Originally Posted by jginnane

Pearl white's color code is "QAB". My Z has about 2800 miles on it, and three tiny specks (breaks in the clear coat) on the aluminum hood where stones hit it.

None of the 4 nearest Nissan dealers stock the $8 paint stick yet. I'll wait until the end of summer, and if they're not stocking by then, will order (takes 2-3 days). Paint sticks generally can only be used a couple times before they dry up -- figure the shelf life, once opened, is just a few months.

But if you haven't noticed, most of the outside of the Z is plastic or aluminum. You aren't worried about corrosion on these panels. (And you shouldn't be parking where someone's going to ding the steel parts.)

For touchup work, I don't use the applicator brushes that come with repair kits. Use a fresh toothpick, and dab a tiny drop of paint into the "wound". Expect the repair to be invisible from more than 2-3 feet away, and that's probably good enough. (Do a Zaino treatment after the paint repair, and people won't be looking for specks.)

For much larger repairs, any pro shop recommended by your local Nissan dealer is going to meet Nissan's quality standards. You may be lucky and never have to repair or replace one of your big plastic bumper covers in the life of your Z, but I wouldn't bet on it.