Originally Posted by JerryU

Side skirts are a good suggestion as I would not drive a C7 without them.

But suggest buying a filler designed for composites. Then sand and paint, then add side skirts! This is my 2014 that I added full length side skirts. Protected the rockers from rocks thrown by the from front tires.

PS: If you're not a DIY person, look for a body shop who will fix by filling and painting just that section of the rockers. They could install the side skirts for you as well.

Originally Posted by w0rM

Thanks for all the advice. Super helpful.

I'm going to do some research on doing basic repair myself and probably add side skirts. Personally, I like the look of the side skirts. There actually are some aerodynamic benefits even for the narrow body design. It preserves some of the down force that's created by the car.

Originally Posted by 4thC4at60

Every car I've ever owned, other than the Ferrari, is a depreciating asset.... I just drive 'em, maintain 'em, and let the trade or sale fall where it may..... obviously your mileage varies...

Originally Posted by JerryU

Yep, before "I got up in age" I kept some cars but now I find it's easier not to deal with potential problems and I get a good price when I sell on my own when 4/5 years old.

I have kept my street rod now for 18 years as I can work on that carbureted engine! It only has a few microprocessors (digital dash, remote doors/windows, alarm system, remote sound system controls) that don't control how it runs!

Originally Posted by JerryU

^^^
Hi Joe, 76 but as I say, "going on 19 when I get in the Vette!"

In SC we have a Property tax on cars, mine last year for the 1 year old GS was $1300! Now if I had a $10,000,000 Ferrari 330P4 (if you could buy one) it would cost nothing! Nor would a 1985 512BB as once it's 25 years old and there is no Black Book price published the cost is zero!

Recall I was working in Danbury CT in 1985 and there was a shop with several 512BB's outside. Turned out he was taking Gray market cars and getting them to pass emissions and US regs. Started chatting and he was very pleasant until I asked if he would sell just the intake and exhaust he was using! At the time looked like a car to own but had an overseas friend with one and it was a maintenance headache!

FWIW our SC sales tax on cars was just raised but it's only $500 max. So they key when I buy my C8 is timing. If I get it just after I pay the tax for the year on the 2017 and transfer plates, I can use that tax for the year and then pay on a depreciated 1 year old C8 the following!

Originally Posted by PatternDayTrader

Run over a curb with the drivers side so it matches.

Originally Posted by Mayor111

My buddy had a worse scrape on the same area of his car - you needed to be on the ground to "see" it...but he got some GM touch up paint, we sanded it somewhat flatter, and here are the before and after shots - is it perfect - nope, but it's basically under the car and honestly, you'd have to search to even find it now:

BEFORE:


AFTER:

Originally Posted by dork

I was a professional painter. My c7 is black, because I bought it used. Ifn I could have afforded to buy it new, black woulda been my second-to-last choice over white. But the painter in me makes me OCD. So... here's my advice. If that was my car, I'd choose one of two methods to "repair" it myself:

1) Clean the entire lower portion of the rocker panel with a light rubbing compound. Clean that with a good car wash soap. Dry.

2) I'd go to an auto paint supply house and purchase a roll of 1" and 2" masking tape.

3*) I'd meticulously mask as closely as I could to the specific damage areas so that I could paint just the damages and the area BELOW the body line that runs just below the horizontal door seam. 1" tape to butt "exactly" against the damages, 2" tape to meld the 1" masking tape high enough to cover the rocker panel. If you understand and performed what I've written to this point, you should have the damages exposed but bordered with 1" tape and 2" tape overlapping the 1" tape so that you've got ~2-1/2" masked border above your damages. Stripe another layer or two of 2" tape so that the entire rocker panel is covered. Then mask from wheel to wheel with paper and cover all the entire lower (from about below the knee) panels from wheel to wheel.

Then (because hopefully your pictures show a black car) I'd spray the entire area with a can of gloss black paint. Spray sparingly; EXACTLY when you can't see the white fiberglass from any angle, you're done. (If you spray too much, you'll build a paint edge that might bother you.

Give your psyche a month of looking at this repair. If you can live with it, you're done for not much money. If you can't, take the car to a pro and pay the freight.

There's a second way to "blend" the repair so's a paint edge might not build up... substitute this method for #3* :

3b) Buy the narrowest roll of masking paper available. It's been a loong time since I was in the bidness--I think 9" was the narrowest available in my time... whatever is cheapest will work; even butcher paper, wax paper, aluminum foil, etc., but masking paper is the accepted norm... use one LOONG piece of paper that will run from wheel to wheel--run a strip of 2" tape along the edge of the paper so that you have 2" tape on paper with exposed tape that you can stick to the car. Now, sticky side against the car, tape side HIGHER, paper side lower, stick the 2" tape along the horizontal body line below the door seam--so that the paper hangs down and covers the damaged area when you're through applying the 2" taped edge to the car. If you've done this correctly, the 2" edge will run the length of the body line. Starting from the left, lift the paper just enough so it curls back to the door panel and use a 3-4" strip of 1" tape to tape the paper to the door. Move ~12" to the right and repeat, over and over until you get to the rear wheelwell. The goal is to have the 2" tape "roll" down from the horizontal body line and then back up towards the door--this way, you won't creat a sharp edge where the painting stops. After you've rolled the paper and taped it to the door panel, use more paper and paper farther up the fender, door, and quarter panel, to guarantee that as you spray "up" from below, you don't overspray the panels. You'll have to cover at least 2 feet of paneling--to about door handle height. If you understand and performed what I've written to this point, you should have the entire rocker panel exposed but bordered along that lowest body line so that you've got ~2-12" masked border rolled along the body line. Now you can feel free to spray with the same goal--stop as soon as you don't see white fiberglass. However, this method of masking will help reduce the possibility of a sharp and built-up paint edge. The disadvantage is, you'll be spraying your canned paint on undamaged virgin paneling.

Either way, give yourself a month or so and figure out if you're satisfied. If not, take it to a pro.