Mobile auto paint touch up services - any good?

[Sac Arrow]

About a month ago, someone sideswiped my Subaru in a parking lot and left. It's not a huge amount of damage, it's a small dent and scuffed and scratched paint on the rear quarter panel. It probably can't quite be buffed out but close.

I went to a body shop on the Subaru approved list, and got a quote for (gulp) $2,500 and a week downtime. I have to eat the cost out of pocket on this. I've tried touch up pens in the past. That's a no-go. I've seen paste rubs that seem to do a decent job, probably buffing pastes that blend and carry over the color. But I see there are some mobile touch up services available, and one service (Colors on Parade, a franchise) seems to get good reviews. Anyone have any experience with these?

 

[AV8R_87]

Or just do the right thing

 

[Matthew]

A lot of dealers have a “paint guy” to touch up nicks and chips on new deliveries. Maybe a guy like that can match paint pretty well? But for what you need, I dunno.

 

[murphey]

Local Lincoln shop uses lacquer thinner, light rub then clean with soap & water then car wax. Works like a charm to remove the paint damage. Learned this when I scraped side of the garage door (painted wood).

 

[Sac Arrow]

I used an outfit called Colors on Parade. $290 made it mostly disappear with a couple small chips visible but color matched. It was about what I expected. I could get the dent fixed but it's small and not very noticeable. They did a lot better job than I could ever do with a touch up kit.