picus

Hey guys - I was going to post in the "how-to" post, but it's locked. I posted this over at G35driver because I frequent it, but since I also enjoy this forum I thought I'd post here too.

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Remember, everything in this post is my opinion only. There ARE other ways to do this and lots of different products you can use. Also, remember that trying this is at your own risk. Damaging a paint via PC is hard, but with sandpaper it's very easy. So let's start:

What you'll need:

1) Matched paint. A jar is best, a pen is ok. You can get it at a dealer or local automotive store.

2) A fine paint brush (medium bristles, fine tip), and/or a plastic toothpick.

3) Rubbing alcohol, some automotive wash soap, access to water.

4) Some sandpaper. I like Meg's unigrit 2000 and 3000. Non-unigrit and less than 2k at your own risk.

5) A sanding block. Both soft and hard work. I prefer soft as it is easier to manipulate and can go around curves.





6) Polishes. What kind of polishes will depend on if you're using a PC or not. I will be using a PC, but will include by-hand instructions.

Onward.

First make sure the car has been washed, what wash you use is up to you. How you wash it is also up to you but remember, two buckets and a quality mitt (or 3).

Second, make sure the area you're repairing is clean. By clean I mean no sealants, waxes, nothing. To do this you'll need to a) use a cleaner polish or b) (my choice), wipe with ISA:water. What's that? It's rubbing alcohol (the regular 70% kind) mixed 50:50 in a spray bottle with water. Spray the area thoroughly and wipe. Do this twice. You want *no* dirt, wax, anything in the chip.

Alright, so filling in the chip/scratch. Two ways to do this, first I will go with my choice for chips and that's using a plastic toothpick. Before I go on, there are good instructions on how to do this here: http://autopia-carcare.com/inf....html. I basically follow the same process. Dip the toothpick into the paint about half way up, then touch the tip of the pick to the center of the chip and capillary action will pull the paint into the chip. It will take a couple passes to level it out so let the paint dry at least 4 hours in between and be patient.

The other way is good too, but less accurate. It's good for scratches that are larger than chips and would take too long to fill in via the toothpick method. Put a little paint on to your brush (very little, immerse maybe 1/4 of the brushes tip), and touch the tip to the center of the scratch. You'll see the paint pull into the scratch. Depending on the size begin to move the brush in one direction through the scratch. Repeat this every 4 hours until you're level.

Whether or not you add a layer of clear is up to you. I normally do as I find it makes the paint match better after sanding/polishing.

Alright, so now you have a blob, sort of like this:



Or in the case of a scratch, like this:



No go have a beer and wait until tomorrow (or better yet, two days from now, then come back). This is important - let the paint dry or odds are you'll pop the chip right out when sanding.

The night before you said put the sandpaper in some water and let is soak overnight.

Alright so sanding time. This is the tricky part so go slow and be patient. Make sure the paper is right on the block (you'll probably have to cut it) and then spray the blob with a mixture of water and some soap (just mix some in a spray bottle), spray liberally and then start sanding. I like to sand against the blob, so the figure out which way the blob is longer and sand the opposite way. Sand very light, apply almost no pressure and try to keep the block flat. Also, sand in one direction, not back and forth. It's counter-intuitive but it helps. So swipe one way, lift, then repeat. Check your work often by wiping away with a mf towel. Before you do spray the area liberally again with the soapy water to lift up any particulates. You're done when the blob is level with the paint (as in, you can not feel it by running your finger over it gently). You'll have something that looks like this:





And you'll probably be really nervous, but you're ok. As long as you were patient and sanded lightly you will not have removed more than a fraction of your clear. Just be careful!

Now clean the area with your ISA:water and get ready to polish.

If you're polishing by hand I hope you used uni-grit and 2500+ paper, because otherwise you're going to be really sweaty when this is over. Assuming you did grab your polish of choice. Products I like by hand are:

Sonus SFX-2
Poorboys SSR2.5
Menzerna Intensive Polish
Meg's ScratchX

I'd start with something like Sonus SFX-2 or PB's 2.5 on a cotton applicator. Apply a dab about the size of a quarter then start to rub. You *will* need to apply pressure and move quickly. You're trying to generate heat. Repeat until the marring is gone, or 90% gone then use ScratchX to clean it up. You should have nice smooth paint, and the chip should be 100% gone. Remember, working by hand is tough - so you might not achieve the results you want. If that's the case I always recommend investing in a PC.

