To start out with, we found they won't work on anything but the smallest of surface scratches. On top of that, they may even make the damage look worse then it did to start out with.
Marketed as the easiest way to avoid the expensive bills of an auto body shop, manufacturers will claim that anyone has the ability to get expert results from the pens, which cost as much as ten dollars. We employed the use of three to see if the claims were valid.
What we tested
The Simoniz Fix it Pro ($10), DuPont Pro Fusion Color ($8), and Turtle Wax Scratch Repair Pen ($10) are widely available online or in your local auto parts stores. Alleged to work with any paint color that you can metaphorically throw at it, they have a permanent clear coat much like the protective outer layer used on new cars that are coming straight from the factory. But what their packaging does not make entirely clear is that pens of this nature are strictly for minor surface scratches in the clear coat. If the damage goes down through the paint below, you’re just going to be out of luck.We also discovered that the pens may be a lot harder to use than other pens, and that it’s not a simple task to get the thin, even line necessary to neatly fill your vehicle's scratches without overdosing on the stuff. With applicator tips that are as wide or wider than your typical scratch, our sampled products make it incredibly hard to avoid putting on too much filler, and leaving a very noticeable residue that’s probably going to be more noticeable than the damage you’re wanting to get repaired. And getting rid of the residue might require sanding and buffing to get the stuff out, and you might even have to use some touch-up paint too.
Remember that these products will never help on any scratch that’s deep enough for you to be able to feel it with a fingernail, or if you can see primer or bare metal on the scratch. For damage of that extent, you’ll want to have more than clear filler and a steady stroke of the hand. The only way to actually repair damaged paint is with more paint. Period.
How we tested
For our analysis, we got the same lab-grade black test panels we buy for car wax testing. These panels are painted and clear coated with automotive finishes to simulate the exterior of a real car. We also tried them on two different vehicles with minor scratches: a silver Toyota Sienna minivan and a dark blue Honda CR-V.We scratched the test panels with a key and a bolt, and then used the products exactly as instructed by the manufacturers' directions on the panels and the pre-scratched automobiles. Washing and drying the damaged area, shaking up the contents of the pen, dabbing the tip on a piece of paper towel to get the product flowing properly, and moving the pen along the surface of the scratch were all involved in this process. After applying the products as instructed, we moved the samples to a place where they were able to weather for four straight weeks.
The results
The three products filled up the scratches perfectly, and we recognized no noticeable difference between them in terms of ease of use or effectiveness.From some of the angles that we observed the repair at, it looked just as good as was advertised in the television ads. But other less flattering angles revealed a ridge of noticeably excessive clear coat. The results looked like an amateur job, at the very best, and often the repair was more noticeable than the original scratch was. The Simoniz and DuPont products advocated for wiping off any excess with a paper towel, but we discovered that this only made things look worse, as it smeared the paint over the undamaged surface.
Our advice is to save your hard-earned money and skip these quick fixes for minor scratches or try a cleaning polish in their place.
For deeper scratches, a visit to your local Jungerman CARSTAR in St. Peters, Missouri may be your best option.
No comments:
Post a Comment