So....should I give Dr. Colorchip a shot---Will it work for this????

[WeekendDIY]

So, we have no idea when this happened. By the little curly Q look at the one end of the scratch I'm thinking it's from another vehicle rubbing it and the brakes be applied and the other vehicle rocking. Anyway, unfortunately the whole scratch is a finger nail grabber.

I'm thinking of giving Dr. Colorchip a shot as opposed to the body shop. I think I 'll skip the insurance claim.

I've never used this product but I'm willing to give it a shot if others with more experience think it would be affective. Worse case I just pay out of pocket to a body shop.

Any thoughts or advise would be appreciated.

Happy new Year to all.

[DaveT435]

So, we have no idea when this happened. By the little curly Q look at the one end of the scratch I'm thinking it's from another vehicle rubbing it and the brakes be applied and the other vehicle rocking. Anyway, unfortunately the whole scratch is a finger nail grabber.

I'm thinking of giving Dr. Colorchip a shot as opposed to the body shop. I think I 'll skip the insurance claim.

I've never used this product but I'm willing to give it a shot if others with more experience think it would be affective. Worse case I just pay out of pocket to a body shop.

Any thoughts or advise would be appreciated.

Happy new Year to all.

You can get it to work. Keep in mind up close you'll still see it, but from 4 or 5 feet away you shouldn't. If you decide your going to go this way I would recommend getting these.
Griots Garage Touch-Up Paint Applicators, 25 Count (http://www.autogeek.net/griots-paint-applicators.html)

There are also some tricks to make it a little quicker and easier.
It looks like there is also a small dent your working with??

[MarkD51]

I think one or two have said way back, that Dr. Colorchip wasn't really ideally suited for dealing with scratches, but I would say that's untrue to a point.

I say this because the Dr C-Chip system is one of the easiest to work with, apply the paint, and it stays put, dries fast, and can be quickly leveled.

I have repaired a small scratch on my junker with it, but I didn't get too anal about it, but as has been mentioned, it will be a lot less visible for sure. The other is that it will protect against having rust occur as I assume this scratch is down to the metal, correct?

The other advantage of just buying the kit, is then having it on hand for future damage. The small bottle can do multiple dozens of chips, and so with the sealact leveling solution.

If you should for say need just an individual item down the road, let's say another bottle of paint for a different vehicle, or are running out of the sealact solution, etc. These can be purchased individually direct from Dr C-Chip.

What you might notice with trying to fill a scratch, is that you'll notice some shrinkage in that the paint may not fill adequately in just one application and leveling of paint.

In that scenario, I would do a first application, get it leveled and all excess paint removed. Then, wait a day or three, come back again and repeat until you build up a number of layers until satisfied.

One beauty of Dr C-Chip. You mess up, simply remove the application with the sealact solution and start over.

Good lighting, like a light on a stand will be an aid to help see good.

One doesn't necessarily have to apply, and then smear like their videos show, you can brush it in also if that seems to work better, wait the required time, then level. For a scratch, probably the best method to level such would be to rub lightly perpendicular to the scratch, not with it.

The learning curves will be how long to wait before coming behind to level-smooth, and this can vary a little bit due to temps applied. But usually the range is about 4-10 minutes on average.

To level, you start with a slightly firmer pressure to begin to remove the excess, but then as you go, you then use less and less pressure with each following wipe, until at the very end when it looks like you are almost perfect, only just very lightly move the little towel across the paint with no pressure, and let the solution do the work without any pressure applied.

And as I said, if, say a week later, it should look like it shrunk, no harm, no foul to apply another coat or two. just degrease first if you've applied a wax-sealant.

Hope this helps.

[Souldetailer]

I think one or two have said way back, that Dr. Colorchip wasn't really ideally suited for dealing with scratches, but I would say that's untrue to a point.

I say this because the Dr C-Chip system is one of the easiest to work with, apply the paint, and it stays put, dries fast, and can be quickly leveled.

I have repaired a small scratch on my junker with it, but I didn't get too anal about it, but as has been mentioned, it will be a lot less visible for sure. The other is that it will protect against having rust occur as I assume this scratch is down to the metal, correct?

The other advantage of just buying the kit, is then having it on hand for future damage. The small bottle can do multiple dozens of chips, and so with the sealact leveling solution.

If you should for say need just an individual item down the road, let's say another bottle of paint for a different vehicle, or are running out of the sealact solution, etc. These can be purchased individually direct from Dr C-Chip.

What you might notice with trying to fill a scratch, is that you'll notice some shrinkage in that the paint may not fill adequately in just one application and leveling of paint.

In that scenario, I would do a first application, get it leveled and all excess paint removed. Then, wait a day or three, come back again and repeat until you build up a number of layers until satisfied.

One beauty of Dr C-Chip. You mess up, simply remove the application with the sealact solution and start over.
Good lighting, like a light on a stand will be an aid to help see good.

One doesn't necessarily have to apply, and then smear like their videos show, you can brush it in also if that seems to work better, wait the required time, then level. For a scratch, probably the best method to level would be to rub lightly perpendicular to the scratch, not with it.

