DIY paint and road rash touch up (56K WARNING) - Toyota Yaris Forums

LeetViet · 07-22-2014, 12:08 AM

I bought my Yaris used from a friend, and it came with road rash. I did my research, and set out to repair it myself. This is my first time attempting anything like this. Criticism, and helpful tips welcome!

Pictures taken with a Nexus 5 (with HDR+), and resized to 1024px width.

Materials used:
- Nu Finish Scratch Doctor
- Rust Remover Gel
- Dr. ColorChip kit
- 800 grit sandpaper (up to you)
- Random plastic card
- Squirt bottle filled with distilled water and a couple squirts of dish detergent
- Microfibre cloth
- Paper towels

The damage. Not the worst but there were rust spots developing I wanted to address.

Right side damage close-up.

Center damage close-up.

Left side damage close-up.

I started by applying Nu Finish Scratch Doctor over the scratches. I let it sit for a couple minutes to haze.

I then start rubbing aggressively with a paper towel on the scratches. It's not much, but you can see the lighter surface scratches coming out of the clear coat.

Sprayed, and wiped down with a microfibre cloth. Compared to how it started out, there is a small noticeable difference.

On to wet sanding. I sprayed the area, and wrapped the sand paper around the plastic card. My scratches were side to side, so I wanted to minimize the amount of clear coat and paint I would sand off. I sanded with the edge of the card in a side-to-side motion.

After wet sanding everything, I sprayed the area, and wiped it down with a microfibre cloth.

Right side damage close-up after wet sanding.

Because of the rust, I couldn't just touch up paint over it. I needed something to inhibit the rust. People online recommended a gel-based rust remover (instead of the usual spray paint). Instructions were to apply generously, and brush vigorously. I layered on a couple coats of the gel.

I started sanding the rust away. The bottle said sanding not required, but I did it anyway.

Now for the messy part, the touch up paint! The instructions are pretty simple: dab with the paint brush, then smear with your thumb.

I tried to level up the deeper scratches, with multiple layers of touch up paint. Here's how she looks after three coats of touch up paint.

It was getting dark, but here is the right side damage close-up complete.

Tomorrow, I plan to wet sand the area, then polish. Thanks for reading! I hope this was helpful!

07-22-2014, 12:08 AM	#1
LeetViet Drives: 07 Yaris 4DR Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Toronto, Ontario Posts: 99	DIY paint and road rash touch up (56K WARNING) I bought my Yaris used from a friend, and it came with road rash. I did my research, and set out to repair it myself. This is my first time attempting anything like this. Criticism, and helpful tips welcome! Pictures taken with a Nexus 5 (with HDR+), and resized to 1024px width. Materials used: - Nu Finish Scratch Doctor - Rust Remover Gel - Dr. ColorChip kit - 800 grit sandpaper (up to you) - Random plastic card - Squirt bottle filled with distilled water and a couple squirts of dish detergent - Microfibre cloth - Paper towels The damage. Not the worst but there were rust spots developing I wanted to address. Right side damage close-up. Center damage close-up. Left side damage close-up. I started by applying Nu Finish Scratch Doctor over the scratches. I let it sit for a couple minutes to haze. I then start rubbing aggressively with a paper towel on the scratches. It's not much, but you can see the lighter surface scratches coming out of the clear coat. Sprayed, and wiped down with a microfibre cloth. Compared to how it started out, there is a small noticeable difference. On to wet sanding. I sprayed the area, and wrapped the sand paper around the plastic card. My scratches were side to side, so I wanted to minimize the amount of clear coat and paint I would sand off. I sanded with the edge of the card in a side-to-side motion. After wet sanding everything, I sprayed the area, and wiped it down with a microfibre cloth. Right side damage close-up after wet sanding. Because of the rust, I couldn't just touch up paint over it. I needed something to inhibit the rust. People online recommended a gel-based rust remover (instead of the usual spray paint). Instructions were to apply generously, and brush vigorously. I layered on a couple coats of the gel. I started sanding the rust away. The bottle said sanding not required, but I did it anyway. Now for the messy part, the touch up paint! The instructions are pretty simple: dab with the paint brush, then smear with your thumb. I tried to level up the deeper scratches, with multiple layers of touch up paint. Here's how she looks after three coats of touch up paint. It was getting dark, but here is the right side damage close-up complete. Tomorrow, I plan to wet sand the area, then polish. Thanks for reading! I hope this was helpful!