Recommendation for fixing these chips

[Howie411]

So after all the snow and ice we have been having I finally was able to clean my car and I found 2 nice big chips on my hood, they are definitely down past the paint. What is my best option to fix these? Buy some Official for Darkside paint?

[acdii]

Touchup paint when done correctly can be nearly invisible, but is very hard to do right. I have a few of my own to do in Tuxedo Black. Since I have inside connections to a body shop, I wil see if I can get some instruction on doing it, if so I will post a how to.

[Howie411]

great, thanks

[djminfll]

I got touch up paint for Tuxedo Black for the single little chip that I got sex months ago by some careless gardner who was blowing leaves into the street and a pebble hit the fender. I used the paint as sparingly as possible, and it covered the chip in the paint but the ding is still visible. acdii, if you get instructions for applying the paint, please do post, I want to reapply mine correctly.

[acdii]

It may be a while, but I will post it once I gain the knowledge! I know there are some techniques using a pencil eraser and sandpaper, but if not careful you can make it much worse.

[murphy]

Here is one way.

 

http://drive.jalopnik.com/fixing-chips-in-a-cars-paint-is-easier-and-harder-than-1147957984

[Howie411]

Here is one way.

 

http://drive.jalopnik.com/fixing-chips-in-a-cars-paint-is-easier-and-harder-than-1147957984

 

I just got ADD watching that video, definitely don't have the patience for that. Wonder what the dealer would charge to have them fixed.

[Howie411]

So, I finally ended up just getting a small bottle of touch-up paint from the dealership and put it on. It actually doesn't look half bad, and if you don't know where they are you wouldn't notice the chips now. Though I do have another question. Does the Ford paint have clear coat built into it or should I be getting a bottle of clearcoat touch up paint too?

[Sleddog]

The dealer touched up a small chip when they delivered my car. They showed it to me before they took it over to the body shop. The guy that fixed it did great job. I asked how he did it and he told my it was more experience then anything else. He said to get a bottle of touch up and just keep working at them. He joked it would be better to practice on a car that you did not mind making mistakes on.

 

I watched him do a touch up on another car. He had a slow steady hand with very little paint on the brush. It was like he put a light coat on first, waited for it to set up and then did another light coat. He was careful to make sure of the height of paint then he finished. He told that was one of the major keys to getting it right. Making it look even and trying your best to stay with in the boundaries of the chip.

 

Me, I have no talent for that type of thing. But my brother-in-law does. His hands shake and he has had 2 broken wrists, but he has the talent for doing touch up. He uses the same techniques as the body shop guy.

[SteveB_TX]

So, I finally ended up just getting a small bottle of touch-up paint from the dealership and put it on. It actually doesn't look half bad, and if you don't know where they are you wouldn't notice the chips now. Though I do have another question. Does the Ford paint have clear coat built into it or should I be getting a bottle of clearcoat touch up paint too?

 

My Ford dealer sold me a "kit" that includes a bottle of the color and a bottle of clear. It wasn't cheap, but with two Platinum White vehicles, I can spread the love! :)

 

One of these days I will find it in the pile of junk on my desk and actually use it. :happy feet:

 

UPDATE! GRRRR!!! Got a major gouge/chip on my hood today! :cry: Had to dig out the repair kit. I was wrong. The kit contains a bottle of base coat (white) and a bottle of topcoat (pearl/clear). I need to run to get some primer tomorrow before I attempt to fix this disaster! :cry:

Edited June 2, 2014 by SteveB_TX

[inco]

I have done this a few times and the key, as mentioned, is to build up the paint slowly. I use a toothpick to get it to fill and then a light brush stroke to fill the edges. After that a clay bar could be used or a fine polishing compound to level it off. Then if you really want to make it perfect - clear coat it and repeat the polishing. Not a quick job, but not difficult either.

[acdii]

There is a technique to leveling it off, but you have to be very good at it. You take a piece of 1200 grit paper and make a dot out of it and glue it to a new pencil eraser. Then you center it over the chip you filled and rotate the pencil with very light pressure. once leveled off, just go over it with polishing compound and as long as the touch up paint color is a perfect match, you will never see it. I found a chip in my hood down to bare metal, and touched it up yesterday. Giving it a few days to cure before I level it off. Looks like the hood is aluminum.

[Sleddog]

That sounds dangerous. For me anyway. If I was to do it the way you described, it would look like to used a belt sander!

[SteveB_TX]

Just don't use an orbital sander like I did. Um, never mind... I was stripping the cars for total repaint at the time. :)

[corncobs]

That sounds dangerous. For me anyway. If I was to do it the way you described, it would look like to used a belt sander!

You must have big pencil erasers then ;)

[acdii]

1200 grit is extremely fine, and when done correctly should barely have touched the original paint. You roll the pencil between your fingers a couple times, wipe the surface, check it, roll it a couple more times, wipe and repeat until the surrounding paint just starts to get sanded, then polish it. Its time consuming and requires great patience and a steady hand, and good eyes.

[LEM]

Do you guys know how much Ford charges for fixing these things in a more professional way?

I have a few of those and I know that I will mess it up completely if I try to do it myself...

[acdii]

Dont go to Ford if you want them fixed, go to a reputable body shop and have it done. The shops that do dentless repairs are usually pretty good at chip repairs too.