After washing the car yesterday I noticed quite a few new stonechips on the bonnet, bumper, etc... :(

I was just wondering if anyone had any tips on the best way to touch them up, I've heard people using an opened up paper clip or tooth pick to apply the paint instead of the brush you normally get.

Obviously no-one likes making a pigs ear of doing it or making it look even worse so I thought if anyone has any do's and don'ts for DIY repairs or a step by step guide I'd appreciate it...

If we get some good info maybe someone could make up a sticky for it... Just an idea!...

Quite right, use a tooth pick or even a piece of paper twisted to a fine point.

They key is to get the paint in the chip and not outside it. Take your time and build up layers of paint if the chip is a deep one. If you're patient you can get really good results. Once you've filled in the chip and a final layer our better still lacquer to leave the filled in chip proud of the rest of the paint. Once it's set hard you can then T-cut and polish it up.

Rather than painting then lacquering, mix paint and lacquer together first. 75% paint 25% lacquer. I use an ordinary sowing needle, much easier than even the smallest brush.

You will always see the repair close up, but it's better than having the chip rust.

You can also get a detailer to wet sand the paint blobs flush, then polish out the wet sanding for a truly invisible repair.

I saw a post from 2004 on stone chips

saying IIRC "add touch-up paint so it is proud. Wait 15mins then scrape off with a credit card"

1. Is this method any good ?

2. Or is it better to build up layers slowly ?

Any Help Appriciated

Andy