Touch up paint recommendations
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
From: Kansas
Touch up paint recommendations
My Lexus needs a bit of care. Mostly my wheels from early car was damage. I have a metallic gray/silver painted 5 split spoke alloy wheel. The car is the Atomic Silver (1J7) color.
My questions:
Where to get good touch up paint for my car body and bumper? MY visual of touch up paint is globby, ugly fingernail polish that looks almost as bad as the scratch itself. Are there good systems out there to get a good, hard to detect touch up?
Where to get good touch up paint for my wheels? How to specify the color? I do not see color callouts for the wheel color.
The car as a scratch on the hood from a road hazard. They seem too deep to buff out but too shallow to touch up. They are just light lines. Any thoughts on how to deal with those?
Any of your experiences with touch up paints good or bad are welcome.
My questions:
Where to get good touch up paint for my car body and bumper? MY visual of touch up paint is globby, ugly fingernail polish that looks almost as bad as the scratch itself. Are there good systems out there to get a good, hard to detect touch up?
Where to get good touch up paint for my wheels? How to specify the color? I do not see color callouts for the wheel color.
The car as a scratch on the hood from a road hazard. They seem too deep to buff out but too shallow to touch up. They are just light lines. Any thoughts on how to deal with those?
Any of your experiences with touch up paints good or bad are welcome.
Last edited by flycast; Jun 28, 2020 at 06:54 PM. Reason: corrected wrong color.
Intermediate
Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 335
Likes: 71
From: LA
You can go to any reputable body shop near you and ask for like a whole can of touch up paint for your car. More specifically, a body shop that works closely with your Lexus/Toyota dealership because they can get whole tubs and cans worth of paint. You could always go to the dealership and get the touch up pen. Wheels, you'll have to just ask your dealership to fix that for you since they have the exact paint for it as long as it's OEM.
Order the Lexus oem paint pen online from a dealer. Also get the clear coat pen. Mix the base coat and clear coat at a 4:1 ratio and apply with a microdabber to the chip or scratch. Clean the area first with rubbing alcohol or a prep solution. I use a microscoop to measure and mix. Work in small batches to keep the viscosity low, as the paint will gel in a few minutes as it dries. I usually mark off and prep 3-4 spots with painter's tape, mix then quickly apply.
90% of the time that will do the trick but of not , you can wetsand with 2500, 3000 and 5000 grit sandpaper, then compound and polish to blend in the new paint. Do this a few days after applying the paint.
Remember the main purpose of touch up paint is quick body protection for scratches and chips that penetrate the base coat. It's not intended to restore a factory finish, only a full panel repaint can accomplish that, however, with precise application and blending, you can get pretty close to undetectable.
90% of the time that will do the trick but of not , you can wetsand with 2500, 3000 and 5000 grit sandpaper, then compound and polish to blend in the new paint. Do this a few days after applying the paint.
Remember the main purpose of touch up paint is quick body protection for scratches and chips that penetrate the base coat. It's not intended to restore a factory finish, only a full panel repaint can accomplish that, however, with precise application and blending, you can get pretty close to undetectable.
Last edited by BMGS; Jun 29, 2020 at 01:08 AM.
Intermediate
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 370
Likes: 154
From: Ohio
You stated the wheels are painted. Factory or DIY? If it's the factory grey of the F sport wheels, there's a good recent thread regarding a color code - you'll have to search for that. If it's a different color, then try calling the dealership or their preferred body shop to get details. Most dealers have local/mobile wheel specialists they use to refinish and repair wheels - they can be a resource to get paint codes or even just refinish them altogether.
For big scratches, touch up pens and brushes aren't ideal unless you're experienced with body work. If that was the case then you wouldn't be asking, lol. Easy for small rock chips or dings, but the larger the area the harder and more time consuming it is to get a good result.
Have you tried a rubbing compound before attempting touch up paint? If they are too shallow to touch up, then rubbing compound should do the trick. Test a very, very small area first. Rubbing compound -> polishing compound -> paint cleaner/wax may be a good solution without having to bust out any sand paper.
For big scratches, touch up pens and brushes aren't ideal unless you're experienced with body work. If that was the case then you wouldn't be asking, lol. Easy for small rock chips or dings, but the larger the area the harder and more time consuming it is to get a good result.
Have you tried a rubbing compound before attempting touch up paint? If they are too shallow to touch up, then rubbing compound should do the trick. Test a very, very small area first. Rubbing compound -> polishing compound -> paint cleaner/wax may be a good solution without having to bust out any sand paper.
Pole Position
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 2,188
Likes: 444
From: CA
I think they dilute it a tab so you can smear on wipe I think and wipe. Almost hidden when touching up in most cases. Prices are more expensive than OEM though.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
maduro
GX - 2nd Gen (2010-2023)
6
Sep 26, 2020 08:16 PM
