How to use touch up paint without it looking rubbish!

[adam cupra 20vt]

I done mine yesterday, touched them up during the week then used 2000 wet and dry to flat it back then machine polished it.

Obviously you can still see where the nasty ones are but it looks 100% better.

You might want to use 2500 grade if you've never done it before although if your carefull 2000 is fine

 

[Aimez]

Cool, thanks glad a few others have tried gives me more confidence!
I'm gonna practice on the ones I covered on the inside of the door first or may use and old panel from work first if we have any in the skip at the mo forgot to look as it was raining. Will try the local DIY shop for fine wet and dry but halfords do not sell really fine paaper so may have to buy it online if not. I may not bother buying any cutting compound stuff as don't wanna spend any more at the mo, I have some T cut scratch remover so will use that I think see what it's like.
Think i can do this I am pretty good with small intricate jobs that most lose patience with so this could work for me!

 

[adam cupra 20vt]

You will need a compound to get the shine back after you have been over it with the paper, you might do it wih scratch remover, depends how coarse it is.

Its quite scary after you've sanded because it looks like you've done something silly but a quick compound soon brings it back to normal

 

[Aimez]

hmm yeh you are prob right typical I just had this idea after I spent money on more car cleaning stuff online lol!
Just noticed my dad's bought some dodgy looking 'Scratch remover' from JML, er basically like T cut and a cloth which I already have!
This will be scary anyway glad I am starting on the bits that won't matter much if I mess them up!

 

[nutter_engineer]

you can maybe try something like Langka or Dr colourchip. you touch up a scratch or chip using a colour coded paint (standard touch up paint with langka, dr colorchip provides a bottle), then use the supplied solution tp remove the excess paint. Do a google search for more info.

 

[Aimez]

I have already started using the touch up paint so not buying anymore but thanks anyway. Just bought some 2500 megs unigrit and sfx1. Will touch up some of the inconspicuous bit I covered at the weekend again and then will try this next weekend maybe.

 

[CupraR210.DJM]

if you can post pics afterwards i'd be really interested in seeing the results, i have a chip on my wing i need to tackle.

 

[Aimez]

I dropped my camera in a lake 5 mins after I took the above pics and every time I try to transfer pics form my phone to the p.c the crappy Samsung programme crashes. Will try and find my Dad's maybe. The link I posted above form detailing world had excellent pics thou.

 

[warren_cox]

Have some photos of my efforts on my camera, but no lead handy to get them off. Tried using touch up from Audi and every time I used the touch up paint even after 2 days drying it came straight out again (after sanding). I must have sanded a good percentage of the lacquer away as the scratches are 70% gone, and after W&D 3000 was rubbed on the back it looked terrible until I elbow greased it with scratch X.

Think I am going to surrender and fork out for it to be sorted properly as I don't seem to have the magic touch!

Best of luck getting yours sorted!

 

[S.E.C.T.]

Well I had a go with the cocktail stick touch up paint / then T-cut over the weekend on a tinyt stonechip and it does look marginally better.

I dont think I left the paint long enough to fully harden (24hrs) and a little bit came away so I think another round of paint / T-cut with 48hrs in between is required.

Dont think it will ever look perfect again tho!

 

[Aimez]

Well today I tried the little bits on the inside of my door, one bit the paint flakes away a bit but the other bit looked alot better. As you say never gonna be perfect would need a respray for that!
Will tackle the other bits I filled next weekend. May well end up re filling and trying again with some bits as you say can see that happening.
The car is screaming for a clean but after 2 hours of trying to take my rear wheels of today to fit spacers and giving up I was so hot and fed up It will be next weekend along with this job!

 

[Nath.]

OK Aimez, I have had a go at a stone chip on my Leon. I used the method as follows:-

Clean the area with meths (purple stuff) use a coctail stick in the chip soaked with meths to make sure the chip is clean and free from wax or polish.

Use a coctail stick to blob some touch up paint into the chip and over fill it with paint.

Leave it to dry for 24 hrs.

Polish if flat with Tcut or scratch remover (fine abrasive cream)

stand back and smile.

Here are some pics to show the results.

Before, all cleaned with meths.

Blob of paint in chip, I managed to get a little paint on the black plastic trim but it cleaned off with meths whilst it was still wet.

After a go with some scratch remover to make it flat.

It is there, honest

 

[Aimez]

Not bad at all! I did this at the weekend took ALOT of polishing with sfx1 but the sanding marks go and it feels smooth not amazing some chips come up better than otheres. Have gone over a few more and will continue next weekend. Not easy on a black metallic car some bits faded in grerat some not so good but it looks alot better than bright white chips that stand out a mile.

Really need to sort out the crappy Seat paint job on my rear bumper spoiler bit now as is showing the car up!
Anyone ever bought them spray gun things from halfords? I hate using cans it never comes out that well the can gets paint bits clooged on the nozzle.

 

[Nath.]

I don't understand the sandpaper idea. Seems to me that all you are doing by using the sandpaper is making more work for yourself with the SFX1.

Have a go using my method Aimez and report back.

 

[Aimez]

to sand down the blobs paint, scratch remover won't sand down proper paint. You have to overfill the chips as the paint shrinks when it dries. Just using scratch remover didn't work I did try and sfx1 is more abrasive than T-cut or the like it's like what is used on the car during paint correction.

 

[adam cupra 20vt]

Excatly right Amy, when you touch it up you should build the paint up so it sits proud of the original paint........let it dry then sand down with 2-2500 wet and dry until it matches the surface level of the original.....then compound the area to get the original shine back.

When you only use compound you take the original paint and the new paint down all at the same time so by the time you've cut the new back you are very likely to have cut through the original paint........hope that makes sense.

 

[lil3520]

OK Aimez, I have had a go at a stone chip on my Leon. I used the method as follows:-

Clean the area with meths (purple stuff) use a coctail stick in the chip soaked with meths to make sure the chip is clean and free from wax or polish.

Use a coctail stick to blob some touch up paint into the chip and over fill it with paint.

Leave it to dry for 24 hrs.

Polish if flat with Tcut or scratch remover (fine abrasive cream)

stand back and smile.

Here are some pics to show the results.

Before, all cleaned with meths.

Blob of paint in chip, I managed to get a little paint on the black plastic trim but it cleaned off with meths whilst it was still wet.

After a go with some scratch remover to make it flat.

It is there, honest

great work, must do mine. got 3. one on each wing and one on bonnet.

 

[s1l3nc3r]

Nice job on that...

Makes me want to get on and do mine...

Ive only got about 100 chips like that on my bonnet...

 

[Aimez]

Excatly right Amy, when you touch it up you should build the paint up so it sits proud of the original paint........let it dry then sand down with 2-2500 wet and dry until it matches the surface level of the original.....then compound the area to get the original shine back.

When you only use compound you take the original paint and the new paint down all at the same time so by the time you've cut the new back you are very likely to have cut through the original paint........hope that makes sense.

Yeh what he said! Yeh that is what the detailers do when they repair them, if I had a machine polisher it would be soooo much easier but will have to get one next year when the car is finished.

 

[cuprachris81]

i might try and fix some chips ive got to with some touch up paint, also thinking of usnig it on the brake callipers??