Deep Scratch in Hatch

I messed up guys. Opened the garage door while the hatch was open, garage arm hit the hatch. I’m worried about the dark spot in the 2nd photo and deeper scratches in the 3rd. Do I need to do some rust prevention here?

 

Welcome. Some touch up paint, 3000 grit wet sand paper, and polish will make it look like nothing ever happened. If you’re not comfortable, a reputable detailer can do it for you.

 

You can buy a touch up paint pen with clear coat protection for about $45. It's hard to tell in your photos. Is that silver or pearl white? Either way, a touch up pen is the way to go.

 

Thanks, I was thinking that might help. It’s silver

 

I’d probably have a detailer handle that, I’d botch it. I wonder how much that might cost?

 

I have used a touch up paint pen on many vehicles. It's VERY easy to do and cheap if you do it yourself. If you pay someone to do it, it'll cost you $200 and the result will still be the same.

 

The problem is with some of those polishes it will “fill in “ the area a bit and be less noticeable. But after a few washes that will come back.

Touch up paint will work but will stand out a bit for sure but prevent rust.

If you decide to get it painted I would investigate if your 4Runner garnish badge is rubbing in the corners like a lot of the rest of (see separate thread a few down). In fact if it is that might defray some costs if still under warranty if painting is required from

https://www.4runners.com/threads/plastic-trim-rubbing-off-paint.34142/

 

Personally, I wouldn't worry about trying to make it exactly like the surrounding paint. Cleaning it well with some alcohol and applying touch-up paint is all I'd do.

 

Where can I get one of these touch up pens?

 

https://touchupdirect.com/touch-up-paint/toyota/4runner/#pf-year=2023&pf-color=78165


I know this shows for the 2023 model year, but the paint code is the same as the 2024.

 

A variable speed random polisher, the appropriate pad and a 'lil buffing compound will make that scratch disappear. I had never used a polisher or buffed any vehicle. This was my first attempt and I was very pleased with the results.

 

I feel your pain. I think mine is to the metal. I have the same scratch from the garage door handle on my Tacoma twice, Sienna hatch and 4runner hatch before finally removing the handle and adding some foam.

 

How much time do I have to do some sort of correction before I need to worry about rust forming? That’s my only real concern, I don’t mind the look of the scratch. I live in Colorado btw. Dry climate but spring does bring in some humidity.

 

That’s incredible, nice work

 

Thank you

 

That’s the plan, just want to make sure I do what I can to prevent rust. I kinda prefer a worn look to brand new shiny paint…but I know rust is Toyotas Achilles heel.

 

Hah! I did the same thing to my garage door. I did it the day I brought my 4Runner home. I noticed that the inside door handle would need to be removed and that I should wrap it with foam. If I open my cargo hatch it just BARELY misses the garage door.

I still put foam on it though, just in case. I'm also mindful when opening up the cargo hatch.

 

Sorry man, I’ve seen a few similar cases searching through here. Out of all the hazards I’ve been looking out for I hadn’t expected my own garage to be the worst threat lol.

 

Same I’ve got like an inch clear between the hatch and the garage door. These things are a lot bigger than the Lexus rx it replaced

 

I'm a little late to the party here, but let me offer some sage advice based on over 25 years or detailing. As to your first question on needing additional paint protection, the answer is technically yes, but maybe not. From a pure technical perspective, your paint no longer has the same level of corrosion resistance it once had - in the areas it was scratched. If you live in an area where they don't use road salt and wash your vehicle regularly, it might be years before rust begins to form though. It all depends on how deep the scratches are. Once you get through the primer, things get much more serious.

As for the various methods (touch up paint, rattle cans, paint pens, etc.), I've tried them all and none of them work nearly as well as they say they do. All of them will leave a visibly different color, paint thickness and gloss than the factory finish. Don't let anybody tell you that they can match factory silver perfectly with any of those methods. Of course if you're not real picky about how your paint looks, go for it. Me, I'm very picky and spent way too many years in the metal finishing business to accept anything less than virtual perfection. And trust me, that's very, very difficult to attain.

If you want my recommendation - based on personal experience - ask yourself how perfect of a match / repair you're willing to accept. If much less than perfect is your answer, you know what to do. For a somewhat better repair, I'd recommend something like Dr ColorChip. (drcolorchip.com.) Their repair process still isn't perfect, but it's better than the other options we've discussed. If you really want it done right though, you've got to go to a good paint shop. Sorry, silver is just a bitch to repair.

 

Can you recommend what compound you used please? or are they all about the same? Does the compound fill the scratch with the color/material your polishing or just remove a thin layer?

 

Thanks for the insight. I went silver because it hides blemishes a lot better than others. Funny that it’s harder to paint correct if you actually damage it lol.

 

I agree with you on the worn look. Early on, I worried about every tiny scratch, and seriously considered some type of paint protection treatment, but never could justify the cost. Then one day looked at another tiny scratch and thought "they're going to happen, so what?" and haven't been concerned since. I don't abuse my 4R, keep it clean for the most part, and finally decided keeping it running as well as possible and not worrying about paint swirls or tiny scratches will make life more bearable.

 

Quite a bit of misinformation out there on "things that magically make scratches disappear." These products fall into two general camps; products that fill the scratch and products that level the surrounding surface.

As to the ones that fill, don't waste your time. Most of them just come off in the next car wash.

As to the ones that level the surrounding area, I have tons of experience and a garage full of products to back it up. That said, the OP's scratch can be somewhat improved / corrected by carefully removing layers of surrounding paint. (Yes, that's what "correction" involves.) Done correctly, it can sometimes work what many folks would call miracles. Done incorrectly, it can lead to what paint shops call "money." I would suggest taking the vehicle to a professional detailer and getting their opinion. My general rule is that "If you can feel it with your fingernail, it's probably too deep to safely remove." Remember, it is possible to polish right through the clearcoat. I also tell my customers that "I can heal the sick, but I cannot raise the dead."

As to the claim that the OP's scratch can be completely removed, I say no way. There are several large chucks of paint missing right on the bottom edge. Correction removes paint. It doesn't put it back on.

 

Definitely deep enough to feel. I can dig my nail into that dark spot. Speaking of the dark spot…how do I know if I’ve gone down to primer/bare metal? Can’t tell if it’s just paint from the garage door in there or if that’s the color of the actual metal.

 

Skip the touch-up paint pen. Just go to your local auto paint supply store and they will mix up a bottle of touch-up paint for less than $10. If your car is older, they will be able to adjust the mix to match. These people are a great resource of knowledge and will walk you through the process of fixing the scratch.
You can also have them put the paint in an aerosol can for painting accessories or large touch-up areas. If you go the spray can route, make sure to also get a can of clear coat. The clear coat will have a separate catalyst attached to the can that you will puncture before using.

 

I was also told that the scratches were too deep on my 4R. Fingernails would grab all of them. At that point I felt I had nothing to lose and gave it a go. Results speak for themselves.

 

What auto paint supply store…? Lol

 

I've done the garage door thing on my hatch 3 times now. I'm old and forget! I used touch up paint and put a vinyl mountains overlay over the area. Kind of cheesy kind of cool. It hides it ok.