My '81 300SD was garaged from new, the paint is outstanding (a big reason I bought this one). This morning I went to the car, which I hadn't driven in a couple of weeks, and found some white dust and fluid had fallen on the roof from the ceiling of the parking garage I keep it in - I don't know what it is, and it wasn't apparent looking at the ceiling. After washing it all off, I'm left with two small areas (one is a 1.5" diameter circle, the other is about 1.5" x .5") where the liquid apparently ate through the paint and into the primer below. These are fairly small patches, and the primer is whitish gray while the color is a light bluish silver, so it's not too obvious, but I'd like to keep the car as close to perfect as I can. How tough would it be to get these areas painted over in body color professionally, without having the entire roof repainted?

That is going to be very difficult. Spotting in an area on a flat surface can be done but you are going to have to find a very good shop to do it. The color match is likewise going to be a real bear because your paint is now 23 years old and no matter how pefect the car has been maintained/garaged the has been some degradation to the paint. You are probably going to have the entire roof painted and blended into the ridges that run on both sides. The most important thing is to find a true quality shop.

Lou K

That's what I was afraid of. Given the value of the car, it's nuts to pay for a paint job worthy of the existing paint, but the alternative is beautiful original paint with a couple of spots.

Just opinions, hard colour to match I think as soon as I saw silver in the silver blue. Hope you have done something to prevent any more attacks from your garage roof as substance sounds pretty aggressive. Funny how the mind works, you know there there so you will constantly look at them for awhile. But if you want total distraction from them go out and bend a fender. amazing how this will help cover them up.

the best way to approach this would be to paint the entire roof including sun roof panel. now i don't really know what your roof looks like but my 3 mbz all have a water channel in the middle soooo those are the break lines for repainting the roof. but again i don't know if you have a natural parting line. my cars are 2 w126's and a 107.

i don't believe you have base coat clear coat. but you need to talk to a paint supplier who sells dupont. PPG and ?. try to get them to color match. not just use the codes in the books but have them analyze the color then go to their computer and it will come up with the corresponding mix.

on the other hand there is a guy that has a car wash / detail shop here in town that does ding and scratch repairs. i've seen some of his work and unless you know you'd never guess if and where it was spotted. so i feel there is some hope for you.

but please stay away from the maaco and earl schieb shops. find an independant and try to work with him.

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Thanks Much!
Craig

1972 350sl Red/Blk 117k
1988 420sel charcoal/Blk 140k
1987 420sel gold/tan 128k
See My Cars at:http://mysite.verizon.net/res0aytj/index.html

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