scoot20

For my '03 TL-S NBP I have a bottle of the touch-up paint from the dealer and I think it's horrible. I want to get the pen similar or exactly like those mentioned here (from ebay or paintscratch.com) but I can't decide which is a better choice....

A. Paintscratch.com custom mixes and wants the "color code" because there are apparently different NBP's????

B. The ebay user, serf321 or something, sells an Acura pen with simply NBP or whatever color is needed. (and it's cheaper)

Will one match better than the other? Anyone have some experience with this? Please advise. Thanks

JetJock

they never match...it's impossible to get any metallic to look good with a touch up paint pen...the metallic just doesn't mix correctly

parvo99

The acura oem touch up paint doesn't even match! I bought some ssm in a bottle, and it's a completely differnet shade. Going to try the pen though, with the clearcoat on the other side..

scoot20

so do you think it's useless to go with the more expensive paintscratch.com that claims they match perfectly according to the color code on your door jamb? ( for example mine is b92PX , X being the significant letter that tells them supposedly exactly what shade of NBP?

caball88

metallic paints almost never match. but if its a small rock chip then you can probably do a good job hiding it. you have to be patient and careful with the fix. when you apply the touch up use as little as possible and let it flow into the chip. let it dry and repeat as many times as necessary until it is level with the rest of the car's paint. at this point you can use the clear coat.

scoot20

thanks guys....I'm just trying to figure out if there's something to this color code paintscratch deems so important (saying that my NBP with B92PX is not the same as B92P that others sell?...that the X makes it diff).... if not, the other less expensive "oem" pen would probably work.

Brings up another question....Any other NBP owners have X or a diff letter in the color code?

uncsuperman

i'm just tryin to figure out which one to buy for my firepepper red 99

the paintscratch.com pen looks to be a very fine tip, which would be better

the acura pen offered on ebay by that guy "serf" doesn't look like as fine of a tip....i'm not sure which one to go with

any help guys??? i need one of them asap so i can do a real good job on my ride, starting at the base of the problems

parvo99

I found the acura pen to be very difficult to use on small rock chips. But, it did match my paint better than the acura touch up paint I bought in a bottle. The pen is just this hard fibrous material that the paint soaks into, similar to a regular felt tip pen, but the paint is fairly thick, and doesn't exactly flow very well. Instead it kind of globs along the outside. The best thing would probably be to use a toothpick to dab the paint into the chip, or maybe even a large hypodermic needle?

uncsuperman

parvo....have you seen the 'pen' available from paintscratch.com??

that looks to me to be a much finer and smaller tip than the 'acura' pen

either way, it's not easy to deal with rock chips....buh

parvo99

Maybe I wasn't doing it correctly, but it wasn't really the size of the tip that was a problem, it was just trying to use it to apply the paint nicely. The paint was just too thick to apply nicely. Anyways, I'd try the paintscratch.com product. Goodluck!

SK2003TypeS

I'm going to try the paintscratch route. I've heard that the OEM stuff isn't that great. I might go to a bodyshop and have them mix up a small jar.

uncsuperman

sk2003.....are you gonna give the paintscratch.com pen a try??

if so, let me know how you like it, i'm in desperate need of one or the other

Vincent

I just ordered some Pearl White paint (along with rubbing compound and clearcoat) for my 96TL from paintscratch for $46. Hope that wasn't a waste...

If it doesn't match... you can bet I'll be sending it back!

ResidualFreedom

My Heather Mist Metallic matches perfectly. I have painted my fuse holder in my engine bay just to see if it does match, an I was suprised to see it matched perfectly..

It came with the car from the first owner, it come from ACURA..

Street Spirit

I've used the Acura pen and the colour seemed to match pretty nicely. It was a bit awkward to use though...but did its job. Don't know how it would look on a large area. Paint colours may not match perfectly because the paint on your car has been weathered, whereas a bottle of touch-up paint hasn't had to endure the sun, rain, snow, dirt, etc.

uncsuperman

so is using rubbing compound pretty safe??

i've never used it, but filling in these rock chips i'm sure would benefit from using rubbing compound after it's dried to kinda blend it in

what type and what is the safest way to use it??

any other opinions on the paintscratch.com VS. 'acura' paint pen discussion??

