Hi All,
I have a '94 C220 with brilliant silver as color. I've got a lot of rock chips, pretty much my entire front bumper and some of the hood as aquired some chips. I have a touch up stick that I bought from the dealership, but when I go to touch up the chips, the finish is never the same as the body color. It's a darker silver/grey than the body or hood is... Am I doing something wrong or is it suppose to be like that?

 

Chances are the touch-up paint the dealer gave you is for your original color, and your cars paint has probably faded a little from sitting in the sun making your car lighter than the touch-up paint.

 

you must shake the can for at least 3-4 minutes for a silver car. Yes it seems like a lot but you need the metallic pieces well mixed or it will look too dark.

 

ok...i'll give it a try later today! thanks for your help guys and i'll post results.

 

If you have a chance, try this:

First the entire damaged area, including the recesses of the ding, should be cleaned with a soft cloth using a cleaner for removing grease, silicone and wax, such as Dawn. Thus all substances that would potentially prevent satisfactory bonding of the touch-up paint to the recesses are removed.

Next, carefully apply a thin coating of linseed oil around the border of the ding but not inside the recess. Mineral oil or other light hydrocarbon oil may also be used. Next, apply a quantity of manufacturer's touch-up paint in the form of a bead to surfaces bordering the recesses. Then, use a flexible blade of a soft resilient plastic material, preferably about 3 inches by 5 inches by 1/8 inch, to move the wet paint bead into the recesses and to remove excess wet paint from the bordering surfaces. You can try a laminated plastic card. The straight edge portion of the blade should be maintained in contact with the bordering surfaces as the blade is pressed by hand to push the wet paint into and fill the recesses of the ding. The blade is then swiped across the bordering surface to remove excess paint, and the lubricant ensures that this blade movement is smooth.

Next, allow the touch-up paint to dry for about 2 minutes and no longer than 15 minutes. Then, wrap a soft cloth around the card and then dip the edge in a paint sovent. Wipe the wrapped card across the damaged area gently, with a minimum of downward pressure while keeping the blade edge of the card on the border to prevent the card from dipping into the recessed area. For smoother, easier wiping, mineral oil can be added to the solvent mixture. A very minimal amount of wiping is required, and this greatly decreases the chances of disturbing the paint deposited in the recesses. Finally, in order to remove any residue of mixture of touch-up paint and solvent, the restored area is gently wiped with a soft cloth wetted with mineral spirits. Once dry, the restored surface may then be coated with a polymer glaze and then buffed.