Clear Coat or Just Paint?

[Guest Philosophy]

My car is missing about a coke can worth of paint missing in a couple spots on the front bumper (where the previous owner ran it over a curb).  I am buying paint, I have the option of spray paint and clear coat, just spray paint, standard paint and clear coat or just standard liquid paint. What would be best for those spots and then a scratch on the back bumper?

[Lord_Karango17]

My car is missing about a coke can worth of paint missing in a couple spots on the front bumper (where the previous owner ran it over a curb).  I am buying paint, I have the option of spray paint and clear coat, just spray paint, standard paint and clear coat or just standard liquid paint. What would be best for those spots and then a scratch on the back bumper?

Wait, wouldn't painting over the spots that are missing paint with a clear coat just make it shiny, rather than removing the imperfection?

 

If you paint it you will also have to do a lot of sanding to make the contours between the areas with a lack of paint and the rest of the car, so that when you paint it, it dosent show...

[techswede]

If i'm not mistaken there are places where you can go where they scan the colour of the car, Mix it, And sell you a finished spray can.

So you get just the right colour. 

[Aphexx]

I uniformly sanded my bumper smooth. primed it then sprayed 5-7 coats of color. let it harden, wet sanded smooth then layers of clear on top.

can't remember if I wet sanded the clear.

I think this pic was taken after my last shot of clear.

 

edit: and as above I had my color scanned and matched

[Guest Philosophy]

If i'm not mistaken there are places where you can go where they scan the colour of the car, Mix it, And sell you a finished spray can.

So you get just the right colour.

I know where I can get the paint...if I sand and paint would I also have to clear coat over the paint also?

[Aphexx]

I would. but that's just me.

 

also my suggestion if you are looking to do a spot paint is to isolate a contiguous panel. I've never ever ever had any satisfying results from doing a square patch of paint and then trying to sand/blend it to the old paint.

[techswede]

I know where I can get the paint...if I sand and paint would I also have to clear coat over the paint also?

Depending on the paint you might need primer first. 

But with 1 coat paint you don't need a clear coat. 

One clear coat will help protect the paint longer though. And it'll make it slightly more resistant to rocks and other crap hitting it

[CAKEwasTRUE]

EDIT: sorry i didn't read thoroughly, just watch the video. you also should always clear coat after the paint to make it last and shine!

 

You can touch up in area but its tricky to get it even, if you got time and want the best results you're better off just repainting the whole thing. this way you wont run the risk of new spots appearing

 

Here's a good vid on how to do it with color matched paint:

 

 

Dont mind the ausies, these guys are pretty awsome!

[Aphexx]

think of it this way.

 

the act of shooting paint only takes a few minutes. its the prep that kills you. hours spent in cleaning, sanding, laying newspapers and taping.

 

this is hours of prep work and on the other hand you weigh that against the cost of 1-2 cans of clear and a few minutes to shoot the clear.