Touch-up paint is a hot topic of debate for detailers worldwide. Everybody has their own philosophy for the right and wrong way to do things. In this article, we’ll discuss the best methods for applying touch-up paint to your vehicle.
Before we get started, it’s important to note that we’re taking on very basic work here. Consider this more of a quick-start guide as we’re dealing with tiny rock chips on the hood and a couple of other nicks on the doors and rear quarter panel. A one-step polish will tackle most of the other scratches you might see in photos. Touch-up paint is about filling scratches that go down to the bare metal underneath the many layers that make up your paint; these areas will rust if left unattended.
Let’s quickly examine the layers of primer, paint, and clear coat on your vehicle to better understand the importance of touch-up paint.
Where to Start
Before we get into the details, it’s important to find the right color paint for your specific vehicle. This probably seems beyond obvious, but there can be many iterations of “basic” colors like gray, black, white, etc. So, put in the extra time to look up the perfect match. Most dealerships and websites can track down the right color using your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). However, if that doesn’t do the trick, there’s also a paint code displayed on the driver’s door sill or the spare tire compartment.
Decontamination
The word decontamination is an unnecessarily complex way of saying you need to wash your car. However, it’s crucial before any paint job—even one as small as touch-up paint. Not only will dirt and other detritus hide paint chips, but they’ll also inhibit the paint’s ability to stick. So give your car a good clean—and make sure it’s completely dry.
Once dry, it’s a good idea to clean your work area with rubbing alcohol or even denatured alcohol. I find a Q-tip works best for these small rock chips. Just be careful not to leave any lint behind.
Good
The most basic method involves using only the tools included with each brand’s touch-up kit. Nowadays, most touch-up kits come with a small paintbrush or paint marker. Regardless of which solution you’re dealing with, the trick is to blot the paint on rather than brush it in. This makes it easier to be precise and improves the chances of your touch-up blending with the existing paint. Also, the paint shrinks as it dries, so apply just slightly more paint than you think you need.
That’s the most basic method, which will get you 90 percent back to perfection. However, if you’re looking for that next five percent—you’ll never get your paint truly flawless—there are a couple more tools that can make your life much easier.
Better
A dedicated touch-up brush is one of the most affordable tools to improve your results significantly. This 100-pack of 1.5 mm brushes from Atlin gave me a much more precise touch than the chisel tip of the included paint pen. It also allowed me to control how much paint went into the scratch. The paint pen often let out more liquid than I wanted—leading to high spots on the touched-up areas.
I opted for a third-party touch-up paint here as it’s packaged in a bottle, making it much easier just to dunk a brush in—we used the same stuff below for the needle method. Sure, if you wanted to, you could hold down one of the paint pens in a cup and wait for it to pool, but there’s no need.
Best
While the first method fulfills the bare necessity of protecting scratches from rusting, and the second makes the job easier with more precision, the third (and best method in our eyes) gives you the best coverage. It involves a syringe with a detachable dispenser needle, which is meant for non-medical purposes like gluing electronic components, filling ink, and dispensing solder pastes.
SANANTS 1 inch Blunt Tip Dispensing Needles (45 Pack)
Milescraft Sand-It Sanding Block
The 1.5 mm brush from the “Better” method helps to get into cracks and crevices, but the smallest needle here has an outer diameter of just .017 millimeters. That’s why I chose this method to patch up the remaining rock chips on my car. Before I started filling in the bald spots, I learned a great tip: Do a couple of test spots on a towel or glove to get a feel for how much paint the syringe dispenses. I found the ones linked above to be very sensitive. Once I felt comfortable, it was smooth sailing, patching up every rock chip on my hood. I also wet sanded and polished the patch spots once everything was dry.
If you go for the needle method, just be mindful to dispose of your needles in a hard plastic container to keep yourself and others safe from getting impaled.
Once You’re Done
After you’ve filled in the last chip, scratch, or nick, there’s not much more to do. Just be mindful to keep the areas dry and ideally free of dust for the rest of the day. As we mentioned earlier, you can wet sand and polish to blend your patchwork further, but this is a much more advanced technique that you should approach with caution.
Last but not least, it’s important to note that your touch-up paint might not perfectly match your vehicle, as the existing paint has likely faded after being out in the elements. And that’s alright. The real goal of this job is to protect the metal underneath from rusting. Looking factory fresh will always come second—and it’s a goal you’ll constantly be chasing.
Matt Crisara is a native Austinite who has an unbridled passion for cars and motorsports, both foreign and domestic. He was previously a contributing writer for Motor1 following internships at Circuit Of The Americas F1 Track and Speed City, an Austin radio broadcaster focused on the world of motor racing. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona School of Journalism, where he raced mountain bikes with the University Club Team. When he isn’t working, he enjoys sim-racing, FPV drones, and the great outdoors.
