Touch-up Paint?

[oldcoach]

I was looking to do a little touch-up on my PT, but the wife did a little customizing that left a big deep scratch on one door. So I called the local Lexus dealer at the auto mall we have where to find out how they use for touch-up work. They gave me the name and number to a real good touch-up man that did a wonderful job on my PT Woodie, you can not see where the scratches where at all. He performed his magic at the Dodge dealer in the mall so the cost was great and the work is outstanding. If you live in SW Ohio I can pass along his info to you.

[Dirk_Gently]

I grew up in cincinnati and am still close enough to visit fairly often. Always need to know where a good paint man is!

[bnbpt]

1lowufo, were you able to get some solar yellow? There are 2 shades for SY.
I assume you've tried the dealership. Got mine from them. Give them your vin # as it determines the solar yellow on your car. I have about 8-10 piss cans of SY (various stages of full) along with SY touch-up with a brush.

Make them check for stock level in your region........ not available then make them put in an order to a regon that has some. Stock levels definitely vary.
I live in Mo. and made them get my last 2 cans from Ks.

Good luck!

My ride is a 04 Rumble Bee so I've had a lot of use for SY. I like to "play" with rides!! That involves paint too, obviously!

[Candyman]

Hey Guys,

Ok, this is one of those "Candyman trying to bite his tongue" kind of things that used to seem come up all the time when I had my shop, and I have literally seen hundreds of DIY paint repair gone wrong projects, so I am always trying to talk people out of doing it themselves as much as I can. The reasons for this are, your paint is not the same color as when it was new. It has oxidized, faded, lost paint nutrients, etc, and any touch up paint you buy is not going to be off in color, and unless you have some good practice at using an air brush, being familiar with blending, prep, working with acrylic enamel, Clear, color sanding, and cutting, and finishing, it is hard to get excellent results, and in many circumstances, I have seen the final outcome worse than before they started! The best, and easiest way to do this repair is by doing the following procedure!

Most Automotive Dealerships, and large Body Shops across the country often outsource their rock chip, and door ding problems to an outside service on not only their their used cars before re-sale, but also for lot damage on new cars as they get moved around the lot, during transport to the Dealership, or by someone occasionally opening a door into another new vehicle on the lot.

If you look in the phone book under automotive paint and body, their should be a listing for someone who does paint less dent repair, or "PDR". This service utilizes body hammers, and mirrors to finesse the outer edge of a small ding back into shape without needing paint. The end result is no more ding, and little to no visible evidence of repair. If you don't find a listing, swing by the local body shop and ask if they can refer you to a service. These services are usually mobile, and charge between $100 - $150 to remove all of the small dings on the entire vehicle in one shot.

Many paint less dent repair services also perform air brushing for rock chips, and nicks in the paint. If they don't, again ask the nearest dealership, or body shop to direct you to someone who does air brush repairs on rock chips. The cost of this service will usually run between $150 - $250, again for all of the nicks on the entire vehicle. They are usually a portable service that comes out to your location with a van which is equipped with air, and paint mixing equipment so they can match your paint exactly. They are properly equipped, and skilled at cleaning up any chips, nicks, or deep scratches to as good as new, again with no visible evidence of any damage, even upon close up inspection, no matter if you have a standard base/clear, metallic, pearlecent, or custom paint finish. Due to the extremely high cost of environmentally safe paints, both Dealerships, and body shops alike, use these services all the time, and it is by far the best way to make small repairs, rather than buying a $400+ pint of paint to re-shoot an entire panal if it can be avoided!

I will try to add a step by step post on how to do minor chip repair using a Lanka, or OEM paint repair product to achieve moderate results in the next few days for everyone to reference.

To avoid any future damage, I would recommend a Clear Bra which is basically a film material that goes directly over the paint, and acts as a protective barrier against damage. Removable Bra's are a good alternative, but if they are not installed very snug, they can vibrate at freeway speeds, which can also result in damage caused by ribbing. They also must be removed in any kind of moisture such as rain, snow, when washing, etc, or they may cause damage to the paint.

And one of the least expensive ways to try to keep paint chips to a minimum is to keep your paint waxed, and apply a good hard shell Paint Sealant. The Sealant also acts like a slick barrier of protection between the rock, and your paint, and can help protect against damage.

Last, but not least, once your paint is repaired, the best way to avoid rock chip damage is to try to avoid driving too close to trucks "Especially Graval, or Dump Trucks", pickups, or other related types of vehicles with off road tires which are great for flinging rocks!

That's my take on the subject anyway.

Take it easy!

Candyman

[soonercruiser]

Agree with Candyman, if you have hefty repair job. I saw one group of guys doing this at the dealership locally last year. I took their business card......and then lost it!
You can usually ask your dealer/body shop who they have come buy to do their small jobs.

[Teekypt]

Originally Posted by soonercruiser

automotivetouchup.com
All you need is the paint code - all types of size cans & pens available.

Yup! This is where I ordered my touchup paint from. THey have clear coats too.