Repairing some small paint chips???
06-19-2015, 10:14 AM
#1
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W209 CLK500
Repairing some small paint chips???
Hi guys I am attempting to repaint some highway damage (minor chips) in the hood and yesterday I went to the dealer and they said that the touch up kit did not had any clear coat. My car is a regular black and he insisted that it did not need any clear coat. Is this correct?
Thanks!!
Thanks!!
06-19-2015, 01:59 PM
#2
MBWorld Fanatic!
I don't know if the dealer is correct or not, but you can get clearcoat from a number of places. I generally order from paintscratch.com when I'm in the mood to touchup. It may also be available at some local parts stores, but I have never tried any from any of them.
06-19-2015, 08:23 PM
#3
MBWorld Fanatic!
Some cars in basic colors do not use clear. Not sure about MB, but if the kit did not have it then probably not because most of the kits do. I would not add it just to add it. Your job will be easier without it.
06-19-2015, 10:01 PM
#4
MBworld Guru
All modern car finishes use clear coats. When doing touch-up of chips in the paint, you generally don't need clear coat. Paints can be blended, but true clear coats need the entire panel re-sprayed, and that's why touch-up paint doesn't need it. With touch-up, you're just trying to hid blemishes.
I know DuPont makes a "scratch hide" stick that is basically a marker with clear coat. It's designed to fill in light scratches that don't really cut through the paint. I've used it and it works OK, but you can see the extra claer coat when viewed at an angle.
I know DuPont makes a "scratch hide" stick that is basically a marker with clear coat. It's designed to fill in light scratches that don't really cut through the paint. I've used it and it works OK, but you can see the extra claer coat when viewed at an angle.
06-20-2015, 05:30 AM
#6
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2006 merc CLK convertible
small chips
Hi guys my car is dark blue my chips are white I get a spray can into a glossy magazine then I use a wood tooth pick HAPPY PICKING .
06-20-2015, 10:27 AM
#7
MBworld Guru
I've tried various methods for repairing paint chips and none are great. Besides it sometimes being difficult to get a good match in color and metallic texture, the main issue is the "blob" of excess paint.
Dr. Color Chip is heavily advertised, but I don't care for it. Their process is to dab on a blob, smear it almost flat, then blend with a polishing cloth. It's color/texture match it poor. The blending doesn't work well on scratches or shallow chips - it pulls all the paint out.
Another product called Langka is supposed to help with the blobs. It is a cream that gently dissolves touch-up paint (but won't hurt factory or professional body shop paint). You use any touch-up paint (such as from the manufacturer, which tends to be the best match). Once it dries, you use a smooth cloth (like an old T-Shirt) wrapped around a hard card with a dab of Langka to "swipe" off the blob one layer at a time. It does work, but you have to be diligent not to remove the entire touch-up blob (which it will do, and is a good use for Langka when you do a really bad job and want to start over). If the area is large, it leaves it a bit dull looking, so you'll need to follow with a lot of polishing. And it has the same problem as Dr. Color Chip - scratch and shallow chips are hard to leave enough paint in to keep them covered.
I mentioned the DuPont scratch hide stick. It's basically a felt tip marker that dispenses clearcoat. It will hide very thin scratches and tiny chips, but it does create a blob. Being clear, though, it's not too noticeable, but then it doesn't add any color for larger chips or scratches. Basically, if you have a scratch that seems to mostly disappear when wet or with a fresh wax job, then this will work. You just have to be careful not to put too much on.
James' use of a toothpick is good advice. I've done that. I've even use a small brush (like for painting model cars) and trimmed to have only a few hairs, or even one. When I worked at the dealership, we had contractors come around to do do minor work like the paintless dent removal, bumper repairs, interior repairs and paint chip repairs. I saw one guy that would fix chips with hypodermic needles. Of course you can't buy these legally for this purpose, but I guess there are ways to get them. That guy had hundreds jars of paint to match colors and textures. He also had some sprays to repair clearcoat.
I will say one thing about re-spraying clearcoat. My car's front bumper was repaired and sprayed by one of these contractors, and it did not last. After a few years, the clearcoat started chipping away in large chunks. Any sort of impact, even by a bug, would crack the clearcoat and then it would peal. I had it totally stripped down and repainted by my favorite body shop. He told me the issue was that the thicker you get the paint and clearcoat, the more susceptible it is to cracking like this, especially on flexible parts like plastic bumpers. Car dealerships often make repairs like this that only need to last as long as it takes to sell the car. So beware of that sort of work. Nothing can substitute for a professional body shop's work.
