How to fill in a paint chip 101

[Chewy]

Copied and pasted. Look for my additions at bottom!

1. Get your #2 artist brush or round toothpicks, some 1500 or 2000 grit sandpaper, rubbing alcohol or a mild solution of Simple Green and small sanding block. We use wooden BBQ skewers instead of toothpicks because they are easier to handle and because they are longer and easier to dip inside the touch-up paint bottle.

A toothpick makes a good applier of touch-up paint, but we like a wooden BBQ skewer for better control

2. Clean the area around the chip with the alcohol or Simple Green (rinse if you used Simple Green).

3. Remove any rust in the chip with a pencil eraser

4. Clean the area again with the alcohol or Simple Green and rinse.

5. Shake the touch-up paint for a least a minute to be sure the paint is mixed well.

6. Dip the tip of the toothpick into the paint. Don’t get a big blob, just a little paint will do.

7. Don’t forget to check for a color match on an inconspicuous area of the car like the inside of the hood or trunk

8. Touch the tip of the toothpick to the center of the chip. The paint will run down and begin filling the chip. Let dry for an hour, then blow dry with a hair dryer for a half minute or so.

9. Repeat the previous step until the chip is filled just above the surface.

10.When the final application of paint is completely dry, sand the area with the wet sanding block (dipped in a bucket of water) in one direction only, no circles, until flat. Do not sand too much or you will sand off the clear-coat! Sand a little, wipe off and check several times. NOTE: Do not do this step unless you are experienced or are willing to spend a few hours sanding, buffing and polishing until the surface is restored to its normal shine.

11. Run your finger over the chip. If you can feel a bump it still needs work. TAKE IT SLOW!

12. Use your scratch remover or cleaner/wax to bring back the shine (This step may take several applications). After that, go to the wax step discussed later in this book.

TIP1: Store touch up paint upside down to keep the paint from drying out.

On a base coat clear coat system like our G8's I would use one layer of base and let fully cure for several hours (overnight is best) then put a clear top coat on it let cure fully too and then follow the above instructions from 10 down.

[SRG963]

"NOTE: Do not do this step unless you are experienced or are willing to spend a few hours sanding, buffing and polishing until the surface is restored to its normal shine."

I remember now...your step #10 is why I have never properly fix a chip http://forum.grrrr8.net/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

The paint touch up pen works great BTW. Had a pipe fall over in the garage and left a foot long scratch.....cant even tell in the latest round of pictures I took.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm227/srg963/P8090072.jpg

[Chewy]

It's not really that bad IMO.

Just take your time. Goal is to NOT build the paint up too much.

[Night Owl]

I have used a product for years called Langka. Apply the factory touch up paint and let dry. Then use the Langka product to remove the "blob" of paint.

http://www.autogeek.net/langka-paint-chip-repair-kit.html

[gearhead455]

Where can I get some "Panther Black Metallic" touch up paint?

[Chewy]

Where can I get some "Panther Black Metallic" touch up paint?

Dealer! I ordered mine and it took about 1 week. They call it Phantom black too. Just grab your VIN and you're all good.

Phantom is the Holden color name.

Chris

[gearhead455]

Thanks. :)

[kyllekkc]

im gonna try this, my dog jumped up on the car and put narly scratches on the g8

[gearhead455]

im gonna try this, my dog jumped up on the car and put narly scratches on the g8

I would put the dog in the "SHU" for 90 days. :devil:

[MGMG8GT]

I can attest to Langka. I've used it for a while now and on multiple vehicles -- even looked good on a black car.

[ChicagoG8GT]

I have some nice scratches (paint came off) to the right of my right fog light. Other than the deep scratches (touch up pen on order) I have some scuffs that wouldnt come off just by washing good. What can I use to remove the scuffs? I remember when a taxi rubbed my GP and had the same issue, I took it into a shop and some guy rubbed some sort of liquid stuff on a towel and rubbed alot of it out. Some sort of compound rub or something (have no clue). Any suggestions?

