Im not sure but this may sound kind of dumb to some of you but... I have around 5-10 total paint chips on my car from rocks and people opening their doors like idiots in parking lots. (most of the chips have a white color so i guess it went past the primer?) I bought the Flint Mica (1E0) touchup paint from the dealer and put some dabs on some of the chips. It didn't seem to work as well as i thought because you can still notice it pretty well. I was wondering if maybe it would be better to do small strides across the chip in about 2-3 layers? Instead of poking at the chip lightly with the little paintbrush? I dont wanna try and f*** up the look of my car. I need opinions and info from you guys who know about this stuff. I hope this makes sense. Thanks

 

One thing off the bat , DONT USE THE BRUSH IN THE TOUCH UP PAINT BOTTLE . It puts to much paint in the chip and makes it really stand out more so then before . When touching up a chip use a very very fine paint brush or my personal favorite a tooth pick . Make sure you clean the chip out first , make sure there is no wax in the chip . Then dip your tooth pick or fine paint brush in the paint and apply alittle at a time . Keep adding layers slowly . Not only will it result in lookin better but you wont have a blob of paint on a chip that the blob now is more noticable then the chip was

 

Very good advice

 

I agree. The toothpick is your best friend. And like TCRS1.0 said, do many layers, it really helps, especially for the deeper chips.

 

Damn...that's good to know...

Now I just need more touchup paint...last bottle was in the car on a 95 degree day and melted in my glove box

 

yeah use a tooth pick. clean off the area and just apply layer after layer. how big are the chips anyway?

 

thx for info

 

just a little bodyman's trick .. get a book of matches .. pull them out and use the ends, the end that doesn't catch on fire . it acts like a very small paint brush .. just dip and poke and repeat until the layer of paint is flush.

 

Whats the best way to clean the chip? Especially if you have already put a layer of wax over the chip?

 

i'd say clay bar. Just my .02.

 

If it's a chip, I doubt clay bar will get in there - try dishwashing soap and water on the surrounding area. Dry it and wait a while to make sure it's really dry.

Also, make sure you've got two stage paint - build up with color, then cover with clearcoat or it's never going to look right. It's not going to be a factory fix, but it sure makes it a lot harder to see.

 

So can I assume that my dealer carries touch-up paint?

Was just in AutoZone and they have Toyota Phantom Grey paint. Any knowlegde if that is the same as Scion Phantom Grey Pearl?

What do I use for the "clearcoat" and where do I get touch-up quantity?

Thanks,

Andy

 

I wouldn't trust the autozone paints if you really care. Your dealer will carry the paint, but www.paintscratch.com has all the colors and everything else you might need. They (as well as the dealer and autozone) all carry clear coat - it's fairly universal and just goes on like any other paint.

I've been touching up with the paint pen from www.paintscratch.com and it works pretty good. I can sure still see the repairs, but everyone else seems to think I'm nuts

 

To clean the wax out use acetone, just wet the end of a paper towel and wipe the damaged area a few times...don't worry, the acetone won't hurt your paint if you don't leave it puddled up in one spot for a long time. Be sure to repeat the wipe out a couple of times because the first time will leave some residue behind. I have used toothpicks, matches, and what I prefer is just a piece of paper towel that is rolled up to form a fine point. The paint soaks into the paper and allows you to control the flow better. As for the clear coat, with most touch-up paints they are not a 2-stage paint system...no clear is necessary. Good Luck...

 

Um... I'm pretty darn sure our paint requires clear coat - two stage. What color are you working on? I've got a Flint Mica tC and it DEFINTELY needs the clear. You'll know right away if you put on the paint and it dries and looks way darker and duller than the surrounding paint. The other advantage to using clear is that it seals things in one layer deeper - protect that area, you know?

The acetone idea isn't bad - just make sure the area is clean. Any all purpose cleaner would probably work fine. The washing the car with dawn (someone recommended above) will strip all the wax off, but if it's otherwise clean and you don't want to do the whole car again, acetone on that one area will be fine.

 

We got our xB in black metallic (Catherine Wheel, anyone?) and after having the car stolen, having it broken into several months later, getting sideswipped on the freeway by a white '92 Lincoln Towncar, and numerous cases of bumper and mirror rub (just yesterday, in fact) thanks to the extremely conscientious parking/driving skills of our fellow San Franciscans, I have settled on the Sharpie Fine Point Permanent Marker, black. Works real good if you got a black car.

 

Do you have any pictures of the touch up work you did with one of those paint pens? They seem like a viable option...I assume you then clearcoat above the touch up paint??

 

Correct. I don't have any pictures but I can tell you this - if the dent is right in the middle of a very smooth panel, is glossy colored, and you look at it from the side you can totally see my work - I'm not the best and I didn't like... rubbing compound it or anything afterwards. My focus is to cover the dent without screwing up anything not dented.

If, however, you're looking at it straight on (even in good light) or you're painting a chip on like the edge of your door or something, it's pretty much invisible. I like the paint pen - you need VERY LITTLE actual paint and it's as similar as you can get to using a sharpie or something. I'd be pretty scared of trying to use the brush that comes with most touchup paint, but if you wanted to cheap out you could get the brush paint but then use a cut down q-tip or a paper match or something to apply the paint. If there is a ton of interest I could probably take some pictures tonight.

 

good to know, happened to me too

 

I'm very interested in it man...I just got a huge honking chunk taken out of my car...right behind the rear driver's side window...like a flying projectile boulder. I'm ____ed. I'll need to take pictures and see if anyone else has some ideas...

Thanks in advance!