Touch-Up Paint - Not So Easy

STI Sibb · 03-22-2008, 08:58 PM

I've accumulated a few dings from other vehicles (2 bolts off of semi's).

I finally got around to using the blue Subaru touch-up paint on my 07 and noticed a couple things.

1. It is a much darker shade when it dries. (I did used primer underneath, but no filler putty.) It looks like a perfect match when wet. It dries so quickly that you have to be accurate or you will just make it look messy if you go back over it a second time with the pen.

2. Applying clear coat afterwards can be a headache as you need to carefully wetsand the excess off and then use Meguiar's ScratchX to repair the discoloration. This works, but it takes forever as you have to do this several times to safely remove the excess without removing the original surrounding clear coat.

Has anyone found a better method?

chaos311clarity · 03-23-2008, 02:30 AM

what ive seen some pro detailers do... is apply it.. let it dry properly... then use a rotary to even it out... if its proper touch up paint itll blend perfectly

STI Sibb · 03-24-2008, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chaos311clarity

what ive seen some pro detailers do... is apply it.. let it dry properly... then use a rotary to even it out... if its proper touch up paint itll blend perfectly

What type of bit was on the rotary? sandpaper grit (wet)? buff material?

Bishop · 03-24-2008, 03:06 PM

Yeah, i agree that if its the proper touch up from Subaru, it should match without much work

chaos311clarity · 03-25-2008, 03:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by STI Sibb

What type of bit was on the rotary? sandpaper grit (wet)? buff material?

a cutting pad and compound. a proper wetsand before buffing wouldnt hurt either.

Peleg · 03-26-2008, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chaos311clarity

a cutting pad and compound. a proper wetsand before buffing wouldnt hurt either.

Sounds like a yellow pad then........

I might experiment with that on my old car soon....

***Szumita*** · 03-26-2008, 08:38 PM

wetsand and even it out, like said. than blend it with some polish im assuming.

r12rex · 03-26-2008, 09:49 PM

I'm not sure if I'd wetsand Subaru clear...only because it is so thin already...

I have a pretty good chip on my left rear door...I touched it up and for about 3 days I put one light coat on it unti it was pretty even on the paint...Now I'll just have to find time to get the polisher out and use a compound to even the look out.

This is my opinion of course...

Kind Regards,
Ryan

chaos311clarity · 03-27-2008, 02:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peleg

Sounds like a yellow pad then........

I might experiment with that on my old car soon....

lol yea man, you need some heavy duty **** to level out paint. im trying to "dumb" down my answers so that people that arent as experienced understand wtf im talking about

STI Sibb · 03-27-2008, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Szumita

wetsand and even it out, like said. than blend it with some polish im assuming.

Pretty much. Clean the surface. After having primed, painted, and clearcoated, tape the small blemish off to reduce the size of the area to be wetsanded. I used the blue painter's tape.

Once the wetsanding is done, remove the tape. You'll see that the finish is dull and the clear coat has been scuffed. Then I use Meguiar's ScratchX as many times as needed to make it look like new.

Once I'm happy with the repair, I use the Meguiar's 1, 2, 3 on it.

03-22-2008, 08:58 PM	#1
STI Sibb Senior STI Driver Car: Blue 07 WRX STI Fav Mod: Soap Location: Winston Salem, NC Posts: 326 Join Date: Apr 2007 Trader Rating: (0)	Touch-Up Paint - Not So Easy I've accumulated a few dings from other vehicles (2 bolts off of semi's). I finally got around to using the blue Subaru touch-up paint on my 07 and noticed a couple things. 1. It is a much darker shade when it dries. (I did used primer underneath, but no filler putty.) It looks like a perfect match when wet. It dries so quickly that you have to be accurate or you will just make it look messy if you go back over it a second time with the pen. 2. Applying clear coat afterwards can be a headache as you need to carefully wetsand the excess off and then use Meguiar's ScratchX to repair the discoloration. This works, but it takes forever as you have to do this several times to safely remove the excess without removing the original surrounding clear coat. Has anyone found a better method? This ad is not endorsed by this member. Please register or login to hide this ad.

03-23-2008, 02:30 AM	#2
chaos311clarity STI Guru Car: 05 CGM STi Fav Mod: grip. Location: Southeastern PA Posts: 5,577 Join Date: Aug 2006 Trader Rating: (7)	Re: Touch-Up Paint - Not So Easy what ive seen some pro detailers do... is apply it.. let it dry properly... then use a rotary to even it out... if its proper touch up paint itll blend perfectly

03-24-2008, 03:06 PM	#4
Bishop HowTo Contributor Car: 07 OBP STi Fav Mod: Cobb Stg 2 - Wrapped DP Location: Chief Left Hand, CO Posts: 2,027 Join Date: Oct 2007 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: Touch-Up Paint - Not So Easy Yeah, i agree that if its the proper touch up from Subaru, it should match without much work

03-26-2008, 08:38 PM	#7
*Szumita* i eat cones Car: 08.5 GTI MKv Fav Mod: 18x8 Location: ma & ri Posts: 6,478 Join Date: Oct 2006 Trader Rating: (16)	Re: Touch-Up Paint - Not So Easy wetsand and even it out, like said. than blend it with some polish im assuming.

03-26-2008, 09:49 PM	#8
r12rex Professional STI Racer Car: 06 OBP STi Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 765 Join Date: Sep 2005 Trader Rating: (7)	Re: Touch-Up Paint - Not So Easy I'm not sure if I'd wetsand Subaru clear...only because it is so thin already... I have a pretty good chip on my left rear door...I touched it up and for about 3 days I put one light coat on it unti it was pretty even on the paint...Now I'll just have to find time to get the polisher out and use a compound to even the look out. This is my opinion of course... Kind Regards, Ryan