Td5 D2 bodywork - Vandal Scratches (2)

So I ordered up some 'scratch repair' paints off E-bay. The seller 'motoristcentre' has a good 99.9% rating and seems to specialise in the provision of touch-up paints. I bought 5ml of Alverston Red 696 and 5ml of clear lacquer. They arrived within two days and are in what looks like small nail varnish bottles complete with integral applicator brushes.

They both have that characteristic acetone cellulose vapour smell when open, but their exact composition is not known.

paint, lacquer, brushes and chisel scalpel.

FURTHER PREPARATION.

I then sat around wondering and planning the next stage. Brushes, a seat and even a 'french-stick' that sign painters use to steady their hand was sourced. I read about applying the paint with a toothpick or a plastic scribe, something that is non-absorbent. The area to fill is really thin and narrow so finesse is needed, along with good eyesight and a very steady hand.

I will be working outdoors so a dry and calm day must be used. Ideally, soft overcast diffused lighting is best. Direct sunlight is to be avoided as it is just too contrasty and stark to work under. Also if in direct sun, the panel will warm up surprisingly quickly.

The scratched areas were cleaned up and wiped clear with Meths. I took some photos before starting to help gauge any progress.

FIRST APPLICATION.

Straight away the problems started. The paint is thick and viscous, it initially goes on well, but it's cellulose base quickly becomes unworkable. My hopes of being able to work the paint for some time proved impossible as within seconds the touch-up paint began to harden and become unworkable. I had brushed a dab of paint on a piece of plastic and was loading the brush from there, so I could see its consistency change right in front of my eyes.

Thankfully, I had the foresight to replace the top of the paint bottle otherwise I guess the whole paint would begin to harden. I clearly won't have the time available to work the paint that I hoped I would gain by using Touch-up paint as opposed to the aerosol alternative. (spraying paint into a pool and dipping the brush in it). I guess cellulose based paint will always start evaporating and curing in contact with the air. After all, that is what the acetone smell is.

After a break and an assessment, I continued to spot-out as before, loading only the tip of the brush directly from the bottle before applying the paint to the scratch. Only got about ten seconds max of workability each time. I then wiped the residue from the brush tip before repeating.

I was tempted to load up the brush and 'fill' the scratch then quickly wipe off the excess. My initial idea of spotting out seems unworkable and it's very hard to see any progress being made. It looks like I am replacing a clean scratch with a red lumpy scratch! I left the paint to dry overnight. 

I was working on the rear panel scratch only, taking photos when I finished to try to compare with the ones taken earlier. There is a noticeable difference in the photos but I cannot say I am happy with the result so far...

          cleaned scratch prior to painting.

         After the first application of paint.

On a positive note, even if it was a perfect tonal match to the surrounding paint, it would not match the surrounding panel till the lacquer was applied.

Next day, I took a chisel scalpel blade and 'shaved' or rather 'knifed' off the excess paint that could be felt to be above the surface of the scratched area. This seemed to work well and raised the option of overfilling the scratch and knifing it back when dry.

OTHER OPTIONS.

Still thinking about overfilling the scratch with paint and quickly wiping the excess away or just knifing back when dry..? Dabbing away with the brush trying to get 'just enough' paint seems to promote an uneven finish. The workability of the paint dictates the need for fast confident strokes..

Figure I may as well try using the remains of the last can of '696' by spraying one spot at a time onto a 'pallet' to allow the brush to be dipped into it. Any variation in tone may well help things somehow.

If all goes horribly wrong there is always the prospect of respraying a much larger area around the scratch. 

Thinking back to when I was talking to the paint-shop guy and discussing the rear door scratch, his advice was to respray the whole shoulder area of the rear passenger door and not attempt to fill the scratch like I seem to be set on doing.

SECOND APPLICATION. 

Decided to try a different approach. 

I will apply the paint straight from the bottle using the brush attached to its screw top. This ensures that the paint is at its most workable coming straight from the bottle onto the panel surface.

Some tape was attached close to each side of the scratch to catch any excess paint smears. I was then planning to load the paint onto the scratch and to  quickly wipe the excess away, but when I applied it, I settled for just brushing it on.

The workability or 'flow' of the paint remained short, but it was enough to get a better more even coverage quicker then before.

After ten or so minutes, I removed the pieces of tape from both sides of the scratch and noticed how that caused the paint layer to detach slightly so I guess adhesion is going to be an issue. Still, the results visually are encouraging...

Still need to knife this area back but even now it can be seen to be a better finish. The straight horizontal lines are the ridges catching the light after removal of the tape.

THIRD APPLICATION.

More 'Bish-Bash-Bong' in approach then anything like the above. I took a small chisel brush and loaded it straight from the bottle and applied it to the scratch area figuring to let the paint layer build up in the scratch. 

