Go to touch up paint brand/kit?

[BigOleOgre]

Just rolled 3500 miles and already have a very nice rock chip. Does anyone have experience using a paint touch up kit that they would recommend?

Obviously after this im going to be getting a deflector, too many long highway trips. Thought I could put if off for a bit, sadly not.

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[Dry0atmeal]

I got a bottle from a local ford dealer...my detail shop told me to keep it in the freezer so it doesn't dry out...when you know you need it just take it out let it warm up...she also trimmed the brush so its a bit more precise...

 

[bigb]

I got a bottle from a local ford dealer...my detail shop told me to keep it in the freezer so it doesn't dry out...when you know you need it just take it out let it warm up...she also trimmed the brush so its a bit more precise...

I find that a paper match works better than any brush and easier to control as you can rest your hand on the surface to steady it as you dab the match into the chip. The end of the match that tears out of the book of course, not the striking end, that's the part you hold.

 

[BigOleOgre]

I got a bottle from a local ford dealer...my detail shop told me to keep it in the freezer so it doesn't dry out...when you know you need it just take it out let it warm up...she also trimmed the brush so its a bit more precise...

I find that a paper match works better than any brush and easier to control as you can rest your hand on the surface to steady it as you dab the match into the chip. The end of the match that tears out of the book of course, not the striking end, that's the part you hold.

Thank you. Do you all apply the paint, sand, clearcoat, buff? Or what is the process you use for these small rock chips.

 

[bigb]

Thank you. Do you all apply the paint, sand, clearcoat, buff? Or what is the process you use for these small rock chips.

I've done just a rough touch up on some cars but on something new like yours I'd probably go with color/clear and some very fine wet sanding, then wax or ceramic after several months of cure.

There are touch up kits that supply both the color and the clear, pay attention to the instructions as clear is usually something that goes on as soon as the color flashes. If you plan to keep your vehicle waxed or otherwise protected you may not need to bother with clear on small touch ups.

3M makes some very find pads for final sanding, up to 5,000 grit to make your sanding scratches disappear, then of course there is compounding/buffing.

If you can, try practicing on an older vehicle first, or in an inconspicuous place. For a chip it will need to be built up higher than the surrounding area if you want to sand it. Watch You Tubes.

I've got a bunch of stuff ready to do some chips on my Jeep but I've been putting it off. Some of them are rusted but I plan to clean them up with a tiny Dremel tip.

I've done some amateur auto body and paint and probably painted close to 20 vehicles but painting whole panels or whole vehicles is easier than trying to make a chip disappear, at least for me.

Funny thing, most of the vehicles I've painted were Ford Rangers. I used to buy them and fix them up and resell them.

 

[BigOleOgre]

I've done just a rough touch up on some cars but on something new like yours I'd probably go with color/clear and some very fine wet sanding, then wax or ceramic after several months of cure.

There are touch up kits that supply both the color and the clear, pay attention to the instructions as clear is usually something that goes on as soon as the color flashes. If you plan to keep your vehicle waxed or otherwise protected you may not need to bother with clear on small touch ups.

3M makes some very find pads for final sanding, up to 5,000 grit to make your sanding scratches disappear, then of course there is compounding/buffing.

If you can, try practicing on an older vehicle first, or in an inconspicuous place. For a chip it will need to be built up higher than the surrounding area if you want to sand it. Watch You Tubes.

I've got a bunch of stuff ready to do some chips on my Jeep but I've been putting it off. Some of them are rusted but I plan to clean them up with a tiny Dremel tip.

I've done some amateur auto body and paint and probably painted close to 20 vehicles but painting whole panels or whole vehicles is easier than trying to make a chip disappear, at least for me.

Funny thing, most of the vehicles I've painted were Ford Rangers. I used to buy them and fix them up and resell them.

Thank you, this is very helpful. Ive rebuilt engines but never touched bodywork/paint, so new adventure for me.

Yessir youre just doing your duty to keep them fuck fuckin rangers nice and pretty

 

[VehicleNanny]

I've had good luck with paint from AutomotiveTouchup.com. Their color matches excellent and you can get everything from the small bottles to spray cans. It takes a couple of weeks to receive your order as they mix to order.

I do not use the brush that comes with any touchup paint...they are just too big for small nicks. I like to use a small hobby brush (get from Walmart, Amazon, etc). Much better control.

 

[burbansk]

Just ordered the Ford touch up paint ( Hot Red Pepper ) for my wife's 2024 Ranger Lariat FX4 2.7L. Its the bottle that looks like a rocket ship. Need to touch up 2 small rock chips before winter hits here in Northern Michigan.

 

[bigb]

I'm watching this video. I'm might order some and practice on my TDI that I'm getting ready to sell. It looks a lot easier than sanding and buffing.


edit, well maybe, maybe not. I watched it to the end and although the chips came out pretty good they were still visible.

 

[bigb]

This one is short and to the point, and the original way. You can't even see it but then the paint is white too.

