When you watch the majority of ads on TV for automotive tricks and fixes. You have to think most are too good to be true, and you would be right. But every once in a while you have a task at hand and one of those miracle products seems to be the perfect answer. Hmm, maybe, just maybe this could be the solution we are looking for.
A case in point is a 2008 BMW 328i with a pretty bad case of road rash on the front bumper. There will be more on this donor car in the next few weeks, but for right now the owner wanted to make it as presentable as possible for the least amount of money out of pocket. Can we say CHEAP?
Enter Dr Color Chip. The dab, wipe and rub solution to paint blemishes. Can it really be that simple? If so why don’t the pros use it? Well, after pricing a re-spray of the front bumper, it was decided to try it out this miracle product instead.
I want to say this up front that Dr Color Chip did not pay for this review and every expense to obtain the product was through personal means. I simply went online and picked the correct color code (BMW Jet Black) and the right kit and went for it (Squirt and Squeegee for $65).
The product arrived about a week later and after watching a few online videos, quick hand wash and prep of the surface I gave it a shot.
The process itself is pretty easy, but I would say to use the paint sparingly since it goes a long way and less excess makes the last step easier. In my case I placed a thin stream to the blade of the supplied squeegee and applied to the surface making sure the chips are were being covered as I went. The paint itself dries fast so you have to work fairly quickly and at first it looks pretty rough.
After about 10 minutes the paint is dry to the touch and you then wet a cloth with the supplied SealAct solution. A quick wipe on the painted surface and after about 30 seconds you start rubbing very gently to remove the excess paint. You get a feel for this pretty quickly and as you go you can polish the area with a supplied microfiber towel every once in a while. If there is any paint residue on the surface left just rub again with the SealAct until it is gone and polish with the micro fiber towel again.
The end result is pretty remarkable with individual chips, and certainly was better than expected with the large amount we had. Can you see the original damage? Certainly if you are up close. Remember these are chips and a real fix involves sanding and repainting, but step back about 3 feet and they start to go away. At 4 to 5 feet you don’t notice them. In this case it was the perfect answer to clean up an otherwise nice vehicle. Oh yes it also took care of a few scratches as well. The whole front bumper took about 45 minutes with me learning the process as I went.
In recap this test was done in the shade with 85 degree heat so I had to work quickly and clean the squeegee often. The Jet Black color also had to be the hardest to work with because any flaws are seen easily. The final result took two paint applications to get it all, but it worked. I would expect even better results with lighter colors. The strong point of the product is if you mess up, just apply more SealAct and rub hard to remove your mistake and start again. This isn’t a precision way to fix large scale damage but it perfect for the odd scratch or chip you will encounter during the life of your car.
Think of it as a Ninja approach for those nicks and scratches you will get over the years.
Squirt N Squeegee Kit ($65)
Before:
Paint application (yep pretty rough):
First rub out:
Final:
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