When dry it was again knifed back. The scratch can be felt to be filling up and is now level with the surrounding panel in some areas.

I still have to apply the lacquer layer, but am still unhappy with the tonal match. I still would like to try the remains of the spray can from the wing re-spray before committing to the lacquer. 

UPDATE : FEBRUARY 2018

All the above work was done to the scratch on the left rear quarter panel and nothing has progressed any further. I am now of the opinion that the scratched area needs a respray which will give me the opportunity to fill in the scratch area with filler in order to disguise it better.

HX suffered another vandal attack this month when a slab of rock was thrown at it whilst parked up on the driveway at night. Reckon the window was the target but the contact point was the left-hand rear passenger door shoulder just above the other scratch.

The slab of rock thrown at Hx can be seen on the floor in the above photo.

In addition to the scuffing the panel has a slight dent that will now need a repair. 

... tbc ...

Td5 D2 bodywork - Vandal Scratches (1)

Scratches and dents are often the outcome of using a Land Rover in an off road situation. They can often be accepted as a badge of honour, 'bravery dings', or self-inflicted wounds! It seems OK for the owner to inflict them, but they can cut real deep when inflicted by others.

There is a lot of animosity out there directed at 'off-roaders', 'Chelsea tractors', 'gas guzzling 4x4s' and whatever other label a petty narrow mind can connect with. Thoughts alone are fine, but there are always two sides to a coin, angry people do angry things..

Hx was 'keyed' early on during my ownership while I was still in the 'jeez what a good looking beast' phase! Nothing like a sharp shock of reality to restore a balance. 

This scratch is on the nearside rear qtr panel just above the crease line. The rear bumper wrap-around can be seen at the lower right.

This scratch is on the n/s rear door shoulder

These photos were taken in strong sidelight with road dirt and dust clouding the panel surface.

This is a close up of the rear qtr. panel scratch.

Luckily (if that's what it was), the scratches did not go deeper then the primer, but did remove the lacquer and colour coat. The trailing end of the upper scratch only cuts through the lacquer coat and in theory it could be 'buffed' away.

To effect the repair, I need to replace the colour and lacquer layers and blend them to the surrounding panel.

ANATOMY OF A SCRATCH. 

The paint finish on the body panels consists of three separate layers applied to the base metal panel. The first coating has a protective and priming function to the base metal. Next comes the colour coat followed finally by the lacquer coat which can be polished to a glossy shine. In the diagram below the lacquer layer is represented by the yellow top layer.

  -  A scratch that only damages the top layer can easily be repaired. More lacquer can be added to replace the lacquer scratched out or alternatively the surrounding lacquer can be rubbed back to remove the scratch. What course to follow really depends on how deep the scratch is. Remember that the lacquer coat is also a protection for the colour coat beneath,  so its relative thickness should be maintained. The glossy polished finish is a property of the lacquer coat as the colour coat itself is nearly always dull and matty without its lacquer coating. 

  -  This scratch is deeper and has gone through the lacquer layer, the paint layer, and into the primer layer. This is the condition of the scratches on Hx. The 'white' colour of the scratches on Hx is probably a mix of the damaged paint and primer layers..

  -  The deepest level of scratch will go all the way through to the metal of the body panel and exposing it to the atmosphere will quickly allow corrosion to get a hold and if left untreated it will 'spread' under the surrounding paintwork to form the characteristic 'bubbling' of paintwork.

The scratches on Hx have been there for over 4 years without any escalation of their condition. That leads me to believe the anti-corrosion prevention is still active in those areas.

METHOD OF REPAIR.

Decided I will 'spot out' the scratches by using a very fine artists brush (and a steady hand) dipped in colour matched paint to build up the paint layer within the scratch 'trough'. Once all the primer is hidden, more lacquer can be applied to build the level up to the surrounding finish.

This will be time consuming, requiring patience and a steady hand, but it won't be achieved using left-over aerosol paint as it is too thin to be 'worked' by a brush.

SELECTING THE PAINT

'Touch-up' kits usually contain a much thicker paint that is better suited for brush application. They come in little tubes or phials and the lid often has a small brush attached for the application of the paint. Often paired with a similar sized pot of Lacquer, they are the better choice to quickly re-build the surface level.

'Touch-up' kits are still readily available direct from Land Rover. Hx is an 'Alverston Red' paint code 696 and if I don't want to pay dealer prices, there are plenty of online sources to purchase from, but personally I would recommend going to a specialised Autopaint suppliers (not Halfords!) who can match to the exact tone of paintwork. 

Bear in mind that all paint fades over time. A 'factory fresh' paint tone will vary after 15 years of lying in the Sun. Usually the difference is quite subtle and goes unnoticed until its re-spray time. 