Dr. Color Chip is heavily advertised, but I don't care for it. Their process is to dab on a blob, smear it almost flat, then blend with a polishing cloth. It's color/texture match it poor. The blending doesn't work well on scratches or shallow chips - it pulls all the paint out.
Another product called Langka is supposed to help with the blobs. It is a cream that gently dissolves touch-up paint (but won't hurt factory or professional body shop paint). You use any touch-up paint (such as from the manufacturer, which tends to be the best match). Once it dries, you use a smooth cloth (like an old T-Shirt) wrapped around a hard card with a dab of Langka to "swipe" off the blob one layer at a time. It does work, but you have to be diligent not to remove the entire touch-up blob (which it will do, and is a good use for Langka when you do a really bad job and want to start over). If the area is large, it leaves it a bit dull looking, so you'll need to follow with a lot of polishing. And it has the same problem as Dr. Color Chip - scratch and shallow chips are hard to leave enough paint in to keep them covered.
I mentioned the DuPont scratch hide stick. It's basically a felt tip marker that dispenses clearcoat. It will hide very thin scratches and tiny chips, but it does create a blob. Being clear, though, it's not too noticeable, but then it doesn't add any color for larger chips or scratches. Basically, if you have a scratch that seems to mostly disappear when wet or with a fresh wax job, then this will work. You just have to be careful not to put too much on.
James' use of a toothpick is good advice. I've done that. I've even use a small brush (like for painting model cars) and trimmed to have only a few hairs, or even one. When I worked at the dealership, we had contractors come around to do do minor work like the paintless dent removal, bumper repairs, interior repairs and paint chip repairs. I saw one guy that would fix chips with hypodermic needles. Of course you can't buy these legally for this purpose, but I guess there are ways to get them. That guy had hundreds jars of paint to match colors and textures. He also had some sprays to repair clearcoat.
I will say one thing about re-spraying clearcoat. My car's front bumper was repaired and sprayed by one of these contractors, and it did not last. After a few years, the clearcoat started chipping away in large chunks. Any sort of impact, even by a bug, would crack the clearcoat and then it would peal. I had it totally stripped down and repainted by my favorite body shop. He told me the issue was that the thicker you get the paint and clearcoat, the more susceptible it is to cracking like this, especially on flexible parts like plastic bumpers. Car dealerships often make repairs like this that only need to last as long as it takes to sell the car. So beware of that sort of work. Nothing can substitute for a professional body shop's work.
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06-20-2015, 01:38 PM
#8
MBWorld Fanatic!
When i bought my car i had them throw in a touch up kit and it came with two small bottles: one paint, one clear liquid
06-22-2015, 12:50 PM
#9
MBWorld Fanatic!
Interesting....I had fantastic results with dr. Colorchip....used it on my 99 SLK and was very happy. Lasted 2 years till I sold it...
I've tried various methods for repairing paint chips and none are great. Besides it sometimes being difficult to get a good match in color and metallic texture, the main issue is the "blob" of excess paint.
Dr. Color Chip is heavily advertised, but I don't care for it. Their process is to dab on a blob, smear it almost flat, then blend with a polishing cloth. It's color/texture match it poor. The blending doesn't work well on scratches or shallow chips - it pulls all the paint out.
Another product called Langka is supposed to help with the blobs. It is a cream that gently dissolves touch-up paint (but won't hurt factory or professional body shop paint). You use any touch-up paint (such as from the manufacturer, which tends to be the best match). Once it dries, you use a smooth cloth (like an old T-Shirt) wrapped around a hard card with a dab of Langka to "swipe" off the blob one layer at a time. It does work, but you have to be diligent not to remove the entire touch-up blob (which it will do, and is a good use for Langka when you do a really bad job and want to start over). If the area is large, it leaves it a bit dull looking, so you'll need to follow with a lot of polishing. And it has the same problem as Dr. Color Chip - scratch and shallow chips are hard to leave enough paint in to keep them covered.
I mentioned the DuPont scratch hide stick. It's basically a felt tip marker that dispenses clearcoat. It will hide very thin scratches and tiny chips, but it does create a blob. Being clear, though, it's not too noticeable, but then it doesn't add any color for larger chips or scratches. Basically, if you have a scratch that seems to mostly disappear when wet or with a fresh wax job, then this will work. You just have to be careful not to put too much on.
