Paint chip repair kits? Anyone want to recommend one?

[35TH LE]

As it says.. I have a couple rock chips I would like to fill/fix.



Ive seen a couple repair kits online.. AG has one but Im unsure of the quality.



Anyone have any experience with these things? Let me know....



Thanks! :2thumbs:

[Kriminal]

Best thing for me is an artist`s brush set (just a cheap one), and a pot of the manufacturer`s paint.



Dip the brush in the paint, and make a fine tip point - leave overnight for it to go hard. This will then be easier to control than a cocktail stick.

[lland]

I tried the Langka kit and wasn’t very impressed.



This past November, I bought a new Acura RL. Red. Took it home and gave it a good cleaning and coat of wax. It looked good but it didn’t take long before I managed to pick up a nice little rock chip on the hood. Short of spending $250 to get the hood repainted, I figured I could try some alternatives first.



I called a couple of local detailers but they said all they could do for the chip was to put touch-up paint in it (I could do that). One offered to refer me to “his body and paint guy.â€� I even called my dealer who offered the same solution. After looking for alternatives (and not wanting to take sandpaper to my new car just yet, I could always try that later) I decided to give Langka a try. It had some decent reviews, was relatively inexpensive, looked relatively easy, and relatively foolproof, so…



I ordered it on Monday, it arrived on Friday.



I followed the instructions to the letter. It was a little on the cool side so I mounted a lamp above the chip to keep the area warm, but not too hot. I propped the hood up a bit so the area with the chip was level. I cleaned the area, put in the paint with the little microbrush, let it dry for about eight hours and went over it exactly as prescribed with the blob eliminator. The edges of the chip looked darker than the rest and without too much effort, the blob eliminator took off most of the touch-up paint.



I tried again, exactly as instructed, letting the paint dry for a longer period of time, about 14 hours. Same result.



My chip was about 3/8� x 1/4� so perhaps it was too big for the Langka kit to be effective but I finally just put some touch-up paint in the chip (using the Langka microbrush - which I really like and bought a few more off eBay) and it really doesn’t’ look too bad.



Maybe in the spring I’ll try touchup 123.



By the way, does anyone know of a good detailer in Bucks County, PA (north of Philly)?



Thanks.



LL

[jasonmac]

I think it depends on what you`re expecting and if you`ve ever done it before. The cheap(er) kits aren`t great imo, maybe it`s because I don`t do enough touch-ups that I`m just not good at it ;) You can try contacting a body shop and see if they do touchups -- it will of course be more expensive than a kit, but the results might be better or more what you want it to look like.

[imported_icall]

I found this while browsing detailing forums. He gets good reviews and I bookmarked it for my wife`s minivan that she wrecked(scratches and dings)



Good luck



Method for fixing deep scratches and rock chips - bimmerfest - BMW Forums (http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32625)



Mods, hope you don`t mind the link to another forum. I have no affiliation with that forum in anyway. I may be a member, but not even sure about that.

[BigJimZ28]

have you seen this?



http://autopia.org/forum/detailing-product-discussion/72854-product-review-touchup-123-a.html?highlight=123

[ScottFern]

These are all great suggestions. I actually bought a touch up kit from PaintScratch Touch-Up Paint (rs), Spray Cans, Spray Paint, Paint Pens, Car Paint, Automotive Paint (http://www.paintscratch.com) and the paint looks like its an exact match however you never know until you use it!



It`s hard to say what is the best method?!

[ricka]

I have a slightly different problem.



Something hit my new Audi metallic silver hood and actually raised the paint (like a meteor hitting the earth) by digging in. I have 3 different marks but annoys me as the largest is in front of the driver side so I see it all the time. The paint is in good shape (again it raised rather than chipped away the paint).



My question is how to lower the raised paint to equal level with the hood? (its about an 1/8" raised)? I`m guessing wetsanding and polishing. I have the touch up and clear coat combo touch up tubes from the dealer. I`ve also read about different touch up kits and am intrigued.



Several paint and body shops said they`d have to shoot the entire hood. Not into that yet as with my luck something else will hit it soon thereafter--that`s why I`m willing to tackle the job myself.



Most of the posts deal with mere chips rather than what I`ve described. Sorry no pics...



Any solutions?



Much thanks in advance.

[2002 Z06]

What I have seen done but I have not done myself is you can fill the scratch/chip with touch up paint, allow it to dry, then wet sand the area to make it smooth and flush, then buff back to luster. I think the first time I saw that was in a detail shop and I also saw a special on SPEED TV about a kit where you can do that.

[ricka]

Thank you Z06.



Guess my worry is if I sand it down the 1/8" or so, is all that paint , or am I starting to hit primer? My worry is when hit, the paint was raised up essentially bunching it together to cause the "meteor" mark...

[2002 Z06]

Thank you Z06.



Guess my worry is if I sand it down the 1/8" or so, is all that paint , or am I starting to hit primer? My worry is when hit, the paint was raised up essentially bunching it together to cause the "meteor" mark...



Do you happen to have a pic of the chip?

[itb76]

Do post a photo. There is nowhere near 1/8" of paint on your car, so either it`s a dent or the paint is peeling off? Or I don`t understand the situation.

[ricka]

Unfortunately no pic yet--technology challenged.



You are correct; no paint is an 1/8 inch thick but as mentioned, the rock or whatever kinda dug into the hood and "built up" the paint...maybe I can get a picture (and my act) together this weekend.



Thanks again...

[Old Pirate]

One repair kit that might from the reviews is Quixx. It`s now at walmart and autoparts show nationwide.

[ricka]

Interesting product that Quixx. However, I`m guessing its probably not the solution to knock down the raised paint but does look great for scratches.



Thanks again.