When I got the paint mixed for the wings and door panels, I was shown how to compare the existing 'tone' of an exposed body panel with the original 'tone' of the 'hidden' door jamb (an area that is always shaded from UV sunlight.) The guy was armed with a set of small paint swatches 3 or so 'tones' lighter and darker then a standard '696' Red. The difference wasn't startling, just very subtle. 

In the end though, I sourced my 'standard' touch up paint and lacquer from the Internet for £6.49 delivered. I ordered it off E-bay late on a Monday afternoon and they arrived first thing Wednesday in two small 5ml glass phials with screw lids c/w integral applicator brush attached.  

...tbc...

 'Vandal Scratches 2'

Td5 D2 bodywork - Nearside front wing repair (2)

Having filled the shoulder dent on the wing and progressed to the grey primer stage, it now comes down to inspecting the finish for imperfections and filling them in with knifing putty.

Holts Cataloy was used to fill the tiny imperfections which were much smaller then the above photo would suggest.

After rubbing down with 1200 grit and weary of destroying the overall level finish, another coat of grey primer was applied.

Grey primer paint is quite "thick' and can often be used to fill tiny imperfections in a prepared area. Specialised 'High-Build' primer is available and favoured by body-repair shops for this very purpose.

I used a standard grey primer from 'Aerosol Solutions' sourced through Toolstation that seemed to do a similar job of hiding any sanding marks.

I only sprayed enough primer on the repair area to cover over the obvious blotches.

When the masking areas were removed, the hard line left from the masking tape showed just how thick the primer is and will itself need a gentle rub down before the final colour coat!

Photo shows the second application of primer and was taken in a brief moment of raking sidelight to try to highlight any imperfections in the finish. Close inspection will reveal a couple of 'pinholes' and a vertical crease line ('felt' more then seen). Question is, do I ignore them and spray the colour coat or re-apply more knifing paste? 

The best thing about DIY is the self imposed time schedule! I've got all the time I need to ponder the outcomes of doing this or doing that and in this case, I reckon I'll do just that!

Td5 D2 - Engine Undertray plugs.

There are a couple of pre-formed plastic 'undertrays' attached to the lower surfaces of the forward chassis.

The design of these 'trays' appears to be multi-functional. They cover the lower engine bay directing the flow of air under the vehicle and shield the engine bay from road spray. In addition the upper surface is coated in closed-cell foam that provides a degree of sound and temperature insulation as well as functioning as a 'drip-tray' to catch any small fluid leaks from the engine that would otherwise stain the road/driveway surface beneath the engine.

Image above shows the downward face of the pre-formed tray that attaches to the chassis below the engine compartment. 

Access to the drain plugs for the engine oil and the cooling system is via two removable circular 'plugs' which can be seen in the above photo.

The circular 'plug' that allows access to the engine oil sump has been removed, but the access cover for the cooling system drain plug is still attached.

Once removed, these plugs are often discarded and never replaced! The method of attachment is a simple twisting 'bayonet' function.

This is a photo of the upper surface of the undertray plug. Comparison of the two photos shows their method of attachment. They are large 'plugs' each with a diameter of 19 cm.

Opinions about the credibility of the fitted undertrays can differ. They can be labelled 'superfluous'. They restrict access (physical and visual) from below to the engine bay components and with extreme off-road use can easily get damaged, cracked or dislodged by debre, wading or mud plugging. It's not an easy task to remove them either. Their fitted position above the axle but below the engine makes removal awkward and a lot are simply destroyed during removal.

Hx still has them securely fitted although both of the circular plugs have always been absent since ownership began. Indeed, I can recall wondering initially, why the undertray should have two big circular holes in it in the first place! 

Recent work to the cooling system on Hx required access to the coolant drain plug and that focused my attention on the missing cover. I decided to source some replacements or have a go at fabricating some.

That well known online auction site (where I sourced the above photos) prices them used at around £30. I decided to have a go at fabricating some covers from scratch for free.

The initial sketch plan and the first template about to be cut from card...

The template was refined and fabrication begun. I used the lids and bases from suitable waste plastic tubs.... All cutting was done freehand with the craft knife (careful!)

Offcuts of closed-cell foam were attached to the inner face and a locating handle secured to the outer face..

The finished plugs, and they fit! 

Really needed that 'handle' to help twist them into a locked position, a bit hit and miss but they have stayed on (so far) ..

Td5 / D2 - Rear Screen Wiper

Question - Is it too much to have a clean, crisp, smear-free silent sweep on the rear window?

            
              

Despite thinking its unnecessary, I like the rear window wiper system! It's like a big happy dog wagging its tail.

I can get really distracted when following a car that is 'wagging' it's rear wiper. The motion of the rear wiper is often in the opposite direction to the front wipers and together they can conspire to produce a confusing hypnotic crossover dance to my captive gaze.

