any recommended website for touch up paints

[effusion_01]

anyone has any recommendations where to get touch up paint to touch up small dots :)

[Nick_USA]

anyone has any recommendations where to get touch up paint to touch up small dots :)

This is one of the best and is much better than a touch up pen from the dealer:

Dr Colorchip

[PAULSPEED]

I'm sold.

The paint pen is good, but blobs.

Paul

[justinfielding]

anyone has any recommendations where to get touch up paint to touch up small dots :)

This is one of the best and is much better than a touch up pen from the dealer:

Dr Colorchip

Does this stuff actually work well? I have a few small chips from an egg some idiot threw at my car over xmas. I'm a little bit reluctant to start smearing paint on and rubbing it with solvents.

[vette67]

I was actually taking pictures to do a DIY on this but I messed up the job so badly that I didn't want to post it.

What I learned:

1- I got my paint from the dealer. Price differences seemed to be unimportant compared to getting the paint color dead perfect (I've got ocean blue metallic)

2- Porsche (and others) will tell you to use the paint first and then to finish with clear-coat. DONT DO IT. The clearcoat is some kind of plasticized polymer... it doesnt sand well at ALL. Its much harder than the paint... you end up scratching the hell out of your surrounding paint trying to sand down the clearcoat spots. Yes, theoretically you could mask the surrounding paint but when you are touching up 395 small chips in your hood then masking is problematic.

3- Best method is to apply a dot of paint to each chip using a toothpick or a tiny brush from art supply. The brush that comes on the paint cap is monstrously too large.

4- Do not try to fill up each chip with paint the first time you work on them. Apply one dot, let dry 8+ hours, repeat the process until the chip is filled and (if you're lucky) level with the surface of your hood. If it is slightly higher that's ok because in the next step you will sand it.

5- Get yourself a very fine grit "sanding block". I had a hard time finding one and I apologize because Ive forgotten the source and the actual grit of the one I got. Its been awhile and the packaging is long gone. I think it was 1000 grit and was made by Meguire. It cost about $30. Use the (wet) sanding block to lightly smooth the tops of your touchup dots even with your hood. This will produce fine scratches.

6- Use a quality random orbital buffer (I use Griot's) to polish the fine scratches out. Then wax.

Im still trying to get the touchup paint even with the hood... because the clearcoat is a nightmare to sand. That being said, my car still looks better than it did and eventually Ill get everything perfect. I could have saved myself a lot of trouble and actually be done with this project if I had skipped the clearcoat. Once you polish and wax the touchup paint you do not need clearcoat anyway.

Hope this helps somebody! :)

Edited February 1, 2009 by vette67

[70Sixter]

2- Porsche (and others) will tell you to use the paint first and then to finish with clear-coat. DONT DO IT. The clearcoat is some kind of plasticized polymer... it doesnt sand well at ALL. Its much harder than the paint... Once you polish and wax the touchup paint you do not need clearcoat anyway.

Nice post. Good technique.

One question: why would the Porsche clearcoat kit be harder than the existing clearcoat.

[frafoss]

http://www.paintscratch.com/

Great website, you even find the colour code to your car if you are not sure.

[londoner06]

Meguiars has 1000, 2000, even 3000 grit finishing papers:

Also a 2000 grit sanding block:

HiTech Finesse Sanding Blocks Item # SAND 2000

http://www.meguiarsdirect.com/index.asp