Paint Colors: Which are easiest to match for repair of chips?

himiler · May 2001

I do tons of highway driving, and get lots of chipping, gouging, and scratching on my car. I'm buying a new car soon, and want to try to find a color that will repair easily with touch-up paint.

Obviously, metallic, pearl coat, and tinted clear coat finishes are the most difficult to touch-up. But how about solid colors? I'm thinking that white might be the easiest to match for color, but I could never bring myself to buy a white car.

Suggestions?

odie6l · May 2001

Dark Silver/Gray , or even Platnium. Plus the color hides the dirt alot better.

Odie

clscflm · May 2001

How difficult is it to match paint on very minor touch ups? I'm readying my red '97 Honda Civic to sell privately and need to fix some minor dings which have left tiny paint scrapes. Also a (damage-free) rear ending scraped the bumper. Will the touch ups be noticeable? Enough to reduce the value of my car significantly? Thanks in advance.

traderalex1 · June 2001

White is absolutely the best color for paint repair. I bought my Audi A6 in Casablana White, specifically for that reason. I think the Audi does look great in White. Some vehicles, true, to have a dowdy appearance in white. Depending on the model, white can be beautiful color.

I have a friend who owns a high-end custom bodyshop. So I do have some first hand information about what it is like to fix various finishes. Pretty much all the metallics and Pearl finishes out there now are multistage paints, meaning there is more than one pigment layer that is applied. It is difficult for even the best paint man to replicate the factory finish, and this is exceedingly true int eh case of the pearl finishes. For that reason, it is really a better idea to avoid buying pearl, despite how great it looks in the showroom. If you ever have to fix it, short of a whole body repaint, you are never going to be happy with the result. Chrysler's candy apple red is also another example of a multistage paint that does not repaint, well (I know from our own van).
Silver is difficult because of the blue pigment that is present, and this usually results in a slightly different hue than the original. Generally, you can pick out silver cars with repaint work from a mile away. Stock, non-metallic red, also does not repaint well.

himiler · June 2001

Maybe white isn't such a bad idea after all. I was leaning toward silver, but had the problems described above when it came time to fix paint chips on my '96 Integra. The biggest problem I have with white is that I live in the snowbelt and I'm concerned that other drivers might not see me as easily. I know that I sometimes have trouble spotting a white car in falling snow, unless they're running w/ headlights on. Maybe that's the answer...

clscflm · June 2001

In the case of very minor paint touch ups to repair dings and scrape, will the work be visible to a buyer? Should one "give" that information if its only door dings and bumper scrape?

himiler · June 2001

I'm guessing that since the prospective buyer knows that they're buying a used vehicle, it's to be expected that minor touch-up work has been performed as needed. Think about it--would you want to buy a car from someone who had left a big bunch of paint chips on it? If they're lazy about exterior care, they might have skipped some services under the hood, too...

rayfbaird · July 2001

There are almost always at least slight variations, and they are tough to match. Since you don't want white ...

traderalex1 · July 2001

I am afraid Rayblaird is right. The metallics are by far the worst to match. A shop that is in a hurry to get your car out of their bay will give you a result that looks like crap. A shop that took all proper care to give you the best result possible will still yield a car that shows a variation in bright sun. Silver is the worst for matching. Standard, non-metallic red also does not repaint, well. I bought my A6 in White, just for this very reason. It is the easiest to repair, and I have had enough of mismatched metallic paint never to buy a car with such a finish, again.

dougsilver · July 2001

I seem to recall some time ago seeing a product discussed here that will eliminate the "bumps" left after touching up a chip. This product claimed to be able to fix even old touch-ups. Anyone know what this was/is?

orangelebaron · July 2001

Get a Volkswagen Harlequin Golf. They don't make them anymore. Can't understand why.... Each panel is a different color. When the time comes to paint over those pesky chips, you can pick any color. It doesn't have to match.

