CLAY BAR / TOUCH UP

[N3OO]

2005 Toyota Camry dark blue Indigo color.....worst paint/ clearcoat I've ever seen on a car. The hood looks like some one fired a shotgun at it....stone chips everywhere on the hood.
SOOooo gonna touch it up with the little touch up bottle.....BUT should I clay bar first then touch up.....or touch up first then clay bar. Then wax of course.
Thanks for info.....BOB

 

[duaneb9729]

personally i would use the clay bar first, clean off all the junk first then paint.

but you should know we are going to need before and after pictures!!

 

[bretfraz]

I suppose you could, to remove all the surface contaminants before touching up the paint. Shouldn't take more than 5 minutes to do.

The more important step will be the pre-paint prep and the the post-paint polishing. Good luck, hope it all goes well for you.

 

[02zx9r]

From Bret in one of our earlier messages

"With rock chips, they should be touched up with paint first, then sanded back and buffed out. Got to prevent rust from starting in the chipped spot first. You build up the paint on the chip, sand it flat then polish it out. Done right no one can tell the difference."

I want to do this with my g/f's explorer but:
1) there are A LOT of those on her hood as well
2)I never really have wet sanded before (but from what I have read, anyone can wet sand with the proper tools and techniques, it is getting the scratches that YOU put in out.)

Someone pointed out to me, might have been Bret, that you should fill them in with paint and let it cure for a good two weeks at least to make sure the paint is rock hard, otherwise when you buff (with a machine i am assuming) you can suck the paint right back out.

Please correct anything if I am not right or a little off.

 

[RTexasF]

If there are that many you may want to look into dr colorchip (google it).

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: RTexasF
If there are that many you may want to look into dr colorchip (google it).


EXACTLY! I have checked this out and was thinking about using it. Maybe the OP will try it and report out to us all!

 

[N3OO]

Well the Dr Colorchip looks pretty promising , but I don't trust myself...I don't want to make it look worse than what it is lol.
If it was just the paint...well its got the clear coat too....how could I restore the glossy clear coat even if I got the paint to match.
Guess I'll wait till the weather to warm up.....clay bar....clean the chips with alcohol ....touch up carefully with the bottle of matching color , wait a few weeks the 3m hand glaze , then wax.
If it doesn't meet my standards ( lol) guess I'll have to take it to a good body shop , let them sand down the hood , repaint and clear coat it....and hope it matches the factory gloss.
What makes it even worse , my garage has fluorescent lighting in it making the paint/chips look worse than what it is.
Probably the average "Joe" wouldn't bother with it or be concerned with lil paint chips....but I like to keep my cars looking new as long as I can.
If I had a Corvette , Supra or Rolls Royce I'd really be pi$$ed! Bob

 

[Dyoel182]

Dr. Colorchip is the absolute way to go. Forget the little brush applicators or pen style tips and give it a try.

 

[N3OO]

Originally Posted By: Dyoel182
Dr. Colorchip is the absolute way to go. Forget the little brush applicators or pen style tips and give it a try.


SOOOOOooooo u have used the Dr. Colorchip system huh?
Tell use more !!!!????!!!!

 

[SatinSilver]

Below is a link with a discussion on the product with some tips. A rep from the company also chimed in as well.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=933700