Modded: couple of questions.
1. When it comes to paint chip fixes, what is the best way to go about doing that? Any handy videos you know of for guidance?
2 what can I use to coat plastic pieces like the roush side splitters for example that won't come off or fade in a couple days?
I love larry Kosilla, and thats^ a great video. My process is similar but there are some techniques in that video that i dont employ in my process, but the process is similar.
Larry Kosilla is the man and knows ALOT about detailing, but I do have a few notes about that video:
1. I dont use carnauba wax in the area to help paint stay in the area. For a few reasons; A: The amount of paint you are applying (usually) and the applicator you are using are both designed for touchup, so putting paint right where you need it isnt that difficult, B: If you do get touchup paint on the clear coat that isnt needed there, it comes off very easily when you level the touch-up paint in the chip. C: IMO, a very essential step to getting proper adhesion in the chip is making sure its clean- yes, he cleans it with alcohol, but adding wax to the area just makes that step harder, and if you notice, for the final touchup paint he adds, he doesnt use wax.
2. I dont USUALLY wetsand an area unless I have a reason to. The pencil idea is really cool, and i may use that trick depending on the size of the chip in the future. But sanding the whole area, i think, can be avoided and freshly applied paint is still going to be much softer to level than the paint of your car, so using the age old mantra of "always start with the least aggressive method"- I would probably, and do usually, just compound the area after the touchup paint is dried. The compound usually cleans up ANY touchup paint outside the chip and levels off the paint inside the chip.
Now, when i touchup the paint, i do cover the area, let it dry (heat gun or time) and repeat the process until the paint builds up layers to fill the chip. Once its dry, I polish or level the area, give it a wipedown with PanelWipe or Alcohol and assess whether or not i need more paint in the chip ect.
Once i feel that the chip looks good, ill polish it to clean up any compounding micromarring and amp up the gloss. Give the area another wipedown with PanelWipe, and protect the area with whatever they have on the car, usually a sealant.
I have about 1000 chips on the front of my camry (DD), some are tiny, some are the size of a quarter, lol, i may use that car for more practice, maybe even make a video.
Blkvert hit it on the head with trim. For a longterm or permanent fix, there are coatings that restore and preserve trim for 2+ years. Gtechniq C4 is what is going on my 5.0. My trim doesnt look bad i just want it to be perfect and not have to mess with it. Other coatings like Opticoat2.0, Cquartz, 22ple, and even Gtechniq C1 all adhere to plastic and darken it some and last years- the reason im using c4 is that its designed for trim, it actually restores faded trim to new condition and keeps it like that. So if you have some faded trim, id use C4. If your trim is new, any option would probably yield decent results.
