Our Toyota auto touch-up paint and body repair products will help you quickly and for a lot less money than the typical cost to fix a scratch on a Toyota. Today, give our simple-to-use Toyota car paint a try!
In This Article...
How does Toyota paint work?
Here’s How to Apply Touch-Up Paint to a Scratch the Best Way.
- Make the scratched area clean.
- Eliminate any rust accumulation.
- Use a small brush to apply touch-up paint in tiny layers.
- You have the option to continue or to add clear coat.
- Sand the scratched area with water for the best finish.
What is the drying time for Toyota touch-up paint?
Not everyone is aware of how simple it is to repair rock chips, dents, and dings on your Toyota by yourself. To restore your Toyota OEM paint to its factory-new appearance, you don’t need to visit a body shop. You can fix your car yourself by purchasing perfectly matched Toyota touch-up paint. After reading our simple instructions, you’ll be able to quickly and affordably restore your SUV, sedan, hybrid, or truck to its original finish.
The Ultimate DIY Toyota Body Work Guide for 2020
Whether your Super White Tacoma requires work on the hood, your Barcelona Red Camry needs work on the bumper, or you simply need to know the color code for your Blue Crush Metallic Prius, we have you covered. You already know that your 4Runner should be Magnetic Gray Metallic. Easy!
We’ll go through everything in this Toyota paint how-to tutorial, including:
- How to locate your own Toyota paint code?
- How quickly and simply can you fix any Toyota’s chips or scratches?
- Which touch-up productToyota paint pens, spray paint, or touch-up bottleshould you purchase?
- What tools will you need if you want to repair your Toyota yourself?
- How much money can you save by repairing the paint on your own car?
- When using DIY auto paint, extra safety measures should be taken.
- What are the most popular paint colors for Toyotas that we sell?
How to Find Your Toyota Paint Code
Finding the paint code on many cars is similar to searching for a hidden treasure. Not so, though, with Toyota. On the inside of the driver’s side door jamb of every Toyota, there is a color ID number.
Finding the color code for your OEM Toyota paint is fairly simple. Just carry out these actions.
- Activate the driver-side door.
- Find the metal plate that is fastened to the door jamb. When the car door is closed, the door jamb is the part of the door that is hidden from view.
- Look at the metal plate. Look for the “C/TR” code. Numerous codes and numbers on the metal plate refer to attributes of your car. The exterior color prefix on a Toyota is always “C/TR.”
- The first three characters (numbers and/or letters) that come after “C/TR” are your Toyota paint code. The code for your paint color is represented by those three digits or letters. Example: 202 Black, 040/40 Super White, or 4Q2 Desert Sand Mica
- Never order vehicle paint by the color name; always order by the paint code. For various paint formulations, the color name can remain the same! Find your color code to order touch-up and spray paint that matches OEM specifications.
Where on the VIN (the metal plate bolted to the door jamb) is that “C/TR code?
Look for the C/TR code on the VIN plate. The first three numbers and letters are the paint code. You can disregard every other thing.
Our instructional video explains how to locate the Toyota paint code step-by-step. If you’re looking for additional color codes, we also have movies on YouTube for every single automaker.
The same paint color goes by several distinct names in the automotive industry. Your sedan’s paint color might be called Moon Gray, yet the same company’s truck line might be dubbed Maximum Gray with the same paint code. The coding and the paint’s formula, however, remain the same regardless of the names. Ordering touch-up paint that matches your OEM genuine Toyota paint is easy once you have the correct paint code.
There are three other simple ways to determine your color if you can’t locate your paint code in the door jam.
- To find your Toyota truck, sedan, van, or SUV, use our color code drop-down menu.
- Dial (800) 331-4331 to reach Toyota customer support.
- Give your VIN to the dealer when you call. For you, they can search up your color code.
How quickly and easily can you fix chips or scratches on any Toyota?
