paint repair: OEM or Dr. Colorchip?

[gap2117]

I have some small paint chips in my Montreal Blue 1999 Z3 Coupe, and I've read a lot about Dr. Colorchip and I happened to find some OEM paint repair. Which is better?

[MBe36]

Bump, also interested in the DR. system.

[nickdeck]

I can only tell you that the Dr. Colorchip paint matched my paint better than the OEM paint from BMW did. The BMW paint was too dark.

That said, if you're dealing with metallic paint (Steel Blue Metallic, in my case), it's gonna be real hard to get a perfect match for touch-up work.

Dr. Colorchip is good stuff, but you need to get your legs under you before you start working on an obvious part of the car, like the hood. Here's something to try with Dr. Colorchip: Open a door, or the trunk, or whatever. There you'll find some areas to experiment with, like the door jamb or whatever. Take a screwdriver or something and make a small scratch and work on that until you feel comfortable.

You can actually let the Dr. Colorchip paint dry for 10 or 15 minutes before using the remover stuff, which will help you keep the Dr. Colorchip paint in place when you wipe it down.

[MBe36]

^ great tips thanks for sharing!!

[gap2117]

that is a great tip. Thank you!

[djminkin]

I bought the kit but havent used it yet. Does it actually blend in so you cant see it, or can you still see the repair looking close?

[paul e]

Dr Colorchip is best used for road rash, or multiple small paint chips that youd think are too many to repair with conventional means. The paint they use is MUCH thinner than conventional or dealer touchup paint, and is perfect for painting road rash types of multiple small chips. But for single larger chips I prefer conventional touch up.. Thats because I like a thicker paint for a single deep chip. I like to fill the blob up to just above the surface, and remove the overfill with Langka. Using dr Colorchip on that deep type of 'crater' will color the bottom of it, but still leave it very visible from the unfilled portion. Thats because its too thin to fill a deep chip, whereas dealer touchup excels at that type of chip.

[gap2117]

Thank you. Mine are primarily little road chips, but it sounds like it would be prudent to get both, in the event of a larger chip.

[paul e]

Thank you. Mine are primarily little road chips, but it sounds like it would be prudent to get both, in the event of a larger chip.

If youre going to get a bottle of dealer bmw touchup paint, make sure to get a bottle of Langka also... Its the best way to deal with the touchup 'blob' once it dries. Its either that, or sanding and polishing.. I prefer the Langka.

The nice thing about dr Colorchip is that for road rash types of chips, you dont fill each chip in the conventional way; the directions are very clear, as you have to apply a thin brush stroke over the area containing the rash, and then Quickly follow up with a gloved finger to rapidly spread the stuff very thin over the area. Its so thin that it dries in like a minute, at which time you apply the thinner to remove the overpaint leaving just the rash, filled and disguised.. Directions are better than my explanation by alot, and the stuff works very well. I thought I was going to have to have my lower bumper area repainted, but after using this stuff, it does a good job at disguising the area. I think youll like it, but it takes some getting used to, since youve never done touchups like this before. good luck.

Oh... and if you havent been to their website, you have to go their first... they have some really good before and afters, showing how effective it is when done right.

[nickdeck]

Another thing to consider about Dr. Colorchip: The instructions tell you to wait for a minute before wiping the area with their solvent stuff. When I did that, the solvent would often remove the paint that I'd just put in the chip as well. I emailed them about that and they recommended that I wait 10 or 15 minutes before wiping with the solvent. That seems to work better for me.

[Bimmerguy5]

I can only tell you that the Dr. Colorchip paint matched my paint better than the OEM paint from BMW did. The BMW paint was too dark.

That said, if you're dealing with metallic paint (Steel Blue Metallic, in my case), it's gonna be real hard to get a perfect match for touch-up work.

Dr. Colorchip is good stuff, but you need to get your legs under you before you start working on an obvious part of the car, like the hood. Here's something to try with Dr. Colorchip: Open a door, or the trunk, or whatever. There you'll find some areas to experiment with, like the door jamb or whatever. Take a screwdriver or something and make a small scratch and work on that until you feel comfortable.

You can actually let the Dr. Colorchip paint dry for 10 or 15 minutes before using the remover stuff, which will help you keep the Dr. Colorchip paint in place when you wipe it down.

That's a great tip! thank you!
I'll have to try it!

[paul e]

I think it depends on the type of damage your filling.. for instance, when doing road rash type of repair where you brush and then smear over with the rubber glove while its still wet, if I wait 10 minutes or anywhere near it, I find it becomes very difficult to remove the paint from the adjacent, non damaged areas.. I agree that when filling a single chip, waiting is better. .But for those that are brushing and wiping, which drags the paint over other undamaged areas, waiting that long makes it really hard to remove from non damaged areas. I had to use up so much of the solvent just to get rid of it, I think you just have to find a 'happy medium'.. long enough to stay in the chips, but not so long that you have to scrub the paint to get it off adjacent areas. Also, you have a better chance of keeping the paint inside the chip if you make sure to use an un-nappy cloth to rub the solvent. A thin 100% cotton t shirt with no napp works about the best.

[Ineeda325]

If you're not going to use Langka, and instead, go with sanding/polishing, here is a great method I found ... http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=32625