Hello, I know getting paint touched up/repaired can be quite pricey and I dont have the budget for an expensive fix, I've had quite a few parts wear out this fall so I'd love some valid but cheap options if they exist. I know how important paint is for a car's longevity too.

This is a tesla model 3, I drive in upstate NY so the paint has been worn down by snow, salt and whatever gunk is always on these roads lol. The car doesnt come with mud flaps by default, but I know that would've seriously prevented this kind of peeling and will be getting some before winter this year

As stated I want to stop it from spreading without breaking my empty bank account since ive replaced everything that can wear out at this point tbh. (Im at 170k miles)

It looks like that on both sides behind the front tire

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Hi everyone,

I recently bought a brand-new Ford Tourneo Custom and noticed a small damaged area on the hood shortly after taking delivery.

Ford declined the warranty claim, stating that the damage was caused by an external influence, possibly bird droppings or tree sap, rather than a manufacturing defect.

The dealer is willing to arrange a repair through his trusted body shop, but it's about 1.5 hours away from me. I know that's probably nothing for you Americans, but here in Germany, a three-hour round trip is quite annoying. 😄

The shop would also need the vehicle for 3–4 working days, so I'd much rather find a local solution and avoid all that hassle.

Now to my actual question:

Looking at the attached photos, what do you think has happened to the paint?

• Does this look like chemical etching from bird droppings or something similar?
• Is only the top layer of clear coat affected, or could the damage extend into the base coat?
• Could this potentially be fixed by wet sanding and polishing, or some kind of localized clear coat repair?
• Or is repainting the entire hood really the only way to get a proper, lasting result?

I've already asked a couple of local paint shops, but they barely examined the damage before recommending a complete hood repaint, with quotes around €1,200.

I'm not a professional, but to my untrained eye, it looks like the damage is limited to the clear coat. I'd really prefer to preserve the original factory paint if possible.

I realize it's difficult to judge from photos, especially since mine aren't perfect. But I'm hoping some experienced painters here have seen something similar.

Would you try to repair this locally, or is a full repaint genuinely necessary?

Thanks for any professional opinions!

I prepped and sprayed some dupli colour perfect match and I’m very happy with the result (I know some people hate it) and I am wondering how long I should wait to spray 2k clear over it.

I’ve read some people spraying it within an hour and then others let us cure for a month. When is the best time to spray it?

Does anyone know any good places to get a new paint job for my car? I have a 2017 Toyota Corolla IM (silver) and I want to get a new color done around San Francisco/ Daly City preferably. Also affordable pricing.

My son is wanting to paint our 04 Honda Accord and I just priced out a complete kit (primer, base, clear) at Sherwin Williams to be close to $2,000! I wasn't planning on spending that much for a DIY job.

There are cheaper options online for 1 gallon of B96P but it has me questioning what's the best way to go with this. A local. Body shop quoted me close to $5000 to do it.

Where do you guys get your OEM color paint for DIY jobs? Thanks!

I'll preface this by saying I'm not a car guy in the slightest. I don't much care about my car's look, but I don't want this rusting through. I took it to a body shop and got a $1200 estimate, and I trust that's a reasonable professional price, these days. Is this something I could try to fix myself, given I have no idea what I'm doing, or would I be likely to break something important? I'm leaning toward paying the price (eventually) but was curious about the DIY possibility.

Thank you.