Or.... you can get yards of clear vinyl and contact cement it to the front of your new car. That should protect it. And think of the trendsetter you will be!

mrdetailer · July 2001

It's called Langka. I've ordered some from the Internet, and will find out how it works when it arrives. I have found though that with machine waxing the bumps do go down some.

dougsilver · July 2001

Thanks for the info. Indeed that was the product I saw before (I recognized the website). Let us know how it works. I have some old touch-up bumps and was wondering how the product would work for those (the website states that it is really intended for recently touched up chips but it may also work for older ones).

baltodiva81 · July 2001

I just bought my first car, an '86 Dodge Aries. It needs to be touched up a little and I was wondering what color would be best for it? Right now its a maroon-ish color w/ red interior(I think the material is suede or something like that). I was thinking about painting it black but someone told my dad that scratches and stuff shows up very easily on black. Is that true? If so what other color would look good w/ red interior and still hold up for awhile w/out fading, etc? Any suggestions?

rando2 · August 2001

I just had my front windows tinted and the installer put a few scratches on my door accidently. They said that they would take care of it. My color is silver metallic. The scratches are small at the very end of the door. How will this look after being airbrushed? The car is brand new.

mrdetailer · August 2001

I tried some Langka over the weekend. While it does remove paint, it requires a good deal of artistry and skill. Here are some tips.

1. Use a thin 100% cotton cloth. A thick or terry cloth one will clean out the scratch as well.

2. Use in a well ventilated area. This stuff is potent.

3. Be patient and use very light strokes at the end.

mrdetailer · August 2001

A flat toothpick actually works better than the supplied touch up brush for pinhole type chips, and narrow scratches.

dougsilver · August 2001

A Langka question. I have done some small touchups over the years on my car (small paint chips) using a toothpick. Still I end up with small bumps. My interest in Langka is their claim that the bumps will be removed without harming the original surrounding paint. Will this product actually do that?

mrdetailer · August 2001

Frankly for most of my repairs I will simply use a swirl remover on my buffer once a year. I found that it smooths the bump out eventually. they are then not so obvious.

If you want to use it, do only small sections at a time.

[Deleted User] · August 2001

The bad news is your paint finish will never be the same again, but the good news is that they can come very close to making it like new. If they do it well, you'll probably never notice the area was scratched.

Since the car is brand new the detailer shouldn't have any problems with oxidation throwing off a color match. With older finishes oxidation tends to lighten the original color, making it impossible to gain an exact match.

Here are a few things to look for and steps to take before you accept the car:
1. Insist on a lifetime guarantee on the the paint work they did. Rust, peeling or chipping, and different weathering patterns than the surrounding paint could be a problem down the road. Make sure they cover these issues since they damaged your paint.

2. Look for an exact color match in both direct light (full sun) and indirect light (shade).

3. Sight down along the length of the car door (with your face against the sheetmetal), and look for any variations in the surface of the door panel. Since the paint was scratched, they need to fill the scratches so they are exactly even with the surrounding paint. You'll see any variations present by looking at shadows and reflections when you sight down the door.

4. Look for overspray in areas around the door. Make sure they didn't spray any molding, windows, or other parts that shouldn't have been sprayed.

5. Ask for a complimintary hand-wax on your car to compensate for your inconvenience. New cars need a good wax job with quality carnuba wax to keep the finish protected. This is especially important with silver.

Remember, they messed up your brand-new car. They are in a liability situation and must correct it to like-new status, so be picky.

chevy57 · September 2001

I have a 2001 LE with cashmere beige paint. I noticed today that there are several 4"-5" thin splits in the paint on the hood. Not scratches, but it appears the paint separated. Any ideas?

blizbb · February 2014

I too need help with touch up paint... I have 3 minor chips (smaller than a pencil eraser, more like tip of a ballpoint pen? And I could see gray inside the chips) on the hood on my new 2014 "Blizzard" (White) Pearl Corolla.

I started using a toothpick and a needle to dab the paint into the chip and quickly wiping it away if it bubbled up above the level of the existing paint or got onto to the surrounding area. At first, the color looked like a really good blend/match. Then I did another coat and now on my pearly white car they look like dull spots. The issue might be that I had to prod with the toothpick to get the color to settle into the chip, making the surface a little rough. They are still not 100% up to the level of the surrounding paint because I would rather have a slight indent than a raised point.

