Anyone have advice on using touch-up paint? - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

brettcoon · 12th August 2001, 06:35

I posted a couple weeks ago about a scratch I got on the front fender of my car. I called the dealership to see what they would charge to fix it, and was told they repaint the whole fender for a cost of $250.

So, I bought the Royal Red touch-up paint kit, and I'm going to try touching it up myself. If it doesn't turn out well and I make things worse, at least then I'll feel like I'm getting my money's worth when they repaint it.

Anyone have advice on touching up scratches? The scratch is about 20cm long, 1mm wide, and all the way through the paint. My current plan is to buy a Meguire's ultra-fine sanding block so I can smooth out the touch-up paint I apply, then follow up with polishing compound and Zaino. Actually, if the paint goes on smoothly enough to begin with I probably won't bother sanding or polishing, and just go straight to Zaino.

Anyone have any experience, URLs, stories, or advice that might help me?

-Brett

Need4Spd · 12th August 2001, 08:21

Sorry, but never worked on anything that large. But usually the drill is to work very slowly using as little paint as possible, building up layer by layer. Let each layer dry before applying the next coat. For chips I use a toothpick or pin(!) depending on how big the chip is. Never use the brush in the bottle. Too much paint. Remember, go slow. When it's built up enough, finish it off with the clear coat (is Royal Red a clear coated paint? You'll know b/c the BMW touch up paint will come with a second bottle of clear.). Let it dry a few weeks, then buff it out. Good luck.

Jay-Three · 12th August 2001, 18:00

Hi Brett- I have used a product for touching up called Langka. www.langka.com. It is a type of polish that you apply to a touch up and it smooths it out to remove any "blob". It does work beautifully, but I can't say how it would work on a long scratch. Might be worth a try! Jay

atomic80 · 12th August 2001, 18:42

Jay-three: have you personally tried using langka? A friend of mine ordered some and tried it on his black ML430 and said that it doesn't work!!!

Said it was $20 dollars waisted. Kind of like buying snake-oil to cure all your sick needs.

Jason

Barry · 13th August 2001, 02:11

$250 to paint a fender is for nothing. Did that include the labor?
Unless you have a lot of time on your hands, a magnifying glass and a very very very fine brush, I pay the $250 (if that's what it cost)
My 2 cents.

Need4Spd · 13th August 2001, 03:07

The trouble with repainting a fender is that it's VERY difficult to match a color perfectly, especially a metallic. OTOH, I have to believe that a long touched up scratch will look bad no matter how careful you are.

So, maybe Barry's right. Just pay the $$. But I guess it wouldn't hurt to at least try a touch up first. If it fails, you can always get it painted.

Barry · 13th August 2001, 03:24

Need4,
Correct, a bad paint match is the worst.
That is why I question the price. They also rarely just paint the fender they "feather in" the other panels adjacent.
Bottom line go to a good body shop. the longer you wait, ie the older the paint, the harder to match.
I'm armed with this wisdome because I had some nasty key marks that I HAD to get rid of and landed up having the the fender and front door redone for about $2K. The good news is you cannot tell under any lighting conditions

BTW, I know Greg had fender repaint too. He can give you the cost estimate for comparison.

kenneth · 13th August 2001, 06:50

Speaking of touch-up paint, I bought a bottle of BMW touch-up paint from my dealer. The paint was a little darker than the silverstone on my car. I ended up going to the local BMW body shop and asked them to mix me a small bottle of the silverstone paint. I've used it on my BEAST and it matched perfectly.

Later,
Kenneth

sscaro · 13th August 2001, 18:05

This article is about repairing chips - some of the same ideas would apply to a scratch, I would think. Good Luck!

http://www.carcareonline.com/paint_chips.html

Parkerfe · 13th August 2001, 18:36

Try one of those paint medic/touch-up services that used car dealers use. I have used one in the Atlanta area to touch-up various cars in the past and was pleased. They come to my office and do the work in the parking lot.

bgomez · 13th August 2001, 20:48

I don't think you can get away with just repainting the fender. My fender had to be replaced and they (BMW) repainted the door as well. The guy at the body shop said that if it wasn't done that way the two panels wouldn't match. I too have a scratch on my bumper about 1 inch long and 1mm wide. I was out to dinner and some ******* parked his honda civic against my bumper; I was pissed! I ordered the touch-up kit and will try to fix it layer by layer with a much smaller applicator. My experience with the touch-up guys that the dealership contracts brings me to the conclusion that with the correct color I can do as good if not better myself. Good luck!
Bill