Fixing trunk door dings

flapjake314

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Hi I have two trunk door dings along the ridge / corner where the door hit low pipes or cement ceilings when i was in parking structures (ugh).

They are probably like the size of two or three rice grains where the paint has scratched and it appears the metal underneath is exposed.

My biggest concern is this will rust the metal over time (secondary is my OCD of having the visual imperfection but I'll survive...).

Is there something I can do myself to fix this, I'm not a car guy. Seems a bit too small to go to a body shop over... I was going to ask my dealer when I went in for the one year checkup but figured I'd check here first
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HuntingPudel

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You could try getting touch-up paint from somewhere like touchupdirect.com and some body filler if you want to try a DIY. Alternatively, you might want to try a mobile dent repair service. 😊🐩
 
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flapjake314

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You could try getting touch-up paint from somewhere like touchupdirect.com and some body filler if you want to try a DIY. Alternatively, you might want to try a mobile dent repair service. 😊🐩
oh nice didn't know this existed. i'll try the touch up paint i guess, i assume i should remove the original paint that is now sort of "bunched up" from being pushed by the metal pipe and just apply this new paint in the little divet right?
 

HuntingPudel

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oh nice didn't know this existed. i'll try the touch up paint i guess, i assume i should remove the original paint that is now sort of "bunched up" from being pushed by the metal pipe and just apply this new paint in the little divet right?
Yeah, you will need to sand, fill, prime, and paint. Plastic body filler is kind of like an epoxy, so you have the filler and hardener. There are several brands, but like facial tissue is often called Kleenex, body filer is called Bondo. Most auto parts stores carry the stuff. 😊🐩

For paint, @dtbaker61 posted a great thread about his front bumper paint repair at https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...-scratches-100-versus-1800.16977/#post-510317 😎🐩
 

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Yeah, you will need to sand, fill, prime, and paint. Plastic body filler is kind of like an epoxy, so you have the filler and hardener. There are several brands, but like facial tissue is often called Kleenex, body filer is called Bondo. Most auto parts stores carry the stuff. 😊🐩

For paint, @dtbaker61 posted a great thread about his front bumper paint repair at https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...-scratches-100-versus-1800.16977/#post-510317 😎🐩
If there are deep subsurface grooves or dents, you might want to fill with something that will really stick like JB Weld. Then sand everything super flat and smooth with finer and finer grit sandpaper, then prime, then paint, then clear coat
 


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flapjake314

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Yeah, you will need to sand, fill, prime, and paint. Plastic body filler is kind of like an epoxy, so you have the filler and hardener. There are several brands, but like facial tissue is often called Kleenex, body filer is called Bondo. Most auto parts stores carry the stuff. 😊🐩

For paint, @dtbaker61 posted a great thread about his front bumper paint repair at https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...-scratches-100-versus-1800.16977/#post-510317 😎🐩
i'm just starting to read more about this. i'll check tomorrow morning but i believe my dings are down to the metal. however the exposed metal is small spot (like maybe 1cm diameter), is it still advised to sand / fill?

indeed i've been reading i need to prime it since it's on metal. then the touchup paint places also recommend a clear coat after the primer + paint

finally some places are suggesting a rubbing compound, the guy you linked suggested to buff, i assume this is all referring to the same thing? should i buy a rubbing compound as well?
 
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HuntingPudel

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i'm just starting to read more about this. i'll check tomorrow morning but i believe my dings are down to the metal. however the exposed metal is small spot (like maybe 1cm diameter), is it still advised to sand / fill?

indeed i've been reading i need to prime it since it's on metal. then the touchup paint places also recommend a clear coat after the primer + paint

finally some places are suggesting a rubbing compound, the guy you linked suggested to buff, i assume this is all referring to the same thing? should i buy a rubbing compound as well?
It’s not so much the diameter of the deformation (for a small deformtion), but the depth of the deformation that would indicate whether you need a filler or can get away with a heavy bodied primer. For instance, a small dent about 1cm across that’s only 1mm deep can probably be puttied or primed over and sanded. Much deeper than that, and it should be filled because the 2-part filler shrinks less during its curing process and tends to stick more aggressively. 😎🐩

Whether you use a rubbung compound kind of depends on how fine you go with the sandpaper. If you only go to 800 grit, I would suggest you use a rubbing compound. If you go to a finer grit, you can skip the rubbing compound and go to a polishing compound. 😊🐩
 

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i'm just starting to read more about this. i'll check tomorrow morning but i believe my dings are down to the metal.
If the scratches are in the tailgate, there isn’t any metal exposed because the tailgate is made out of a composite.
 

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If the scratches are in the tailgate, there isn’t any metal exposed because the tailgate is made out of a composite.
This ^^^^

First step for OP is to adjust the opening height of the trunk. Should have done this after the first incident... Open in a parking lot. After it opens fully, manually pull down to height you want, then push and hold closing button on left until you hear chimes. Then close, reopen, and verify height.

Dealer sells touchup paint that includes clearcoat. Don't take aggressive steps. Pen knife can carefully remove any raise edge. The touch up color, then clearcoat later. Then be done.
 
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flapjake314

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If the scratches are in the tailgate, there isn’t any metal exposed because the tailgate is made out of a composite.
wait what the entire trunk door is composite? i'll probably leave it as is if that's the case

re: adjusting these are different parking structures i happened to park in one time hard to know what to adjust it to :( wish there was a sensor or something
 

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This ^^^^

First step for OP is to adjust the opening height of the trunk. Should have done this after the first incident... Open in a parking lot. After it opens fully, manually pull down to height you want, then push and hold closing button on left until you hear chimes. Then close, reopen, and verify height.

Dealer sells touchup paint that includes clearcoat. Don't take aggressive steps. Pen knife can carefully remove any raise edge. The touch up color, then clearcoat later. Then be done.

Thanks, didn't know you could adjust the opening height. Been worried about hitting my garage door since we got it.
 

RickMachE

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Thanks, didn't know you could adjust the opening height. Been worried about hitting my garage door since we got it.
This, and other features, are described in the...

You can download it in PDF form to all your devices and then search it easily.
 

generaltso

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Thanks, didn't know you could adjust the opening height. Been worried about hitting my garage door since we got it.
Doesn't the CA Rte 1 have a manual liftgate? You can't adjust the opening height on those without replacing some parts.
 

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There are some exceptional spot repair specialists out there. Try your local dealer or yelp.
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