Temporary fix for a deep scratch?

codesurge

codesurge

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Jan 27, 2007
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Location
Singapore
Car(s)
2007 Alfa Romeo 147
Okay, guess a bit of background information is in order. There's a nick in the paintwork on the family Volvo that's on the rear quarter panel. It's gone through both the paint and the primer, so a sliver of bare metal is visible. :(

The workshop's offering a no-cost quick patch up job, but the car's in use everyday so it's pretty much gotta wait till the weekend before anything can be done.

Question is, until the scrape can be patched up, will exposing the metal to the elements have any effect in the short term (say, a couple of days)? Keep in mind that I'm in Singapore and that the humidity is pretty high. If it's bad news, should I be putting on a temporary fix like covering it with a strip of duct tape?
 
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There's a polish cream you can buy which dissolves the top layer of the paintcoat and lets you cover up smaller scratches. I guess you could use that as a temporary solution untill you get it fixed properly.
 
Wax. Get some old school wax and put it over the scratch to protect it from becoming rusting. That should be good till you get it repaired.
 
IceBone said:
There's a polish cream you can buy which dissolves the top layer of the paintcoat and lets you cover up smaller scratches. I guess you could use that as a temporary solution untill you get it fixed properly.
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Yep, I know what you're referring to, but it's the exposed metal which I was more worried about protecting. :p

Zuhaib said:
Wax. Get some old school wax and put it over the scratch to protect it from becoming rusting. That should be good till you get it repaired.
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Can't believe I never thought about applying wax on it. Especially if it's for a few days, it'd probably suffice. In fact, I just went out and did it a few minutes ago. Great idea, thanks!
 
scathing said:
There's nothing automotive-related that you can't fix with duct tape and zip ties....and a hammer if you need to get offending bits of bodywork into a position where it can be duct taped / zip tied.
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Duct tape and WD-40. Something won't stay together? Duct Tape. Something won't come apart? WD-40.

And, gotta say it even though it's an oldie:
"Duct tape is like 'the force." It has a dark side, and a light side, and it binds the universe together."
 
Duct tape doesn't fix an MX-5s cabrios roof as I found out. May I suggest 100mph tape? :p
 
^the you didn't do it right. I use duct tape at the front of my Jeep to seal the front of the hardtop to the windshield frame.
 
scathing said:
There's nothing automotive-related that you can't fix with duct tape and zip ties....and a hammer if you need to get offending bits of bodywork into a position where it can be duct taped / zip tied.
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There's a saying along those line for Land Rover repair: use a hammer whenever possible.
 
That seems very JC.

But duct tape does fix everything
 
jayhawk said:
That is actually not a bad suggestion at all...
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True, Duct tape is designed to be a sealer, would stop moisture getting in. Failing that WD40 is a good bet as said earlier. :)
 
WD40 initially displaces water but it can actually later *promote* rust and corrosion.

That's why the US Air Force banned it from use on anything that flies.

WD40 is not a lubricant. It is not a good penetrant. It isn't actually all that great at being a water displacer. It's actually (and mostly) deodorized kerosene.
 
Spectre said:
WD40 initially displaces water but it can actually later *promote* rust and corrosion.

That's why the US Air Force banned it from use on anything that flies.

WD40 is not a lubricant. It is not a good penetrant. It isn't actually all that great at being a water displacer. It's actually (and mostly) deodorized kerosene.
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Try telling that to Land Rover owners. :lol: They all swear by it to keep water off their electrics and for penetrating rust on bolts. Maybe our WD40 is a different formula to US stuff.
 
Nope, it's the same stuff worldwide.

WD40 is a really crappy penetrant. You should try some Kroil or SeaFoam DeepCreep to see what a real penetrant works like. I've used those products on rusty Brit iron for years and they make WD40 look as effective as water.

If you wish to keep water off electrics, there are also better products one can buy. WD40 is better than nothing, I suppose, but it's not "good" when compared to real products intended for the purpose.
 
TechZ said:
Duct tape!
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I have another, possibly slightly stupid, question...if you duct tape the side of a car, is there any chance that it'll harm the paint when you take the tape off?

I only ask because duct tape plays hella havoc with my wallpaper (and my body hair) when you try and remove it.
 
Well, it will leave sticky residue but if you clean it off with a little WD40 it should be fine. Plus, I hope you car has good enough paint that tape won't pull it off. :p
 
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