Got Chips?® We Have Answers.

Dr. ColorChip works best on rock chips, road rash, small-to-medium paint chips, and narrow scratches that have removed color. It can also improve certain scuffs and leading-edge damage. Dents, peeling clearcoat, broad paint loss, severe corrosion, and panel-perfect refinishing expectations should be evaluated by a body shop.

The objective is to remove the harsh contrast of exposed primer, metal, or plastic so the damage no longer draws your eye. Many small repairs become extremely difficult to find from normal viewing distance. A touch-up repair is not the same as sanding and refinishing an entire panel.

Small and medium chips are ideal. Larger chips can often be improved with careful application and more than one layer, but gloss and surface texture become more noticeable as the damaged area grows. Broad scrapes, flaking paint, dents, and failing clearcoat generally require professional refinishing.

Choose based on the amount and location of damage. Brush and microbrush tools work well for isolated chips and leading edges. Squeegee-equipped kits are the best choice for clusters of chips, road rash, and damage on flatter panels. Compare Dr. ColorChip kits.

Traditional pens and bottle brushes require you to place exactly the right amount of paint inside a tiny defect. Dr. ColorChip uses the proprietary Apply, Level, Blend® process: apply factory-code-matched paint, level it across the damage, and use SealAct™ to blend away excess paint surrounding the chip.

Apply means placing Dr. ColorChip paint into or across the damaged area using the brush, microbrush, pipette, or squeegee method best suited to the location and number of chips.

Level means spreading the paint across the recessed chip or scratch so the color fills the damage without relying on one oversized drop. A squeegee is especially helpful for road rash, deep narrow scratches, and flatter panel areas.

Blend means using SealAct™ and the supplied cloth to remove excess Dr. ColorChip paint from the surrounding factory finish. Paint remains primarily within the recessed damage, producing a flatter and less noticeable repair.

No. SealAct™ is formulated to work with Dr. ColorChip paint. It is not a universal paint remover and should not be used with dealership paint, paint pens, or another manufacturer’s touch-up product.

When used as directed on a sound factory finish, SealAct™ is designed to remove excess Dr. ColorChip paint without removing the surrounding factory clearcoat. Do not use it on peeling, failing, freshly refinished, or otherwise compromised clearcoat without contacting Dr. ColorChip.

No, Dr. ColorChip kits do not include a separate brush-on clearcoat. The paint is a durable single-stage touch-up formulation that includes clearcoat properties designed for small chips, road rash, and minor scratches.

Automotive clearcoat is designed to be sprayed to create a smooth, uniform film. Dabbing or brushing conventional clearcoat over individual chips can create a raised edge or blob that makes the repair more noticeable.

For the small damage Dr. ColorChip is designed to repair, a separate clearcoat application is generally unnecessary. If the repair requires primer, sprayed color, and sprayed clearcoat to reproduce the complete factory finish, it has moved beyond the normal Apply, Level, Blend® process and may require professional refinishing.

No, it does not contain a separate layer of factory clearcoat. Dr. ColorChip is a single-stage touch-up formulation that includes clearcoat properties designed to provide color, adhesion, gloss, and durability inside small chips and scratches.

Most small, clean chips do not require a separate primer. Primer may be appropriate where a larger damaged area exposes bare metal or plastic, or where the surface requires additional build or adhesion. Contact Dr. ColorChip if you are uncertain before proceeding.

Active rust should not simply be covered. Remove or properly treat the corrosion first, keeping rust-treatment chemicals off the surrounding finish. Dr. ColorChip can then be applied to the prepared chip to restore color and help create a moisture barrier, but it cannot reverse structural corrosion or guarantee rust will never return.

Paint-code labels appear in different locations depending on manufacturer. Use the Dr. ColorChip Paint Code Locations guide for vehicle-specific examples and clickable code illustrations.

Color names are not always unique. Manufacturers may reuse similar names across different formulations, and the same paint code can appear under more than one marketing name. Confirming the factory paint code provides the strongest basis for the correct formulation.

A VIN may help identify vehicle configuration, but it does not always identify the exact paint formula or production variant. The vehicle’s paint-code label remains the preferred source whenever available.

Paint is mixed fresh using the vehicle’s factory paint code and Dr. ColorChip’s formulation data, color standards, and controlled dispensing process. The goal is an accurate touch-up match—not a claim that the paint was supplied by the vehicle manufacturer.

