Paint Touch up kits - Tesla kit or others?

[The_Observer]

Hey all,

Well, the inevitable happened. After a few months of ownership, the car finally got a couple rock chips, mostly on the front bumper. It hurts to see, but it is what it is, in hindsight I should of probably put partial PPF for the front of the car...

That being said, is the Tesla paint repair kit the best out there for multi-coated red, or are other good alternatives for the money? If it does >95% of the job for non Tesla kits for the better money, I will certainly give it some consideration. Thanks all.

 

[The_Observer]

Also, would touch up paint work with ceramic coating surfaces? Thanks.

 

[TypeRx]

Also, would touch up paint work with ceramic coating surfaces? Thanks.

Will let someone with direct experience comment on the red paint match/quality. There are reports that the pearl white touchup from Tesla is junk (silver in color).

RE: touch up on ceramic coat -- yes, you are touching up a chip, so as long as the underlying paint is clean/coating free, you are fine. A best practice before touch up is to very lightly sand the specific area (not around it!) to be touched up. If it is a small chip, you can use specialty fiberglass nick sander (auto parts store) or by taping a very small piece of sandpaper to a pencil eraser and using that.

I've been using ceramic coats since 2012. Although they are marketed as something great (and I obviously am a big fan), they do not really prevent swirls (they do help with very light marring or ultra light swirls), rock chips, etc. And once the paint is compromised, so is the coating. They are not has hearty as claimed.

 

[jaydiculous]

My friend has red and went with Dr. ColorChip Automotive Paint Chip Repair Kit - Dr. ColorChip: Automotive Paint Chip Repair Systems and says it worked very good.

 

[The_Observer]

My friend has red and went with Dr. ColorChip Automotive Paint Chip Repair Kit - Dr. ColorChip: Automotive Paint Chip Repair Systems and says it worked very good.

Which specific kit did your friend get? Theres a couple of them, looks like the squeeze kit seem the best, but I am not sure if I should that or the cheapest kit, since the shelf life is about a year as they claim.

 

[Cipe]

I can second Dr Colorchip. I’ve used their kits on several of my cars over the years including my red model 3. It really doesn’t matter which kit. You just need the paint, the blending solution and I would recommend a squeegee for application instead of using a glove.

The paint matches really well but the magic with Dr Colorchip is in the incredibly easy application process of being able to smear the paint and then use the solution to buff it off the rest of the paint around the chip. No more worrying about being careful when trying to fill in a chip.

 

[tlr1000]

Does anyone know what the shelf life is for the Tesla Paint Repair kits? I just ordered one and it only has 5 months before expiry. I contacted Tesla and asked if I received old stock and if it's normal to only have 5 months of life. They gave me a very short answer of:

"Thank you for contacting Tesla, we apologize for the delay in response. The paint repair kits are not intended to be stored for long periods of time."​

Moral of the story, don't buy one on an anticipatory basis as it may be past its expiration by the time you need it.

 

[TLLMRRJ]

Buy the least expensive kit from Dr. Colorchip. You are just doing a few chips, so that makes the most sense.

The trick with Dr Colorchip is to figure out the right the length of time for it to dry for your situation. It depends on the temperature and humidity. If you try to wipe the excess off too soon, it just all comes off. If you wait too long, it's a little more work to remove the excess, so better too long than too short.

Since you are filling chips with Dr Colorchip, do not sand the area before or after. That's counterintuitive to the whole Dr Colorchip method which is specifically designed not to use sanding and buffing. Just a light cleaning is needed with IPA 70% before applying the paint.

Dr Colorchip really only works with small chips, but it's amazing when you do it right. It really gets rid of the need for expensive clear bra for just protecting against rock chips. Clear bra is helpful for scratches if you hit something, but then you'll probably need a new clear bra which isn't cheap.

 

[The_Observer]

Does anyone know what the shelf life is for the Tesla Paint Repair kits? I just ordered one and it only has 5 months before expiry. I contacted Tesla and asked if I received old stock and if it's normal to only have 5 months of life. They gave me a very short answer of:

"Thank you for contacting Tesla, we apologize for the delay in response. The paint repair kits are not intended to be stored for long periods of time."​

Moral of the story, don't buy one on an anticipatory basis as it may be past its expiration by the time you need it.

I have done some research, and it seems that the Tesla Paint Repair Kit is just a rebadged Dr. Colorchip touch up kit.

They do seem to claim atleast one year of shelf life, but other people in other forums have said their kits from well over 5 years old, and it still works fine for them. I believe it all has to depend on how you store it, if you store it in a cool, dry and dark place, it will probably last a long while. If you are going to put it in your car's glovebox, I would assume that won't last too long.

 

[The_Observer]

Buy the least expensive kit from Dr. Colorchip. You are just doing a few chips, so that makes the most sense.

The trick with Dr Colorchip is to figure out the right the length of time for it to dry for your situation. It depends on the temperature and humidity. If you try to wipe the excess off too soon, it just all comes off. If you wait too long, it's a little more work to remove the excess, so better too long than too short.

Since you are filling chips with Dr Colorchip, do not sand the area before or after. That's counterintuitive to the whole Dr Colorchip method which is specifically designed not to use sanding and buffing. Just a light cleaning is needed with IPA 70% before applying the paint.

Dr Colorchip really only works with small chips, but it's amazing when you do it right. It really gets rid of the need for expensive clear bra for just protecting against rock chips. Clear bra is helpful for scratches if you hit something, but then you'll probably need a new clear bra which isn't cheap.

Thanks for the tips. But with the middle of the road kit from Dr. Colorchip (Road Rash Kit), doesn't seem to be a whole lot more expensive than just the cheapest kit (Basic Touch-Up Paint Kit), and 2x the paint. I will give it some thought.

