How to use Touch up Paint
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From: NYC
How to use Touch up Paint
The scratch on my back bumper is not that deep, but when u run your fingernail through it, it gets stuck. I bought the touch up paint today from the dealer. How do I put it on, so that after it dries up its smooth, and not bumpy.
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From: Herndon, VA
Best way
Clean the car really well. Make sure the temp range and humidity are in range for the product. Apply according to directions and then get a buffer and buff the entire bumper (Might want to consider a clay bar first) Apply a nice wax and thats probably the best you will get. I would take the bumper off and take it to a paint shop and get it resprayed.... shouldnt cost more than 300.
The trouble with the touch up paint is it's hard to get the "glossy smooth finish" you're shooting for. You can get pretty close with a lot of elbow grease and patience though. You also have to be careful as you can really screw up your paint if you're not careful.
What you need to do is fill the chip completely, let it dry for a day for it to fully set. When it dries the paint tends to shrink a bit, you may need to add more paint and wait another day for it to fully dry. The surface will probably be uneven, as long as it's raised and not sunken in from the rest of the paint you'll be fine.
Next step, soak a 1500 to 2000 grit sanding block in water with a drop of dawn over night (I usually do 2k since it's the least abrasiveness but takes a lot longer, leaves more margin for error). Clean the surface you're working on with rubbing alcohol and then use painters tape to mask off your work area.
You can then use detailing spray or the water/dawn mixture as lubricant for the block. Gently sand the area you applied touch up paint, checking often on your progress, you want to sand as little as possible. Once you have the surface smooth, you'll notice the paint will be hazy looking and dull on the area you sanded. Pull off your masking tape and clean the area with rubbing alcohol again.
Next you'll want to use a rubbing compound, I like Meguires ultimate compound because it's not too abrasive. Apply a quarter sized dot of polish on a microfiber towel and start buffing the hazy area. You're going to be sore by the time you're done, but eventually you'll notice the haze will clear up. (If you have a machine polisher (PorterCable, etc..) this step is quick and easy and there are better products out there, but I'm assuming you don't have one).
After that clean it up with rubbing alcohol again then pull out your favorite wax/sealant and you're done. It won't be perfect, but it'll be much better.
Dr colorchip works great on metal, on the plastic bumper it's not too great because plastic likes to "crater" making the edges of the plastic around the scratch higher than the rest of the surface of the bumper. When you go to wipe off the excess it doesn't quite make a smooth surface because of it.
Anyway good luck, be careful as you can make it worse if you get crazy with the sanding block. *also note do this at your own risk, this has worked for me on my cars, but I'm not a pro-detailer*
What you need to do is fill the chip completely, let it dry for a day for it to fully set. When it dries the paint tends to shrink a bit, you may need to add more paint and wait another day for it to fully dry. The surface will probably be uneven, as long as it's raised and not sunken in from the rest of the paint you'll be fine.
Next step, soak a 1500 to 2000 grit sanding block in water with a drop of dawn over night (I usually do 2k since it's the least abrasiveness but takes a lot longer, leaves more margin for error). Clean the surface you're working on with rubbing alcohol and then use painters tape to mask off your work area.
You can then use detailing spray or the water/dawn mixture as lubricant for the block. Gently sand the area you applied touch up paint, checking often on your progress, you want to sand as little as possible. Once you have the surface smooth, you'll notice the paint will be hazy looking and dull on the area you sanded. Pull off your masking tape and clean the area with rubbing alcohol again.
Next you'll want to use a rubbing compound, I like Meguires ultimate compound because it's not too abrasive. Apply a quarter sized dot of polish on a microfiber towel and start buffing the hazy area. You're going to be sore by the time you're done, but eventually you'll notice the haze will clear up. (If you have a machine polisher (PorterCable, etc..) this step is quick and easy and there are better products out there, but I'm assuming you don't have one).
After that clean it up with rubbing alcohol again then pull out your favorite wax/sealant and you're done. It won't be perfect, but it'll be much better.
Dr colorchip works great on metal, on the plastic bumper it's not too great because plastic likes to "crater" making the edges of the plastic around the scratch higher than the rest of the surface of the bumper. When you go to wipe off the excess it doesn't quite make a smooth surface because of it.