 

[bigb]

As promised I started practicing on my VW TDI which I am detailing in order to sell. Between yesterday and today I took care of about a dozen very small rock chips on the hood and a chip on a fender. The hood chips were all very small as in 1/8" or less and the fender damage was about 1/4". I decided not to try the product in the first video I posted because it just didn't look that great of an option, even in the video he didn't bother to show the final results which tells me they weren't that good.

I can tell you that a chip on a horizontal surface is a lot easier than on a vertical surface. After doing them, I now highly recommend getting a good kit that includes clear. You'll see why as I move on.


Be sure to clean the area first with wax and grease remover, then sand the chip with 2,000 grit so the edges are flat. If you don't do this, the edges will show thru, outlining your repair. You clean before sanding to prevent contaminants from getting sanded into your work. You also clean after each step. Compressed air and solvents are your friend.

On a flat surface like the hood you want to put the color in using very thin layers. A pair of magnifying glasses with a good headlamp helps immensely. It also helps to put a piece of blue tape down right next to your repair in case your brush or whatever you are using is loaded up too much, you can dab a little off on the tape before moving into your chip. Don't worry if the color is a little sloppy or if some gets on the surrounding area, that will get removed in the next step. (You can wipe it away with a finger to make for less sanding)

Once you have enough color in the chip to hide all the damage, and after it dries, lightly sand it, clean it again then apply your clear. The clear you want to fill in so it is slightly proud of the surface, this is so you can sand the clear flat without sanding your color out. This will make the repair disappear. When you have enough clear on (I waited 15 min between dabs) wait overnight. The next day, sand the clear flat starting with 2000 and finishing with 3000. Make sure to sand a little wider area with the 3000 to be sure you remove all the 2000 scratches. I used the Eagle Abrasives Tolecut kit which makes it very easy, and their abrasives are meant to be used dry which means you can watch your progress easily without constantly wiping the water away. Again, magnifiers and a headlamp help a lot. Keep compressed air and a rag with solvent handy to keep the little abrasive pad clean as it loads up. I will put a picture of the kit below.

When you are sanding, if you were able to fill the chip with color but not all the way to the top, you will be able to see and feel when you have sanded off enough clear to make the repair flat and invisible.

Next get out a DA polisher or if you don't have one you can get some 3" pads and a backing plate for your drill, but I recommend a DA because it helps prevent damage to your paint, especially if you are a rookie. I have a 3" DA and a 5-6" DA. Cheap Amazon ones will work fine but spend the money on good pads.

Use a compound like Meguiar's Ultimate Compound on an orange pad. The compound goes a long ways, no need to put on so much that it's slinging all over the place. Buff till you remove all the 3000 sanding scratches.

Next fit up a black pad and use a polishing compound like Meguiar's Ultimate Polish. Polish the area to get rid of any swirls left by the compound and the orange pad. Meguiar's products are compatible with all paints and waxes.

Now that the repair is finished, you can apply your wax or ceramic. It probably won't matter for small chip repairs but you may want to wait a week or so before waxing to let the paints cure.

I started on 2 door dings today and will post those up tomorrow. Meanwhile here's some pics.

First is 2 small rock chips on the hood. This is what it looks like when you haven't sanded enough. I laid a flashlight on the hood to make it easier to see the raised bumps, which will be highly visible if you don't keep sanding. The bumps are clear coat, the color is below.

Below is after the raised bumps were sanded completely flat and all that is left are 3000 grit sand scratches where the pencil is pointing. The repair has disappeared. The sanding was all in the clear coat which protected the color from being sanded out.

Below are all the rock chips I fixed, before I buffed out the 3000 marks. The tape helps keep track of where you are working especially as the chips begin to disappear.

Below is after compounding and polishing, the repairs are invisible. Keep in mind, with white it is easier to make repairs disappear. White also lasts longer in the sun and is cooler here in the desert which is why I always buy white cars.

 

[bigb]

In this post I will show the fender chip/scrape repair and the pics of the Eagle Abrasives kit. Trust me you want the kit, it makes the job a lot easier. For reference the little sanding blocks are about 1"x1.25" and the abrasives are adhesive backed. They also stick real good to your fingers which I found real handy today when I was working on 2 door dings on a raised crease. Details tomorrow on that.

 

[Arsenall11]

Dr. Color is quick and easy and works great!

 

[bigb]

Dr. Color is quick and easy and works great!

I'm still tempted to try it but does it repair chips completely, or are they still visible? I may order some for my Jeep and do a side by side comparison between that and the tried and true old fashioned way. I'd much rather do an invisible repair, if possible, than a "good enough" repair even if it takes a lot longer.

BTW someone in another video mentioned that Dr Color is nothing special that you can't do yourself with regular touch up paint and solvent, he just puts it on, waits for it to start setting up then wipes off the excess, which sometimes ends up being too much and has to be repeated. One advantage to doing your own is you could add a catalyst making your touch up paint as hard as factory paint.

 

[Arsenall11]

It works great, used it on my black Raptor and it was seamless, don’t be afraid of blobbing on the paint, once you use the reducer go slow and it looks great,

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