Ultrasonic blue paint repair

[Lex_1988]

Hi all,

I own an IS300h F sport in ultrasonic blue (USB) which was accidently scratched by a tradesman coming out of my house. The scratch is deep and catches my fingernail, so will sadly need paint. 

Would anyone be able to confirm please whether this paint is a multi stage paint? 

I used to own a mesa/matador red is250 and noticed that stone chips revealed a lighter shade of red under the darker top layer. However I haven't seen the same with USB. 

If anyone has had success with bodyshop repairs on USB paintwork it would be great to hear. If only for my own peace of mind. 

Many thanks 

[Brechin Slate]

14 hours ago, Lex_1988 said:

accidently scratched by a tradesman coming out of my house

Ouch!  If the tradesman is paying (I hope so) then I'd take it into the main dealer for a quote.  Can't say that I've noticed the 2 stage paint on the chips on my Mesa Red 300h and I've had a close look.

[ColinBarber]

It doesn't look like it is down passed the clear coat so it would polish out but you would have to reduce the clear coat thickness quite a bit in that area so a smart repair that fills it would be best - or a panel respray.

Luckily USB isn't a sonic 5 layer paint so can be matched - my dealer managed to put a reasonable sized chip in the drivers door on my old IS300h F Sport USB when it was in for an MOT, and the repair they had done was invisible.

[paulrnx]

17 hours ago, Lex_1988 said:

Hi all,

I own an IS300h F sport in ultrasonic blue (USB) which was accidently scratched by a tradesman coming out of my house. The scratch is deep and catches my fingernail, so will sadly need paint. 

Would anyone be able to confirm please whether this paint is a multi stage paint? 

I used to own a mesa/matador red is250 and noticed that stone chips revealed a lighter shade of red under the darker top layer. However I haven't seen the same with USB. 

If anyone has had success with bodyshop repairs on USB paintwork it would be great to hear. If only for my own peace of mind. 

Many thanks 

What a shame. Hope you find a solution. I’d possibly have a go at this with a very very fine brush. Brush in along the length of the scratch to bring the paint up to slightly proud of the scratch. Then rub down with very very fine wet and dry. Then t-cut. Then a polish. It’ll look better but might not be perfect. Nothing to lose though because respray if it doesn’t work. A smart repair could work but you have to find a good one. I’ve heard some horror stories of smart repairs going wrong. Hope it works out whatever you decide.

[Lex_1988]

 

9 hours ago, ColinBarber said:

It doesn't look like it is down passed the clear coat so it would polish out but you would have to reduce the clear coat thickness quite a bit in that area so a smart repair that fills it would be best - or a panel respray.

Luckily USB isn't a sonic 5 layer paint so can be matched - my dealer managed to put a reasonable sized chip in the drivers door on my old IS300h F Sport USB when it was in for an MOT, and the repair they had done was invisible.

Cheers Colin. Relief to hear that it can be successfully matched and that smart repairs work well. I have asked revive to quote on it (seem to be a highly rated  franchisee) and will get some other local smart specialists in on it. 

9 hours ago, Brechin Slate said:

Ouch!  If the tradesman is paying (I hope so) then I'd take it into the main dealer for a quote.  Can't say that I've noticed the 2 stage paint on the chips on my Mesa Red 300h and I've had a close look.

Yeah my heart sank when I saw it. My gf can attest to my unhealthy obsession over my car.  Fortunately they are decent guys and acknowledged their fault so will absorb the cost. However don't think they would stretch to a dealer quote. 

Mesa Red is a fine colour. Always looked great when washed. 

6 hours ago, paulrnx said:

What a shame. Hope you find a solution. I’d possibly have a go at this with a very very fine brush. Brush in along the length of the scratch to bring the paint up to slightly proud of the scratch. Then rub down with very very fine wet and dry. Then t-cut. Then a polish. It’ll look better but might not be perfect. Nothing to lose though because respray if it doesn’t work. A smart repair could work but you have to find a good one. I’ve heard some horror stories of smart repairs going wrong. Hope it works out whatever you decide.

Thanks Paul. I've also read some historic bad stories on smart repairs, however the recent reviews seem to be a lot more complementary. In any case I'll report back with pics on the eventual repair and price (Surrey). 

[RichGS11]

On 4/5/2021 at 12:13 AM, Lex_1988 said:

 

Cheers Colin. Relief to hear that it can be successfully matched and that smart repairs work well. I have asked revive to quote on it (seem to be a highly rated  franchisee) and will get some other local smart specialists in on it. 

Yeah my heart sank when I saw it. My gf can attest to my unhealthy obsession over my car.  Fortunately they are decent guys and acknowledged their fault so will absorb the cost. However don't think they would stretch to a dealer quote. 

Mesa Red is a fine colour. Always looked great when washed. 

Thanks Paul. I've also read some historic bad stories on smart repairs, however the recent reviews seem to be a lot more complementary. In any case I'll report back with pics on the eventual repair and price (Surrey). 

Did you ever succeed in getting this scratch repaired? I'd be keen to hear about the repair and how the painter found matching/blowing it in?

Thank you.

[Lex_1988]

Hi,

Yes I did get it sorted soon after - pic below. 

 

I found that there was a few more metallic flakes than the original and it needed further polishing but other than that the finish was good. Most friends and family didn't notice the repair.

The body shop owner had previously  painted an f sport blue RC, which gave me some confidence.

Ive since read up on smart repairs and in good weather, I think they could also produce a good finish (as Colin originally suggested). I will try out a trusted local smart repairer next time.

 

 

 

 

[RichGS11]

Thank you for the update. I have one panel I'd like looking at on my IS and this has given me hope that it's potentially a painless job for a good company/painter. I know the USB 2.0 colour (as the Americans call it), is a little more involved with four or five layers of paint, with wet sanding by hand between coats, etc.

Thanks again.

[ColinBarber]

21 hours ago, RichGS11 said:

I know the USB 2.0 colour (as the Americans call it), is a little more involved with four or five layers of paint, with wet sanding by hand between coats, etc.

Yeah Azure blue, or any of the sonic colours, is not an easy thing to match.

[RichGS11]

6 minutes ago, ColinBarber said:

Yeah Azure blue, or any of the sonic colours, is not an easy thing to match.

I was really dreading it for potential touch ups next year! Thankfully I shouldn't have that issue. Just need to find a solid painter with great reputation!