dbisc

Well it was bound to happen, driving this weekend a rock kicked up and blessed my Artic White C7 with a 1/8" "ZIT" on the nose of the car. Much like on a person, it was all I could see on the car!

It bothered me enough that I ran out and purchased an off the counter "Scratch Fix All-In One" product. Following the instructions, I now have a chip that is painted and clear coated. Problem is that the white color chip repair appears darker than the original Artic White.

What I now have is a tiny "zit" that is once again all I see!

QUESTION - #1. Is this something that can be corrected without having the whole panel repainted? Can just the "touched up chip" be removed and repainted?

#2 - Have others had similar experience with "Scratch and Fix All-In-One" Product?

DUB

HATE that this happened.
QUESTION 1: YES. chances are the paint you used was not catalyzed. So it should be able to be removed and attempted again....and again...and again
QUESTION 2: Explained below for you and others. Not SPECIFIC to the product you used....but that truly does not matter.

OK...Once again. The 'belief ' that when you get paint that has your paint code written on it...it will match exactly.

NOT the case normally. WHY??...you ask. Because I do not care about the manufacturer of the car. There is normally a high chance that the PRIME formula that was approved is mixed exactly each and every time they run a batch of cars painted that color. SO...you have what in the industry is a 'variant'.

So if the FIRST Corvette of that model year was painted Arctic white....and then the very last one was painted Arctic white. I would bet that the colors are not EXACTLY the same. AND...if GM used this Arctic white for other models which are painted throughout the country in other assembly plants.. There is NO WAY...that ALL of the Arctic white vehicles are EXACTLY the same color. NOT going to happen.

Now many people are color blind and do not even know it. And If you did use a bottle of touch-up paint with your code number and it matched.....consider yourself VERY LUCKY.

You are trying to 'butt-match' the color. This is really hard to do and those machines that 'read' the color and compile a formula....are used or a 'BLEND-ABLE MATCH'...which is entirely different.

You are aware that white is one of the hardest colors to match perfectly...don't you??? Whites are generally made up of white, black, yellow, blue, and red. In various ratios...which is why they are a MILLION different shades of white. Your color is not just a white pigment and that is it. Far from it. So...trying to get it perfect.....you are going to have a FUN time if all you are wanting to to is fill in the ZIT. Do-able...yes...taking a bit of time...OH YES!!! I have mixed paint for touch ups like you car where I use a tooth pick and add a super small amount of pigment needed to change the shade of the color I am mixing due to I am mixing such a small volume of paint.

OBVIOUSLY...its your Corvette...and I am not meaning to come across as an @ss....but I deal with this often and sometimes leaving it alone is best...until you get more 'zits'..and then do it.

And if you came into my shop....with this little teeny-tiny spot. I would hit you with a price to re-shoot the cover that would make you choke out loud.....and then in the same breath...I would tell you to touch it up an LIVE with it...unless you want to have paint on your bumper...which in turn can CHIP more than the ZIT you have now....due to added paint film thickness. And then I would walk around the car and look behind your tires and see how much road hash you have in your panels and ask if you want that fixed at the same time also. The reason I am writing this is because I have repaired issues much like this...ONLY for the owner to return after paying out a lot of money and then having a chip or glitch somewhere else on the car...and usually worse than the first small spot that HAD to be repaired.

NOT directed at anyone specific.
Repainting/blending/clearing a bumper cover CORRECTLY is NO picnic. The amount of prep work ...if done correctly and by someone who cares and has INTEGRITY can be quite expensive....especially if a person is looking for perfection. And if a person came into my shop and said to me(as many have done)..."All you have to do is shoot some paint on it". I would say to them: "Really!?....if it is EASY as you 'think' then why are you here...Go buy some paint and KNOCK yourself out and give it a try....or...Go find someone who will give you what YOU 'think' needs to be done to it.....and when it fails...and you come back.....the price is now tripled.".

DUB

dbisc

Thanks for taking the time to respond and provide some insight into to the issues associated with chip repair. As many on this forum will attest, perfection is a fleeting goal. Conceding to a more realistic standard may help most enjoy the ownership more and sleep better at night.

I will attempt to make the blemish less noticeable as the car has become another "hobby" and will surely take its place with computers, firearms and electronics - all of which require patience, detail and accuracy. I will be learning a lot here!

DUB

I hope that your attempts to make it look not or less noticeable go well.

DUB