Touch Up Paint
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,322
Likes: 2
From: New York NY
Cruise-In VI Veteran
St. Jude Donor '05
Touch Up Paint
Hey guys,
My 2000 pewter coupe has about 3 light scratches on the surface of the front fascia (all thanks to the SOB that owned the car before me). You can't see them from a distance but it bothers my obsessive compulsive nature. I have tried buffing out the scratches to no avail. I have seen GM factory matched touch up paint advertised....is this a good way to go or am I just asking for trouble. Any ideas on how to fix/cover up the scratches at a reasonable cost? Thanks
Brian
My 2000 pewter coupe has about 3 light scratches on the surface of the front fascia (all thanks to the SOB that owned the car before me). You can't see them from a distance but it bothers my obsessive compulsive nature. I have tried buffing out the scratches to no avail. I have seen GM factory matched touch up paint advertised....is this a good way to go or am I just asking for trouble. Any ideas on how to fix/cover up the scratches at a reasonable cost? Thanks
Brian
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,026
Likes: 178
From: Jacksonville, NC
Hey,
I am far from a scratch fix pro but I order all my Spiral Grey touch up paint from here. I have ordered their small pens to their spray cans. The paint has always matched. I don't particularly like the paint pens but the other products were good.
http://www.paintscratch.com/
To fix the scratch, I would use the color paint and build up layers. Once it was bubbled/formed a bump above the rest of the paint and dry, I would use 3M scratch remover and a cloth and rub it down with very small circular motions until the scratch area was level with the surrounding paint. Then I hit it with clear coat and let it dry real good then use the 3M scratch remover until I was happy with the work. I would challenge people to find the fixes. Just be patient. There is also Langka or something but haven't used it. Someone else can comment. Good luck.
Jim K.
I am far from a scratch fix pro but I order all my Spiral Grey touch up paint from here. I have ordered their small pens to their spray cans. The paint has always matched. I don't particularly like the paint pens but the other products were good.
http://www.paintscratch.com/
To fix the scratch, I would use the color paint and build up layers. Once it was bubbled/formed a bump above the rest of the paint and dry, I would use 3M scratch remover and a cloth and rub it down with very small circular motions until the scratch area was level with the surrounding paint. Then I hit it with clear coat and let it dry real good then use the 3M scratch remover until I was happy with the work. I would challenge people to find the fixes. Just be patient. There is also Langka or something but haven't used it. Someone else can comment. Good luck.
Jim K.
Corvette ***** OG
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 4,776
Likes: 21
From: Charlotte NC
St. Jude Donor '05
CI VI Veteran
My suggestion is before you go blobbing on touch up paint. Check with a local bodyshop and see if the scratches can be wetsanded and buffed out.
I can't tell you how many times in the last 20sum years customers have brought their cars in to have touch up paint wetsanded and buffed and once removed, there was nothing underneath but a light, light scratch....
Just a suggestion from one obsessive compulsive vetter to another... LOL.
Mark
I can't tell you how many times in the last 20sum years customers have brought their cars in to have touch up paint wetsanded and buffed and once removed, there was nothing underneath but a light, light scratch....
Just a suggestion from one obsessive compulsive vetter to another... LOL.
Mark
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,322
Likes: 2
From: New York NY
Cruise-In VI Veteran
St. Jude Donor '05
Originally Posted by MyBlueC5
My suggestion is before you go blobbing on touch up paint. Check with a local bodyshop and see if the scratches can be wetsanded and buffed out.
I can't tell you how many times in the last 20sum years customers have brought their cars in to have touch up paint wetsanded and buffed and once removed, there was nothing underneath but a light, light scratch....
Just a suggestion from one obsessive compulsive vetter to another... LOL.
Mark
I can't tell you how many times in the last 20sum years customers have brought their cars in to have touch up paint wetsanded and buffed and once removed, there was nothing underneath but a light, light scratch....
Just a suggestion from one obsessive compulsive vetter to another... LOL.
Mark
Mark, do you own a bodyshop? Any ideas for a price estimate on the process you mention?
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,586
Likes: 72
From: Upstate NY
I was going to go the bodyshop route to fix the numerous chips located on the front end, but the cheapskate in me decided to go the touch up paint (purchased from a chevy dealer) route. If you are as OCD as you say, you will not be satisfied going with this option. I am usually not overly particular about this kind of stuff and I think it looks like crap on my car. From far away you can't tell, but a closer look reveals that the touch up paint does not blend in perfectly.
Corvette ***** OG
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 4,776
Likes: 21
From: Charlotte NC
St. Jude Donor '05
CI VI Veteran
Yes sir, I do own a bodyshop. Graduated in Civil Engr'ing, been in the bodyshop business for 20 some years.
As far as cost, it depends on what is being done. If it's just a couple of scratches (3 or 4) and they're being wetsanded and buffed, it's not a big deal, I usually don't charge for it. Even at most if they're quite a bit more, I don't charge more than an hour's labor. (40 bucks)
Many times if the scratches are really deep and the customer doesn't want to do any physical painting, I'll brushtouch the scratch, let it dry, repeat and continue until it's almost built up. Once it's almost filled, I'll add some activator to a bit of clear and fill the rest of the scratch with clear.
Once dry, I wetsand and buff the area. Point is, if the scratch can't be wetsanded and buffed, the previous method is an alternative to refinishing an entire panel.
HTH's,
Mark
PS. Again, depending on the amount of scratches, this could be from 50-100 bucks.
As far as cost, it depends on what is being done. If it's just a couple of scratches (3 or 4) and they're being wetsanded and buffed, it's not a big deal, I usually don't charge for it. Even at most if they're quite a bit more, I don't charge more than an hour's labor. (40 bucks)
Many times if the scratches are really deep and the customer doesn't want to do any physical painting, I'll brushtouch the scratch, let it dry, repeat and continue until it's almost built up. Once it's almost filled, I'll add some activator to a bit of clear and fill the rest of the scratch with clear.
Once dry, I wetsand and buff the area. Point is, if the scratch can't be wetsanded and buffed, the previous method is an alternative to refinishing an entire panel.
HTH's,
Mark
PS. Again, depending on the amount of scratches, this could be from 50-100 bucks.
Last edited by MyBlueC5; Feb 4, 2005 at 11:59 PM.
