sleemanj: I'd suggest going to your local automotive paint selling place ( http://www.spraystore.co.nz/ ), they can make you up a touch-up bottle, or rattle can with the appropriate colours, and give you the right advice as to how best to do it I'm sure.

heavenlywild: OK for those that have done something like this, let me know how this sounds:

Before anything, clean the area thoroughly.

1. Dab base coats on.
2. Dab clear coats on with the clear coat's level being slightly higher than the original panel paint
3. Apply water to the (clean) surface where the scratch / chip is and sand with 2000-2500 grit sandpaper
4. Then use Turtle Wax Polishing Compound to get the shine back (ie. remove the effects of the sandpaper)

Have I missed anything?

grant_k:

heavenlywild: OK for those that have done something like this, let me know how this sounds:

Before anything, clean the area thoroughly.

1. Dab base coats on.
2. Dab clear coats on with the clear coat's level being slightly higher than the original panel paint
3. Apply water to the (clean) surface where the scratch / chip is and sand with 2000-2500 grit sandpaper
4. Then use Turtle Wax Polishing Compound to get the shine back (ie. remove the effects of the sandpaper)

Have I missed anything?

You don't need to worry about clear coat for covering touch-ups to stone chips.  Presumably, these stone chips are only small so you won't notice the lack of clear coat.

By using sandpaper, you are going to scratch a much larger area of clear coat than was originally affected by the stone chip.  If you scratch such a large area, you won't be able to hide it and will need to get the entire panel repainted.

After many years experience with this sort of thing, my advice would be as follows:

-  Touch up the stone chips as best you can with dabs of paint from the bottle
-  Don't leave it too long after stone chips appear, or rust may occur
-  After some years, the stone chips may get too many, so you may need to get the entire panel repainted
-  Or you may have sold the car by that time!

heavenlywild: I am thinking of using just some clear coat to cover the little dent, then sanding it down. On YouTube I see you can use a cutting compound to make the area shiny again. Or is this not the case?

grant_k:

heavenlywild: I am thinking of using just some clear coat to cover the little dent, then sanding it down. On YouTube I see you can use a cutting compound to make the area shiny again. Or is this not the case?

Yes, cutting compound is good.  Definitely much better than sandpaper for what you want to do.  Sandpaper will leave deep scratches that are difficult to hide.

I use some stuff called "Minute Cut" and it's very good.  Use a soft rag, and be careful not to cover a larger area than necessary.

heavenlywild: Where do you get Minute Cut from? I googled it but nothing came up.

grant_k:

heavenlywild: Where do you get Minute Cut from? I googled it but nothing came up.

I've had it for a while and would have got it from Repco or SuperCheap Auto probably.  Anything similar should do.  I prefer a liquid cutting compound rather than paste, as the paste tends to go hard and gather dirt when you have the pot open.  With liquid, you spray it onto a cloth, or put the cloth over the top and tip the bottle upside down for a moment to get some onto the cloth.  It is easier to keep dirt out of liquid than with paste.

grant_k: By using sandpaper, you are going to scratch a much larger area of clear coat than was originally affected by the stone chip.  If you scratch such a large area, you won't be able to hide it and will need to get the entire panel repainted. 

DjShadow: If your car insurance policy has glass cover just use that, won't touch your no claims bonus