The learning curves will be how long to wait before coming behind to level-smooth, and this can vary a little bit due to temps applied. But usually the range is about 4-10 minutes on average.

To level, you start with a slightly firmer pressure to begin to remove the excess, but then as you go, you then use less and less pressure with each following wipe, until at the very end when it looks like you are almost perfect, only just very lightly move the little towel across the paint with no pressure, and let the solution do the work without any pressure applied.

And as I said, if, say a week later, it should look like it shrunk, no harm, no foul to apply another coat or two. just degrease first if you've applied a wax-sealant.

Hope this helps.

I agree with this. I've used it and if you're not too anal about it, it will suffice. Don't expect a miracle. I know where the scratch is even if no one else does. You can see it if you look for it. I'm glad I tried it and I do have it if I need to fix a chip down the road. Good luck.

Peace,

Darrin

[wing commander]

This is also a good scratch to use the squeegee on that they offer for the kit.

[GSKR]

So, we have no idea when this happened. By the little curly Q look at the one end of the scratch I'm thinking it's from another vehicle rubbing it and the brakes be applied and the other vehicle rocking. Anyway, unfortunately the whole scratch is a finger nail grabber.

I'm thinking of giving Dr. Colorchip a shot as opposed to the body shop. I think I 'll skip the insurance claim.

I've never used this product but I'm willing to give it a shot if others with more experience think it would be affective. Worse case I just pay out of pocket to a body shop.

Any thoughts or advise would be appreciated.

Happy new Year to all.me personally if it's a fairly new car just paint it and be done with it.

[Mike Phillips]

What kind of car?
What year?
How many miles?


:)

[WeekendDIY]

What kind of car?
What year?
How many miles?


:)

Hey Mike,

2015 Nissan Murano

13,000

Thanks in advance for any thoughts.

[GSKR]

I would definitely paint it now.maybe just try it out and see if it suits you and inexpensive.

[DaveT435]

You can do a lot with Dr Colorchip. Usually on the newer colors they are very very close. Dr Colorchip was very helpful with a project I had. Matching the color on a 72 VW was a challenge. They ended up having me take several pictures of the paint then sent me paint. It was still way too dark so they sent a bottle of white so I could mix it. It's still a little off, if you look at post 16 you can see that Dr Colorchip can be used for a lot more than tiny stone chips. They were also very helpful with tips on making this project go faster.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/94836-dr-colorchip-langka-2.html

[WeekendDIY]

Apologies for the quick single reply earlier. Swamped at work.

Good eye DaveT. Yes, there is a small dent. My business partner used to paint cars only as a hobby years ago. So he has some hands on knowledge and has a dent kit. Just don't know if it's worth a DIY on that. Thanks for the other info.

Thanks for the detailed info MarkD, much appreciated.

Souldetailer, I've been a bit anal about the paint and keeping the inside and outside clean. I induced a good amount of swirls due to bad washing and drying techniques. So from the good folks here I was able to do a 3 step correction this past spring. Got it all fixed up. Outside of that scratch the paint is probably 95% good for a black DD. But I have already learned and accepted the reality of a black car. That part didn't take long to realize. Ha! Kinda don't have much of a choice on that one.

GSKR, your first mentioned you would just paint and be done with. Then your next post said "yea, just paint now. Just curious, you referring giving the colorchip fix a try? That's kinda where I'm leaning. Simply because if I F it up I can just take it to a body shop. I figure I can't make it any worse.

Question. Anybody got a decent guessetimate a body shop might charge. I was thinking $1200/$1400.

Funny thing is I've been thinking about trading it in. First release of this 3rd generation Murano. GPS maps came with '14/'15 years maps with no update in sight. IIRC 5 recalls. Nothing major but still. But the bigger issue is the CVT transmission. Many have had to replace the transmission. I've actually had to have the valve body replaced. But other than that it's a really nice car for the price point. Sorry, got way off topic.

[Crispy]

The secret to Dr. ColorChip application is patience.

You need to fill the scratch in multiple applications.

I have done some on my hood and taken as many as 14 days to fix.

First off I don' t use the levelling technique, I sand with 3000 grit on known clear coat thickness.

Apply small amount of paint (below surface) and wait 24 hours.

Apply small amount of paint second application and now getting close to even with surrouding paint.

Wait 24 hrs minimum.

Apply final thin coat now above surrounding paint and wait 24 hrs.

Sand with 3000 grit Trizact sanding disc and compound on cutting foam pad.

At this point it will probably need more paint to properly level, so repeat paint application (wait 24 hours between light coats until above surrounding paint).

Repeat compounding step and if level polish with polishing pad.

I did this on my hood on a nasty chip over the course of 2 months (it was winter so had to do in garage when I had heat).

Turned out very good (you cannot see it even up close unless you know where it is).

[GSKR]

Apologies for the quick single reply earlier. Swamped at work.

