Paint chip - Too cold to touch-up, wax over winter?

[tmaniac]

Long story short,



Bought a used 2010 nautical blue toyota matrix, has a ~3/16" round chip in the hood.



I bought some touch-up paint, but its now too cold to use it (32 F, 0 C).



I`m not concerned about how it looks for now, I just don`t want it to rust over the winter... we get a ton of snow here.



Can I just wax over it for now? Is it too cold to wax? Will it be a pita to get the wax out later to prime/paint?



Sorry for the newbie Qs...



Thanks all

TMANIAC

[Accumulator]

tmaniac- Noting that you might be able to raise the temp enough for a touchup via halogen lights/etc., as long as the chip isn`t to bare metal you should be OK just waxing (sealing would probably be better). As long as it`s not winter-cold you should be OK waxing, just note that it might take a while for the wax to "set" before you can buff it off (do the "finger-swipe test", wait until it wipes away cleanly and dry when you gently rub it with your finger and only *then* buff it off).



If it *is* to bare metal you`d better at least get some rust converter on there and I bet the local (hopefully good) paint/body shop could just touch it up for you in no time.



But to be honest (now that I`ve given you the "correct" advice), I`ve gone through *MANY* winters with *MANY* chips, even ones that were down to the bare metal. Many coats of Klass Sealant Glaze, for instance, kept bare metal OK throughout tough Ohio winters with lots of salt exposure. As long as you keep the vehicle reasonably clean (don`t let it go weeks caked with salt before you wash) and well-waxed, I wouldn`t expect any significant problems. But if you neglect it you could be in for trouble, especially if the chip *is* to bare metal (which is actually kinda unlikely given today`s paintjobs).



Oh, and Welcome to Autopia! Newbie Qs always welcome :D

[imported_OPTiK]

How warm should it be to fix a paintchip? I failed to get my car detailing duties done last weekend and now its in the 40`s here.. it`s going to be low 50`s and sunny on wednesday which may be my best time to get things done. Is that warm enough?

[Accumulator]

OPTiK- Sorry, I don`t know :confused: I`d expect that to be too cool, but again, maybe you can add enough heat with something as simple as a halogen light.

[tguil]

I have touched up paint (small chips like yours) when it was just above freezing. They were "temporary" fixes until spring that often became "permanent". The vehicles were always in a garage. If you are down to bare metal, put on a coat of primer regardless of the temperature. Been doing "small brush" touch ups for over 50 years in all kinds of weather.



Tom :cool:

[imported_OPTiK]

I got an email from Dr. ColorChip that says as long as the temp is above 35F you`re good to go :)

[Accumulator]

OPTiK- Ah, OK, thanks for posting that, good to know.