Frequently Asked Questions

Do you sell touch up paint for wheels or bumpers?
Yes! But wheel and interior selection is limited, and to find a code for it is rather difficult. We recommend emailing us first to see if it is available or if it is possible. Some wheels are painted and some are powder coated. Domestic wheel colors are frequently published in manufacturers color books. Bumper colors are the exact same paint as the body of the car. Urethane basecoat is very flexible and suitable for plastic bumpers. If the color is a different one other than the body (like a black car with a silver bumper) then we treat it like a two tone vehicle. We will need the factory color code, and make us aware that your vehicle is two tone and inform us of the right color for your car. There is an additional comments box at the end of the checkout procedure; feel free to email us too.

What is a tri-stage paint?
A car manufacturer will paint a vehicle one color (a groundcoat), then they will paint over it with a very transparent color with a higher density pearl. This method gives a different effect. Sometimes we have a 2 stage formula available which is easier to apply. If a two stage formula is not available for your color we will contact you for the purchase of an additional can.

Should I wax my car before or after touching it up?
You should remove wax before touching it up and wait at least one month before waxing fresh paint. Wax, silicone, and oils may cause fisheye. Don't worry, prep solvent is designed to chemically remove these contaminants. A soap like ivory or joy will remove most of these paint contamination problems. Regular car soap often has a car wax so this product may not be used.

Where is my color code?
We try hard to display this information for you. However even experienced painters can have a difficult time finding the paint code so please don't get discouraged. Some car manufacturers keep paint code locations consistent, others change year to year, and from plant to plant. Also when a vehicle is wrecked, a door or fender with the paint code information could have been replaced. Some dealerships do not let you order replacement stickers. If you order and the paint code is wrong, we will email you with extra help to find it as well as give you paint code examples for your vehicle.

I need to order touch up paint for my car by color name.
If you provide us with the color name, year, make, and model of your car; we can give you examples of paint codes to look for. We need to verify a color code before shipping to qualify for our color match guarantee. Many times car manufacturers have a color with an individual color code, but have several names for it. For instance Toyota and Lexus share colors and color codes, but have different names for them. Oddly enough so does GM brands, Honda and Acura, Ford and its family of cars. Sometimes Isuzu shares codes with Honda, Nissan with Ford, Ford with Mazda, and so on.
We will use the color black as an example: How many names can you come up with for black? black, ebony, jet black, onyx, super jet black, black onyx, etc. Blacks can also have metallic or pearl. The pearl can be different colors. It could be a blue black or a brown black. The possibilities are endless! That is why color codes are important. Imagine red, blue, green, silver, and all the other colors available.

What is blending?
Blending is the art of making a line disappear. The way to take two very similar colors and blend them into one like an illusion. If you had a white piece of paper and black paint and you stopped painting in the center you would notice a gray area in the center. There would be no line and it would be impossible to tell where the black area  started or stopped.  Do you remember water coloring in kindergarten? Or how about color pencils and pastels. After you make a line, do you remember what happened when you smeared the line with your fingers? What happens when the two colors are near identical? The effect is similar with basecoat except it involves several coats; and the clear coat covers the entire surface so everything is more uniform.

Why do I need clear coat? Will nail polish work?
All orders are mixed basecoat clear coat. It is the most user friendly and has the best color match. Base coat is a dull and completely flat paint. The clear coat makes the paint shiny, just like the rest of your finish. It also protects the paint from friction, weather, chemical resistance, and from chipping. Nail polish is not an Automotivetouchup.com approved product but it will give you the same effect as our clear coats, but lasts about one month before fading and chipping. Your Automotivetouchup.com touch up paint system has been designed and tested to last for years to come.

What is a paint blob?
Colored wax vendors put down on touch up paint as a marketing ploy. When a bottle of touch up paint has been left out in the sun without a top for a long period of time the solvents escape. In other words the paint has started to dry. Our paint has premium solvents and a paint blob has never been reported for our touch up paint line.

Email us with your questions.