. This would get rid of your paint chips without affecting your originality.

I like Dr. C, but I've found that it's not very good for thin long scratches. It does much better for sand blasted surfaces and rock chips that aren't very deep.

Not saying you should, or shouldn't...but I got the hood repainted when I bought my CS because of bad chipping. I used a high quality shop, and they rubbed back to primer, matched to color perfectly and did a great job of a clear coat. However, there's just no way that it looked the same under flouro lights (basalt black). The hood finish seems "softer" and shows micro scratches more readily. It's great, but not perfect. I ended up wrapping the hood, which is clearly a minority option.

Don't repaint for something like this IMO. While some people could care less about something repainted on a car, most (like me) do. I'd much rather have all original paint on a car and a few marks compared with something repainted.

I would order fresh touch-up paint directly from Porsche, it will match the color perfectly. Then I usually warm the paint container in a glass of warm water for a while,....making it thin and flow nicely. Then instead of using any applicator that comes with the paint use a medium sized needle to take a bit of paint from the container and very carefully fill in the scratches. Take all the time you need and don't rush. I've done this on all of my cars and when done you would be hard pressed to find the areas touched up. Good luck with it....

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2011 Black C4S
1990 Black 928 GT
2006 Cayman S - sold

If it it is done correctly how can anyone tell...I'm just not sure on the hangups on this, it makes no sense to me.

So I guess for those that are sensitive on this you'd never buy a used car then? Because how'd you be able to tell if a panel had been repainted for sure?

If it is done to Porsche paint standards then how can it affect the resale value exactly.

__________________
'06 GR CS (SC, PASM, 19" Sport Design Wheels, Alu look exterior package, Bi-Xenon, Nav, Bose, Short shifter, Sports Seats & Wheel)
MODS: Cartronic remap, AASCO LWFW, Clutch Masters FX300 clutch & pressure plate, Improved AOS, Borla XR-1, Pagids, SS brake lines, GT3 brake ducts, IPD race plenum, 82mm GT3 TB, H&R Springs & Spacers 7F/14R, Silver hood crest, LED lights and.....De-Snork.

Satisfy yourself they are not really worth much used...Don't worry about the next guy enjoy the car and let what happens happen...

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I'm an older guy with many miles.... If you use a car, it will show damage.
I only repaint damage that I can see from > 10 feet or so. I accept the normal dings as evidence that I enjoy the car. A clear bra helps, but you will still see damage . I do. Relax & enjoy the car.

Personally I wouldn't repaint it. If anything, I'd see if a detail shop can or if they know somebody who can to touch it up.

Good luck and just enjoy the vehicle!
-Moto

You might consider this product/process:
LANGKA Paint Chip and Scratch Repair

or

Dr.ColorChip Custom Automotive Touch-Up Paint Kit - Dr. ColorChip: Automotive Paint Chip Repair Systems

I've used the Dr Color chip with moderate success. It looks like it takes some experience to get the best result but I can't complain. The Porsche paint from the dealer is the typical old school bottle and brush, geez we're not putting on nail polish. I have found the VW Audi paint pens to be very effective and think Porsche might consider taking the blinders off for a second realizing there is a better way.

Just have it painted. I wouldn't care too much if a hood has been repainted. Take time stamped pictures of the damage and keep the bill from the body shop indicating the work done and the cost. I personally would not have any issue with that as long as the paintwork was good. You will find that cheap clearcoats tend to get swirl marks so make sure to ask for the best as opposed to the bulk clearcoat most shops use.

I face the same dilemma and am thinking about clear film too. On the one hand, it is my prized possession and I would like to keep it original, on the other hand, who cares, it's a cayman/boxster and not exactly rare. I buy the car to enjoy and if it has stone chips after a few years, so what, get it re-sprayed and it'll look good as new. The headlights....... however.........

I dunno. I may still get it wrapped with 3M film as the latest ones are practically invisible to the eye.

Today is a brilliantly sunny day; 40 degrees. no snow, no precip at all. So, I took the cover off and took some pics of the scratches. The other little white dots you see are lint from the cover - not scratches. As I look at these, I am struck by how silly I must appear as they are not that big. But every time I wash and wax I see them up close and personal, I know they're there, and they really bug me. Perhaps the quick fix kit idea would be good enough for this afterall?? I just don't want to draw any more attention to them by doing a sloppy job. Thoughts?

Doug

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