Freelander 1 Scratches to corner of car

I have a number of deep scratches on the corner of my TD4 06.
It's the plastic corner bit above the rear bumper.

I am not responsible, it's idiots who cannot judge when to pull in to the kerb behind me.
The scratches have gone below the paintwork and show the black underneath.

What's the best way to deal with these?
I have the paint, but I can't just paint then as the gouges will still show.

If you can't prepare and paint the panels yourself. The best thing is let the professional's do it. There are mobile specialists about these days, that do that sort of thing every day.

If your brave enough and the scratches aren't too deep you can sand down the bumper until they're gone before spraying. 400 grit then 800 and 1200 before spraying should be OK.

Buy a Defender, and tell people that they are battle scars

Keep your freelander, and tell people they are battle scars

I am going to have to clear the garage so I can park inside it and not outside it on the road.

The back bumper on my '99 must have had some battle scars before I got it... cos it was sprayed and the paint is all peeling off and the gouges are showing themselves as the filler falls out!

I'd suggest filler or glass fibre to fill the cracks. Then when it sets sand it with 800 grit on a sanding block. You'll get it smooth pretty easily. Then prime it. If there are imperfections you can let the primer dry, fill again sand and paint. Until youre happy with it. You can get the filler from and auto shop.

When and if you do spray it remember the clear coat has to go on within 20 mins or in time it will start to peal off .

If your spraying with a rattle can it'll never look a 'good job'. If your going to try and sand the scratches out yourself you'll need a DA, if your going to do it by hand, you won't be able to sand out any deep scratches. You're best off keying the area and putting in a bit of filler. Don't bother with fibreglass, it's only needed for substantial structural damage on plastics. Key up all the area where it'll be painted with a grey scotchbrite as it'll allow the paint to stick.

A company wouldn't charge much for a bumper corner, where abouts are you located?

Not too far from Margate.

dog-man said:

Not too far from Margate.

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300 miles away from me

I'm not sure on bodyshop prices down there but I'd do a bumper corner for £75-£100 depending on how bad it is.

I think I might try doing it myself. I am not bothered about it looking perfect, although that would be nice. As long as the scratches don't stand out.

After spraying with a rattle can the finish will be rough. Put plenty of coats on and you can wet sand afterwards with 2000 grit, then buff with G3 or similar. If you leave it overnight between coats of lacquer rough with scotchbrite or one of (those kitchen sponges with a rough side) before spraying again.

I wonder if I could spray the paint into a small container and paint it on?

Or, try and find a tin of paint instead of a can.
The can I have is from Land Rover. Not seen any mention of a tin, but I might find something.

dog-man said:

I wonder if I could spray the paint into a small container and paint it on?

Or, try and find a tin of paint instead of a can.
The can I have is from Land Rover. Not seen any mention of a tin, but I might find something.

Click to expand...

I often spray rattle cans into the lid and use a small brush, but only for stone chips and the like. It sounds like your issue is too big for that.