Rock chips, nicks on metallic paint- DIY TECHNIQUES to fix?
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 323
Likes: 4
From: Los Angeles, CA. USA
2013 c250
Rock chips, nicks on metallic paint- DIY TECHNIQUES to fix?
Hi all,
I've got around 30 paint chips a few milimeters in diameter spread all around my Granite Grey C230 (2005) and want some feedback on how to approach touching them up.
I ordered factory OEM touch up paint and was thinking of masking the little holes off, getting an air brush and spraying them, then wet sanding, polishing, buffering, but pretty much every generic DIY paint chip video shows them dabbing on the touch up paint instead. But how good does that look on a METALLIC painted mercedes that reflects many shades of one color?
What TECHNIQUE (not product) ACTUALLY works best for restoring metallic paint chips if you have the time/patience to do it yourself?
I've heard of some body shop guys mixing the touch up with the clear coat and applying together to make it look better. Thoughts?
Thx,
I've got around 30 paint chips a few milimeters in diameter spread all around my Granite Grey C230 (2005) and want some feedback on how to approach touching them up.
I ordered factory OEM touch up paint and was thinking of masking the little holes off, getting an air brush and spraying them, then wet sanding, polishing, buffering, but pretty much every generic DIY paint chip video shows them dabbing on the touch up paint instead. But how good does that look on a METALLIC painted mercedes that reflects many shades of one color?
What TECHNIQUE (not product) ACTUALLY works best for restoring metallic paint chips if you have the time/patience to do it yourself?
I've heard of some body shop guys mixing the touch up with the clear coat and applying together to make it look better. Thoughts?
Thx,
Last edited by scottonfire; Nov 20, 2013 at 08:52 PM.
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 57
Likes: 0
From: Great White North
CLS 500
Hi all,
I've got around 30 paint chips a few milimeters in diameter spread all around my Granite Grey C230 (2005) and want some feedback on how to approach touching them up.
I ordered factory OEM touch up paint and was thinking of masking the little holes off, getting an air brush and spraying them, then wet sanding, polishing, buffering, but pretty much every generic DIY paint chip video shows them dabbing on the touch up paint instead. But how good does that look on a METALLIC painted mercedes that reflects many shades of one color?
What TECHNIQUE (not product) ACTUALLY works best for restoring metallic paint chips if you have the time/patience to do it yourself?
I've heard of some body shop guys mixing the touch up with the clear coat and applying together to make it look better. Thoughts?
Thx,
I've got around 30 paint chips a few milimeters in diameter spread all around my Granite Grey C230 (2005) and want some feedback on how to approach touching them up.
I ordered factory OEM touch up paint and was thinking of masking the little holes off, getting an air brush and spraying them, then wet sanding, polishing, buffering, but pretty much every generic DIY paint chip video shows them dabbing on the touch up paint instead. But how good does that look on a METALLIC painted mercedes that reflects many shades of one color?
What TECHNIQUE (not product) ACTUALLY works best for restoring metallic paint chips if you have the time/patience to do it yourself?
I've heard of some body shop guys mixing the touch up with the clear coat and applying together to make it look better. Thoughts?
Thx,
Guy at the parts counter who sold it to me said use it w/o the clear coat otherwise it'll look too blotchy, which is what I did. If I power polish I'll have to reapply which isn't an issue for me. Also, you've gotta be very careful to not apply too much on the hood, as it is a very uniform surface, it will appear too noticeable.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 323
Likes: 4
From: Los Angeles, CA. USA
2013 c250
There's gotta be a lot of people making money off of doing/selling touch ups for cars so the information is ridiculously CLOAKED.
#1 The OEM metallic paint is DARK. Screw the whole 'it depends how much you shake the can' BS, no matter how you apply it, it's DARK, it needs to be lighter PERIOD. I tried calling automotive paint shops, oh, they don't sell lacquer based paint to mix because it's regulated by the whatever. So now I'm on the hunt for model car/airplane paint that's lacquer based and I'm gonna add some silver and put an end to this misinformation campaign by the sheisters trying to force consumers to buy their product/service.
#1 The OEM metallic paint is DARK. Screw the whole 'it depends how much you shake the can' BS, no matter how you apply it, it's DARK, it needs to be lighter PERIOD. I tried calling automotive paint shops, oh, they don't sell lacquer based paint to mix because it's regulated by the whatever. So now I'm on the hunt for model car/airplane paint that's lacquer based and I'm gonna add some silver and put an end to this misinformation campaign by the sheisters trying to force consumers to buy their product/service.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 323
Likes: 4
From: Los Angeles, CA. USA
2013 c250
I am following this rabbit down the hole. I just went to a DIY store and got a hobby/enamel glossy white paint. NOTE: You should mix lacquer-based paints w/ only lacquer-based paint. The body shop I went to told me it would be okay to mix solvent-based paint, but it will wrinkle up. Really, no one cares how your touch-up job looks. Kinda reminds me of getting preventative advice at the doctor's office. Unless you got a disease/ailment they can currently treat with drugs/surgery, they don't care/don't know. TIP: To find lacquer-based paint, read the cleaning instructions. If it says to clean w/ lacquer thinner it's lacquer based b/c lacquer thinner only cleans lacquer-based products. Now to figure out what ratio to mix. Should be fun.
