My uncle the 'body man' swore by WD-40 on paint chips

He said spray it on a rag and rub the chip area before touching up and I laughed. Tried it on a 2017 Civic last week and that stuff actually softened the edges so the touch-up blended way better than normal. Anybody else got a weird tip from an older guy that actually worked?

3 comments

3 Comments

amy_west12d ago

Gotta admit, I was the same way. Thought it was just old man folklore or something. Tried it on my old Ford after reading this and it really did soften up the edges nicely. The touch-up paint went on way smoother and you can barely tell where the chip was now.

brianm6612d ago

That 600 grit sandpaper trick is one of those things I've been doing for years now. The key is to keep the paper wet and take it real slow, don't try to rush it or you'll burn through the clearcoat around the chip. I've seen guys grab 220 grit by mistake and that just makes a mess, you need the fine stuff to smooth those jagged edges without taking off more paint than you have to. Another thing I've found helps is to clean the chip with a little rubbing alcohol before you touch it up, gets all the wax and grime out so the paint actually sticks. Your mileage may vary depending on how deep the chip is, but for most surface stuff it works like a charm.

patricia26212d agoMost Upvoted

yeah I mean I get what you're saying but is it really that serious? lol like it's a rock chip not a bullet hole. I've got a few on my truck and honestly I just hit em with the touch up paint straight out of the bottle and call it a day. they dry fine and you can't really see em unless you're looking for em. all that wet sanding and rubbing alcohol prep seems like overkill for something most people won't ever notice. but hey if it makes you feel better go for it I guess. just seems like a lot of work for a tiny speck.