My bug has a few small chips and scratches which need touching up. I've never tried this sort of thing before. How is it done? Is it possible to blend in the small repair without respraying the whole panel?

Hi Purple Martin,
My car has stone chips and fine cracks in the paint. Recently someone suggested to me that I try a turtle wax 'chip stick' and coloured polish. It's worked really well- not as flawless as a respray obviously, but much neater than white chips and it's really easy. The chip stick comes in lots of different colours, I'm sure there'd be red and white.
Prior to this I used to get some paint made up in the same colour and drip it into the chips on the end of a very fine paint brush, then buff it back. For larger patches if you use an acrylic paint you can buff it into the existing paintwork, then go over it with burnishing creme. Not perfect, but much cheaper and easier than doing a whole panel. Hope this helps.

Good advice from Visitor. If you find an automotive paint shop who will put some colour matched paint in a spray can, you simply spray some paint into the lid of the spray can or a small jar and with a fine brush simply dab or touch up the chips and scratches. You'll soon get the hang of it, and you'll find that the chips and scratches simply disappear. You will then gain the confidence to use the spray to touch up slightly larger blemishes. You'll need to prepare those larger areas for painting by sanding back and making a surface that allows the paint to stick. Because the colour is matched you'll be able to blend the freshly painted areas with the already painted surrounds.
Go for it. It's easy.

Thanks guys. I did get an automotive paint shop to mix some paint for me, but when I went to apply it the following day I found that it was WAY darker - not even close, a totally different colour. Like THIS instead of THIS. I took the paint back to them today but the bastards refused a refund. I won't go there again! I think I'll try one of those 'chip stick' things.

If they made up a colour from a paint code that would make sense, but if they have someone who knows how to do it by sight you'd be right. I use a guy down here who eyeballs it and just keeps adding and mixing until you can't tell the difference. Send me a sample of your colour and I'll take it to him. There must be someone there who does it though. Speak to panel beaters. They'll either have someone or know someone who does.

This guy did it by sight, adding a little, mixing, adding a bit more etc.

How can I send you a sample of my colour when it's all on the car???

Radio block off plate, tail light shell......I dunno.....door? Really, you'll get someone there who can do it. Work out what's easier, search for someone there or send me a piece of your car and I'll it for you.
Put a request up here for a paint matcher in your area.

Getting someone who can colour match these days is becomming increasingly harder. I tried three so called experts and none could do it. I finally found an old time spray painter that did it in about five minutes. What happened to this skill is it still taught at TAFE?
Rob...

I think a lot of them don't realize that the paint will dry lighter or darker than it appears, depending on the base colour used. All of mine have dried darker- it's very frustrating!!!
I forgot to add though, it is also difficult if your original paint job is older (in my case 5 years in an enamel) because the colour will be different depending on the surface you choose. If you want a spray can to to the roof, the colour has to be matched with the roof! It is not infalliable though, I still ended up having to get two cans and blending them myself on the car.
Also, Purple Martin if you are using an acrylic spray can it will react if the car's paint is enamel- the way around this is a fairly new paint called acrylic enamel (very original!). I'm about to try this on my car- if it works out well I'll put a message up.
All the best!

I've colour matched a VW ivory colour off a steering wheel at TAFE. It wasn't all that hard although ivory is pretty simple and I had a middle aged panelbeater teacher who I could ask for help

One thing to remember, i found with my car when i tried to get paint for it - is that from the time the car is freshly sprayed the colour fades at different rates around the car. For example the glovebox lid which i got the colour matched to was several shades darker than the exterior as it hadn't been exposed to the sun. Things like this make a difference on an older paintjob.

Like visitor said, the base colour can change what the colour coat ends up looking like. Although this depends on how opaque or translucent the colour coat is and how thick the coat actually is on the body. So really it is best to make up a small batch and match it to the car first before making a big batch.

Quick note from visitor- acrylic enamel didn't react with my old enamel paintwork, so it may be a good option for everyone out there needing to respray patches.
Cheers.