Speaking of PPFs/Clear Bra, are you saying that it's really a one time use? If it somehow got a couple of dings from rock chips to the PPF, then it's no longer good anymore?

 

[Scrannel]

Whoever makes the Tesla kit, their white -- unless changed -- is NOT white.

 

[tlr1000]

I have done some research, and it seems that the Tesla Paint Repair Kit is just a rebadged Dr. Colorchip touch up kit.

They do seem to claim atleast one year of shelf life, but other people in other forums have said their kits from well over 5 years old, and it still works fine for them. I believe it all has to depend on how you store it, if you store it in a cool, dry and dark place, it will probably last a long while. If you are going to put it in your car's glovebox, I would assume that won't last too long.

Thanks, I assumed they were the same as all components are identical except brand labeling. I plan to store it with tape around the cap to give it an air-tight seal. Hopefully it lasts well beyond the expiry date. Maybe the inventory of these paint kits for my color is old since it's an unpopular color (metallic silver).

 

[The_Observer]

Thanks, I assumed they were the same as all components are identical except brand labeling. I plan to store it with tape around the cap to give it an air-tight seal. Hopefully it lasts well beyond the expiry date. Maybe the inventory of these paint kits for my color is old since it's an unpopular color (metallic silver).

Metallic silver, rare to see them on the road these days, not too sure why Tesla discontinued that color...

I think what you are doing should be fine for a long while, I am probably doing the same and store it somewhere cool.

Kind of debating if I should do PPF after fixing my rock chips, perhaps I can attempt a DIY for this.

 

[tlr1000]

PPF is the way to go and DIY would be a good option but potential for pulling your hair out. I think it'd be reasonably doable for panels like a hood but the front bumper would be super-challenging. A good PPF job definitely requires skill but seems like the industry charges a bit too much for this service (my subjective opinion).

 

[The_Observer]

PPF is the way to go and DIY would be a good option but potential for pulling your hair out. I think it'd be reasonably doable for panels like a hood but the front bumper would be super-challenging. A good PPF job definitely requires skill but seems like the industry charges a bit too much for this service (my subjective opinion).

That's what I thought it would be, it might be super difficult. I did my ceramic coating for the full size by myself, it was hard, but it wasn't impossible, and it turns out to be okay.

Yeah, PPF install by pros will be expensive, probably well over $1k for just the front (bumper, fenders, headlights, side mirrors), quite pricey indeed, for the labor they put in, it's understandable. Diy kits out there costs $200-300 for partial front (full front bunper, partial fenders, partial hood, side mirrors), so I am not sure if I should invest in that.

 

[TLLMRRJ]

Thanks for the tips. But with the middle of the road kit from Dr. Colorchip (Road Rash Kit), doesn't seem to be a whole lot more expensive than just the cheapest kit (Basic Touch-Up Paint Kit), and 2x the paint. I will give it some thought.

Speaking of PPFs/Clear Bra, are you saying that it's really a one time use? If it somehow got a couple of dings from rock chips to the PPF, then it's no longer good anymore?

Your Dr Colorchip touch up paint will dry out before you ever use up the smallest bottle they sell. A little goes a really long way. If you pay more, trust me, you won't get more. They are making enough money off of you with the lowest cost option, and you're getting what you need, but some people need to feeling of paying more, so they offer more expensive kits.

PPF is one time use if you scrap on something so hard that it rips the PPF. With Dr Colorchip it really makes PPF not a no-brainer. Since PPF is so expensive, and only needed for big scrapes since Dr Colorchip solves the small rock chips, it's not really worth it to buy PPF for a regular daily driver.

 

[The_Observer]

Your Dr Colorchip touch up paint will dry out before you ever use up the smallest bottle they sell. A little goes a really long way. If you pay more, trust me, you won't get more. They are making enough money off of you with the lowest cost option, and you're getting what you need, but some people need to feeling of paying more, so they offer more expensive kits.

PPF is one time use if you scrap on something so hard that it rips the PPF. With Dr Colorchip it really makes PPF not a no-brainer. Since PPF is so expensive, and only needed for big scrapes since Dr Colorchip solves the small rock chips, it's not really worth it to buy PPF for a regular daily driver.

I suppose PPF is more of a personal decision if you want your paint to look perfect, the Model 3 certainly isn't at supercar pricing category, perhaps it isn't worth the price.

What about pre-cut DIY kits that exist out there for partial front kits that costs $200-300? Do you think it's more justified than having a professional do it?

 

[P3dStealth]

Hey all,

Well, the inevitable happened. After a few months of ownership, the car finally got a couple rock chips, mostly on the front bumper. It hurts to see, but it is what it is, in hindsight I should of probably put partial PPF for the front of the car...

That being said, is the Tesla paint repair kit the best out there for multi-coated red, or are other good alternatives for the money? If it does >95% of the job for non Tesla kits for the better money, I will certainly give it some consideration. Thanks all.

I just want to point out that you can buy the front bumper painted from tesla for cheaper than getting it PPF installed.

I used the OEM Tesla touch-up paint. It works but don't follow the instructions and rub it with the blending solution. The blending solution just turns the paint grey. Just use the paint and the blending solution if you mess up and need to remove some.

 

[Kevy Baby]

There are reports that the pearl white touchup from Tesla is junk (silver in color).

I can verify this is true.

 

[The_Observer]

I just want to point out that you can buy the front bumper painted from tesla for cheaper than getting it PPF installed.

I used the OEM Tesla touch-up paint. It works but don't follow the instructions and rub it with the blending solution. The blending solution just turns the paint grey. Just use the paint and the blending solution if you mess up and need to remove some.

How much is it for a painted bumper from Tesla?