Touch up paint / NXT Tech Wax

[laxdad]

I need to touch up some scratches both on the body as well as the plastic bumper of my 2003 Camry. I have already applied 2 layers of NXT Tech Wax over the past month. Do I need to do anything to prepare the surface first before using the touch up paint? Thanks.

[Tim Lingor]

Hey,

Thanks for reminding me; I have some small chips I want to fix!

What I like to do is apply the touch-up to the chip/spot. Then I carefully wipe the spot with a shop towel which basically lifts some of the touch up back out of the hole, but leaving a base. The thinning agent in the touch-up should be enough to clean any wax/sealant from the chip. Now, apply a small dome, covering the chip. The paint will shrink and fill-in. Do not go outside of the chip as this will make the touch-up more visible.

Good luck and keep us posted!!

Tim

[Rick]

You use something to remove the wax from the area first to ensure proper adhesion. I use some highly dilluted all purpose cleaner plus for de-waxing which worked well. A 1:1 dillution of isopropyl alcohol should work fine for this too.

[tguil]

Tim is probably right about just using the paint. However, I have always used a professional grade solvent to remove wax prior to applying the paint just to be sure.

Tom

[Rockpick]

This is a procedure that I have personally adapted to work to my benefit. I've got the procedure down to a point where you cannot tell where a rock chip might have once been. I learned the procedure from another message board and have adapted it as my own. The main trick here is to be patient. Very patient. If you choose to follow my steps, you do them at your own risk. I post this only as a suggestion. Again, do this at your own risk.

1. CLEAN--Clean the affected chip with a toothpick to remove all additional 'flaked' paint in order to ensure good adhesion. Follow with a very small dab of some type of solvent to ensure removal of any wax that may be at the bottom of the chip.

2. First Paint--Toss the little brush that's with the touch up paint out the window (unless it's attached to the top). Take another clean toothpick and get a drip of paint on the tip. Work that paint into the chip ensuring that you cover the entire surface area of the chip. You do not need to fill the chip at this point and, in fact, I'd recommend against doing it. Allow it to dry for about 15 minutes or until completely dry (environmental conditions will vary your dry times).

3. Evaluate-- At this point, you have probably filled some of the chip to above the surface of the paint and haven't in other parts. Note the areas where you need to apply more paint in order to make the surface of the touch-up paint sit higher than the surface of the unchipped paint.

4. Second Paint-- Apply a second coat of paint but, this time, get a slightly larger drip in order to completely fill the remaining void area. The drip should, again, sit above the surface of the unchipped paint. Allow to dry for 24 hours.

5. Evaluate-- As the paint dries, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) will leave the paint and thus, you may note that your 'drip' has now become a deflated blob. This is very normal and to be expected. You must evaluate to see if your drip has sunk beneath the surface of the unchipped paint. If it has not, you're ready for the next step. If it has, it is necessary to repeat step 4. Less is more if you have to repeat as you don't want a gigantic glob sitting on the chip. Just fill to suit. Again, allow to dry for 24 hours.

6. Wet Sand-- Utilizing 2000 grit sandpaper glued to the tip of an eraser on a pencil, begin sanding the glob of paint that you've set on the chip. Pay close attention to the papers so that you don't overload the abrasion abilities. In short, make sure that you're not continually dragging paint back and forth over the glob as it may have a tendency to 'pull' on the glob and thus, remove it. Also, make sure to keep your surface wet. Again, this is a VERY small spot that you're sanding; only the size of a pencil eraser (not one of the big pink ones either!). This process is very slow. DO NOT GET IN A RUSH!!!! Take your time. (hint--a typical rock chip takes me 3 or 4 days to make go away).

7. Evaluate-- Check your work often while sanding and evaluate how much you have to go. Be careful to not push overly hard on the eraser as you can cause scratches that will be nearly impossible to remove later in this procedure. Sand until you have a nice, uniform flatness across the chip and until the glob is uniform with the surrounding unchipped paint.

8. Scratch Removal-- Inevitably, you've caused a plethora of very small scratches at this point that need to be removed. I prefer to utilize DACP or #9 as the product of choice to remove these micro-scratches caused by the 2000 grit. As most of you know, neither product is very aggressive and, in my opinion, this benefits you at this point because you'll need to work the product fairly hard in the chip area to remove the scratches. I typically have to apply 8+ coats to that very very small area to remove the scratches. Keep working on it! This is the scariest part of the procedure as it seems that they're never going to come out. I've elected not to get any more aggressive than #83 (DACP) because I don't want to 'dome' the clear in that immediate area. Less is more here.

9. Wax-- Apply a nice uniform coating of NXT or #26 (or your favorite Meguiar's flavor) to the entire body panel (and probably vehicle).

Again, attempt this at your own risk. I've found it to be an effective procedure however, there is a chance that you can permanently damage your finish. If you are unsure about performing any of the aforementioned tasks, you should not attempt this fix and should consult a professional.

ENJOY!

RP