Ok, so I just got my perfectly matching factory black touch up paint in a bottle (they don't make the pens for my colour of black because it's a '96), and I was wondering what's the best way to apply it? I have some nasty scratches on my rear bumper (it scraped down to the primer so it's white), and a scratch on my hood where the passenger side wiper broke!
I've heard to maybe use a toothpick tip instead of the brush because the black paint is thick. Any help is good.

 

First of all, clean the area well and use a light adhesive material (like clay) to get any contaminents off. Using a brush is always best, unless the scratches are really fine or too small for a neat job using a brush (then use the touth pick).

For the rear bumper, you might have to get some filler putty. Otherwise, you have to keep layering the paint. Then you need to clear coat (you can find it anywhere like Wal-Mart). You won't get professional looking results unless you practice first and even then, it'll look a bit off. You will also need some rubbing compound to make the new paint+clear coat blend in with the rest of the colors. Again, you might want to practice this somewhere first (like the underside of a door... somewhere where nobody will notice it).

The hood shouldn't be as bad. Use a brush.

Before to try this, let some other people back up or disagree with what I've said just to make sure.

BTW, where did you get your touch up paint from?

 

I got the touch up paint from Acura. It had to be ordered in because they didn't have my colour in stock. I did a little test area on a rock pit and it matches perfectly. I may have some issues with the bumper though because the scratches are very fine and cover a wide area, so if I try and fill them in it will look weird. Maybe I should leave the bumper alone since I'll probably only end up making it worse. Thanks for the info though.

 

Leave the bumper alone, or wait and have the entire thing repainted.

I agree with Vincent's post except be sure to clean the area really well with isopropyl alcohol. You need to give the paint a very clean surface to bond.

 

I wonder how much it costs to have the whole rear bumper painted again?

 

Both of my bumpers had to be repainted... The paint cost was about $300, but the labor and stuff ended up being $1600.

You can call a body shop and ask if they do free estimates. If they do, take it to them and check.

 

ACK! $1900! No way! Even half that is too much for me. I guess I can live with it since I'm only going to have it for another 3 years.