[Seattle09GT]

How not fill a paint chip.

So I'm doing it by the book (great write above by the way) when I knelt down to get the bead of paint on the end of my bamboo skewer I felt a pain my leg. Then more pain. Then a whole lot of pain, and then a big glob of paint dripped all over the hood. Then I was break dancing like Michael Jackson feeling more pain and something moving. Finally shaked out a yellow jacket or other stingy nasty that had crawled up my pant leg and stung me on my thigh, over and over again. By the time we dealt with the allergic reaction crisis the blob of paint had of course cured into a hardened disaster in the sun.

So any suggestions on grinding it down without destroying my hood appreciated.

[Chewy]

Oh man... I'm not sure... This paint on the G8 bit me in the ass trying to fill in a chip and cost me 475 bucks. There is ONE coat of clear on the car and the coats of base and primer are VERY thin as well.

BEWARE of this issue as it will cost you.

Chris

[-Ray-]

I have some nice scratches (paint came off) to the right of my right fog light. Other than the deep scratches (touch up pen on order) I have some scuffs that wouldnt come off just by washing good. What can I use to remove the scuffs? I remember when a taxi rubbed my GP and had the same issue, I took it into a shop and some guy rubbed some sort of liquid stuff on a towel and rubbed alot of it out. Some sort of compound rub or something (have no clue). Any suggestions?

I can't believe this was never answered. Mother's makes a great scratch remover. I still have stock, so it's not an Adam's product which is becoming popular on this forum.

[-Ray-]

How not fill a paint chip.

So I'm doing it by the book (great write above by the way) when I knelt down to get the bead of paint on the end of my bamboo skewer I felt a pain my leg. Then more pain. Then a whole lot of pain, and then a big glob of paint dripped all over the hood. Then I was break dancing like Michael Jackson feeling more pain and something moving. Finally shaked out a yellow jacket or other stingy nasty that had crawled up my pant leg and stung me on my thigh, over and over again. By the time we dealt with the allergic reaction crisis the blob of paint had of course cured into a hardened disaster in the sun.

So any suggestions on grinding it down without destroying my hood appreciated.

One method would be to glue some sand paper to a rubber eraser. Gently color sand it. 1500 grit or higher. Depending on your eye sight, (i would use a magnifying glass), check frequently that you are not hitting the surrounding area. This requires water, and a towel to dry it to check your progress.
Easy Does It.

[Seattle09GT]

One method would be to glue some sand paper to a rubber eraser. Gently color sand it. 1500 grit or higher. Depending on your eye sight, (i would use a magnifying glass), check frequently that you are not hitting the surrounding area. This requires water, and a towel to dry it to check your progress.
Easy Does It.

Thanks! Genius idea.

[majesticix]

Oh man... I'm not sure... This paint on the G8 bit me in the ass trying to fill in a chip and cost me 475 bucks. There is ONE coat of clear on the car and the coats of base and primer are VERY thin as well.

BEWARE of this issue as it will cost you.

Chris


I'm going to attempt to fix a few chips with a paint pen (base coat + separate clear coat paint pen). I've got some 1000+ fine sandpaper. Am I good to wet sand with this gently on our paint? Just don't want to make it worse. What did you do to your paint to screw this up? Just don't want a repeat :)

[-Ray-]

I would go a little higher on the sand paper. 1200 or higher. 1000 will leave to many scratches to polish out. IMHO

[majesticix]

Ok...I know I've got 1500...might even have some higher. I'm going to give it a shot once my base and clear coat come in. I'll post results.

[vert]

I was thinking about going this route, but I was curious if anyone has tried it.
http://drcolorchip.com/

[majesticix]

I've read mixed reviews about it. I've found for the best results, touch up paint, patience, some skill, and a bit of luck do the trick. That, or some $$$ to pay a professional to do it.

I'll let you know how I fair out.

