Jason's 99 Boxster doc thread

[Seal1968]

+1 on husker's tip.

I've used the "Paint to Fix" scratch/chip kit, and the colour match is dead on.

My A4 had a bunch of good sized chips on the hood that needed attention.

Step 1 -clean the area well, use a degreaser (brake cleaner works good).

Step 2 - use 1500 sandpaper to lightly go over the chip / scratch to make sure the edges are not too jagged

Step 3 - dab the match paint into the scratch/chip...fill it up so it is slightly above the good paint. Several passes/coats/dabs may be needed to fill it. Leave it alone for a couple of days to fully cure and flash off. (you don't add hardener to this stuff)

Step 4 - using a sanding block with 1000 wet sand, 1500 wet sand, 2000 wet sand, gradually fan out. Light, FLAT pressure, lots of soapy water, rinse often. This will level the paint in the chip / scratch to the rest of the panel. Be CAREFUL...the factory clear is thin, plus its 20 years old. You don't want to burn through it.

Step 5 - Get some 3M or Farecla compound...buff, buff, buff. Note: when using Farecla especially, keep the cloth/pad moist as it really cuts sanding scratches.

Step 6 - polish the area...then polish the whole panel.

Step 6 - wax her up and crack a beer and admire your work

DISCLAIMER: I'm not a doctor, nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night...results may vary as husker says. Just my method.

[husker boxster]

There are 2 keys to success with these processes:

1. Fill the scratch or chip in so there's new paint just above the surrounding area. Not a huge blob, not a valley between the good paint areas.

2. Sand as little of the surrounding area as possible. You don't want to burn thru the clear coat.

For #1: I went to Hobby Lobby and bought a pkg of paint brushes that came in various sizes. Some were very small and work great on thin scratches. DC used to come with just 1 brush and it was generally too big and stiff for small stuff. They now send 3 brushes (for SIXTY bucks they should!) but they still may not be the proper size. Having the proper size will make the job easier and better in the long run. (That's what she said.)

For #2: The idea is to sand the minimum you can to get the new paint to the level of the existing paint. If you did a good job with #1, you shouldn't need to do a lot of sanding to get it smooth. The more you sand, the more surrounding clear coat you take off. If you find a spot that needs more paint (you don't always get 100% coverage in a scratch the 1st time thru), paint in the low spot and sand just that area when it's dry. Once you get the chip / scratch filled in and smoothed over to the good paint, stop sanding.

You can use a buffer with the rubbing compound, but keep it contained to the sanded area as it will be removing clear coat too. But it's really overkill using a buffer if you've contained the sanding to a small area. If possible, I'll try to do the rubbing compound step by hand. You just want to get the scratches from sanding smoothed out. It probably won't shine much. The shine comes back when you use the swirl compound. That's when you want to look for any remaining marks or sand scratches. If you find some, try rubbing compound by hand or use a higher grit sand paper to smooth them out and start the process again. As stated before, go minimum with these steps and only repeat if necessary where necessary. The polish & wax steps are when you're happy with the result. You only do these steps once.

Seal brings up a good point - the area needs to be free of wax before you start. Paint won't stick to wax. I use bug & tar remover to clean an area. Whatever you use, be sure it's dry before you paint. Paint won't stick to wet surfaces either. Patience and nerves of a cat burgler are necessary. Take your time.

A friend wanted me to polish his Basalt Blk 07 Cayman S. It had an 8" scratch across the top and side of the rt fender. Someone had filled in the scratch with paint but it looked like a scar because it was overfilled. He hadn't mentioned anything to me about this scratch, but I figured I could "fix" it. When I was done, the fender looked perfect. He was very happy. I was too.

[Seal1968]

Yup...take your time.

Don't be tempted to check if it's dry yet for another coat/dab...walk away for a while or you may end up starting over.

Speaking from experience lol.

[Radman]

Originally Posted by Seal1968

Yup...take your time.

Don't be tempted to check if it's dry yet for another coat/dab...walk away for a while or you may end up starting over.

Speaking from experience lol.

So I need patience? Oh boy lol! I'll give it my best shot lol! Thanks for the feedback.

[Rob175]

As a graphic designer, my friends have always asked me to help touch-up a lot of their cars. All of the procedures previously mentioned will work fine. Although I've never sanded the area first I just make sure the surface is clean and free from wax.

As another mentioned, the type of brush is a very important part of the process. Most art stores or hobby stores sell a variety of brushes. I have some brushes that literally have just a few tiny bristles. In fact they're so fine that once "wet" with a tiny bit of paint (less than a drop) I can slide the wet bristles into and along the scratch. With several repeated steps of application, dry time, and re-application I can bring the thickness up to the same height as the rest of the car.

The "trick" is using the absolute finest set of brushes you can get....a large magnifying glass also helps. But slow and steady is the key. Once done and dry I wax, wax, wax.

[Radman]

Originally Posted by Rob175

As a graphic designer, my friends have always asked me to help touch-up a lot of their cars. All of the procedures previously mentioned will work fine. Although I've never sanded the area first I just make sure the surface is clean and free from wax.

As another mentioned, the type of brush is a very important part of the process. Most art stores or hobby stores sell a variety of brushes. I have some brushes that literally have just a few tiny bristles. In fact they're so fine that once "wet" with a tiny bit of paint (less than a drop) I can slide the wet bristles into and along the scratch. With several repeated steps of application, dry time, and re-application I can bring the thickness up to the same height as the rest of the car.

The "trick" is using the absolute finest set of brushes you can get....a large magnifying glass also helps. But slow and steady is the key. Once done and dry I wax, wax, wax.

Prob not the best quality, but I do have a hobby lobby right down the road from me so I'll check about getting better brushes there.

Truly appreciate the advice guys!

[husker boxster]

Bonus: you can use some of the bigger brushes in the pkg for detailing in the interior. They work great for knocking dust out of the cracks between panels.