Touchup paint question.

[Dan Harrison]

My black car has gotten a few small paint chips. I am picking up some touchup paint this afternoon to repair. My question is, do I need to
wash, clay,and clean the paint before I apply. The car has not left the garrage for a month and is very clean.
Also, do I treat touchup the same as a whole new paint job?

This may be a no brainer to most but the paint is less than seven months old and I want it to stay perfect.

Thanks, Dan Harrison

[akimel]

Re: Touchup paint question.

Here are some threads where touch-up paint repair has been discussed:

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24536

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19357

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18836

[SHYNEMAN123]

Re: Touchup paint question.

For T/U on a black vehicle I recommend single stage. not base clear. Black is pretty easy to get in lacquer T/U.

Clean out inside of chip before T/U, lightly sand around chip with 3000 unigrit T/U chip in layers not all at once fill just above level, let dry,wet sand chip area with 3000 unigrit and buff with your favorite. # 83,#86, #2 or 105 by hand or D/A. you should be very happy with results. post pics.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Touchup paint question.

Clean out inside of chip before T/U, lightly sand around chip with 3000 unigrit T/U chip in layers not all at once fill just above level,

let dry,

This is key before you try to do any sanding and buffing, you want the touch-up paint to be completely dry and hard. It's actually possible to pull touch-up paint out of the rock chip when it's not completely hard and dry because it will be kind of rubbery.

wet sand chip area with 3000 unigrit
buff with your favorite. #83,#86, #2 or 105 by hand or D/A.

There's a huge difference between,

Doing the above

and

Doing the above and having it look good when your done.


Most people would define, "Look Good" as meaning the rock chip you apply touch-up paint to will no longer be visible when you're done, as in the touch-up paint will blend in perfectly and the panel will have an uniform, even look to it, as though you were back to how the car looked before the chip. But that's not the reality of it.

If rock chip repair were easy to do and make look good you would find more detailers offering it as a service but you don't and that's because it's hard to do and make look good and it's also usually really hard to meet most customer's expectations because most people don't know it's hard to do and make look good.

Make sense?

I didn't click on the links that Al aka akimel shared, but he's pretty forum savvy so before typing more to this thread, have a read through those links because this topic has come up and been answered as to "what to do" multiple times.

[SHYNEMAN123]

Re: Touchup paint question.

This is key before you try to do any sanding and buffing, you want the touch-up paint to be completely dry and hard. It's actually possible to pull touch-up paint out of the rock chip when it's not completely hard and dry because it will be kind of rubbery.




There's a huge difference between,

Doing the above

and

Doing the above and having it look good when your done.


Most people would define, "Look Good" as meaning the rock chip you apply touch-up paint to will no longer be visible when you're done, as in the touch-up paint will blend in perfectly and the panel will have an uniform, even look to it, as though you were back to how the car looked before the chip. But that's not the reality of it.

If rock chip repair were easy to do and make look good you would find more detailers offering it as a service but you don't and that's because it's hard to do and make look good and it's also usually really hard to meet most customer's expectations because most people don't know it's hard to do and make look good.

Make sense?

I didn't click on the links that Al aka akimel shared, but he's pretty forum savvy so before typing more to this thread, have a read through those links because this topic has come up and been answered as to "what to do" multiple times.

I believe the vehicle is black and yes on other color vehicles, it is a bigger challenge. my reply was for his Black Vehicle which IMHO and past experience has worked very well for me.

[Dan Harrison]

Re: Touchup paint question.

Thank you guys for the quick response's. I did read through each of the link's and learned much.
I will post before and after pictures, unless I totally mess it up........

Thanks again, Dan

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Touchup paint question.

I believe the vehicle is black and yes on other color vehicles, it is a bigger challenge. my reply was for his Black Vehicle which IMHO and past experience has worked very well for me.

I agree.

Black is probably the easiest to touch-up and make look good...

The thing about fixing rock chips with touch-up paint is a person can make it as complicated as they want to, but in a lot of cases, more and more work, or more and more complications, won't result in better and better results.

I did some very complicated touch-up paint on a 1960 Austin Healey 3000 Factory Race car about 20 years ago, it was raced in the 1960 Sebring (I believe). It was British Racing Green with white circles on the hood and doors with black numbers on the white circles. Actually stumbled across some pictures of it just recently. (35mm that will need to be scanned)

I did white, black and green touch-up paint. One week I cleaned the chipped areas, applied the appropriate colored touch-up paint colors and then left them alone for one week.

Came back and carefully sanded the touch-up painted areas flat and then carefully removed my sanding marks.

Then buffed out the entire car for presentation at an upcoming auction. I don't claim to be good at applying touch-up paint and making it look good, never have, never will. I got lucky on this particular car because I had the time to do the job right and it was single stage paint.

Again, applying touch-up paint is easy, making it look good in the way "Look Good" was defined up aways in this thread is a whole other aspect and a person can make it as complicated as they want to and in some cases have good luck in making the touched-up areas invisible to most eyes.

But it's usually not easy nor fast.