[Seattle09GT]

Well, my G8 got shelled by a gravel truck a few weeks back. I got the license plate and trucking company name due to the illegal secured load. Contacted the state police and my insurance company, driver cited, my insurance company claiming against them. My poor G8 has close to $3,000 damage and needs a front head light assembly replaced, chips in the windshield filled, and paint from from the ROOF (yes, the freakin' roof) and front doors forward. But at least the original chip I got when I first bought the car and messed up trying to repair will get fixed.

For the record, serious rock chips are covered under comprehensive, not collision. But the work will still show up on a Carfax report - ARGH!

[majesticix]

ouch...glad it's getting fixed though.

[GXPaycheck]

Adams forums has a great video on color sanding. Might be worth it to watch before starting!

[majesticix]

Happen to have a link?

[Sycosis]

Thanks for these detailed instructions. I am also guilty of not trying this because of #10!

[GXPaycheck]

Happen to have a link?

Click on the Adam's Polishes link in the vendor area on the left. head for the forums!

[majesticix]

Just thought I'd bring this one back to life as the weather starts getting nice out and I can see what our lovely winter has done to my bumper this year. Lots of spots to fix. Just so people know, I was able to successfully fix a very deep chip on my drivers side door sill following most of the instructions from the OP. It actually turned out real well and the deep chip is completely gone and looks good as new. It did require some machine polishing with my Porter Cable, but that is mainly due to the piss poor clear coat paint pen which screwed up my basecoat. Required some heavy sanding to repair and redo since it not only removed some of my basecoat, but dripped down the panel.

So, if you plan to clear coat this, use a spray can. Works perfect. I'm going to try and put together a video this spring when things warm up. It's not difficult, just time consuming (surface prep, waiting for paint to dry, appling multiple coats). It actually took about 7 or 8 coats of paint to fill in my chip with a paint pen (which worked great for the basecoat).

Also, I advise going with 1500 and 2000 grit sandpaper as OP indicated. 1500 to sand down basecoat, then use 2000 or higher for clear coat finish sanding before moving on to rubbing compound and polish. This gave me a great surface without damaging my original paint. I did require some 1000 grit sand paper to sand down the screwed up clear coat paint pen, but assuming you use a spray can, you should be good.

[Remikinz]

subscribing since I picked up a lovely chip on my hood over the weekend grrr

[majesticix]

My suggestion for that would be to fill the paint chip in and see how it looks. Sanding the hood could pose some problems since it the most least forgiving area on the car as far as reflection of light. You can get away with a lot on a bumper or door panel vs the hood which will show any mistake or imperfection clear as day. At least with some paint in the chip, you won't see the color difference. A paint pen from Automotivetouchup.com will take care of this real quick (or you could have your dealer mix up some paint and use a toothpick). I noticed that a lot of my chips were filled in with the paint pen and really didn't require anything further from a visual standpoint. From a few feet away you couldn't even see the chips anymore. Only when you put your face right up to it.

[brewski6.0l]

Stickey, I follow most of your steps,however if it is a bad ,like you can get on the valance. I contain the area as close to the damage with good masking tape and build up with coats until level,don,t to scuff up between coats,works for me. brewski6.0l....

[Tripower]

Can you post pics of the repair? The first week I owned the car some crap kicked up on the freeway and left a nice 1/8" chip down to the black on the urethane rocker panel on the driver's side. Of course it's right in the center under the driver's door so I can look at it everytime I open the door! I've been reluctant to try to patch it as it's urethane and down to the black part color. Thanks.

[majesticix]

I had that exact same spot on my car. I'll try and snap a pic, but you won't tell where I fixed it. Hell I'd have trouble trying to point it out.

[UGotSmkd]

Any ideas for those of us that do not want to use sandpaper?

[tempo8]

Wet sanding it really makes it a night and day difference. I had about 3 tiny chips from road debris and it looked about 70% stock by touching it up but after wet sanding it looks like nothing ever happened.

[goldz28]

Using sandpaper makes me nervous

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