I had a small chip on my Rivian where some paint had been removed, and I figured the official touch-up paint pen would be the easiest fix. The concept is simple enough. The execution? Not so much.
Before: scratches on the R1S door sill, right where kids climb in and out.
After: scratches covered but still visible up close. The paint matches the color but not the metallic finish.
How It Works
The pen is dual-ended, which is a nice design idea in theory:
- One side pulls off to reveal a small paintbrush tip — useful for slightly larger areas
- The other side works as a pen: you hold it down, the paint seeps into the felt tip, and then you use it to carefully touch up the damaged spot
Simple enough. The problem isn't the application method — it's what happens after you apply it.
What I Expected vs. What I Got
Here's what I was hoping for: paint goes in the chip, fills the divot, dries flush, and you can barely tell anything happened. That's the dream, right?
Here's what actually happened: the paint covered the exposed area, but it didn't fill in the divot at all. The chip is still there — you can still see the height difference between where paint exists and where it was removed. It looks less like a professional touch-up and more like someone colored over a scratch with a marker.
The Color Match Issue
This is what bothers me the most. The black from the pen is the right shade of black, but it's not the right finish. My car's original paint has a subtle sparkle to it — those tiny metallic flecks that catch the light and give the paint depth. The touch-up pen produces a flatter, more matte result.
Maybe the metallic particles are in the paint formula and I just didn't shake it well enough. Maybe they're there but the pen tip acts like a sponge, filtering out the larger metallic bits before they reach the surface. Whatever the reason, the result is noticeable if you know where to look. The base color matches, but the character of the paint doesn't.
Where It Might Work
I'll be fair: for a small chip in a hidden or hard-to-see area, this pen does an acceptable job. If the damage is on a door jamb, under a trim piece, or somewhere you'd only notice if you were specifically looking for it, the pen will get you by. It prevents exposed metal from rusting and makes the spot less obvious at a glance.
But if you're trying to fix a visible chip on a hood, fender, or door panel — somewhere that catches direct light — I think you'll be disappointed.
Pros & Cons
Final Verdict
2 out of 5 stars.
If you need to do a quick job on a hidden spot, it'll work — the color is close enough and it's better than leaving bare metal exposed. But as someone who's a bit of a perfectionist, knowing the chip is still there and the paint doesn't quite match just isn't doing it for me. For significant damage or anything on a visible panel, I'd skip the pen and look into professional touch-up options instead. It does the basic job, but don't expect magic.
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