Paint Chip Repair
Short answer: This is “matchsticking.” Use UNTHINNED lacquer touch-up paint (assuming your car wasn’t repainted in enamel) and build the chip up in dabs, not one fill.
Steps:
- Degrease, then lightly sand a pencil-eraser-size area including inside the chip with 600 grit.
- Stir the unthinned paint very well (metallics especially need it). With a tiny hobby brush, dab paint into the chip — don’t brush it in, and don’t fill all at once. Wait a few hours and repeat until the chip is filled slightly higher than the surrounding paint.
- Wait at least 2 days, then knock down the excess with 1000–2000 grit wet-or-dry, sanding no more than necessary (surrounding paint may be thin; metallics settle to the bottom of each coat).
- Finish with a good auto-store rubbing compound to remove the sanding marks. Done well, only an expert can tell.
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Content last modified: June 13, 2026 at 10:06 am
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