By PC I like the same products (minus the ScratchX and add Optimum Compound), or if you're in a hurry SFX-1, Menzerna PG, or PB's SSR3. I usually use SFX-2 via or Optimum Compound an orange LC pad (medium abrasive), and just polish as normal. Apply a couple dabs to the pad, work in at speed 3 for 20-30 seconds and apply enough pressure than the PC almost bogs down, then kick it to 6 and apply the same pressure until the polish flashes. One or two passes will take out 2500-3000 grit marks easily.

Now, if you have some marring that isn't coming out you can do one of two things. One, use a stronger combo of pad+polish, or two, sand again with a higher grit then polish.

When you're done clean again with isa:water then apply the wax/sealant on your choice and call it a day. Here are the afters of the chips/scratches I posted above.

The blob was in the circle.


Scratch was in the circle.



Questions, comments? You know where to find me.

SweetJazz

Great Job! Thanks for spending the time.

username

Very impressive, but I scared to do that to my TSX, i usually mess work like this up.

LoveMyTL-S

Awesome write-up.

5o9

Thanks, one of the best walk-thrus ever!

I gotta read it again, see where the clear comes in, or it might be do all that, apply clear, repeat.

iamhomin

Nice. More ways to spend money on my car..

picus

The clear is the last layer of touchup (if you choose to apply it). I do, but some people don't because they don't feel it does anything. I find it makes the whole shebang easier to match - so whether you're applying by toothpick, brush, or can, the clear is the last one or two layers before sanding.

VroomVroom

I've read this twice and was even more impressed the second time. Awesome! Thanks for the excellent how-to and the great pictures to accompany it.

picus

Thanks, I appreciate the kind words.

I just realized as I read through it again that in the "afters" of the blob, I posted the wrong fender. DUH! I had chips there too, but it's the opposite fender of the one I posted with the sanding. Hah. Here is the appropriate "after"



or

http://gtaindetail.com/fp/blackg35sedan/after6.jpg

paulff3

For those of us not brave enough to sand our paint jobs, try www.Langka.com. I have had amazing success. Tip: Do not use Honda/Acura touch-up paint with this product. Honda/Acura touch-up paints do not dry well enough to use with Langka. Use Dupli-color.

Paul

VroomVroom

I've used the Lanka kit a couple of times now. Good product. For me the results were good, but nowhere near as good as above. Far better than just using touch-up paint and forgetting about it, though - well worth the investment from that perspective. Thanks for the tip on the paint.

picus

Ya, I should have mentioned that both Langka and Top of the Line (http://www.topoftheline.com/scuff-remover-touch-up.html) offer alternatives to wetsanding. Good tip on using Duplicolor too - it's much more durable than Honda paint and just as easy to match.

YOTH

Now you tell me...I've Langka 5 times on the same chip and I keep pulling out the blob.

paulff3

YOTH,

Are you using Duplicolor?

YOTH

No I have the Acura Touch-up I bought at the dealer.

joerockt

Great write up!

paulff3

Langka will not work well with Honda/Acura touch-up paint. Buy Dupli-color and you will experience much better results.

Paul

danny25

what's the best place to find Duplicolor paint for cars?

West6MT

Nice write up dude.

paulff3

Advanced Auto or Auto Zone.

aaronng

Go the langka... there have been so many crying reports of people messing up their paint when trying to wetsand touchup paint. Why? Because they don't have the experience in doing this and cause more damage than there was originally with just the chip.

If you don't have langka, you can also use a claybar. Do it within 1 hour of applying your touchup paint. The clay will wear down the touchup paint until it is the same level as the surrounding paint.

ball4lyfe

Thanks for your time. Great write-up!!

picus

No problem. FWIW, I've tried almost every "touch up system" now, Langka, touchup123, mytouchup, etc... and they are all crap IMO. The best is probably touchup123, but compared to a wetsand none of them come close. Yes, you need some patience, experience, and skill to go the wetsanding route, but this DIY was not intended for novices.

Andrew McCarthy

I've heard you can't do this on plastic bumper covers because of the flex agents in the paint- you'll never polish it out. True?

picus

If you do this on any sort of plastic you need to use the appropriate paint. Duplicolor has paint made for plastics/bumpers.

italian_spak

hey man i cant find that sanding paper anywhere, did you order it online?

let me know

thx

picus

Yep, Meguiars Online. It's the only place I know of to find 3k unigrit.

studville

Thanks a lot for taking the time to write this up. It's really appreciated.

ComptechUA6

What kind of PC do you have? I'm looking to purchase one but I dunno which one to get.

