Just purchased an Atomic Silver IS500 last month, and within three days of getting it home... before I could get it PPF'd... I got a small but significant paint chip/ding on the front bumper underneath the driver-side headlamp. The PPF guy says he can't fix it. I'd hoped to have Lexus do so but they're quoting >$1,500... which I would prefer to avoid if at all possible as it seems pretty damned high. Plus it looks as though they're booked until February, anyway.

I know similar questions have been asked previously, and I'm aware that Atomic Silver is a difficult color to match. Is there any new info on what touch-up product might work best? Or does anyone have tips on how I could repair this myself without completely borking it? I've done compounding, touch-up, etc. many times before but this has me rather nervous. Just want to be able to enjoy my car without looking at this damned eyesore, and preferably get it into a condition where I can PPF at least the front of the car.

FWIW I did buy some 01J7 Doctor ColorChip, but the color in the bottle does not look like it would match well. At least they sent me nice little brushes & droppers.

 

Paint pen from Lexus will match the closest but you'll never get a 100% blend. Dab it a few times until you get the paint as level as possible. Polishing the paint dab won't help at all.

 

Thanks, @LeX2K. The more I consider it the more I think this might be worth a comprehensive claim.

 

Maybe but then the entire panel will be painted you risk bad matching paint, worse paint quality etc.

 

Even if the Lexus collision shop does the work? I love this color but almost starting to wish I'd broken my No Black Car rule. Bah.

 

That colour is super tricky to match for any shop. I have rarely heard good things about Lexus body shops.

Touch it up with the Lexus pen, get PPF and be happy. Another option is have a body shop do the touch up pen thing, try and find one that specializes in small repairs around here there are a few like this.

 

My mom had her Atomic Silver matched well with a bumper scuff. They had to repaint it all. She also had a scuff on the hood and they wanted a hefty chunk of money to repaint the whole hood. She declined on the hood and the touch up job they did looks awful. It's just a really hard color to paint match.

If you won't be annoyed by an off colored touch up then go that route. Otherwise you might want to do a claim and make sure the repaint matches before accepting the car back.

Thanks to insane water spots at work I think I'm going to PPF my entire car so I'll have peace of mind that the paint isn't getting ruined.

 

HI sorry to hear about your car, If you have the budget I would get It fixed right the touch up paint In my opinion Is a waste of time and won' t turn out good.

 

I’m surprised you’re handling it as well as you are… had this been my car I probably would have to have been admitted to a hospital for psych eval.

 

LOL I'm glad I'm not the only one. When I thought my hood was ruined by water spots I was so sad my wife thought I was going to sell the car.

 

Jesus Christ.

Buy touch up paint from the Lexus parts dept and call it a day. Spraying a brand new bumper for 1 chip the size of a match head is insane, regardless if insurance pays for it.

 

^^ I agree. While it will never be perfect, going through repainting a whole bumper seems a bit excessive to me also. I would just touch it up and then have it protected but in the end, the choice is ultimately yours and what you can live with. I am super OCD so I know it would annoy me too but re-spraying the bumper doesn't mean it will turn out correctly and from experience, I feel nothing beats the original adhesion that the paint has to the bumper than straight from the assembly plant.

I forgot to add - You would obviously need to remove the uneven edge, the part of the damaged area that is sort of raised by the impact

 

Touch up paint from dealer. 12 bucks. No it wont be perfect. But do it. Then get PPF. ANY ppf guy saying they can't ppf on top of chipped or "touched up paint" is a FOOL. You can ppf over uneven surfaces no problem. I touched my front bumper up (same color as yours, atomic silver) that had plenty of rock chips, and way more than just yours. Then PPF the next day with Suntek. ZERO problems since the install day. Make sure they use Suntek self healing film or Xpel PPF. And no, don't get it "repainted" for something as small as this...

 

LOL @ Both, because I’m right there with you. Hence I got the Xpel PPF as fast as humanly possible. 😜

To echo the majority, I agree…get the touch up kit from Lexus and invest in a super fine (pinpoint) paint brush. Get the car PPF’ed immediately afterwards, as the owner you’ll see the imperfection, but it’s better than a whole front not matched to the rest of the body. I think that would drive you insane more than a dot.

I’m surprised your PPF guy wouldn’t patch it for you. Maybe he isn’t the best of the best in your area? Something to consider, but good luck!

 

Quick update: they repainted & reattached the bumper for me, and the paint match is absolutely perfect. I'll post some pics after I get the PPF completed, but extra bonus: the driver-side bumper separation was also improved significantly.