Metallic appearance changes with particle orientation, lighting, application direction, and viewing angle. Sprayed factory paint lays metallic particles more uniformly than a small hand-applied repair, so light silver and gold repairs may remain more visible in certain lighting.

Factory white tri-coat finishes use multiple sprayed layers. Dr. ColorChip creates a single-stage shade-match formulation for cosmetic chip repair. Pearl and metallic components are not included in Dr. ColorChip white tri-coat formulations.

Yes. Outside white tri-coat formulations, pearl and metallic components are included whenever the paint code’s formulation calls for those components.

Age, sun exposure, production variation, and prior refinishing can change the visible color. For older, weathered, custom, or repainted vehicles, a physical color sample may provide the best opportunity for an adjusted match.

Wash and completely dry the vehicle. Remove dirt, wax, oil, polish residue, and other contamination from the damaged area using Dr. ColorPrep or the approved preparation method in your kit instructions.

Complete all washing, compounding, paint correction, and polishing before applying Dr. ColorChip. Machine polishing after touch-up can disturb fresh repairs.

Apply Dr. ColorChip only after washing and polishing are complete and before wax, sealant, ceramic coating, or paint protection film is installed. Follow the wax, coating, or film manufacturer’s requirements before applying its product over a repaired area.

The recommended application range is 50°F to 85°F. Do not apply below 32°F or above 100°F. Surface temperature, humidity, sunlight, and airflow can affect working and drying time.

A shaded, clean, dry, well-ventilated area gives you more control. Direct sunlight can heat the panel above the surrounding air temperature and cause the paint or SealAct™ to work too quickly.

Yes. Larger or deeper chips may benefit from a second application. Allow the first application to harden, then add another controlled layer rather than leaving one oversized drop.

First confirm the paint code, stir or shake the paint thoroughly, and evaluate the repair in natural light after it has dried. Metallic orientation, chip depth, lighting, vehicle age, and previous refinishing can all influence appearance.

A small hand-applied repair will not reproduce the perfectly uniform surface of a sprayed and clearcoated panel. Larger chips and lighter metallic colors may show more surface or gloss difference than tiny chips on darker colors.

If the blob was made with Dr. ColorChip paint, follow the SealAct™ rework instructions to gradually remove excess paint. Do not aggressively scrape or sand the surrounding factory finish. Conventional paint-pen blobs may require a different removal process.

Let the area dry, reapply a smaller amount of paint, and blend again using lighter pressure. The Apply, Level, Blend® process is intentionally repeatable.

The most common causes are wax, oil, moisture, polishing residue, active rust, or an unstable underlying finish. Stop, clean and dry the area properly, and confirm the original paint or clearcoat is not peeling.

Yes. Add only a couple of drops of acetone, close the bottle, and mix thoroughly. Add very little at a time; over-thinning can affect application and coverage.

Follow the Dr. ColorChip kit instructions for the repair’s normal cure period before washing or waxing the repaired area. Avoid aggressive washing or machine polishing while the paint is fresh.

Yes, after the Dr. ColorChip repair has completed its normal cure period and the coating manufacturer’s surface-preparation and cure requirements are satisfied. The coating manufacturer controls the timing for its product.

Repair chips before installing PPF. Allow Dr. ColorChip to complete its normal cure period, then follow the film manufacturer’s requirements for installation over recently repaired paint.

Ceramic coatings help with gloss, chemical resistance, and maintenance, but they are not designed to absorb meaningful stone impact. Paint protection film provides substantially greater physical protection against future rock chips.

Yes. Complete heavy polishing, wet sanding, compounding, and paint correction first. Then apply Dr. ColorChip, allow it to cure, and add wax, coating, or PPF according to the applicable manufacturer instructions.

Yes. Customers who need paint for direct application, leading edges, or their own tools can purchase individual Dr. ColorChip paint. Complete kits add SealAct™ and the application tools that enable the full Apply, Level, Blend® process.

Yes. Dr. ColorChip mixes paint to order using the confirmed factory paint code rather than stocking every finished color in advance.

Dr. ColorChip paint has an approximate shelf life of one year, while SealAct™ lasts substantially longer when stored properly. Keep products tightly closed in a cool, dry, dark location and mix the paint periodically.

Yes. Replacement paint, SealAct™, brushes, squeegees, and other repair supplies are available individually. SealAct™ should be used only with Dr. ColorChip paint.

Contact Dr. ColorChip customer service before applying the paint whenever possible. The team can help verify the label, code, color name, vehicle information, and available formulation.