just got my Autosharp pen. Haven't tried it yet but it got good reviews on Miata.Net which I use regularly for my other toy. I'd checked a while back and kept checking back - they now have the MINI paints listed on their site.

This item is a 16.95 ... well, basically they build you a felt tip pen with your ordered paint inside. I've always been unhappy using the standard 'brush in the cap' touch up paints so this is an interesting altenative. I haven't tried it yet so once I get a chip or ding I'll let you know. But it looks like a quality product, and the price is comparable to the MINI product altho the MINI item includes clear coat too.

http://www.autovisuals.com

{no - I am NOT in any way associated with the company}

Curiously you can find the proper paint codes on their web site but when calling the dealer I had to look inside the engine compartment cuz they couldn't tell me the code for dark silver.... 871 by the way

'02 MCS, Dark Silver (871) / white, silver Prlli' 17's, Lapis, premium pkg + MinicooperParts scoop grill and the chrome rings for everything in the center pod...

 

Hey...

I was actually going to post a question about touch-up paint... how timely :smile:

My question: Can I get it from the dealer? Or do I have to go through paint codes and order from an outside distributer?

I have dings--I need paint!

~Kelley

 

OKeefe - Thanks for the tip! However, my dealer gave me two sets of touch up paints for silk green as well as the white roof. Both came with their own clear coats. Do you know of any sources for the aerosol paint sets available in Europe?

 

Has anyone actually used the Autosharp pen yet? I'm interested. I have one tiiiiny paint chip right on the edge of a headlight. Since the pen does not come with clearcoat, what the alternative?

 

>>Has anyone actually used the Autosharp pen yet? I'm interested. I have one tiiiiny paint chip right on the edge of a headlight. Since the pen does not come with clearcoat, what the alternative?


They have a clearcoat pen for sale also.

retroom

 

Kelley...yes you can get it from the dealer, but they may have to order it for you. It comes with the paint and clearcoat. It it something like $16.

 

Found a chip and tried it yesterday.

Works great - much better that the standard brush in the bottle cap.

What color code is best match for silver s-lites?

 

My question would be how well does it actually "fill" a chip, with the paint?

 

Do they come in custom colors?

(I wish!!! I'd need 4 pens!)

 

You have to layer it 5-6 times to fill it completely usually. Otherwise you're just coloring the metal or primer. If your metal is showing its best you touchup primer first...but usually for smaller chips I just fill with paint only.

On MINI touchup paint you can mix the clear and the base coat in something first and apply both together. Just do dabs at a time.

 

We also sell touch up paint. I never recommend using the brush in the bottle. i always use a small thin brush that you can get at any hobby store. with a bit of time you can have all the small stone chips looking good and sealed up.

 

You can get official touch-up paint from your dealer parts dept. But it is that bottle with a brush type that is very hard to paint the small amount needed for most scratches and chips.

I use paint pens from Paint Scratch. Their chiseled tip makes it much easier to apply just the right amount.

 

I bought the official dealer paint bottle, and yes, I found the brush very hard to use. Deciding to go the pen route, I looked at the chiseled nib on the Paint Scratch and the pointy nib on the Autovisual. The Autovisual one looked more user friendly, espically on my pinhole sized chips.

I got one last week but it's been too cold here in NJ to try it out. They recommend a minimum of 65F.

BTW, I could not find a MINI dealer that carried them, but the black paint code, 668, is identical to Bimmers. A local BMW dealer stocked them @$16.98.

 

Another tip is to buy BMW Alpine White if you have contrasting white roof, wheels etc...not Pepper White.

 

I just found a small chip yesterday (perhaps 2-3mm in diameter), is there anything I should do now before I get time to get paint and fix it? I'm concerned with rust getting started and a small chip becoming a larger problem.

 

Until you can paint it, wax the spot well (2 coats minimum). If you get to it before rust starts, the wax should seal out the moisture. Just be sure to wash the spot with blue Dawn (degreaser soap) prior to putting on the touch-up paint for max adhesion.

 

Today was the first 70F day in Northern NJ, and I took the opportunity to use my Autovisual pen for the first time.

After washing with Zaino Car Wash and drying, I poured a small amount of rubbing alchohol in the bottle cap, soaked the Q-Tip, squeezed out the excess so it was saturated but did not drip, and then swiveled it into each chip.

I left the pen in the car for a few minutes, letting it get to a warm ambient temperature, shook it vigorously for a minute, and primed the tip by tapping it for about a minute on a newpaper until it started releasing the paint. Then I went after the chips.

I held it like you would any writing pen and timidly touched it very lightly to the chip. I let the pen do the work. This was the first time I ever worked with touchup paint without blobbing. As soon as I saw the white metal turn black, which was immediately, I pulled it away. The idea is to just touch the metal. That's all. Lesser is better!

Standing back at less than three feet, my work was transparent. It looked like a new paint job. Unless you are pro, a brush, even the thinnest artists brush is much harder to use. Especially for the pinhole sized chips.

Advice to Mini dealers: start stocking this item. It works.

 

Excellent! I just ordered some for my husband's car. I still have TUP from the dealer. I will use the toothpick method...

 

I tried it on the windshield chips. The clear coat filled them but now I can't see through the windshield!!!