Hawhyen51

Which PC - Dual Action or Rotary? There are several threads about Porter Cable (PC) Dual Action Buffer. The 7336/7424 are the commonly used ones and Lowe's has the 7336 for $109. They are available at several online detail sites as a kit or separately. Check Autopia, Autogeek, Detail City, Top of the LIne, Pak Shak, etc.

johnny--2k

wow....awesome writeup. I'm gonna need this for reference later!

TOUCHOFDETAIL

wow some balls u have performing that kinda work on a g35? couldnt you have achieved similiar results with a rubbing compound instead of the whole sanding process?

joerockt

Probably could have, at the sacrifice of a lot more time.

ReD-BaRoN

Call me crazy, but I'm going to try this.

I've done some searching and it's not clear to me where I can get this Meg's un-grit sandpaper OTC. I need it ASAP, and can't wait for it to come in the mail. Can I get this at AutoZone or similar store?

Thanks!

GreenCow

Thanks for the guide! I hope folks don’t mind me bringing this thread from the dead, but a few questions:

1) If the idea is to have a little blob where you have paint slightly above the surface so you can sand it down to be flush with the rest of the paint, then what’s the purpose of putting clearcoat over the blob… won’t you just end up sanding the clear off when you sand it flush?
2) I’ve never used polish before, so if I only have a tiny little scratch/blob I need to polish off, then is it overkill to polish an entire 6 inch circle with my machine polisher?
3) The part about the polish being abrasive to the clearcoat is slightly scary to me… or does it just take off a negligible amount of clearcoat?
4) If I was paranoid about the sanding or polishing step messing up paint around the area where I'm working, would it be possible for me to cover or mask off with tape or something the surrounding area so that I ONLY expose the blob/touchup paint to the sanding and polishing? (Especially the sanding)

Thanks!

Rocket_man

If you've never used polish before this type of paint repair might not be the best idea. I've touched up lots of chips and polished more than a few times and I would not take sand paper to my car. The repair this guy made was very good I must admit, but it takes some experience to do it this well.

Personally I've had good luck with Langka. http://www.langka.com/ It is much much easier, doesn't need any sanding, and works just about as well. You simply use Acura touch up paint, leave the blob a little above the chip, and let it dry. Then the next day, or even a few days later, you take a flat plastic card, wrap a cotton tee shirt or even a paper towel around it, apply some langka to the paper towel and rub it over the hardened blob. It will slowly dissolve until it is flush with the surrounding paint. The lankga does not remove the clearcoat, only the touch up paint. Wipe it off and then polish over it and seal. If the chip is very small the langka may pull out the entire paint blob. But chips this small are pretty hard to see anyway. After all the car is bound to get chipped again, it is a never ending battle, so I tend to do it the easy way.

An earlier poster says Duplicolor works better with langka than Acura paint. I've not used it so I don't know myself.

http://www.duplicolor.com/index.html

vinnier6

iTrader: (1)

one of these days i will get up enough nerve to sand down the blop i did to the rock chip on my hood....the touch up should be good and cured, its been there almost a year....

i think i will try it out on the wifes van first.....she would never know!!

Rocket_man

I used Langka on a chip on the BMW that was filled well over a year earlier. Took a little longer to rub it down but it worked.

GreenCow

Thanks for the info, guys. So far the chip repairs are on the underside of the front bumper, which are largely not visible, so it's a good place to do some experimenting/learning. Before I get to the dings on the hood, I'll probably try Langka or at least figure out what I'm doing

For one of the scratches, I did try putting tape (regular clear tape) to ONLY expose the "blob" before wet sanding, and I think the results were pretty good... I was able to sand the thing down without getting any sand marks on the untouched paint.

BTW a video that's posted on the duplicolor site says to put the paint down, sand it, and then put the clear on, and then sand that again. That makes a little more sense to me than to put paint and then clear and then sand them both down. (Since you'd actually be sanding the clear off unless you had the paint perfectly flush before putting on the clearcoat)

meagain

I ordered my WDP paint just now from PaintScratch. I chose the bottles.
My only trepidation is the "tri-coat" issue. Base, mid-coat, clearcoat. One area needs primer so that's FOUR layers.

My concern is if I put too much base-coat down, then mid-coat, then sand, would I be sanding off my mid-coat? I "think" the base coat is plain and just needs a thin cover then the mid-coat is the one that will mostly fill the hole. Course the clear coat needs to fill a bit else it'll get paper'd off. Get what I mean?

Anyone know of a good site where I can order the wet Megs sandpaper? All I could find at the local stores was 3m 2000.