DewHawk

I am a DIY'er and have done several touched up areas on my RX300 that I inherited from my wife. I have found all of the above comments to be true. But, I figured if I was going to drive the car i wanted it to look nice. I researched online and found very good instructions that worked for me. The prep is the key and matching paint perfectly form a spray can is impossible. But, I have done okay when painting entire panels.

The sanding is not as bad as it sounds if you are just touching up paint chips. I also used newspaper (2 pagers per section to prevent bleeding thru) for masking with auto masking tape and it worked fine.

A couple of sites I have used are; https://touchupdirect.com/ and www.automotivetouchup.com/‎. But, the paints are only close.

If you blend be sure you use a blending agent after your last application of clear coat so you do not have a hard edge - important.

I attached a couple of photos of bumper work which turn out great, but did the whole bumper.

matts6887

So; with all this in mind; how can I achieve as close to a factory paint job as possible without having to pay a shop to repaint the whole vehicle(which I may do one day anyway if i ever get the funds to do so).

edit" thanks for the pics hawk!

fastnoypi

its all experience and prep work..thats what it comes down to if you DIY.

If I were you, i'd frequent the Scottsdale Pavillions car shows and ask around the hotrod and old muscle car owners who they go to for paint or if they have any contacts. You might find a painter that will be willing to do some side work at a reasonable price far less than at their regular work.

matts6887

Well; with the tips etc here I dont think I will need to do that. I think I can come reasonably close if i google how to do it etc.

fastnoypi

You've asked alot of novice questions which shows your experience. Everyone has to start somewhere and get that experience. Paint is difficult to blend, match if you don't have any experience and practice with the right tools and location to spray. Dealing with dust is in itself a problem with painting in AZ. You sound determined to DIY, Best of luck if you can get it close.

matts6887

yes I am determines to diy it. I mean it doesnt have to be perfect which I know is impossible using spray cans anyway. As far as the dust here goes; I will have to do it when the air is calm and still(well as much as possible anyway). I think I can get it close so long as i take my time and make sure the areas are sanded down, etc.

mizak82

this is random.... I live in florida...

i spray painted my outside door/window seal strips on all 4 doors... they got faded from the sun...

I used black trim paint and a flat clear... I allowed them to dry but after sitting outside on the car during the day, they become tacky and all kinds of stuff sticks to them... Do you think its the clear? or do you think I need to use like 500 degree high heat engine flat black spray paint to do them... This is the second time I sprayed them... same trim paint, different clears.. same results..

Ive sprayed countless wipers and what not and never had this issue..

thanks..

VegasRX300

Trim Black shouldn't need to be cleared.
I use SEM acrylic Trim Black. Its the closest to OEM finish I've found. Looks great and I've never cleared it.
Sounds like clearing your Trim Black might be making the Trim Black soft. Make sure your using the same type of paint. Putting a clear lacquer over enamel can soften the paint and even make it lift.

I'd get a can of SEM Trim Black. It is a little more $ but worth it.

salimshah

My long term peeve with RX was the fading of black around the door (specially the top edge). The side has gloss, but I cant remember ever if the top edge had gloss once. Just wondering if mizak82 should get the glossy trim paint. Binding agent is also available.

Salim

VegasRX300

mizak82 said he used a flat clear over Trim Black. That definitely wouldn't be a gloss finish.
I really think if mizak82 used just the SEM Trim Black he might like it just the way it is. It really is that nice.
You can always use their 1K HS clear or 1K HS semi-gloss clear over the Trim Black if that is the desired result.

fastnoypi

i think its probably the humidity that didn't allow it to cure correctly

matts6887

You are probably right on that one fast. Since humidity makes the air so like moist; it can cause paint to dry unevenly and in some cases just partially dry and end up still being tacky like that.

mizak82

speaking of humidity... when I spray the clear, it goes on cloudy... then after a couple days in the sun it fades back to clear..

Im just going to spray the trim paint with no clear and hope for the best.. .

matts6887

I havent tried to tackle the areas on my rx that need so be sprayed yet because its just been too windy here to do it up until the past day or 2; and theres no way Im gonna do it with the car in the garage. Plus my car is dirty as heck and needs a good washing before attempting to spay and i need to get some sandpaper to sand down the areas i want to spray first as thats what some of the others reccommended to do.

DewHawk

Matt, I did mine in the garage np problem (rattle can). I just masked everything off the area and covered the car with a moving pad/rugs, etc. Put large pieces of cardboard on the floor to protect and rugs over tire as needed. Then I would open the garage door to air it out and a fan to help drying. FYI