Should I sand these tiny chip-paint surfaces down (perhaps with fine sandpaper on the tip of a pencil? Eraser would be bigger than the chips), wash, and dry to drip again so that the surface is smoother and perhaps a better match?

I am not comfortable with doing any major sanding and I have no idea what a rubbing compound, etc. is, how to polish or any of that. I don't own any advanced car detailing materials nor would I trust myself to try to learn how to "compound" or polish...

To make matters more complex, I am looking to have a clear bra installed ASAP once I am satisfied with my touch up job. My idea was to sand down my existing touch up work, try again to drip in paint for a better look, let that dry a day or two, perhaps put on a clear coat of nail polish(??) and then have the dealer buff the car before they put on the bra. Does this sound at all like a good idea??

I need a super rookie solution to make this look as acceptable as possible...

Karen_S · February 2014

@blizbb said:
I too need help with touch up paint... I have 3 minor chips (smaller than a pencil eraser, more like tip of a ballpoint pen? And I could see gray inside the chips) on the hood on my new 2014 "Blizzard" (White) Pearl Corolla.

I started using a toothpick and a needle to dab the paint into the chip and quickly wiping it away if it bubbled up above the level of the existing paint or got onto to the surrounding area. At first, the color looked like a really good blend/match. Then I did another coat and now on my pearly white car they look like dull spots. The issue might be that I had to prod with the toothpick to get the color to settle into the chip, making the surface a little rough. They are still not 100% up to the level of the surrounding paint because I would rather have a slight indent than a raised point.

Should I sand these tiny chip-paint surfaces down (perhaps with fine sandpaper on the tip of a pencil? Eraser would be bigger than the chips), wash, and dry to drip again so that the surface is smoother and perhaps a better match?

I am not comfortable with doing any major sanding and I have no idea what a rubbing compound, etc. is, how to polish or any of that. I don't own any advanced car detailing materials nor would I trust myself to try to learn how to "compound" or polish...

To make matters more complex, I am looking to have a clear bra installed ASAP once I am satisfied with my touch up job. My idea was to sand down my existing touch up work, try again to drip in paint for a better look, let that dry a day or two, perhaps put on a clear coat of nail polish(??) and then have the dealer buff the car before they put on the bra. Does this sound at all like a good idea??

I need a super rookie solution to make this look as acceptable as possible...

Rubbing compound is actually a paste that works like a very fine sandpaper. You can find various brands of rubbing compound at an auto parts store (like Autozone).

This discussion in our Forums may be helpful:

http://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/15094/honda/x/need-some-help-at-doing-my-touch-up-paint

I also found this.

http://autorepair.about.com/cs/doityourself/a/aa110803a.htm

blizbb · February 2014

Thanks, Karen. I would never trust myself to use an abrasive on my brand new car. Can I trust someplace like Maaco with this?

I feel like many people say "bring it to a professional" but I haven't found any who sound like they would do a professional job fixing it.

I have called some other paint/detail shops and they all pretty much said they don't do anything special but just blob the paint on like I did... Maaco is the first shop to say yes, we can do this, and we do it all the time, using special tools, applying clear coat, and buffing afterwards.

Karen_S · February 2014

@blizbb said:
Thanks, Karen. I would never trust myself to use an abrasive on my brand new car. Can I trust someplace like Maaco with this?

I feel like many people say "bring it to a professional" but I haven't found any who sound like they would do a professional job fixing it.

I have called some other paint/detail shops and they all pretty much said they don't do anything special but just blob the paint on like I did... Maaco is the first shop to say yes, we can do this, and we do it all the time, using special tools, applying clear coat, and buffing afterwards.

Maaco is a national franchise, but like most, quality can vary from shop to shop. If you haven't already, check out Yelp.com for the shop in your area to see what kind of reviews they may have.

blizbb · February 2014

So I ended up going to Maaco, the results were not very impressive. They are just "ok" and pretty close to the results I had gotten myself.

I am considering removing what they did and trying dr. colorchip... sigh

Paint Colors: Which are easiest to match for repair of chips?

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