No matter if you are repairing a Rav4, Tacoma, Corolla, Camry, 4Runner, Land Cruiser, or Sienna, the process is the same. Any Toyota can be fixed by following the same procedures. Can you actually do it yourself? is probably the key query on your mind.
Yes, that’s the response. You can certainly repair dings and rock chips on your Toyota without visiting a body shop. How simple is it? Your Prius, Highlander, FJ Cruiser, Tundra, or any other Toyota vehicle you drive will appear brand new again after less than an hour and fifteen minutes of work and a day of drying.
The fundamental procedures and duration for applying touch-up paint are as follows:
- Get ready to touch up paint your Toyota. It took 15 minutes all told.
- Sand the scratched area by hand using 600 grit paper. It took 25 minutes all told.
- Apply the primer in two medium coats. (5 minutes for each coat total; 1 hour for drying.)
- Spray Toyota touch-up paint on with two medium layers. (Total time: 5 minutes; drying time: 40 minutes.)
Is clear coat required for touch-up paint?
It can take years to learn the art of painting an automobile, and it only takes a few seconds for a single error to completely wreck the job. But when it’s done properly, you can’ help but be in awe of the expert talents at work as well as the underlying science and technology. How were the paint repairs so simple, and how did they manage to make the paint seem so good?
A poorly chipped paintwork can easily and quickly be repaired with a touch-up kit, even by the most inexperienced person. However, while we work to touch up the paint, we do consider things like whether or not to apply a clear finish layer on top. Does your car actually look better when the entire touch-up procedure is finished? We do, however, have some responses.
Answering the question of what a clear coat is should be our first concern. Once you have a better understanding of the many layers involved in applying paint, whether it be a quick touch-up or a complete respray, we can explain this to you in more detail. Every layer has a different purpose, like as protecting and enhancing the bodywork, or giving your car its eye-catching colors.
Although technically not paint, filler is a process that can be skipped when painting a car. In certain instances, it’s the base layer and serves as the body’s filler. According to what the name implies, it smooths out deep chips and scratches in your car’s bodywork to make it as smooth as possible before the first coat of paint is applied.
Primer is a pre-paint coat that is applied directly on top of bodywork or filler. It serves a number of purposes once it is applied to the metal or plastic bodywork. The body below can be shielded from impacts or damage by primer, which can also stop excess corrosion from accumulating and ensure that the adhesion of the ensuing paint coat layers.
Your car’s base coat is where the colors are created. The base coat reflects the precise color, shade, and effects of the paint color on your car, including the deepest blues, the monochromatic greys and blacks, or the most vivid pastels. During the painting process, multiple base coat layers may be sprayed on top of one another, and this is visible during the touch-up.
The topmost and final paint coating on your car is called a clear coat. The transparent clear coat serves two main purposes. The first step is to give your car a glossy, lustrous finish to complete the base coat. The other, on the other hand, serves as a shield to shield the base coat beneath from being significantly damaged by stone chips, scratches, weathering, and other factors.
The answer is probably “Yes,” as we stated in our explainer up there. Although it won’t have a significant effect on how your car’s paint looks, the glossy finish can make it stand out more to the eye (without diminishing the value of its protective qualities). However, if you’re merely touching up a very little chipped spot, it’s not fully required.
It might not even affect the final appearance all that much or at all. A bottle of clear coat may not be included in all paint touch-up repair kits. With its glossy sheen, it can improve the appearance of your car, but can it also make the paint touch-up better match the color and subtle tones of the rest of your car? In other words, clear coatings won’t make the paint on your automobile miraculously match.
Once the sunlight reaches the precise angle to make the paint glow, perhaps the subtleties will be less apparent. Even if you choose the ideal color for your car’s make, model, even the specific model year and production batch to get the best color match possible, the clear coat won’t match the paint touch-up paint exactly correctly for you.
But what should you do if the freshly touched part doesn’t match the remainder of your car’s color scheme? We should be grateful for the practice of “blending” paint in that regard. In order to create the illusion that the new paint and the previously applied paint are one continuous piece, you must blend the two paints so that they appear to flow seamlessly from one to the other.
