Touch-up paint

[VTECnique]

Im after some touch-up paint to paint a few nicks, scratches, & there's this one big area on the bonnet.

Ive heard from unknown sources that you can buy touch-up paint at honda, & also supacheap. Anyone have a rough price & how big the spray cans are? Cheers...

[neo_phase]

Err I've bought them from Autobahn before. Mine didn't come in a spray can (I don't think you classify spray cans as touch-up) but in a nail polish type bottle with a small brush.

They have a guide/book in the store that tells you which paint you need to buy that goes with your car, based on the factory colour codes.

Mine cost about $12.95 for a bottle. They have quite a few brands but I just took whichever that had my colour code.

You can't use them on a large surface, only on small little spots. The paint is rather thick and you have to becareful as not to create an uneven surface. Once it sets and hardens it's pretty solid and you can't get it off with your nails etc.

It also has a nice glossy finish once it dries up.

[dahondr98]

You can get touch-up paint in both spray cans, and brush-on bottles, at all large auto accessory places, such as Supercheap, Autobarn, Repco, Burson etc. Honda dealers will also be able to get it, but may have to order it in. The brush-on bottles are very small (I’ve seen them from about 2 inches high, up to about the size of a white-board marker), and the spray cans come in various sizes – ranging from 5 or 6 inches high and 2 inches diameter, to about 12’’ x 3’’. The colour code is printed on a sticker or label on the driver’s doorjamb, on the B-pillar. Just take that colour code, if it’s still in place, to a nearby auto store, and they’ll match it for you. If you don’t have the code, they should still be able to match it, from a book. I’ve even bought it (for a Holden!:D) at K-Mart in the past, when they used to have a decent size auto section (more than 10 years ago).

As neo_phase mentioned, the brush-on bottles aren’t suitable for large areas, but the spray cans will do quite a reasonable job on larger areas. The auto paint makers usually also supply spray cans of primer/surfacer as well, to fix up paintwork with more problems. I’ve used both the brush-on bottles (good for small paint chips), and the spray cans (on a few old bombs!), and they seem to be a good match, if your paintwork is in good nick, but more work is required if it isn’t. You also sometimes need to do a bit of work with wet and dry and cutting compound to match surrounding paint, particularly for larger areas – you’ll definitely need to do that, and use masking paper and masking tape if you use a spray can. But if you are thinking of doing a whole panel with spray cans:eek:, forget it – either get a pro to do it, or borrow a mate’s compressor and sprayer, as I did when I needed to do a larger job. Most of the paint manufacturer’s can supply brochures with good info to explain how to do it – Dulux had a good one I obtained from an auto paint supply shop some years ago. The auto paint supply shop I used to deal with could even make up spray cans for those who didn’t have a compressor. I haven’t bought any for more than 10 years, so can’t advise on cost, but it’s pretty cheap for one can.:thumbsup: