Is it Quartz Grey or Quartz Grey Metalic (for OEM Audi touch up paint)?

[RichTJ99]

Hi,

I went to the dealer for some touch up paint & they gave me one clear coat & one quartz grey touch up paint. I painted a little on some white paper but the color looks a bit darker than whats on the car.

I also put a little on the area & it was dark (so I wiped it off).

I just want to make sure I am putting the correct paint on my scratch (sniff).

Thanks,
Rich

[Kid Red]

The clear coat goes on top of the quartz grey. It makes the paint darker and will match your paint better and provide protection. If you don't put on the clear coat, the touch up paint will be a few shades lighter.

Unless you got two colors of grey? It seems like you received a clear coat and a grey, correct?

[KMHPaladin]

Clear coat should not make paint darker. That would defeat the purpose of something called "clear" coat.

Rich, the color code for Quartz Gray should be "LY7G".

[RichTJ99]

Maybe I am applying the touch up paint wrong.

I have a 5-6" long scratch (looks like a key). When I took the paint (code: 108514/LSTY7G) & put it on the white paper. I then took a toothpick & put that in the paint (using it as the paint brush so to speak). I put a bit (maybe 1/2 inch long of the scratch) in the "groove" where the paint needs to go.

It looked to dark & I wiped it off.

I almost feel like for me to get enough paint to use, I need to make a pile (its a "pen") on the paper to "dip".

Is that the right way to do this?

Thanks,
Rich

[KMHPaladin]

You should be able to pick up enough with a toothpick to deposit a thin layer at a time. A metallic paint should not be globbed on in one fell swoop, or the metallic flakes will settle to the bottom and you will end up with Quartz Gray Flat.

Wet paint is simply not going to match dry paint perfectly. If you want to compare the color match, paint something with the touch-up, let it dry overnight, and check tomorrow.

[B7A4Sport]

Yea, paint has a tendency to look a shade or two darker when wet vs. dry, although I'm going off experience with painting walls in houses. I'd just try it out, and if it's the wrong color or doesn't look exactly how you want (assuming you do it right, of course), then you can stick it to the dealer for giving you the wrong shade and probably get them to fix it.

Go ahead and give it a whirl, I'm sure it'll turn out fine.

[dave405nyc]

paint also fades over time, because of the sun

[Bmeister]

paint also fades over time, because of the sun

Correct. After doing your touch up, don't clear coat it or wax it until the sun has some time to do some fading on the touch up paint. While the rest of the car has had time to fade from its original paint job before settling to the shade its at now (and is now fading extremely slowly), the new touch up needs a chance to go through the initial fading so it can blend much better. That's been my experience with touch ups.