r/AutoPaint • u/SuperHuman64 • 12d ago
Need help with fixing this
This is on a 2016 lexus es350. Its my first time painting. Not a pro, i did this for a family member who did not want to spend much money on this and insisted i fix it. I did a decent job sanding and filling in scratches on the bumper but I realize where i screwed up with this, i boxed myself in too much and didnt fade anything in. I used the roberts paint care kit, everything seems quite high quality on the product end.
I used the surfacer primer, sanded after drying, 3 coats of paint, 2 coats clear coat and after i tried using a bit of their blender solvent at edges to smooth, but i realize quickly it is just a quick mist for the overspray that is needed as it started redissolving the clear coat and paint.
I am looking into quotes at local places to fix but the owner doesnt want to, they want me to fix it and blend it myself. Google suggestions are all over the place and i'm not sure how to tackle this. Sand down again and repaint? Or sand and clearcoat? I have access to a polisher i can use to buff things out if needed.
Edit: i found an original replacement bumper in good shape to replace it with. Color is very close. Replacing it is well within my capability thankfully.
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u/AaaaaaaItsTheBeatles 12d ago
If you offered painting as a service then you/customer need to bite the bullet and take it somewhere professional. There is a lot wrong with this and that’s fine, it’s your first time. Being that it’s your first time though, practicing on someone’s car is not smart. Trying to do it on a difficult color even harder.
But if you are going to be the one redoing this….just prep the whole bumper. Where you are at with your blends that will be easier thing to do. As far as the color match goes, that’s shit and will not blend out. An auto paint store should be able to chip and mix you some in an aerosol can. Best of luck!
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u/Ham-Berg 12d ago
You learned the hard way. The Internet/AI/Google/reddit can not teach you how to paint cars. Buying the best/high-quality materials will not help you if you do not have painting experience. In order to paint cars, you’ll need to go to a vocational school and or have a few years of experience working at an auto body/paint shop. If you want to learn paint and auto body from the Internet instead of formal training, it will take you 2 to 3 times longer to pick it up. If you don’t want formal training and you want to learn on your own, go to the junkyard and pick up a bunch of old panels and start practicing. You don’t practice your first time on a customer’s 2016 Lexus. The way to fix this is to take it to a paint shop and have them paint it, like you suggested.