Dr. ColorChip to the Rescue!

Posted on October 7, 2012 by Quinn The Eskimo

Dr. ColorChip to the Rescue!

I have repaired over 10,000 cars – from Ferraris to Hyundais, from rare classics to old beaters. I have worked for car museums, car collectors, and for regular car owners who just want to drive a nice-looking vehicle. I love what I do and want to do my best for every customer.

That’s why, when repairing paint chips, I use the Dr. ColorChip system.

I demonstrate the process on   “http://youtu.be/xkjG8kInRhM” YouTube. First, we paint right over the chips. The paint is designed to stick in chips and scratches. It is pre-mixed for your car, per OEM specs, so there’s no guesswork involved in color-matching.

After painting, we use a special solution to remove the excess paint. The solution rubs everything off except for what’s in the chip. No little paint blobs are left on your car. The traditional method would require the use of a toothpick or a very fine brush to dab paint into each little chip, building it up over days or weeks. Then you would have to sand it down and build it back up again. After several weeks, you might have a chip filled. But with the Dr. ColorChip process, I can fill several thousand chips in about an hour to an hour and a half.

The cost of repairing paint chips with Dr. ColorChip is considerably less than having your car repainted, and it does a really beautiful job. I get better results with each chip, because I fill them more completely. I am also more likely to fill more chips, because with this process, I’ll see the very small sand-sized ones. The system works well for dealing with different shaped chips and for the ones caused by things like shopping carts or door dings. The same goes for the awkwardly-placed chips – the ones that happen in the crease in the middle, for example.

I fix everything: chips on the door hood, door edges, mirrors, bumper scrapes, you name it. My fine arts background sets me apart from other paint chip technicians; I understand the nature of paint. And the Dr. ColorChip system enables me to fix scratches a typical person wouldn’t be able to.

Every car is different, and every chip or scratch is different from the one before. I love the feeling that comes when I’ve repaired a car, I can see that it looks great, and I know I’ve done a good job. If you’re in Southern California, stop in and see me with your paint chip needs. If you’re unable to visit me personally, feel free to send me photos of your car’s damage. I can tell you what your options are.

Send photos to my cell phone:  949/463-7690 or email me at results@carpaintchiprepair.com

Quinn The Eskimo

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Rock Chips and Their Flavors

Posted on October 7, 2012 by Quinn The Eskimo

The open road causes more damage to our vehicles than we would like. Debris gets kicked up by other cars speeding by, and sure enough, small particles, such as rocks and sand, slam their way into the front bumper. All chips can certainly be repaired, but some are an easier task than others.
The easiest chip to repair is a bucket-shaped chip, where the sides are straight up and down into the car, typically caused by a rock hitting the car directly from the front. You can tell for yourself if this is the type of damage on your car, because you’ll see that the edges are lightly scraped in and scraped out. This type of chip takes very well to the Dr. ColorChip system that can be wiped on and off, with just a little finesse.
Although most chips can be repaired using a typical paint chip repair system, there are others that are too big to simply blot with paint. Chips that are the size of the tip of a pencil eraser are definitely pushing it. You’ll only end up wiping the paint back out, if it gets too big. On the other hand, a paint chip repair system works fantastic on sand-size chips. With tens of thousands of chips all over the hood, and especially along the bottom of the facia, a kind of hazing effect is created. Dr. ColorChip can reduce the visibility of sand chips perfectly.
Unfortunately, there is sometimes no point in repairing vehicles in which the drivers are speed freaks. I was at the Porsche Parade in Colorado two years ago working on cars when a guy pulled up in a Porsche GT. He pointed out the rock chips on his car, and just as I was getting excited to work on his $300,000 ride, he essentially told me that any repairs would be undone as soon as he left. He got the chips traveling at about 75 mph, and he sure wasn’t going to be slowing down anytime soon.
There is a clear bra available to those that want speed and protection for their cars. I do a lot of prep work for clear bras, because they are semi-permanent, and chips that are not repaired will be sealed in. A clear bra is basically a clear sticker, and you can have your whole car done, but most people do a partial hood or front bumper area.
Chip repair is also important beyond aesthetics. A chip that doesn’t get the attention it deserves will rust, and then you have a bigger problem. What I will do is clean the chip out with a solution that should stop the rust in its tracks. As long as it is surface rust, I can paint it, keep it from scratching and have your vehicle looking good as new.
Chip repair is an entirely different process than scratch repair. More difficult scrapes will take several applications, and do-it-yourself kits just don’t do your car justice. There are also chips that are large enough to need a re-spray of the panel. It all comes down to a level of expertise. If you aren’t sure how to fix something, don’t risk additional damage. Send me a photo of your car, and I can give you tips on how to fix the problem.

Quinn the Eskimo
Steve Bode
949/463-7690  or www.carpaintchiprepair.com

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Take a look at this article I was interviewed for.

