Scratched my rear hatch!

[DctrEvil]

Like an idiot, I closed my garage door on my open rear hatch. Luckily there wasn’t any denting, but I scratched down to the metal pretty bad or at least the primer. Any suggestions on how to repair this? Probably body shop is the best way to go for a real spray, but any Touchup that would work?

I cleaned the area so please disregard all the salt and dirt in the areas surrounding the photo. You can see the large linear scratches. There’s one on both sides

 

[Omohundro]

You can get touch up paint from a Toyota dealer or other places like paint scratch.com but it’s not going to look that great. It being black helps the look of touch up a bit but honestly I would just get it fixed properly at a quality repair shop.

 

[CorpSkiBum]

That’s frustrating. If it were me, I’d try to touch it up and live with it, or maybe look into one of those companies that dealerships use for paint touch-ups. I spent a full track day driving like a madman, only to scrape my bumper parking at a restaurant on the way home—so I get the frustration. They make a liftgate guard for the Land Cruiser to help prevent this kind of damage, but I can’t decide if it’s brilliant or just plain ugly. MODELLISTA BACK DOOR GARNISH FOR TOYOTA LAND CRUISER 250 MSD16-60005

 

[EOD Guy]

I've had limited success with touchup paint and a cheapo airbrush from harbor freight. Looked really good from 3 foot. The key, IMO, for a DIY, is apply a good wax remover around the area but not in the scratch and to mask as close as possible to the scratch. Turn the air brush down so that it's barely coming out (test on cardboard) and apply thin layers and build up the paint in the scratch allowing 5-10 min between the thin coats to flash. When it looks like the paint is even to the surrounding surface, allow it to dry for a couple of hours, remove the masking and see it it's level with the surrounding surface. If it is, allow it to cure for a week or so, then use some 800-1000 grit sandpaper and water and very carefully sand just the new paint, once it's sanded smooth or as good as you dare, use the airbrush and apply some clear coat. After that has cured for a week, use some polishing compound to blend the surfaces.

 

[jefkat2]

Touch-up Direct is pretty good for various types of applications besides touch-up pens. The Toyota dealership match mine spot on as they had the vehicle to verify match.

 

[Bappy]

Touch up paint would be the first option although it I am anal and I know it would not look right. My other option would be possibly talking to the guys who do wraps and paint protection. The excel PPF is great and because it is on the hatch they may be able to cover the area and you would never know the difference. But talk to several shops if you go this route. They are not all the same!

 

[CorpSkiBum]

Touch up paint would be the first option although it I am anal and I know it would not look right. My other option would be possibly talking to the guys who do wraps and paint protection. The excel PPF is great and because it is on the hatch they may be able to cover the area and you would never know the difference. But talk to several shops if you go this route. They are not all the same!

It seems PPF could be a wise decision in this location. Parking garages, bike racks.....

 

[pickax]

I'd ask my dealer who they use for new vehicle touch up and then reach out to them, see if they would be open to a cash deal. I'd go the DIY route on older vehicles but not on a brand spanking new 70K ride