Paint Chip Repair Advice

Chips happen. No matter how carefully we choose our parking spots or how far behind rock-spewing trucks we drive, no vehicle is immune from the occasional paint chip. Although repairs don't require going to an auto body shop, we're not going to fool you into thinking paint touch-ups are a breeze. The basics are simple, but they require patience and finesse. Think of the process as both a skill and a character builder, and you'll get through it easier.

The Tools The basics are simple, but they require patience and finesse.
The tried-and-true method of regaining a perfect paint finish is the little bottle of touch-up paint available through a car dealer or auto parts store. This paint should be a perfect color match (unless the finish is badly weathered or oxidized). You may think of your car as simply "red," or whatever, but there are thousands of reds. What you need is your specific "red." Even if the manufacturer no longer uses your vehicle's color, a dealer should be able to identify the paint color and supply the same color formulation.


When the chip has exposed bare metal, you'll need a few basic tools in addition to the touch-up paint and primer. These items include a good quality cleaner/de-greaser along with a final wax or glaze, a solvent such as rubbing alcohol, 600-grit wet/dry sandpaper, a 2,000-grit sanding block, wooden, un-dyed toothpicks, cotton towels, new pencils with unused erasers, and glue. It also helps to dispense the paint into heavy plastic cups—this makes it easier to get achieve a smooth application sans any blobs. Most of these materials you'll already have at home, but paint-chip repair kits and materials are readily available at your favorite auto parts supply store.

The Process
Start with a clean car. Examine the chip to determine if the primer is intact or if the damage extends to bare metal. If the metal is exposed and the dreaded rusting process has already begun, remove the rust with fine (600 grit) wet/dry sandpaper. The best way to keep the sanding to the damaged area is to glue a round of the sandpaper to the eraser end of a new pencil.


Using a toothpick or your fingernail, first flick the paint edges to get rid of paint that's been loosened around the chip. Dampen the chipped area with a few drops of water then rough up the chip and surrounding paint with a fresh sandpaper/pencil tool. The purpose is to give the new paint application a very small area of receptive paint to grab hold of.