Repairing Door Edge

Matt92

Matt92

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I bought a used 2019 Ram and noticed after the fact that it had a paint chip right on the door edge. It's about an inch long and is definitely down to the bare metal. I've seen all kinds of techniques online from using bondo to simply applying Dr. ColorChip on top.

I think I'm leaning towards the simpler touch-up paint option in lieu of the longer option: filler, sand, paint, blend, polish. Just curious what your guys' thoughts were and if anyone else has had success with a similar paint issue.

Thanks in advance for any help!

View attachment 72110
 
Matt92 said:
I bought a used 2019 Ram and noticed after the fact that it had a paint chip right on the door edge. It's about an inch long and is definitely down to the bare metal. I've seen all kinds of techniques online from using bondo to simply applying Dr. ColorChip on top.

I think I'm leaning towards the simpler touch-up paint option in lieu of the longer option: filler, sand, paint, blend, polish. Just curious what your guys' thoughts were and if anyone else has had success with a similar paint issue.

Thanks in advance for any help!

View attachment 72110
Click to expand...

Get some door protectors, slip it on, done. It'll protect the door edge from future damage.
 
It's on the leading edge (door hinge side), not the trailing edge. Also, I'm not a fan of door protectors. I'd rather have a clean/factory painted look.
 
Touch up paint applied with a small brush within the chip
 
John U said:
Touch up paint applied with a small brush within the chip
Click to expand...
Yeah. I've just used factory touch up paint (paint pens from Mazda, in my case). Dr Colorchip doesn't work as well on edges since you have to go over it with their SealAct solution. When you wipe over it on an edge, it pulls too much of the paint off.
 
John U said:
Touch up paint applied with a small brush within the chip
Click to expand...


Chips on edges, like the one shown, are the easiest of any chip to touch-up.

Whatever you do, DO NOT try to fill the chip with bondo or any other filler. If you fill the chip with anything other than paint, then how could you ever expect to level the touch-up paint? You can't.

Another rule-of-thumb when doing this type of repair is to keep the repair area as small as possible. For the chip depicted, the finished repair should be exactly the size of the chip you see now before repair. There is no reason or benefit for the final repair to exceed the existing margins of the chip.

Your expectations are the determining factor on what process you should do. It could be as simple as the quote above or as complex as described in this following link...

Discerning Paint Chip Touch-Up; Not for Everyone or Every Chip
 
Just a little food for thoughts....

They do make vinyl that would match your factory paint. If done right, it can double as a edge protector. I done this once before to a scraped front spoiler lip. It was hard to see the difference between the paint and the wrapped lip once it was done. The paint on the vehicle was the non metallic variety. I am simply not sure how close it would match for metallic paint.
 
2black1s said:
Chips on edges, like the one shown, are the easiest of any chip to touch-up.

Whatever you do, DO NOT try to fill the chip with bondo or any other filler. If you fill the chip with anything other than paint, then how could you ever expect to level the touch-up paint? You can't.

Another rule-of-thumb when doing this type of repair is to keep the repair area as small as possible. For the chip depicted, the finished repair should be exactly the size of the chip you see now before repair. There is no reason or benefit for the final repair to exceed the existing margins of the chip.

Your expectations are the determining factor on what process you should do. It could be as simple as the quote above or as complex as described in this following link...

Discerning Paint Chip Touch-Up; Not for Everyone or Every Chip
Click to expand...

Appreciate your input and the link to that thread. I've read elsewhere that applying clear coat to a repaired paint chip can actually highlight the damaged area more. I've read a lot of posts saying that the clear coat often is shinier than the rest of the factory applied clear... making the repaired area stand out more. For that reason, I thought Dr. Color Chip might work best and I would be careful with the SealAct solution (I've used it before and it's a fine line between removing too little or too much paint).

What are your thoughts on clear coating on top vs. leaving it bare? Just curious.
 
Matt92 said:
Appreciate your input and the link to that thread. I've read elsewhere that applying clear coat to a repaired paint chip can actually highlight the damaged area more. I've read a lot of posts saying that the clear coat often is shinier than the rest of the factory applied clear... making the repaired area stand out more. For that reason, I thought Dr. Color Chip might work best and I would be careful with the SealAct solution (I've used it before and it's a fine line between removing too little or too much paint).

What are your thoughts on clear coating on top vs. leaving it bare? Just curious.
Click to expand...

My thoughts are like I described in the linked thread... It is absolutely the best repair method I have ever found.

As for the clear "highlighting" the repair, that is not true as long as the process is done correctly. I have never experienced such.

That said, like the title of the linked thread states... "... Not for Everyone or Every Chip", it may be overkill for your situation.

Touching up your chip with any single stage color process could very well provide an acceptable result.

Like I also said earlier, chips on edges are about the easiest of any chips to touch-up. Being on an edge helps to conceal the repair so it will not stand out like a chip in the middle of a flat panel.

As for the Dr. Color Chip, I have never used it so I can't comment. I've always used paint mixed by an automotive paint supplier or body shop.
 
I saw a video where larry from AmmoNYC used a syringe to apply the touch up. Came out solid


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