Posted on October 7, 2012 by Quinn The Eskimo

The article is about different options to make your car pretty again.  It’s written by Edmunds.com.

http://www.edmunds.com/how-to/touch-up-paint-options-for-your-car-commentspage.html

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Process for Scratch Repair

Posted on August 20, 2012 by Quinn The Eskimo

“It’s just a scratch.” That’s how people describe paint damage. Some will even buy a DIY kit, assuming they’ll fill the scratch in with some paint, and it’ll look as good as new. They are so wrong. Repairing scratches is completely different than paint chip repair.

The reason why scratches are so difficult to repair is that the gradation of damage varies. While the edges may only dig into the paint slightly, the middle gets pretty chunked out and then kind of smooth. This means you can’t simply apply the same amount of paint across the whole area. It also means you better know what you’re doing if you don’t want to make the scratch worse, possibly damaging the whole panel.

Like any repair job, before you can get started, you have to assess the damage. Sometimes the paint isn’t actually chipped. What can look like a scratch turns out to be whatever you hit stuck on top of the paint. When this happens, I try first to remove it with a light solvent, which requires special care, or you can damage the finish.

A lot of people make things worse by using a high-speed buffer on a simple scratch, especially on the side where the curves are. For a single scratch, I might hand-buff with an abrasive or a buffing compound so the edges disappear. The middle may still need to be painted, but this makes a scratch less visible. Hand buffing maintains the integrity of the clear coat all the way around, in addition to hiding the scratch. Sometimes, a scratch is shallow enough that if you make the sides look smooth and non-oxidized, you can’t see it anymore.

The rule of thumb most people follow is: if you can feel a scratch with your fingernail, then it’s through the clear coat.  But I think this is too general. You can still buff many scratches that you can feel, but you need to know exactly how far you can go. The industry term for sanding through the clear coat is burning. If you do this, you need to re-spray, which involves more than chip repair.

I use two processes for painting, or a combination of both. First, I’ll apply a big blot of paint at one end and use a rubber squeeze to rake it around. After some time in the sun, I’ll use the Dr. ColorChip solution to gently rub off the excess. To get the paint to stay, I take a fine brush and put a very light bead of paint across the top, to cover the scratch that much more. Once the color dries, a clear coat is applied. Painting, along with hand buffing, is where skill and experience most comes into play.

I repair every kind of paint scratch from chips on the door hood to mirrors, bumpers and front scrapes. I also work for car museums and collectors, including the Porsche crowd. After repairing well over 15,000 cars in the past six years, I have to say that good materials are essential to good craftsmanship. So many people come to me with paint bombs after trying one of those systems advertised on infomercials, like the clear pens. If you insist on using a paint system other than Dr. ColorChip, I’ll tell you how to use it best. Better yet, send me a picture of your car and a close up of the scratch, and I’ll advise you on how to fix it.

 

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What is that on my car…

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Quinn The Eskimo

I’ve been asked to fix many different anomolies on peoples cars.  Some things are pretty obvious as to what they are, others… not so much.

1. Bug poop.  Not a very appealling subject, but it still needs be addressed.  :P   There are, of course, many types, but only a couple might be an issue on your car.  Honey bees will leave small circles of a dark yellow.  It comes off very easily.  Please don’t use your fingernail to clean anything stuck to your car.  I spend too much time buffing out fingernails scratches where someone tried to remove something that a damp cloth will take off.  As a side note, I tried to convince a customer that bee poo tasted like honey.  He didn’t believe me, and wouldn’t taste it.

The second type of bug poop hardens into a dark dark brown shell.  It’s about the size of a pencil tip.  Many people think these are paint blobs from a touch up pen.  If you can ‘crack’ that shell with your fingernail, the rest will rub off completely.  Don’t rub your fingernail back and forth across it – just get your nail up against the side and flick it off.

As long as we’re talking about ‘poop’, we should talk about birds.  Bird poop is acidic and will eat into your finish.  The sooner you get it off your car the better.  You should be fine if you remove it before it dries.  This is more critical if the bird has been eating berries.  If it’s semi dry.  Take a wet towel and heat it up in the micro wave, and place ontop of the bird poop until it loosens up, then wipe clean.

On that note, the above tip with the wet cloth also works for tree sap and eggings.  Again, please don’t scrape off with your fingernail.  Especially the egg, mostly because it’s gross, but also because the acid from the egg yolk has loosened up the clearcote.  In general, most of the damage from egging is from the shards of the eggs shell, not the egg itself, so the damage is already done.

The final anominal is from transfer, meaning things that you’ve hit, and are still stuck on your car.  It’s pretty obvious when you’ve scraped up against a red curb, and now there’s red on your car, but it’s often not apparent that something is on car, versus your paint being scraped off.  Many, many times I’ve simply rubbed off some ‘transfer’ to the amazement of my customer, who thought I repainted his/her bumper.  Knowing what will rub off and what needs to be repainted often takes some careful investigation.

There’s two more things that I can think of.  They look the same, but come from different sources.  Tiny white spots.  If they are perfectly rounded and brite white, it’s probably wax that has splattered across the car.  When wax is old, and is then buffed into the car, little drops can stick to your car like cement.  It’s so difficult to remove that even an expert car detailer might think they’re paint chips.  The only way I’ve found to get rid of them is some of our Dr.Colorchip solution beefed up with some acetone on a tshirt cloth, and a LOT of careful rubbing.

