How to fix paint chips

bobbaker4

bobbaker4

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I am a chilkd of the 50's and have always loved the look of a well cared for vehicle. I finally took a class in auto detailing and love it. That said, I am not sure where detailing ends and body work begins. We have all had those niggling paint chips on the noses of our vehicles from small rocks that get kicked up in traffic. My question is how to best fix them. How do you prepare the site for paint touch-up? Do you treat the chip pit like a deep scratch and go thru the wet-sandling-to-wool process? How do you mix the paint to match? After applying the paint, is there a technique to smooth-off the fresh paint surface before applying clearcoat? And finally, should you touch the hardened clearcoat with light wool before finishing with polish and wax? Maybe I am over-thinking this kind of repair but want to avoid a result that looks like my car has measles. I would appreciate any advise and/or links to web sites that may describe the process in detail Happy Holidays!
 
Thanks, Glenn. Does anyone in the forum have experience with this or any other paint chip repair kit?
 
I haven't used it but have talked to some guys who have; they said the marketing demo video makes it look much easier than it actually is to use.
 
I've used the Dr. Colorchip on a dark blue metallic car.

First off, paint color match for me was excellent.

I watched a couple videos (not only their marketing ones, but user reviews and show-and-tells on Youtube) and read the instructions before I tried it. Found it to work pretty much just like the videos and instructions indicated - it was quite easy.

That said, a few tips:
- when you "smudge" the paint with your finger, try and do it so the paint in the chip is left slightly higher than the surrounding area
- when using the solution (forget what they call the stuff)to remove the excess paint, wrap your cloth around a soft pink eraser or flat plastic card (like a credit card), and use gentle pressure. Let the solution do the work, not the cloth. Doing it this way gets you as close to a level finish as you can.
- Two to four applications (with enough time to cure in between) might be necessary to get the chip level with the surrounding surface.

It really is easy to cover chips or road rash, and the painted spots blend in quite well. It's harder to get the repair to be level with the surrounding surface.

Overall, much much easier than using touch-up and wetsanding, and much safer. That said, I haven't yet gotten a completely invisible repair the way you can with good touch-up paint, wetsanding, and buffing. But then, you aren't risking sanding through your clearcoat, either.

I recommend the kit, most definitely.
 
bobbaker4 said:
I finally took a class in auto detailing and love it. That said, I am not sure where detailing ends and body work begins.

Do you treat the chip pit like a deep scratch and go thru the wet-sandling-to-wool process? How do you mix the paint to match? After applying the paint, is there a technique to smooth-off the fresh paint surface before applying clearcoat? And finally, should you touch the hardened clearcoat with light wool before finishing with polish and wax?
Click to expand...

You took a class. Does this mean only one class total; or, a series of classroom sessions that totals to one course? Was this class taught off-site (matriculate), or home-based?

If you weren't formally introduced to any type of paint chip repair in your detail "class", then either the instructors or the teaching materials were lacking.

I suggest, if you're really serious about learning/educating yourself in the profession of detailing, find a school that has paint chip repair, as well as a host of other: "How to Detail" subject matter, included in their curriculum.

That approach is one method that may afford you the opportunities to learn the techniques of, for example, paint chip repair....A type of "body work".

Other ways are:
-T.& E.: (Trial & Error...Use of self-taught 'kits')
-P.I.N.T. : (Pi$$in' In The Wind)
-S.M.A.R.T.: (I wonder if this is what it's all about.... HMMMM.)
 
Thanks all for the feedback. FYI, the "class" I had was at a local community college and involved an evening a week for 8 weeks. The instructor was very thorough on detailing techniques but fixing paint chips was beyond the scope of the course. Unless he offers an advanced detailing course, I will find a "body work 101" course somewhere. In the meanwhile, it sounds like the DR Colorchip system is a good place to start.
 
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