paint touch up kits?

the_devil_made_me_do_it

I have a Citroen C2 in black. I have noticed a approx 3cm long chip near the wheel arch.


There is no rust there but I can see galvanisation or bare metal (not sure which).


Thinking about getting a car paint touch up kit, but not sure which one or whether a kit would do the job. I have looked on the internet, but I'm no further forward.


If anyone can advise it would be much appreciated.

veryoldbear

Try:

http://www.carpaintrepair.co.uk/acatalog/Car-Spray-Paint.html

Iceweasel

Well 3cm long is a bit more than a 'chip' - but how wide is it?

Post a pic of it if you can.

But I would advice a touch-up kit as you mentioned, rather than a rattle spray can.

If you get the touch-up wrong it can be rubbed down and done again.

Get the spray wrong if you've never used a spray paint can before and it could well be an expensive mistake.

Using a spray can to get a good finish is an art.

And they are best used on larger areas.

In the meantime, until you decide what to do, put a piece of masking tape over it to keep the rain off and rust from starting.

scotsbob

What Iceweasel has said is good advice, especially regarding aerosol sprays. 3cm is not an easy touch up job.


If you do want to go ahead yourself you should contact the manufacturer first, they may well do a touch up kit in the exact colour of your car. I have a Mazda and they sell a small kit with filler, paint, lacquer and the correct grades of sandpaper.


There are also many franchises where they will come to your home and do the job for you. Someone who does it all day, every day, is more likely to get a good finish than someone doing it for the first time.


EDIT Found this, you obviously want the one in your colour
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-CITROEN-TOUCH-UP-PAINT-LACQUER-KIT-/251662976579?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3a98484643

neilmcl

I've always had relatively good results with these - http://www.chipex.co.uk/ or try something like this http://www.paints4u.com/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=6912

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Thanks for all the replies.


I have bought a paint kit from the local Citroen dealership. It cost £10. I could do with buying the fluid that aids in remove grease/dirt from the area that needs touching up.

vansboy

You can clean the area with white spirit if you have some handy.

In the kit there may be a wire brush fixed into the top of one of the paints. It will only be a few strands of wire, about as wide as the actual brush in the paint. If it is there, gently scratch clean the surface to be painted. Theres no need to make the damage any bigger, unles paint is peeling off.

If there isnt a wire brush, try a small piece of fine wet n dry paper, folded, so you clean the area with the edge of the paper.

Its easy to create more damage, if you rub either too far, so do your best to minimise the area to paint and just overlap the edges by a couple mm.

VB

the_devil_made_me_do_it

vansboy wrote: »

You can clean the area with white spirit if you have some handy.

In the kit there may be a wire brush fixed into the top of one of the paints. It will only be a few strands of wire, about as wide as the actual brush in the paint. If it is there, gently scratch clean the surface to be painted. Theres no need to make the damage any bigger, unles paint is peeling off.

If there isnt a wire brush, try a small piece of fine wet n dry paper, folded, so you clean the area with the edge of the paper.

Its easy to create more damage, if you rub either too far, so do your best to minimise the area to paint and just overlap the edges by a couple mm.

VB

Thanks VB. I think the kit only contains the paint pen and lacquer.


Would I need a primer?

scotsbob

the_devil_made_me_do_it wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies.


I have bought a paint kit from the local Citroen dealership. It cost £10. I could do with buying the fluid that aids in remove grease/dirt from the area that needs touching up.

Just use warm water with a few drops of washing up liquid, that will remove the wax. You don't want to trap moisture under the fresh paint so do let it dry overnight.
Paint should be applied when the temperature is 20-25 degrees so this is not the ideal time of year. However if you leave the car in the sun and/or use a hairdryer to warm up the area before you paint it will help.
Get some tooth picks and/or matchsticks if the scratch is very thin and narrow, it is easier to apply the paint with them rather than with the brush supplied.
When you have finished put a dab of paint on an unseen part of the car or any old bit of metal, you can then use that to test when the paint has dried, rather than smudge your work.
Then you apply the lacquer coat.
Ideally you should wait 2 weeks to let the paint really harden before polishing and then waxing.


If this is your first attempt, it might be an idea to put a similar scratch on a bit of old metal (I used the back of my washing machine!) and practice on that to make sure you have the technique right before doing the car.


There are many videos on Youtube to watch showing how it is done.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Should I be using a primer?

scotsbob

the_devil_made_me_do_it wrote: »

Should I be using a primer?

Depends if you can see bare metal or not. Ideally you would lightly sand the chip and only the chip. Don't sand beyond the boundary of the chip because then you have more painting to do.


I glue a piece of sandpaper to the eraser at he end of a pencil because I only want to sand a very small area.


If there is bare metal then a dab of primer will help, if there was no bare metal I wouldn't.
If you have to put a dab of primer on then you need to sand that once it dries.