Paint Touch-Up Service
A touch-up deals with small local damage, such as stone chips and door-edge nicks, without painting a full panel. Done properly it stops rust from starting and makes the damage hard to spot. Done badly it leaves raised blobs that look worse than the chip. We usually advise doing it before the rainy and humid months, when exposed metal rusts quickest.
From AED 149Written quote after diagnosis, before work startsConvenience fee applicable · shown on your written quote
- 2 to 6 hours
- Pickup and delivery from your door
- Convenience fee applicable · shown on your written quote
- Diagnosis free with repair
How we do paint touch-up service
- 1
Clean and inspect each chip
We remove dirt and wax and look for rust, which has to be removed or treated before any paint is applied.
- 2
Prime the exposed metal
A fine primer coat seals the chip. Without this step, new paint will not stick and rust will return underneath.
- 3
Build colour in thin layers
Colour is applied in small, thin coats to match the level of the surrounding paint rather than one thick drop.
- 4
Level and polish
After curing, the repair is smoothed flush with the surface and polished so it blends into the area around it.
Signs it is time
- Dozens of small chips on the front bumper and bonnet from highway driving
- A nick on a door edge from another car in a parking bay
- A small chip with a brown halo around it that shows rust is starting
- Scuffs on mirror caps, door handles and bumper corners
- A dab of touch-up paint from a pen that has dried in a lump
What usually causes it
Stones thrown up on fast roads
On the Emirates Road and the E311, trucks and gravel in the carriageway bombard the front of the car, and the first few feet of the bonnet take the damage.
Door and mirror contact
Tight parking leaves small nicks on door edges. Edges have thin paint and rust earlier than flat surfaces.
Poorly done earlier touch-up
Thick paint dabbed into a chip dries into a bump, which catches dirt and looks worse over time.
In Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman
Humid coastal air turns an exposed chip into a rust spot faster than most people expect, sometimes within a couple of weeks. A protective film on the front of the car, applied after the touch-up, takes a lot of the stone damage that otherwise returns. If the chips are very numerous, a front-end respray costs less over time than constant touch-ups. Wash the car by hand for a week or two after a touch-up, and keep it out of the midday sun while the paint hardens.
Questions about paint touch-up service
Is a touch-up pen from a shop enough?
For a tiny chip on a hidden area, it can do. For visible places, a pen tends to leave a raised blob, and it doesn't prime the metal.
When is touch-up not the right answer?
When damage covers a wide area, or there are scratches rather than chips. Then a panel repaint is neater and often lasts longer.
Will the touch-up be invisible?
Up close it may be visible. At normal distance it should be hard to see. We are honest if a chip is in a position that is hard to hide.
How soon should I get chips fixed?
Within a few weeks, especially if metal is showing. Early touch-up costs far less than treating spread rust.
Does a front-end protection film stop chips?
It takes much of the stone damage and can be fitted after the touch-up. It is a separate job that we can quote on request.
Can chips on plastic bumpers be touched up?
Yes, with a flexible primer and paint. Plastic needs an adhesion step, otherwise the touch-up flakes off in the heat.
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