Paint Chip/Scratch Repair Options?

B

Boongie

New member
I recently purchased a 2017 Hyundai Elantra Limited in Symphony Silver color. The body is in excellent shape with a few chips/scratches. There is a chip in the hood, in the top of the bumper piece above the grille, and a scratch above the driver side door. The scratch is about 1.25 inches long. It just catches my fingernail. Pictures attached.

I would like to try my hand at repairing the chips/scratch. I have read about Langka and Dr. Color Chip. Seems like scratch repair is more difficult than chip repair. Based on the attached pictures, which one will work best? Or is there another product that is recommended?

Also, I was planning on claying and using a sealant on the car. If I repair the chips/scratches, then clay and seal the paint, do I risk ruining the repairs? Should the repairs be done in a different order?

A possible issue is that I live in the Midwest and the temperatures have started dropping. I don`t have access to a heated garage. Should I wait until the spring to do the paint repairs?

Thanks!
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  • Elantra Bumper Chip.jpg
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Trying to attach a picture of the scratch. Still not able to "insert image". Am I doing something wrong?
 
Are you using Tapatalk to insert pictures? Tapatalk is the easiest way to insert pictures.

Dr Colorchip works great for chips like the one in the picture. It does not work so well on scratches. Scratches aren’t as deep as chips so the paint can’t stick into the scratch when you try to level it. I hope I made some sense.
 
Boongie- With the temps falling fast (at least here in NE OH) I kinda lean towards waiting until spring. Just LSP the [heck] out of it and let Winter take its toll.

As noted, the DrColorchips works better on chips than on scratches, although I`ve used it on those too with OK results.

Unlike Coatings=Crack, I`ve had OK results using it on large and small chips, but that just shows how !YMMV! applies...ya never know until *you* try.

Note I keep saying "OK"..that`s the best you oughta hope for IMO.

The DrColorChips paint is indeed kinda fragile, so you want to take it easy on that- no aggressive polishing, and even Finish Polishes can take it off. Any decontamination oughta be done before the touchup as part of the prep for that.

Even without seeing the Pic of the scratch, I`ll go ahead andl say....I bet you oughta just live with it. Or try filling it with clear (just clear) and leveling that a bit with Langka/etc. I can easily imagine making that worse instead of better...beware of those good intentions, you know where they can sometimes lead ;)

When it comes to touchups...of any kine...IMO it`s a lot easier to make things worse than it is to make them significantly better...or even better at all.
 
Thanks Accumulator. With the cold weather coming on I was planning on going to Chicago Auto Pros and have them do a basic exterior maintenance which does include claying and application of a light polish. Will probably wait on the paint touch up until spring. Any thoughts as to Langka vs. Dr. Colorchip? It appears that with Langka you can use the car dealer supplied touch up paint and with Dr. Colorchip you use the touch up paint that they supply. Langka seems to have a specific product to remove the resulting paint blob.

Has anyone done a comparison between Langka and Dr. Colorchip, in terms of results, longevity of the repair, and if claying, polishing, etc. later will pull the repair out?

Also, I have read about a special paint applicator from a company called Lowe and Cornell, model #92. Seems to provide much better control of applying paint than one of the microtip applicators. Although with Dr. Colorchip it seems that dealing with overfilling the chip is not an issue.
 
rlmccarty2000 said:
Are you using Tapatalk to insert pictures? Tapatalk is the easiest way to insert pictures.

I tried to insert images using the "insert image" icon on the Autopia toolbar. I am posting from a notebook computer, not my cell phone. Still not allowing me to post images. Strange how I was able to post one image but none of the others. I also tried doing it one image at a time. Did not work.
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Boongie- I`ve never used that Pen Applicator, but others here, whom I consider credible, do like them.

IME the DrColorChips is the most fragile touchup paint around. Not a huge issue as long as you don`t abrade it, but that might be asking a lot.

Yeah, the Langka is for "conventional" touchup paint. I don`t know whether the DrColorChip stuff is just for theirs, never played around with it.

I *DO NOT* advocate the DrColorChips "over-apply and smear and then use solvent" approach!! I just apply it like a regular touchup, very very carefully with a tiny brush. That turns out *incomparably* better for me, hands-down.

I choose between the two approaches (and wetsanding to level, but let`s not go there ;) ) based on the specific job. Most touchups just lend themselves to one or the other, but knowing which is which might be one of those experience things...

I kinda think, just guessing, that you`d do best with a single-stage touchup paint from the dealer, leveled with Langka. If you [screw] up the worst that`ll happen is the Langka will take it all off and you`ll have to start over. I`d do the touchup as carefully as you can, then *let it be* for weeks so the paint cures (as opposed to merely drying). THEN level it and don`t try to get it perfectly level, just try to make it a little better.

IF the dealership touchup paint is two-part basecoat/clearcoat, things will be a bit more complicated, and *maybe* I`d then lean towards the DrColorChips. Maybe ;) I generally think that stuff is best for non-metallics, but b/c touchup paint is, IMO, a PIA that doesn`t usually yield significantly better results anyhow unless you`re *really* being all Autopian-perfectionist about it.
 
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