Anyway good luck, be careful as you can make it worse if you get crazy with the sanding block. *also note do this at your own risk, this has worked for me on my cars, but I'm not a pro-detailer*
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 47
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From: NYC
The trouble with the touch up paint is it's hard to get the "glossy smooth finish" you're shooting for. You can get pretty close with a lot of elbow grease and patience though. You also have to be careful as you can really screw up your paint if you're not careful.
What you need to do is fill the chip completely, let it dry for a day for it to fully set. When it dries the paint tends to shrink a bit, you may need to add more paint and wait another day for it to fully dry. The surface will probably be uneven, as long as it's raised and not sunken in from the rest of the paint you'll be fine.
Next step, soak a 1500 to 2000 grit sanding block in water with a drop of dawn over night (I usually do 2k since it's the least abrasiveness but takes a lot longer, leaves more margin for error). Clean the surface you're working on with rubbing alcohol and then use painters tape to mask off your work area.
You can then use detailing spray or the water/dawn mixture as lubricant for the block. Gently sand the area you applied touch up paint, checking often on your progress, you want to sand as little as possible. Once you have the surface smooth, you'll notice the paint will be hazy looking and dull on the area you sanded. Pull off your masking tape and clean the area with rubbing alcohol again.
Next you'll want to use a rubbing compound, I like Meguires ultimate compound because it's not too abrasive. Apply a quarter sized dot of polish on a microfiber towel and start buffing the hazy area. You're going to be sore by the time you're done, but eventually you'll notice the haze will clear up. (If you have a machine polisher (PorterCable, etc..) this step is quick and easy and there are better products out there, but I'm assuming you don't have one).
After that clean it up with rubbing alcohol again then pull out your favorite wax/sealant and you're done. It won't be perfect, but it'll be much better.
Dr colorchip works great on metal, on the plastic bumper it's not too great because plastic likes to "crater" making the edges of the plastic around the scratch higher than the rest of the surface of the bumper. When you go to wipe off the excess it doesn't quite make a smooth surface because of it.
Anyway good luck, be careful as you can make it worse if you get crazy with the sanding block. *also note do this at your own risk, this has worked for me on my cars, but I'm not a pro-detailer*
What you need to do is fill the chip completely, let it dry for a day for it to fully set. When it dries the paint tends to shrink a bit, you may need to add more paint and wait another day for it to fully dry. The surface will probably be uneven, as long as it's raised and not sunken in from the rest of the paint you'll be fine.
Next step, soak a 1500 to 2000 grit sanding block in water with a drop of dawn over night (I usually do 2k since it's the least abrasiveness but takes a lot longer, leaves more margin for error). Clean the surface you're working on with rubbing alcohol and then use painters tape to mask off your work area.
You can then use detailing spray or the water/dawn mixture as lubricant for the block. Gently sand the area you applied touch up paint, checking often on your progress, you want to sand as little as possible. Once you have the surface smooth, you'll notice the paint will be hazy looking and dull on the area you sanded. Pull off your masking tape and clean the area with rubbing alcohol again.
Next you'll want to use a rubbing compound, I like Meguires ultimate compound because it's not too abrasive. Apply a quarter sized dot of polish on a microfiber towel and start buffing the hazy area. You're going to be sore by the time you're done, but eventually you'll notice the haze will clear up. (If you have a machine polisher (PorterCable, etc..) this step is quick and easy and there are better products out there, but I'm assuming you don't have one).
After that clean it up with rubbing alcohol again then pull out your favorite wax/sealant and you're done. It won't be perfect, but it'll be much better.
Dr colorchip works great on metal, on the plastic bumper it's not too great because plastic likes to "crater" making the edges of the plastic around the scratch higher than the rest of the surface of the bumper. When you go to wipe off the excess it doesn't quite make a smooth surface because of it.
Anyway good luck, be careful as you can make it worse if you get crazy with the sanding block. *also note do this at your own risk, this has worked for me on my cars, but I'm not a pro-detailer*
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If you're going to use touch up paint. The previous replies are some good steps! Just remember to apply thin coats and clean the bumper before you paint... Obviously. Also try a good compound wax.
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