My new Passat hood got a mean chip from a piece of concrete on the road which I want to touch up with factory touch up paint (from Duplicolor it seems). The paint is very thick and i would like to thin it. The smell seems to make me think it is a lacquer base but not sure. what would i use to thin it a bit?
what to use to thin touch up paint?
- Thread starter Riccar
- Start date
Jngrbrdman
New member
Technically it’s a good thing to be thick. That way it goes in and you can wet sand it down when it dries. When you thin out the paint you lose the color match on it. If you want to thin it out I could suggest “paint thinner.� 
Try applying it with a smaller brush maybe. :nixweiss
Try applying it with a smaller brush maybe. :nixweissTim Lingor
New member
You actually use laquer thinner. Just a tiny amount. Paint thinner has residue in it and does not dry no where near as fast.
Put a little glob on the chip. Use could use the paper end of a paper match(the fibers will hold the paint without over loading)The paint will shrink in a few days, filling in the mark. Then do it again. Then either leave it, or sand the touch up GENTLY with 2000 grit wet/dry sand paper, then buff with compound! You will hardly notice (unless it is metallic flake paint; it will float to the surface. There is nothing you can do about that)
Good Luck!
Put a little glob on the chip. Use could use the paper end of a paper match(the fibers will hold the paint without over loading)The paint will shrink in a few days, filling in the mark. Then do it again. Then either leave it, or sand the touch up GENTLY with 2000 grit wet/dry sand paper, then buff with compound! You will hardly notice (unless it is metallic flake paint; it will float to the surface. There is nothing you can do about that)
Good Luck!
Be careful around this stuff though. It's the "nuclear bomb" of paint solvents! 