Recently moved to a new office and today I managed to scratch the rear quarter just above the wheel arch turning into the tight underground parking entrance. Not sure whether you'd class it a scratch or a large chip but I'd appreciate your advice on ways to go about fixing it.

The dealer will doubtless suggest a complete panel re-spray but the car is 10 years old and I'd rather not spend €1000 on a paint repair if a cheaper alternative will produce a good result. Plus they re-spayed a door on my old 3.6 TDV8 and I was less than impressed with the orange peel look of the result.






I will get some better photos in daylight when the weather improves. 2012 Vogue 4.4 TDV8 automatic (LHD), Santorini Black
2008 Vogue 3.6 TDV8 automatic (LHD), Java Black

The first thing I would do is apply some cutting polish to the area to see how much of the scratching polishes out.

You can then decide whether to pay for a smart-repair or just touch up. IMO smart repairs never look right with metallic - you cannot sand the metallic (the flakes will pull) and then the lacquer needs to go on top (and that will not blend very well on a small localised area). Hence the reason why most metallic repairs involve lacquering the whole panel.

The damage looks relatively small so I would touch up. But gravity and cold weather are your enemies. Any paint you apply will want to run (gravity) and the cold will make the paint thick. So warming the paint in the house can help (thinning the paint so it flows into the damage better). Further, touch-ups work best on very small areas (stone chips about the circumference of the supplied brush) once you get past that (like damage on the right of your picture) multiple dabs will be needed and the finish can start to look lumpy. But whatever you do, do not attempt to brush the touch up on, that will look terrible, just dip something like a toothpick in the paint and lightly touch the area with the tip of the pick to allow a small amount of paint to flow off the tip into the recess (and repeat).

If you apply too much (or you are not happy with the finish) just wipe the area off and try again, the paint will not dry that fast so you can keep trying until you get a finish that is not as noticeable. I would try to keep the metallic below the finish level of the paint because you have to apply lacquer afterwards. In theory, the lacquer could be sanded with a very fine wet and dry and a sanding block (but you would have to be mindful of the edge of the wheel arch because you could easily burn through and cause more damage) and then polished up. Or you can just apply the lacquer and leave as is. Alternatively, you could apply the lacquer (only to the chips) with something like a tiny sponge applicator on a paint brush (rather than a toothpick) (again dabbing not brushing) and just leave as is.

Thanks for the tips. I don't have a polisher machine so I don't think I'll be able to polish it out properly. The dealer is offering a smart repair for €400. It will go from the bottom of the panel and merge in the recess of the suage line. Think I'll wait for nicer weather before I get it done, though. 2012 Vogue 4.4 TDV8 automatic (LHD), Santorini Black
2008 Vogue 3.6 TDV8 automatic (LHD), Java Black

Have a can of paint made up to your paint code, add a tiny bit of lacquer spray a small amount in the lid, and use a cocktail stick or similar to flow some in the chip/scratch, until its slightly proud of the surface leave for a couple of days, unless its hot where you are, and gently rub down with wet n dry paper.