Good eye DaveT. Yes, there is a small dent. My business partner used to paint cars only as a hobby years ago. So he has some hands on knowledge and has a dent kit. Just don't know if it's worth a DIY on that. Thanks for the other info.

Thanks for the detailed info MarkD, much appreciated.

Souldetailer, I've been a bit anal about the paint and keeping the inside and outside clean. I induced a good amount of swirls due to bad washing and drying techniques. So from the good folks here I was able to do a 3 step correction this past spring. Got it all fixed up. Outside of that scratch the paint is probably 95% good for a black DD. But I have already learned and accepted the reality of a black car. That part didn't take long to realize. Ha! Kinda don't have much of a choice on that one.

GSKR, your first mentioned you would just paint and be done with. Then your next post said "yea, just paint now. Just curious, you referring giving the colorchip fix a try? That's kinda where I'm leaning. Simply because if I F it up I can just take it to a body shop. I figure I can't make it any worse.

Question. Anybody got a decent guessetimate a body shop might charge. I was thinking $1200/$1400.

Funny thing is I've been thinking about trading it in. First release of this 3rd generation Murano. GPS maps came with '14/'15 years maps with no update in sight. IIRC 5 recalls. Nothing major but still. But the bigger issue is the CVT transmission. Many have had to replace the transmission. I've actually had to have the valve body replaced. But other than that it's a really nice car for the price point. Sorry, got way off topic.Dr colorchip is a visual repair versus painting it ,where painting there are no visual flaws or standouts unless you go to a not so good Bodyshop.For the mileage and year personally I would paint it.If the dr colorchip is inexpensive maybe you can be happy with the results.They make a good product but it's not going to be 100%.

[RippyD]

The secret to Dr. ColorChip application is patience.

You need to fill the scratch in multiple applications.

I have done some on my hood and taken as many as 14 days to fix.

First off I don' t use the levelling technique, I sand with 3000 grit on known clear coat thickness.

Apply small amount of paint (below surface) and wait 24 hours.

Apply small amount of paint second application and now getting close to even with surrouding paint.

Wait 24 hrs minimum.

Apply final thin coat now above surrounding paint and wait 24 hrs.

Sand with 3000 grit Trizact sanding disc and compound on cutting foam pad.

At this point it will probably need more paint to properly level, so repeat paint application (wait 24 hours between light coats until above surrounding paint).

Repeat compounding step and if level polish with polishing pad.

I did this on my hood on a nasty chip over the course of 2 months (it was winter so had to do in garage when I had heat).

Turned out very good (you cannot see it even up close unless you know where it is).
This all sounds good. But if you're going to sand and polish, why use Dr. Colorchip rather than matching factory paint and clear coat?

Not an expert at all. Rank amateur, so take this FWIW. And read Mike's review. My experience matches his closely.

I got three colors of Dr. Colorchip kits for 3 different cars. It's not a bad system at all. Color match has been perfect. I did one big scratch on the front bumper of my white LR3 that turned out great. It's down low and the scratch was showing black. Two coats of Dr. C and it's all but gone from a distance. Within 2-3 feet you can see if you look hard, within a foot it's pretty obvious, and up close it's bad. But my intent was to hide it. Anybody looking at the car non-critically would never see it.

I tried using Dr. C to fix some bad paint chips on the front hood of a 4Runner. They are deep chips. No way. No matter how many coats I applied it looked bad. The depth was hard to match and it has low gloss, so it doesn't match the clear coat. You can sort of mask this with an LSP, but in a very obvious part of the car it's still very noticeable. Color was great.

Decided to get some factory paint and clear coat. Very light sanding. Painted, dried with a heat gun, repeat twice to get it almost level, then clear coat, dry, then sand and polish. This worked great. I can't recommend doing this unless you're confident and are willing to screw it up and maybe need a pro to fix it. I have a little experience (very little) and I decided to go for it.

In my very limited experience, Dr. C is great at hiding chips and scratches for color. Less great at matching depth and reflectivity for me. The big advantage is that it's very safe - not much risk in using it. One caveat: the little white synthetic towel things they include for cleaning will mar soft paint. I suggest throwing them in the trash and using a good MF or other applicator.

[Macpage]

I'm not sure how deep your scratch is, but we had one on our DD van from a painter with a ladder. It had the same dent as well and the scratch was really long, deep on the sliding door.

I took it to our body shop, which does excellent work and really tries to steer you in the right direction as far as financial outlay vs. results. The owner was able to sand out the scratch and quickly match some touch-up paint in just a few moments. No charge as he's a great guy who wouldn't take payment. I returned the favor on our next transaction.

Of course, I can see the repair at certain angles on the CC, but it would look really close if one took the time to correct the whole panel. As it is, no one else notices. For the dent portion, our paintless dent guy knocked it out in about 5 minutes. Guys who are good at this are miracle workers. No charge from him as well, but I was able to slip him some cash.

As always, I think the key to these sort of things is experience. I never expected to get this kind of result for the price of lunch and 10 minutes. You may be able to do just as well with the touch-up kit, but if you know a good shop, it might not hurt to let them have a quick look.

Best of luck,

Mike