Tesla touch up - is the OEM touch up kit worth $75?

[y_p_w]

Just had a minor little bump. Two vehicles in a parking lot lightly bumping into each other, although blame is a little hard to assign. I saved the video and if it was down to assessing fault I'm not sure. But on site we looked at the damage and decided to part ways since it was minor. No bent steel panels and just bumper to bumper contact.

But we're stuck with this:

Of course the perfect solution would be to replace/paint the entire bumper cover, but that's going cost a bunch. My mom looked at it, and she's the one who insisted that the fix the entire rear quarter panel because of a paint blob and then an incomplete fix where all they did was sand it down.

I figure the three marks on the left are fairly simple. The rub on the bottom of the photo is a tear in the cover and it won't push in flat. So that's going to be something there that probably can't be covered up other than to make it less visible from some angles. Not sure what the best means to cover it up. Tesla has a paint repair kit for $75.

https://shop.tesla.com/product/paint-repair-kit

They say it comes with the paint, and then a "blending solution". Their description says it's for rocks and road debris, but I would think most people would use it for minor bumps. Or are the cheaper solutions out there that might be useful to cover up the tear in the bumper cover.

 

[Vercingetorix]

Tried Amazon touch up paint. Never again. Not even close to the right color.

 

[Brian123]

What does Krylon cost these days? Cosmetic, just keep driving the car. The older you get you realize all that matters is the car gets you from Point A to Point B, or to where you are going and to get you back.
It's A Tesla, not a Cadillac!

 

[ecotourist]

I used "Scratches Happen" touch up paint for my Blue Model 3. It didn't cost anything like $75.

The colour match is perfect. But getting the clear coat to look right isn't so easy. I still have a raised bit of clear coat over a stone chip. It doesn't look bad but it's just not perfect like I was hoping. It might level out better if I take my random orbital sander (with Lake Country polishing pads and 3M Swirl Mark Remover) after it.

There may be a skill thing here too and my next chip repair might be better.

"Scratches Happen" says to let the clear coat dry for (as I recall) 48 hours before leveling. It gets very hard and it might have been easier to work with earlier.

 

[y_p_w]

By the way, I used some cleaning compound on it to see what it really looked like without the dirt and paint transfer from the other car. Initially I thought it might be a lot more paint scratched off.

 

[Trav]

Is that pearl white?

 

[ecotourist]

I had a depressed dimple on my new to me BMW's rear bumper.

I had it professionally filled and the whole bumper repainted. I kept that car for 18 years and it still looked perfect. They used BMW paint of course.

When they painted the bumper they painted the narrow panel right above it (all at the same time). My neighbour swore they were slightly different colours. Go figure.

 

[y_p_w]

Is that pearl white?

Yeah. I believe Tesla calls it "Pearl White Multi-Coat". I believe the color code is PPSW.

 

[ecotourist]

Yeah. I believe Tesla calls it "Pearl White Multi-Coat". I believe the color code is PPSW.

"Scratches Happen" does Pearl White (ie PPSW) as well.

Other than getting it professionally painted (which would be my first choice), I'd recommend trying "Scratches Happen". The colour match for Tesla Model 3 blue was perfect. If you're not satisfied with the results you can still get it professionally painted.

 

[Trav]

Yeah. I believe Tesla calls it "Pearl White Multi-Coat". I believe the color code is PPSW.

Pearls are almost impossible to touch up so it looks even halfway decent. I could just be the picture but there seems to be more damage than just a touch up. At least it is not black pearl but white is almost as difficult to paint so it matches. I would take it to a good shop if you want it perfect. JMO From Tesla...

Note: Paint Repair Kits are final sale. White is not compatible with Pearl White paint. Final results of Pearl White may appear slightly different than the rest of your vehicle depending on the lighting environment and application process used.

 

[rszappa1]

I have had good luck with Doctor Color Chip....

 

[SC Maintenance]

When I was a kid at the dealer I learned to touching up such a scratch was not to use the brush that comes with the paint, but to use the book end of a paper match - dab it into the paint, dab it into the scratch successively all along, rinse repeat until the scratch is even with the paint around it. Do no brush / drag the paint - and work slowly.

Yes you will still see it looking close, but painting the entire panel is worse IMHO. Compared to factory, body shop repairs are pretty much one big touch up. Not knocking a body shop - they just don't have robots that paint the whole car.

And yes, anything Pearl is really impossible to match. White will look OK from a few feet away at best. The body shop will have the same problem so they will blend further into the surrounding paint.

 

[y_p_w]

I'll just say having it look perfect isn't the in the cards. It's my parent's car and they're OK at this point with reasonably hiding the bare plastic peeking through. You should see their other car that's parked against a hedge (to leave room to pass on the driveway) where it's made its fair share of contact.

Not noticeable from a few feet away would be fine. But obviously if the shade is way off it will stick out even from a distance.