CLpower

depends how abbrasive it is

uncsuperman

well, for a noob to rubbing compound, what would you recommend??

i do a lot of detailing and i take care of my car very well, i just don't have the luxury of keeping it covered and washed every week

ResidualFreedom

do some searches on www.autopia.org you will get a ton of info from there with pics and step by step DIY. I think you are misunderstanding what a compound is, you'll get all the professional detailing advice from the link above.. Many professionals contemplate fixing chips in paint because it almost never looks perfect. Some have such a high level of professionalism, they will not offer that service because it is never a "perfect" fix.

uncsuperman

hey, thanks for the help residualfreedom

i thought that some rubbing compound would help blend in the filled in chip with the surrounding paint, is that not true??

wow.... i cannot imagine thinking that a rock chip looks better than one that is filled in and is at least the same color, instead of the white or black base paint

uncsuperman

holy crap......there's SOOO much more to detailing than i knew

there's this meguire's tutorial for like detailing pros, with videos that show you step by step how to do stuff, it's nice

here's the link for you guys if you wanna check it out

http://www.bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=31

cable

there's also chipmender.com that sells the white diamond pearl for 12 (2 pens, one basecoat and a midcoat). i'm also deciding btw chipmender.com and paintscratch.com (more expensive).

can you post a review of your experience with paintscratch.com?

SK2003TypeS

I'm going to go with an ounce or something. Not a fan of the pens. Plan on going this route as far as repair. I don't mind spending a few days on this if it comes out right.
http://www.bettercarcare.com/articles.php?articleId=27

Vincent

Well, paintscratch.com has gotten my money and I should have my paint withint 8-9 days... I'll let you guys know how it works.

And I can't see how people can use those pens. Sure, they lay the paint out a bit smoother but it's nearly impossible to fill in those fine scratches.

cable

vincent:

ya, if you can post a review that would be great.
did you give them your VIN number when you ordered from the site?

uncsuperman

wow....TypeS....i've seen a few things on that site before, but that HOW-TO on chip repair, what a great resource
well written and easy to follow.....doing the sanding makes me a little nervous though

vincent, let us know how the paintscratch.com product comes thru, i'm not sure if i wanna go that route or just get another bottle from the dealer

cable

basic question, but the site asks for VIN number when you order so they can better match the color of your car. is this safe/okay? i'm assuming if someone wanted to know my VIN, they can look at my windows...but just want to make sure

Vincent

Yeah, I gave them everything they asked for... not sure why they need all that info (like the color code) but whatever.

I just got it today and I'm doing it on this little test paper they gave me. So far, the basecoat (flat- off white color) looks good. I've covered half of the base coat with the midcoat (the glossy pearl white) and waiting for it it dry. Then I'll have to put on the midcoat and use the rubbing compound. I'll be back in an hour.

But I won't post a review until I do it on my car... because, there might be some issues once using it on the car itself. I'll try to have it by tomorrow.

Until then... wish me luck.

uncsuperman

vincent, any word???

i really need to make a choice either way, getting either the paintscratch.com thing, or the paint pen that that guy serf sells on ebay

i need one or the other

now if i can just get enough balls to tackle some wet sanding, then i can blend in all these little nicks so that it's smooth as glass

cable

Vincent:

How's it coming along? If you get a chance, can you please post a review?
Thanks.

uncsuperman

wow.....i was hoping for some feedback on this pretty soon....looks as though it's not forthcoming

i'm unsure of which to go with, i'm thinking of trying out the paintscratch.com pen, it looks like a finer tip and easier to work with

anyone with any more feedback??

JPritch

Werd. I'll be sure to hit up my local heroin dealer for a couple prickers.

Vincent

Sorry it took so long guys... I was gone.

But I just cannot recommend paint scratch. It did a wonderful job on my front hood (nealrly perfect match!) but was horrible on my bumper. I just can't get it right because the midcaot (the pearly part) keeps running off... so you can't see it very well.

I'd guess you'd have the same luck with the pen but it's probably a lot cheaper. All I can say is try it out on a vertical surface first before anything.

ebr2709

long ago I was taught that a paper match from any matchbook using the feathered end from tearing it out of the matchbook is a nifty way to ease a little paint into a chip or scratch. Haven't tried it in a long time, but it worked fairly well when I did (will quite likely never be "perfect", for a host of reasons).