I have been sent some touch-up paint by my Skoda dealer as there are some scratches on the roof that were there when I bought the car. They were meant to touch them up themselves but I got tired of waiting.

The touch-up kit contains 2 pots - one is the coloured paint (cayenne red metallic) and the other is a clear varnish.

The very brief instructions on the back of the pack mention that a "clear lacquer" must be used, but it's not clear whether that is in ADDITION to the colour+clear that exists in this kit...?

I.e. do I need to do:

Colour, followed by the supplied "clear varnish", and that's it, OR

Colour, clear varnish, AND clear lacquer (from somewhere) on top of both of those?

Thanks,

Ben

Yes you need to apply the laquer after the paint. Wait until the laquer has fully dried (24hrs) then apply the laquer over the top. Just remember that less is more, dont 'overfill' the scratch otherwise you will have a lumpy mess that is more noticable than the scratch. A toothpick is better to use than the brush provided as it is easier to direct the paint.

Using touch up paint rarely gives a good finish though and is still clearly visable so I do hope you got a good discount for the scratches when you bought the car! If the scratches are down to the bare metal you should first use a 'primer' before applying the paint finish.

If the scratches are fine and barely visible I would first attempt to 'rub' them out using polish or meguirs scratchX as this will give a better result than using touch up paint. The touch up paint is really only any good for stonechips imo and even then it aint great.

Yes you need to apply the laquer after the paint. Wait until the laquer has fully dried (24hrs) then apply the laquer over the top. Just remember that less is more' date=' dont 'overfill' the scratch otherwise you will have a lumpy mess that is more noticable than the scratch. A toothpick is better to use than the brush provided as it is easier to direct the paint.

Using touch up paint rarely gives a good finish though and is still clearly visable so I do hope you got a good discount for the scratches when you bought the car! If the scratches are down to the bare metal you should first use a 'primer' before applying the paint finish.

If the scratches are fine and barely visible I would first attempt to 'rub' them out using polish or meguirs scratchX as this will give a better result than using touch up paint. The touch up paint is really only any good for stonechips imo and even then it aint great.[/quote']

True that. I have a hideous amount of scratches on my bonnet which I will not be touching up, simply because it will be too noticeable. Next month I'm going to have the whole hood resprayed. There's always the little bits & bobs on the side of the car that can be touched up, even on the roof, but never even think about doin' the hood.

Yes you need to apply the laquer after the paint. Wait until the laquer has fully dried (24hrs) then apply the laquer over the top.

hmm.. not sure that answers my question :

Do I need more than pot1 (paint) and pot2 (clear varnish) ?

You mention lacquer twice - do you mean 2 coats of the same thing, or do you mean I need to get some lacquer from somewhere and do:

paint.... varnish.... lacquer ?

The scratches are not very visible - 2 of them, about an inch long, on the roof, near the middle. I think they are down to the metal but would have to look again. As such, they are not very noticeable. I'm more looking to protect them to prevent later rust, etc, than to make them look pretty.

Thanks

Just pot 1 and pot 2 will suffice. If you want a good job might i suggest rubbing down with 1000-1200grit wet and dry(use wet) in between coats. Wrap the sandpaper around a cork and do it that way. It will take longer but u can get a near perfect finish this way.

Many thanks. I need to take a good look and see if it's worth doing, then there's the issue of how to reach up high enough and see what's going on. I'll probably have to stand on the rear door sills to see what I'm doing.

It should be *such* fun...

Yep, standing on the rear door sills should be adequate to reach most of the door.

I'll be interested to hear how you get on, my car is the same colour and has a few blemishes that need touching up.

I find this stuff works well for finishing touched-up stone chips & scratches:

Langka Blob Eliminator

You can but it in the UK from Frosts

It's possible to get decent results with touchup paint as long as you take the time.

Very fine wet and dry , then a bit of t-cut applied gently should take the edge off it.

Then do a very thin layer of paint using a modelling paintbrush rather than the big one they always supply. Leave that to dry properly , then a very light t-cut again. A second coat of paint then another t-cut , and possibly a third depending on the size and depth of the scratches should see you level with the existing paint. A final gentle t-cut then apply a thin coat of laquer. T-cut yet again then a last coat of laquer.

I did a few scratches on my Black Ka and they weren't noticable unless you looked very hard