imported_R56r
06-01-2009, 01:48 AM
I`ve searched it seems like it was popular in 05-07. Now there isn`t much talk about it. Is there currently a better system?
I dropped a ladder on my car :angry and there is a 3mm chip on it that I want to fix
lland
06-01-2009, 06:22 AM
I`ve used Langka, Touchup 123, and OEM touchup paint and found the OEM touchup paint works best. Langka works but you have to have the paint at the right drying stage for the blob eliminator to be most effective. Too wet and it takes most, if not all of the paint out of the chip. Too dry and it`s tough (but not impossible...unless it`s completely dry) to level the paint. Probably better off a little too dry than too wet. Personally, I`ve had the best results using the OEM touchup alone (along with some patience).
Last weekend, I attacked an 18" scratch (and a few chips on the hood) on my friend`s S550 driver door (keyed in a parking lot down to primer) using OEM Mercedes touchup paint:
Cleaned scratch
Light sand with 3000 grit just to give the paint a better hold
Painted to a level a bit above the door paint
Let dry
Wet sanded - 1200, 1500, 2000, 3000
Polished (a real bear to polish the ceramic clear) and waxed
Unless you know where to look, you`re looking at the right angle, and in the right light, you`d never know the scratch was there. Not perfect but pretty good and a lot less expensive than the $1,800 the body shop wanted.
Before:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v463/lland/550Before.jpg
After:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v463/lland/550After.jpg
Sorry for the lighting difference...didn`t realize I moved the halogens.
LL
Accumulator
06-01-2009, 11:04 AM
I kinda lean towards lland`s opinion, but he and I are us and you might be more comfortable with a Langka-style approach.
Langka`s good but so are other approaches, it`s not a right/wrong sort of thing. One of the nice things about Langka is that it`s pretty much a no-harm-no-foul method; if you botch it up you`re basically just back to square one with no harm done.
If you`re leery of wetsanding, IMO it`s worth a shot, and it`s handy stuff to have on the shelf anyhow. I`ve used it to remove old touch-ups from used cars before I redid them.