JimGnitecki

Thanks. I do have the correct MB touchup paint coming. When you say they'll even do the touchups for you if you buy the paint from the MB dealership, do you mean for free or do they charge for it (I imagine they would charge for it). But even if they charge for it, I suppose having someone at least experienced in the technique should produce a better result. It's a decent question for me to ask my dealer when the paint arrives.

Jim G

ED1C63

I got a couple knicks and a scratch on my 2016 CLA45 and when I brought it in for some routine service (all included for free under warranty) I purchased paint and asked if they could do the touchups for me, they did them decently and then cleaned the car all for free. I haven't tried it on my C63 though.

JimGnitecki

Well then I should at least ask my dealer!

Jim G

604 C63

Boom. Winner winner chicken dinner.

m a x i m u s

Only put a little paint on the toothpick, not a glob. The capillary action will pull the paint from the toothpick into the scratch and fill it. You need patience, though, as it takes multiple coats. It is like when you fill in wood floor scratches with a sharpie marker, with a dab dab motion versus strokes. Also, you can always wipe the paint off with some alcohol before it dries if you mess up. Hope that helps.

Dstopsie

Buy the kit from Dr Colorchip. I found that their product is better than the paint from the dealer and this comes in a kit that allows you to actually use more paint then you need to fill it and then they provide a solution to wipe off the excess. You can Google their videos and it tells you how to use their kits.

JimGnitecki

That helps a LOT,Maximus. Thank-you.

Jim G

JimGnitecki

I did start looking at their website, and saved the URL for a more detailed look tomorrow.

Jim G

wawy

+1 for Dr Colorchip. Have used it on a few occasions with several different vehicles...

m a x i m u s

I have never used Dr. Colorchip, but sounds like a more efficient and easier version of my toothpick method.

Dstopsie

You should also try Scratch X 2.0 by Meguiars. That can help reduce the size of the scratch.

JimGnitecki

Sounds like the Dr.Colorchip solution gets a lot of "yes" votes. Thanks, guys.

Jim G

INS1GNIA

In all honesty, Dr. Colorchip is pretty good, just need patience. If you have the same color wheels, can even do touch ups on them.

JimGnitecki

I mentioned the scratch to a salesperson at the local MB dealership, and he brought over a gal that had until recently worked at their detail shop. she told me it was too deep for a non-pro to handle (must have been a BIG stone that got kicked up), but said that she thought their detail shop could handle it for little or no cost, as it takes mainly experience versus time.

The service writer made an appointment for me with the detail shop, and the shop worked on it for a couple of hours, and then brought the car back to me, and told me that they had managed to fill and dry the scratch with multiple layers of paint, that it still looked unacceptable but that i needed to simply wait a week and then bring it back for the final touches.

i did so today, and they took it for another 1-1/2 hours, and then returned it to me, telling me they had done the best that could be done without refinishing the entire door which would be ridiculous.

Here is how it looks now:





Barely discernible unless you REaLLY "look for it".


When i found a suitable outdoor location where the combination of sunlight and viewing angle was just right (worst), it shows, but only when you know to look that low and have just the right lighting and angle:





i am satisfied!

I asked how much for the repair, and was told that the dealership appreciates my business and simply looks forward to helping me keep my car looking good and running well. i told them i appreciate the skill and effort they expended on the repair, and really expected to pay for it, but the service writer insisted on it being no charge.

I certainly appreciate my dealership even more now.

Jim G

NotABaller

Wow, this is amazing. I looked for it and still couldn't find it. They did a good job. And it was free? From the dealership?? Lucky day, Jim!

Jasonoff

Wonder if they did the work while impaired?

Alex.currie44

Get a piece of paper towel and roll it into a tight pointed shape to form a cone with a tip. You want to get it really tight. Clean the area around the scratch, dab some paint from the tub on the tip using the brush in the tube.
Daub the paint gently into the scratch to fill it. You will never see it unless you want to be really **** about it and complain that when within 6 inches of it you can see it.
A fine brush does not work as well as making a paper dauber. If you are unsure and in Nanaimo go see Ralph Lemmon at Mid-Island Collision and tell him I sent you to learn how he does it. I learned from him.
As a side note my CLA45 AMG was white and I had no touch up paint but some white enamel house trim paint was almost a dead match.

Alex.currie44

No way. The cost to spray would include prep by filling, sanding, masking, spraying and blending, clear coat, wet sand and polish.
A 10 minute fiddle will do it if done right without over complicating it.

JimGnitecki

My paint is the "pearl" white which they told me complicates an amateur doing a decent repair. From what I recall about pearl paints from model car building, they contain reflective pieces whose orientation becomes "wrong" when multiple coats are applied with insufficient skill.

Jim G

604 C63

Which brings us back to this.......

Alex.currie44

What ever. You can make it as complicated or as simple as you wish.

JimGnitecki

I went for "simple" by having the dealership do it - for free!

Jim G

BLKROKT

Holy ****ing ****. All this dumb****ery for a 1" superficial scratch under the car where nobody will ever see it.