To patch the panels around it, such as the bonnet, fenders, and so on, imagine that you are repainting a bumper after a repair and blending the paint there. When it comes to matching the colors of your car, blending is the preferred method, and some touch-up kits do come with a little prescription of blending solution that should be used after the base coat has dried to complete the paint’s appearance.
In response to the perplexing query in the headline, clear coatings typically cannot make paint touch-ups on your car look like the rest of the paintwork. Particularly if the paint is matched extremely badly right away. To match the touch-up paint as nearly as possible to how it appears in your eyes, you can use the art of blending.
Before reapplying the base coat with a fresh batch of paints that are accurately matched, the process begins with some light sanding to remove a little amount of the old paint. After adding base coat layers one at a time, you may finish it off with a clear coat layer on top to complete the appearance. When that is finished, the difference between how it would have seemed previously and how it now appears when it matches tones for tones is vast.
How should touch-up paint be prepared?
Here are the seven steps you should do to use a DIY touch-up paint kit to repair the damage to your car for optimum results.
- Clean the Car’s Surface
- Recognize the damage
- Sift the harmed area.
- Use paint thinner to clean
- Put the touch-up paint on.
- Ensure a Smooth Surface
- Put the Clear Coat on.
- The Touch-Up Paint should cure.
- Clean up the Paint
Clean the Surface of the Car
Always start with a clean surface when performing paint repairs. Verify that the car has recently been washed. Clean the area with a spray glass cleaner after that before starting. Finally, use a microfiber cloth to completely dry the automobile.
Identify the Damage
Examine the surface of the car from the front to the back using a powerful light. Marking the areas of damage with a little piece of masking tape might be useful. When you have the touch-up paint on hand, this will make it simpler to recognize them.
Sand the Damaged Area
The paint will need to be sanded in order to get the damage ready for restoration. Sand the area directly surrounding the chipped place with 15002500 grit sandpaper or a small sanding block. Sand the paint with quick, light strokes back and forth. It should be sanded until the paint is uniform in appearance and has lost its shiny sheen. When you rub the region with your finger, the area around the chip should feel smooth.
Clean with Paint Thinner
To prepare and clean the sanded area, use paint thinner next. A tiny amount of all-purpose automotive paint thinner should be dipped into a cotton swab. After that, clean over the sanded damage and the paint chip with the cotton swab. When driving, it’s critical that the repair paint adhere well and withstand the environment. Applying paint thinner will also aid in improving the adhesion of the touch-up material.
Apply the Touch-Up Paint
Apply a base coat that matches the color of your car using a fine-tipped paintbrush. Put a little paint on the brush’s tip. After that, lightly dab it over the prepared area. Utilize a little bit at a time. You could observe that the volume of the paint decreases as it dries. Before applying the clear coat, wait until the paint layer has dried to see if another coat of base paint is necessary.
Ensure the Surface Is Smooth
It will be necessary to build up the paint to be flush with the rest of the car’s surface for deeper chips. Apply the paint in layers, letting each one dry before adding another.
Apply the Clear Coat
A clear coat must be applied to finish and seal the base coat once it has fully dried. The same dabbing technique as before should be used with a fresh, fine-tipped paintbrush. Before deciding whether another clear coat will be required, let it half dry.
Let the Touch-Up Paint Cure
It’s time to take a step back once you’re happy that the paint has been corrected and the touch-up job looks good. Allow it to thoroughly dry and solidify for at least 48 hours.
Polish the Paint
Utilize a car polish compound to finish the task when the paint has completely dried. This will make the mended area shiny like new paint.
Keep in mind that this DIY method of fixing automobile paint is not meant for severe paint damage. It works well as a short-term fix for tiny paint chipped areas. Professional repainting is advised in the long run or to fix more severe damage. Your car’s susceptibility to rust and corrosion may increase if paint damage is not properly repaired or is not repaired at all.
Watch this video for a useful walkthrough on how to paint your car in touch-ups.