The paint used on new FIATs is somewhat prone to chipping, and keeping one of the manufacturer's touch up sticks handy is an easy way of quickly dealing with these as they occur. I've spent an hour this morning on my own cars, and I just thought I'd pass on a few hints if you're buying & using them.
Firstly, make sure you're using the right stick for your particular car. There are, for example, 2 part numbers for Bossa Nova White, and it's important to get the right one if you want the best possible match.
Chris@Souls offers an excellent 'supply by post' service & if you give him your Reg & Chassis numbers he'll make sure you get the correct shade for the job. I've used his service and can highly recommend it.
When you get the stick, you'll notice it has two glass bottles, one for the colour and one for the clear lacquer which goes on top of the colour. Each bottle has a built-in brush, but the supplied brushes are just a bit too thick & you'll end up putting on more paint than you really want. I suggest you go to an artist supply shop & buy a fine pointed round tipped artists brush - you'll get much better results with it.
The colour bottle contains a steel ball for mixing the paint, and it's important to shake it for a couple of minutes before use.
Make sure the area around the chip is clean and free of grease, wax & rust. Gentle rubbing with a cotton bud lightly soaked in cellulose thinners is a good way to prepare the surface. Apply the paint in stages, putting on a little at a time and building up the paint gradually. Expect the paint to shrink down considerably as it dries. Don't judge the colour match until the paint is dry - wet paint is always a slightly different shade and texture. Give the brush a swill in cellulose thinners after each use & it'll last you a long time.
Another tip is that the sticks pull apart, and the individual bottles are much easier to work with. A picture explains this better than words - see below. Keep the centre section as it is splined internally & you'll need it as a tool to open the bottles.
Firstly, make sure you're using the right stick for your particular car. There are, for example, 2 part numbers for Bossa Nova White, and it's important to get the right one if you want the best possible match.
Chris@Souls offers an excellent 'supply by post' service & if you give him your Reg & Chassis numbers he'll make sure you get the correct shade for the job. I've used his service and can highly recommend it.
When you get the stick, you'll notice it has two glass bottles, one for the colour and one for the clear lacquer which goes on top of the colour. Each bottle has a built-in brush, but the supplied brushes are just a bit too thick & you'll end up putting on more paint than you really want. I suggest you go to an artist supply shop & buy a fine pointed round tipped artists brush - you'll get much better results with it.
The colour bottle contains a steel ball for mixing the paint, and it's important to shake it for a couple of minutes before use.
Make sure the area around the chip is clean and free of grease, wax & rust. Gentle rubbing with a cotton bud lightly soaked in cellulose thinners is a good way to prepare the surface. Apply the paint in stages, putting on a little at a time and building up the paint gradually. Expect the paint to shrink down considerably as it dries. Don't judge the colour match until the paint is dry - wet paint is always a slightly different shade and texture. Give the brush a swill in cellulose thinners after each use & it'll last you a long time.
Another tip is that the sticks pull apart, and the individual bottles are much easier to work with. A picture explains this better than words - see below. Keep the centre section as it is splined internally & you'll need it as a tool to open the bottles.
cars for years and never used such useless, thinned down paint. I try to adopt my usual way of applying the paint...the use of a pin, albeit a slower process, it usually does a great job as long as the paint actually sticks to the pin giving a little blob at the end to drop into the stone chip...not a chance with this paint...literally like a bottle of thinners. I may even resort to putting in the fridge for a while and see where we go from there 