James' use of a toothpick is good advice. I've done that. I've even use a small brush (like for painting model cars) and trimmed to have only a few hairs, or even one. When I worked at the dealership, we had contractors come around to do do minor work like the paintless dent removal, bumper repairs, interior repairs and paint chip repairs. I saw one guy that would fix chips with hypodermic needles. Of course you can't buy these legally for this purpose, but I guess there are ways to get them. That guy had hundreds jars of paint to match colors and textures. He also had some sprays to repair clearcoat.
I will say one thing about re-spraying clearcoat. My car's front bumper was repaired and sprayed by one of these contractors, and it did not last. After a few years, the clearcoat started chipping away in large chunks. Any sort of impact, even by a bug, would crack the clearcoat and then it would peal. I had it totally stripped down and repainted by my favorite body shop. He told me the issue was that the thicker you get the paint and clearcoat, the more susceptible it is to cracking like this, especially on flexible parts like plastic bumpers. Car dealerships often make repairs like this that only need to last as long as it takes to sell the car. So beware of that sort of work. Nothing can substitute for a professional body shop's work.
Dr. Color Chip is heavily advertised, but I don't care for it. Their process is to dab on a blob, smear it almost flat, then blend with a polishing cloth. It's color/texture match it poor. The blending doesn't work well on scratches or shallow chips - it pulls all the paint out.
Another product called Langka is supposed to help with the blobs. It is a cream that gently dissolves touch-up paint (but won't hurt factory or professional body shop paint). You use any touch-up paint (such as from the manufacturer, which tends to be the best match). Once it dries, you use a smooth cloth (like an old T-Shirt) wrapped around a hard card with a dab of Langka to "swipe" off the blob one layer at a time. It does work, but you have to be diligent not to remove the entire touch-up blob (which it will do, and is a good use for Langka when you do a really bad job and want to start over). If the area is large, it leaves it a bit dull looking, so you'll need to follow with a lot of polishing. And it has the same problem as Dr. Color Chip - scratch and shallow chips are hard to leave enough paint in to keep them covered.
I mentioned the DuPont scratch hide stick. It's basically a felt tip marker that dispenses clearcoat. It will hide very thin scratches and tiny chips, but it does create a blob. Being clear, though, it's not too noticeable, but then it doesn't add any color for larger chips or scratches. Basically, if you have a scratch that seems to mostly disappear when wet or with a fresh wax job, then this will work. You just have to be careful not to put too much on.
James' use of a toothpick is good advice. I've done that. I've even use a small brush (like for painting model cars) and trimmed to have only a few hairs, or even one. When I worked at the dealership, we had contractors come around to do do minor work like the paintless dent removal, bumper repairs, interior repairs and paint chip repairs. I saw one guy that would fix chips with hypodermic needles. Of course you can't buy these legally for this purpose, but I guess there are ways to get them. That guy had hundreds jars of paint to match colors and textures. He also had some sprays to repair clearcoat.
I will say one thing about re-spraying clearcoat. My car's front bumper was repaired and sprayed by one of these contractors, and it did not last. After a few years, the clearcoat started chipping away in large chunks. Any sort of impact, even by a bug, would crack the clearcoat and then it would peal. I had it totally stripped down and repainted by my favorite body shop. He told me the issue was that the thicker you get the paint and clearcoat, the more susceptible it is to cracking like this, especially on flexible parts like plastic bumpers. Car dealerships often make repairs like this that only need to last as long as it takes to sell the car. So beware of that sort of work. Nothing can substitute for a professional body shop's work.
06-22-2015, 09:52 PM
#10
MBworld Guru
I tried Dr. Colorchip it on my wife's old Murano with a white pearlcoat. The color/texture was such a poor match, I just left the chips. On my Desert Silver C240, the scratches and chips I tried to fix were so shallow, the paint kept coming out. Where I did get it to stay in place, it as a poor match to the metallic texture.
06-26-2015, 05:59 PM
#11
I've used Langka & Dr. Color chip on the wife's Silver 320CLK and other cars.
I've gotten Meh results. Better than when chipped, but not perfect. if the paint is chipping, you might want to use a small piece of wet/dry to prep the area. There's a bunch of youtube videos on how.
I've gotten Meh results. Better than when chipped, but not perfect. if the paint is chipping, you might want to use a small piece of wet/dry to prep the area. There's a bunch of youtube videos on how.
06-28-2015, 02:06 AM
#12
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W209 CLK500
Chips were really small got them fixed with the touch up paint using a needle. Results are not perfect but almost, you would really have to get close to them to notice something.
