First Rock Chip Fix- What Am I Doing Wrong?

[herdines]

Hey All-- I have another beginner question for feedback please ... My 2015 Subaru Crosstrek has its first rock chip. This happened when I was still driving somewhat "normally," zipping along the highway in the left lane. I heard a sharp ping and didn`t think much of it until going through its evening rinseless wash. I saw the shiny spot, felt the tiny indentation, and put it together.

I thought I read up enough to know what I was doing. But I`ve had to start over twice. My steps have been as follows ... lightly sanded with tiny discs made of 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper glued onto pencil erasers to smooth edges, cleaned with IPA -> applied thin layer of primer with a tiny paint brush -> let dry 24 hours, wiped with IPA then painted on a thin layer of matching paint from the dealer -> waited another 24 hours then cleaned with IPA and applied a second thin coat of paint -> 24 hours after that I sanded lightly, cleaned with IPA, then applied some clear coat with the same tiny brush -> waited about 12 hours and applied a second coat of clear coat. Because I am trying to overfill the divot a tad (so I can wet sand --hypothetically-- to even out the area at the end) I decided to add a bit more clear after waiting about 8 hours. I was working on blending out the edges of the clear coat when I noticed that the color in the chip had been pulled out into the clear coat. Sigh. The first fail was after using Meg`s Ultimate Compound to smooth the color out before applying clear coat. After cleaning up with some IPA, the color was gone. 😯 Lesson learned. Both times I wiped down the area with lacquer thinner before starting again.

So can anyone please let me know where I`m going wrong? I live in muggy Florida so ... do I need to wait longer between coats? Maybe I am overworking the clear coat steps? In reading up about how to fix paint chips, I learned that Crosstreks are notorious for their "soft" paint. Yay. So I realize that I will be touching up lots of chips from here on out and want to learn how to do it correctly. BTW that slow driver trying to keep back from the car in front and staying in the center of the middle lane? That`s the new me!

Thanks!!!

[CG6Lemon]

Try letting it cure for one week. Also try the feather technique when polishing. I don`t know if you`re polishing that small area back and forth within a small work area or not. Try not to generate too much heat as well keep the speed of the machine at 3.

[ShaneB]

I wouldn`t wait 24 hours to add the clear after the color. Once the color has dried (maybe 10-15 mins) skip the sanding and go straight to clear. I think your problem is you`re sanding with 2k grit and trying to paint. In auto refinishing you typically sand to no more than 600 grit before painting. Anything higher and you have too smooth of a surface for paint to take that mechanical hold on the surface

[boxingfan30]

I`ve been in this situation, and might I suggest skipping the cc completely? I have done this and while there is a SLIGHT difference in color, it wasn`t significant enough to worry about given the small area.

If you must add clear, I always waited 24 to 48 hours. Adding clear right away didn`t work well for me.

[Stokdgs]

You said you painted in the primer - what kind of primer ?; did you spray it from a can onto something and then get a paintbrush on it and apply it that way?

ShaneB is exactly correct - in the auto painting bizz, we always used maximum - 600 grit, to scuff the area and around it, before painting with a gun..
It needs to be able to hold onto the surface..

If you are that concerned about rock chips, the only solution that will really work almost all the time will be to get a really nice clear bra installed over the entire front end of your vehicle..
This is kind of expensive, but it will save your paint and not detract from the look if done by a professional..
I have had one (Venture Shield) on my 6-year old black Jeep and I have no chips on the front end after some 34k miles most of it at high speeds on the Interstate..
Dan F

[herdines]

Thanks for the ideas!

The primer is Dupli-Color from Auto Zone. Sprayed some into the cap and then used #1 artist brush to dab on the tiniest amount. I am also using the Dupli-Color clear with a similar technique since I only got a bottle of color from the dealership.

I totally understand now I was using too fine a grit and making it difficult for the paint to adhere. I will skip this sanding step next time.

I see there are a few different approaches re: clear coat ... apply it sooner, wait longer, or skip it. I am considering mixing equal parts of paint and clear coat, an idea I saw on a paint chip fix video. I think I do want the protection of the clear coat since the paint is so soft.

The bra recommendation seems to come up often so I appreciate it is a good one. Curiously, this current chip is on the lip surrounding the last window (the smallest, weirdly shaped one) on the side of the car so I`m not sure a bra would have covered it.

Thanks again!

[boxingfan30]

I always used a toothpick to fill chips

[Accumulator]

Some sorta-random thoughts follow:

-IPA is not what I`d consider an effective solvent for this sort of thing. I`d use a bodyshop solvent along the lines of PrepSol
-More people trash their paint by trying to do "a little wetsanding"....(yeah, I usually do it but I have experience)
-I use just enough color to get a decent basecoat and then,a few hours later, layer on the clear. Plenty of layers of clear. Then I let that sit for a while (the longer the better IME)
-I do the painting with tiny artist`s brushes in the Size one (and smaller) range so you should be OK there
-IMO there are worst things than having a blob where you did a touchup (see previous comment regarding wetsanding and research "Langka Blob Eliminator)
-IME (based on my *experience*) there are worst things than just leaving a chip alone, even if it`s down to the metal on a car that gets exposed to salt (no, things don`t necessarily get awful over time)
-While I almost always do basecoat-then-clear, sometimes a single-stage touchup paint works OK. And not all paints (e.g., dealership touchup paint + duplicolor clear) are compatible

[rlmccarty2000]

I may have missed something, but Dr. Colorchip works great for me.

[Medicscott]

I may have missed something, but Dr. Colorchip works great for me.

+100

[Accumulator]

I may have missed something, but Dr. Colorchip works great for me.

It works *OK* for me, no better no worse. Was a fine solution when I had the white Crown Vic and it`s been handy for a few specific jobs on the Taho.

It does *not* dry/cure as "durable" as other touchup paints IME.

It works best for me if I apply it like a conventional touchup paint (i.e., with a small brush) rather than the "smear it all over" approach, which IMO is just asking for a lot of potential issues to crop up. I would *NEVER* touch paint with the cloth they include with the kit.

Go easy with their solvent or you`ll be redoing the touchup. Go *VERY* easy with any subsequent polishing lest you just polish it right away.

[rlmccarty2000]

I really like Dr. Colorchip. It takes a little practice to get the hang of it. I have not tried the smear technique, I only use it for individual rock chips and it passes the one foot test. On my car it matches so well it is difficult to find the repair. After it cures I have polished and used many cleaners, soaps, and LSPs without any types of problems. IMHO it works as advertised and these days that is saying a lot. "The spokesman was not paid in anyway for this endorsement." Lol

[SweatTheDetails]

No reason to do all that sanding. Get some factory touch up which it sounds like you do. Put a nice fat blob on, try to stay within the lines of the chip. Let it bake in the sun for a few hours then use Langka blob eliminator.