touch up paint

[firebirdguy]

i have an 08 titanium silver 4runner that's got some dings & small scratches i want to touch up, i tried a rustoleum brand universal silver but it doesn't match & i have read the dealership stuff doesnt match very well either & is expensive.

what is the best matching touch up paint these days?

 

[John.Adam]

None of the paint pens or gimmick stuff from the auto parts store match or are really worth your time. If you want to do it right look up your paint code, buy small batches of it off amazon. There’s a few sellers on there that sell small bottles of the actual stuff. Then watch some videos on how to do it properly and tackle it yourself. Or have a reputable body shop do it. Don’t do like my previous owner did and take a paint pen, glob it on and just leave it. It looks horrible and now those areas need to be sanded, primed and painted.

 

[gaswede]

touchup paint is on my to-do list as well. so...dealer paint is a no-go? is that the consensus?

 

[4Climber]

I also want to repair some rock chips and small rust bubbles.
So the process is sand - prime - paint - clear coat
Any tips on keeping the work area as small as possible?

 

[djpope09]

I don't know how you guys feel about ChrisFix (the Youtube guy), but he has a good video on how to properly repair paint using the sand, prime, pant, clear coat steps you listed. He does a good job of describing how to do it properly so it blends with the rest of the paint.

 

[ran]

looks good, my dealershit refuses to sell my paint.

 

[ZiaMan]

Review of Dr Colorchip. isn't perfect but really good!

Dr. ColorChip on Metallic Paint

 

[John.Adam]

looks good, my dealershit refuses to sell my paint.

Look up your paint code and then type it into amazon. I’ve bought a lot of little bottles of paint from Jeff’s Paints on there. He gives you the actual paint and clear coat in a 1/2 oz bottle. Then the video I recommend to everyone who wants to try it themselves is by Car Craft Auto Detailing on YouTube. It’s titled “How to correctly paint touch up chips and get the best results.”
I’m a professional painter and it’s the best how to video I’ve seen on the subject and exactly what I do to customers cars.
Now if that is to extensive of a process, you can get pretty good results from just dabbing the paint in the chip and using the clear coat over it. It’s definitely a 20 footer looker repair but it’s better than them dang paint pens. Y’all have no idea how many customer cars come in with them horrid paint pen repairs wanting me to fix it. They think it would just be a simple buff job. It’s not, it’s a full repair job. So save yourself the headache.

 

[John.Adam]

I also want to repair some rock chips and small rust bubbles.
So the process is sand - prime - paint - clear coat
Any tips on keeping the work area as small as possible?

Be careful with rust spots. I’ve seen a pin size rust bubble actually become an area the size of a soft ball when you get it down to the bare metal. But to answer your question, yes it’s the same process. The idea is to keep the area small being mindful of body lines and adjoining panels. If you fix and repaint an area on the rear quarter panel right above the bumper line and don’t blend into the bumper, it’ll be more noticeable of a repair job as opposed to a repair smack dab in the middle of a door. The new paint will stand out more when butted up against an adjoining panel. Just things to keep in mind.