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I recently purchased an old rav4 for my youngest daughter. In very good shape for a 26 year old car but it did have a lot of paint chips on the hood and on various places around the car. That drives me nuts.

I wanted to touch them up so I purchased a kit from Dr Color Chip. For $62 USD you get 1 oz color matched paint, a few oz of a solvent, cloths, silicon squeegee and 3 touch up paint brushes (small, smaller and tiny).

The idea is that you put a little blob of paint next to the chip and then squeegee it over the chip, filling it in and leaving extra paint smeared around the chip (kind of like buttering a piece of toast). You let the paint dry for a few minutes and then rub the solvent soaked cloth gently over the chip and the excess paint will slowly dissolve, leaving only the paint inside the chip. It works very well. Sometimes you do remove the paint in the chip so you just do it again.

I hit most of the spots twice, with a few of them a 3rd time with the tiny paint brush. It is a much better way to fill multiple chips compared to the old way with the bottle and little paint brush. Is it perfect? Far from it, but it looks so much better.

touched up leading edge of hood plus metal (yes, metal) trim piece that goes around grille and under headlights. (very surprised that is metal, although this is a 2001...)

The same type of paint chip repair could be done on a scoot or motorcycle. Attached a before and after pic.

While $62 seems like a lot for touch up paint the end result seems worth a few hundred dollars!

Neil, You must be a lot more optimistic about the future of car ownership than I am.

There are new, innovative ways of getting around showing up all the time now. I’m all for embracing them, as I’ve long believed driving 3-6 ton cars to be unsustainable, both financially and environmentally.

MB, were you addressing me? I also agree that the future does not include gas powered cars....but in the present my daughters will both need to have the ability to drive a car on their own. We live in a suburban area that is not walkable to school, friends houses , daughter's dance, stores, etc. Not really safe biking and neither will follow their Dad and go on 2 wheels. So we're left with driving a car. Both cars I purchased are old..21 and 26 years old...so I'd rather keep something old on the road rather than add a new vehicle to the congestion.

I thought you were going to say that you would re-home your daughter's Burgman! Serendipity!

I understand about your 18 yr old granddaughter still being on her driving permit with little desire to drive. My 16 and 19 year old daughters are doing the same. I've even bought them both cars for future use when they get their license....someday.....

It would be my first “chilly” ride of the season here, seeing as it’s below 70 (momentarily) for the first time in over 6 months.   But…not happening. That’s a whole nother story.

 

really cool shot

mmmm, mmmmm, love the smell of new rubber in the morning!

few more updates on the Rav4 (or the Ravioli, as I call it).

Polished the acrylic sunroof (not glass, who knew?)  with a headlight restoration polish so you can see through it, again. Ceramic coated it. I'm sure no one has done anything to it in 26 years.

Replaced the original fog lights in the bumper, under the turn signals. Pass side one had been filled with water at one time, rusty and broken bulb. Replacements from eBay look and fit like the originals. Originals and replacements both have metal housings, that surprised me. (see pic)

Drained and refilled transmission. Old fluid wasn't terrible.

Changed oil and filter with my current favorite, Valvoline Restore and Protect, 5W-30.

Replaced 4 spark plugs with new NGK iridiums. I did it with the engine hot, which made plug removal very easy. (see pic)

Replaced driver door check (the part that holds the door open in various positions, they wear out on old Toyotas) While I had door card off I also fixed a rattle inside door. Prev owner gave me a bolt his daughter had found on the ground below the door, they knew where it went but not how to fix it. It bolted from the outside of door into a part of the window track? I put that back and no more rattle from inside the door!

Replaced the other crankcase breather hose and also the hood (or bonnet) prop rod grommet. The Rav (and also my Vibe) were both missing the grommet so the prop rod was loosely fitted into a hole in the fender. It could easily come out and also put additional stress on the hole when used. Cheap 5 pack of grommets for Toyotas on Ebay...fixed both Ravioli and Vibe.

Think that's it so far....but best part is coming today....new wheels and tires! I didn't want dedicated snow tires but got the next best thing, tires rated for 3 Peak Mountain Snowflake (3PMS). I think that may be a US DOT approval? Not sure if it is a thing in other countries?

More pics to come with the new wheels/tires and hopefully a full detail, which I haven't gotten around to doing, yet.

Interesting! Well, you already are familiar with the Burgman so there will be no surprises for you as far as ride and handling go. 400cc will certainly move you along a little easier and the ride must be softer with the extra weight and long wheelbase.

This is a good time of year to buy with cool weather approaching. Big question - if you bought this what other bike (or bikes??) would you give up?