Viewed from the driving seat, all right hand drive D2s sweep in the same direction. I like how the rear wiper will sync its sweep in time to the front screen wiper and also auto sweep when reverse gear is engaged on a rainy day (providing the front wipers are in operation). Add to that the 5 speed intermittent wipe function... and the auto wash/wipe...

On the other hand, it does seem like a lot of fancy over engineering, a legacy from the BMW years, using half a dozen of the thousand plus  'improvements' over the original Discovery.

The D2 uses a re-designed wiper blade with an integrated washer jet. No more messing about with the rear water jet on the D1 which was mounted separately from the wiper blade. Many times it would squirt water everywhere except on the rear screen!

WIPERS AND THE MOT.

The UK MOT test ignores the function of the rear wiper, so it's not surprising to find that many of them have worn out blades and/or are non-functioning.

(Update May2018: New MOT rules mean that the rear wiper system is now included in the MOT test )

Generally speaking, wiper blades tend to wear and 'split' as shown on the photos above. This condition leads to squeaks/judders and smears. Amazingly, even when the front screen wipers are in this condition, they are not an automatic 'fail' on the MOT. !! 

If the swept area in front of the driver is 'reasonably' clear, it will pass. Often a split blade will be held in contact by the wiper arm and dragged accross the screen surface till the enevitable happens and the blade completely detaches from the wiper arm and if still unchecked, the arm just scratches into the screen.

Rather then argue the point with the tester, it is surely common sense to replace the blade once it starts to split? 

       

If unchecked the wiper blade will completely detach from it's mounting. 

BRIT(LE)PART  -v-  RUBBER RE-FILL.

About a year into ownership of Hx, the rear wiper blade began to split and a replacement was sourced. I recklessly went out and bought the first Discovery rear wiper that I saw only to realise that the D1 and the D2 have different and incompatible wiper fitments! The D2 fitment has much more of a designed look and feel about it, and a replacement 'Britpart' was sourced.

Replacing a wiper blade on any vehicle  generally follows the same procedure. Hinge the wiper arm away from the screen to allow access to the blade mount, detach the pivoting mount and remove/ replace. However, the rear mounted spare wheel (an iconic feature of Discovery's) restricts the movement away from the screen of the wiper arm and requires that the spare wheel be removed in order to get access to the rear wiper arm pivot.

I followed this procedure the first time I replaced the rear wiper, but decided never again as it's just way to much faffing about!!

The first replacement wiper I fitted was a 'Britpart' brand and at the time I was still on the fence with those guys in terms of their quality.

Straight away, the wipe pattern and contact pressure was not the same as the original and when I tried to correct it, the Britpart plastic arm just snapped off!

That episode ended with me salvaging the actual rubber blade from the Britpart and fitting it into the original wiper arm. That restored the full silent wipe pattern and was a lesson I won't forget. 

Rubber blade 'refills' are available at a fraction of the price of new 'blades'. The attachment method and indeed the profile pattern is shared by many manufacturers and is truly 'generic'.

Fast forward a couple of years and once again, the rear wiper rubber blade is torn and needs replacing. So I go online and order one hoping to avoid the curse of Britpart....

Sourced from 'TransglobalDistribution' via E-bay for £4.79 delivered lightning quick! (despite the name, this is a 4x4 LR specialist).

FITTING THE REAR WIPER ...HX STYLE 

As I wrote earlier, removing the spare wheel from the rear door just to access the wiper arm is a no-no and I settled for removing the blade in its 'parked' position.

Careful levering with a suitable broad flat tool is all that's needed to lever the wiper arm away from the blade.

Use of a second lever to ensure the separation is parallel may be necessary. Don't forget that the end of the wiper arm also contains the washer jet.

The new blade simply snaps into place. Doing it this way takes seconds and you don't even touch the spare wheel!

BEARMACH  POSTSCRIPT...

Having fitted the new Bearmach wiper arm, the initial wipe pattern was a disappointment as the blade did not maintain contact on the glass toward the top of its stroke.

Recalling the hassle with the previous Britpart wiper I de-mounted it and was preparing to swap over the rubber blade to the original wiper mount when I noticed that one of the pivot arm claws on the Bearmach unit was incorrectly fitted causing the blade to be 'pinched' slightly. 

I figured this would probably effect the sweep pattern and after a bit of dismantling and re-positioning, the wipe pattern was restored. 

Here is a close up comparison of the two wiper blades, Bearmach on the left and the original LR unit on the right with it's torn blade. It can be seen how the fit of the component parts is better on the LR unit.

It was one of these pivoting arms that was misplaced on the Bearmach blade that seems to have caused the initial problem.

So the answer to the opening question is indeed a positive negative - pretty much like every aspect of Land Rover marriage...