The second type of white spot comes from tree drippings. Not necesarrily sap, but it’s more like a misting.  If the sap is still on your car, it’ll looking like very tiny water drops, if the sap had dried, it’ll take the paint with it and leave tiny irregular white spots where the paint is gone.  These are different from rock chips in that they will be equally spread across the enitre car, and they are much shallower than chips.  They only way to get rid of them, short of repainting your car, is to use a small brush and paint each drop with our Dr.Colorchip paint system.  (or apply ‘shoe polish’ method)

That’s all I can think of for now.  If you have any questions please text 949-463-7690 or email me at results@carpaintchiprepair.com or check out my website for more info www.carpaintchiprepair.com

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Schedule – come watch me work.

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Quinn The Eskimo

Monday – Allen Cadillac/Hyundai, Laguna Niguel
Weseloh Honda, San Juan Capistrano

Tuesday – Keyes Lexus, San Fernando Valley
Galpin Jaguar, Aston Martin, San Fernando Valey
Courtesy, Thousand Oaks Auto Mall
Silverstar Cadillac, Chevy, Thousand Oaks Auto Mall

Wednesday – Open for Private car owners

Thursday – Circle Porsche, Audi, Long Beach
Pacific Ford, Long Beach
Long Beach Lincoln Mercury, Long Beach

Friday – Volkswagon, Garden Grove
Freeway Honda, Santa Ana
Power Ford, Tustin

Saturday – open for private car owners

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Posted on May 13, 2011 by Quinn The Eskimo

Looking Good!

If you’ve spent a lot of money on your car, you’ll want to show it off, right?

Of course you do – that’s exactly why you bought it!

Thing is, you’re more than likely still want to make good use of your car and if you’re using it frequently, it can be really difficult to keep it in good condition. In California, even just having your car parked on a sideroad can cause it to collect dust and dirt, and nothing damages a car’s image than it looking like it’s been poorly maintained.

Even worse than general day to day grime, though, are paint chips. Stones, pebbles and grit can really easily damage your car’s paintwork and even the smallest blemish might damage the aesthetic of your car.

Of course, our best advice is to get it sorted as soon as you possibly can. Leaving it alone might only make the situation worse. Depending on your policy, you might even be able to claim your repair on your insurance, and you should check this out when you’re getting your motor insurance quote. It can be well worth the time.

Here at Car Paint Chip Repair, we’re experts at fixing paint chips, and we can restore your car to its original state – just like when you bought it! Make sure you keep your car neat, tidy and up to scratch – that way it’s sure to impress!

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Dr.Colorchip

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Quinn The Eskimo

I’m looking for a regular car venue where I can show off a little. I have an exceedingly good reputation in southern California for being able to fix those unsightly rock chips on everything from the car you’re returning on a lease, or some of the most valuable cars in the world. (worked on more than one Enzo Ferrrari, and several other million dollar cars.

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Tree sap drips on my car.

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Quinn The Eskimo

Wanna know a really easy way to fix those tree sap drips on your beautiful car??

You’re gonna hate yourself when you find out how easy this is.

Just soak a kitchen towel in water, stick it in the mircowave for 2 minutes, and put it on the sap, on your car.  Don’t burn your hands please.  Let it sit there for a few minutes, then wipe the sap clean.

Please, please, please, don’t scratch it off with your fingernails.  I spend way too much time fixing tree sap blobs, with fingernail scratches all around it.  You can do this one yourself.

For tougher jobs, give me a call, or check out my website.   www.carpaintchiprepair.com 949/463-7690

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Fixing those nasty little paint chips

Posted on April 2, 2011 by Quinn The Eskimo

I’m often called out to fix a car that has chips ‘all over’.  My experience tells me That if they are really all over, those aren’t rock chips but more likely tree acid drips.  There are some trees that leave a fine mist of sticky goo on your car.  It’s much finer than tree sap, and dries clear.  It comes off easily with soap and water, but will very often have eaten away at the clear coat just enough to mar the surface and leave a tiny white spot.  This is especially noticeable on black or dark cars.  The Dr.Colorchip paint system that I use – http://www.carpaintchiprepair.com/kits.html is the only thing I’ve found that works.  You simply paint it on, per the instructions.  Although since this type of ‘chip’ is much shallower than a rock chip, I would suggest putting the paint on a bit thinner, and leave it longer, and remove it more gently.  As the car is very likely covered it may take you a while, but the cost of a kit, compared to respraying your car, is a no brainer.

If you have any questions, you can always call me at 949/463-7690 OR email me, results@carpaintchiprepair.com or check out my website www.carpaintchiprepair.com

About me:  Without sounding pompous, no one does better paintchip repair than I do (at least that I know of – haha).  Work for many car dealerships in Orange County, Los Angeles County, and southern california.  I also work for some of the most prestigious car museums in the country, and most of the  Porsche, and Ferrari Clubs in southern California.

Thanks,

 

Steve Bode

Quinn The Eskimo

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