blizz24

Anyone used these sites before?

AutomotiveTouchup
TouchupDirect
PaintScratch

All guarantee color match but TouchupDirect is the cheapest, followed by AutomotiveTouchup an finally PaintScratch. Anyone had experience with them? My color is the Ultra white but any feedback would be appreciated.

nathantse

Dealer's sell touch-up pens for like ~$12. Best way to go, and forsure a perfect color match.

blizz24

do they sell all coats (primer, color and clear coat)?

nathantse

I'm 99% sure the touch-up pens from dealers are a 3 stage coating. Primer, color, clear. Might wrong, but give your dealer a call to make sure.

Just a FYI, the touch ups would not look perfect, the best it would do is fill the spot and prevent it from rust. and other environmental factors. Unless your're a pro, the paint make not look leveled from close range.

I had a spot touched up, you can't tell from afar. However, if you are close and feel the spot, it is not leveled with the surrounding paint.

*If you want perfect, you need to sand, compound, polish, seal.

blizz24

detailer is doing the fix... will check with lexus dealer for the paint

computerwi

Touch-up pens from the dealer have a clearcoat end and a paint end. There is no primer. The instructions advise using one end OR the other, not both. Realistically, clearcoat for most tiny rock chips aren't going to make much of a difference in appearance.

If a professional detailer is doing the work, they should be trained to get it perfect hopefully. The only way to make it look invisible is to overfill the chip and then compound or polish it flat to blend it in with the surrounding paint.

blizz24

I'm confused now... Just called the dealer and they told me code 083 is not a 3 stage paint only 1 stage, but the three websites I have on my first post have it as a 3 stage paint. Can someone clarify this? Will I be fine with the dealer touch up paint? I want it to match

Price: $13

blizz24

just called another lexus dealer and they said it required two tubes, the base and the clear that has the flakes... now, will it be safer to go with the dealers paint or buy it from one of the above websites since they guarantee a color match.

davyjordi

dr. colorchip!!

arentz07

Would recommend going with the genuine paint, if you can get it. I tried using a non-genuine one on my previous Camry, and it didn't match very well, even though reviews said it would.

blizz24

I was reading the recommendations from paintscratch and they say to use spray can rather than the pen or brush because a tri-color wont match using the pen or brush, and it will look darker or lighter (http://www.paintscratch.com/touch-up...ions/blend.htm). With this in mind, the pen from Lexus will still not match. I was thinking of going to a local body shop and see if they do paint chip repairs, but I really don't want them to remove the factory paint and repaint using who knows what kind of paint, unless they tell me they are only going to work a 2x2 area or something like that.

Ordering the paint will cost me $60 and I only need to fix 1 stone chip, so I'm assuming the body shop wont ask too much to fix it

PS: they had a video saying they use waterborne paint

nathantse

Regardless of what brand of paint you use. Nothing will be a perfect match. Because the surrounding paint of the chip or scratch has been expose to sun, and had fade.

Unless you compound and polish. THEN it would look good. But it still won't be perfect ubless you repaint the whole panel.

HOW bad is the spot you're wanting to touch up? I would not recommend spray cans..

blizz24

I feel that spray can for a chip is over kill...

Toh

Speaking from experience, I bought the two UW pens from the dealer. Ones the base and the other is the clear coat with the pearly look. It's not the exact same, but you can't tell from far away. Plus, if you have the chip on a metal part (i.e hood), best if you do it asap so it won't rust.

I'd recommend just buy it from the dealer and use a tooth pick to fill it in. Seems pretty small.