I've made an attempt to fix a few paint chips on my neon... one is a fair sized chip just above the rear wheel well. After using paint from the dealer, the colour does not match. It seems the touch up paint doesn't dry as dark. Has anyone else had this problem?
This summer I am going to try and use the touch up spray cans, I hope the colour will match the factory paint better and give a smoother finnish. Plus i have some more chips that still need fixin.
Mainly, the hood has a bunch of small rock chips in it that I'd like to get taken care of.
Any advice on the procedure for this?
I am going to make sure to strip my wax off first and am thinking of getting a touch up kit with hand sanding/polishing pads and am not bad at detail work. Should I be heating the paint or car surface up at all before/after application or anything like that?
I think the reason I have so many chips is poor quality aftermarket painting on my hood and fender. They were both painted (don't know where, it was my dad's car at the time) and they are the only area's i've had any problems. The hood was keyed across the entire width down to the metal and the fender had to be re-done after someone back into my bro in a parking lot.
Thanks for any help!
Matt
rice_eater
03-09-2006, 03:21 PM
First, what color is it? some colors are just a pain to match, so dont worry if its a little off. My car is black, touch up is easy :D
Also, you want to keep your touch-ups SMALL. the smaller the better, dont take off good paint that doesnt need to be removed. If its just down to primer, simply clean it, and touch it up. If it's a rusty chip (as mine were) take a drill or dremel with a small burr bit and genly remove the rust down to bare metal, and only take enough paint off around it so you are sure you got all the rust (no more than 1/4" paint removal around original chip). Then prim the area, and paint it. If you are using spray cans, I recommend you tape the area off and mask out quite a ways so you dont get any overspray. Hit it with the basecoat good, then hit it with clear coat (if you didnt clearcoat that may be why the paint didnt match). Then remove the tape/paper you used to tape the section off, and hit the area with another coat of clear. Fan this coat out onto the original paint (make sure its clean) but only maybe 6" to a foot at most, depending on the size of the chip (remember, smaller is better). Then after it dries get some wax and good 'ole fashioned elbow-grease and buff it. Thats about as close as you'll get it to match without completely repainting the car.
If your chips are fairly small you may also want to consider the touch-up brush/pen combo (i think Duplicolor makes it). Autozone or Walmart should have what you're looking for, its a small tube of paint with a ballpoint pen tip, and the tip unscrews and there is a brush inside. I've used it and it works very well for small stone chips or mild scratches.
Good Luck, and remember, if its not a show car, dont worry so much about it looking A1 quality, just make sure its clean and coated well so it doesnt rust. Rust prevention should be your first priority, people 10 feet or more from the car will not even notice paint chips, nor will they be seen driving down the road.
BeerHand
03-09-2006, 06:42 PM
Thanks for the 'how-to'.
My colour is 'Patriot Blue' I've been told that apparently there are some different shades depending on the year or something, I have to look into this with the dealer.
I'm taking a shot at all this again this summer, I'll probably post status updates when I make some progress (or get frustrated).
- Matt
HoodooGuru
03-09-2006, 07:37 PM
Yeah. Some tool ran a bike or something into my right hand side front door yesterday. Now I have 1 big ding and 2 smaller ones! Pissed me off.
Something else I gotta pay someone to do. Body works are not easy at all for the inexperienced. Will prob have to repaint the whole bloody door!
95moparracer
03-10-2006, 01:30 AM
well not to be a ass but chances are in chips in ur hood or front bumper is from u riding pplz ass's or goin down dirt roads hella fast my guess is ridding that ass on the highway and stuff. my hood is pretty much all chiped to crap, not by me though some chicken head ( 15-16 yr old girl)that owned car before me liked to ride pplz ass's on dirt roads. no matter though i dont wanna pay for fix-up paint cause i'll be getting a carbon fiber hood soon and im thinking of getting my car painted the same yellow that the 2nd gen/s srt-4 also neon is. i think it looks good and i can get the color code from a dealership. ( just not sure wat a yellow 1st gen will look like in person, ive only ever seen 1 online)
BeerHand
03-10-2006, 08:54 AM
WOW, that was a real helpful reply!
I really don't get the point of trying to insult/annoy people on forums who you don't know just b/c you have some issues yourself. It would be one thing to complaing about the girl who owned the car before you, but another to assume that b/c I have the same sort of damage I must have done exactly the same thing.
I know why I have the stone chips and your assumptions are not the reasons.
- Matt
95moparracer
03-10-2006, 12:10 PM
lmfao u asked... that is wat its from is "riding to close" aka riding pplz ass's... other then that unless ur purposely shooting sand at ur hood theres no real other reason for mass rock damage on ur hood... i wasnt insulting i was responding!
rice_eater
03-10-2006, 03:33 PM
No, I have to agree with BeerHand, you were insulting... something you've been quite good at lately... Lay off 95moparracer. If his hood and fenders were repainted, then there is a very good chance the chips were because it was not primed properly. I seriously doubt he takes his neon baja-ing through the backcountry... that whole 6" of ground clearance (if that) wont get him very far. As for following too closesly... 95% of drivers follow too closely, myself included, and i'd be willing to bet you too. If you cannot count to 4 before you reach the point the car ahead of you was at when you started counting, you are technically following too close by DMV standards. And you will generally get stone chips anytime you are following a semi, whether you are following close or 100ft back... they stir up a lot of air that throws dust and sand around. The same is true if you pass a semi on a two lane road (as in he is traveling the opposite direction in the other lane). How many times have you encountered large trucks on the road? Add in the fact that BeerHand's car was probably painted improperly or with cheap paints and primers, and I would be amazed if he didnt have paint chips. You should really think things through before you go off making assumptions that the other person has done something wrong and laughing "yfao" 95moparracer.
Hoodoo-- I know you really like your car man, its nice. sucks to her it got bashed. But if the paint isnt broken/cracked/chipped... I'd just leave those few dent there (assuming they are small dings, not dents the size of a dinnerplate). They wont even be noticed unless the light hits them right, and nobody but you will know they are there. Its your car though, and i understand that you want it to look nice, so if you've got the $$ then go fix it, but I would wait a few weeks so you have a chance to really decide if its worth it... I mean, you do drive your car (and well from what i understand) so its not a trailer queen... its going to get some battle scars, thats just part of aging :D best of luck mate!
dodgeneonACR98
04-07-2006, 05:36 AM
My hood and front bumper are chipped to hell and back, but not from ridin asses! Infact I will pass someone before I ride their ass, unless it's a freind and we are playing around. Then you have the big trucks which throw shit up at the car rather your being passed in the opposite direction or directly behind it. Winter Sinders suck!
The best way I found to match your paint up is to have it mixxed at the local paint shop.Rice is right you will need to clear coat it to make it match right. And make sure you use top quality paints becouse it does matter. peace out
