DDLexus

I'm considering buying a used Lexus with black/graphite/caviar paint. There is a few spots on the car where it looks like someone either smeared touch-up paint or Dr. Colorchip paint over small rock chips or scratches, but didn't clean it up after applying the paint. These look like smudges. Since the car is used and the dealer doesn't know who or when the repair was made, they can't offer any advice on what caused it or how to fix. It's in a pretty noticeable area and I'm trying to find a way to go about fixing.

Question: Would paint thinner or acetone or Dr. Colorchip Sealact be a good first step to try and remove those smudges?

TRD_Power

It'd be helpful if you had a picture, but I'll give my .02 on the matter. Since they're just paint chip corrections, I'd say start with some of the Sealact and see if it clears some of it up. If not, you can try a little alcohol, but be sure to wax/coat the spots after. As far as chemicals go, I'd resort to paint thinner last, mostly because it's the harshest of the chemicals listed; and you know the whole saying with detailing... Least aggressive method first Once removed, and the spots still look poorly done, you can try removing the touch-up paint with paint thinner and reapplying several coats, until it reaches the correct thickness. I wouldn't worry about making it perfect, as polishing and waxing will correct a lot of that after. Anyways, I'd wait for more to chime in since I'm by no means a pro, but this is all stuff that I've done/used in the past with satisfactory results.

DDLexus

Below is the photo of the poor touchup spots. I had to zoom in to show it. pretty sloppy job IMO. Just not sure how salvage-able it is at this point.

TRD_Power

I'd wipe them down with some alcohol, build up the layers a little bit more with some fresh paint, then hit it with some polish. If that doesn't get it down enough, wet sand them and then polish. End it with wax, of course. Those should clean up very nicely.

swfla

iTrader: (1)

I've used dr color chip several times on several cars over the years. Paint thinner removes the touchup. If clear coat is on top of the color, it might not come up. But I've never had paint thinner damage the surrounding area.