A composition and method for coating and touching up a metal surface is provided. The composition contains from about 0.5 to about 240 millimoles per kilogram of a fluorometallate ion, from about 0.5 grams/liters to about 10 grams/liter of phosphorous-containing inorganic oxy anions calculated at their stoichiometric equivalent as H.sub.3PO.sub.4; .[.from about 0.05 g/l to about 3.5 g/l of.]. hexavalent chromium .[.and from about 0.10 g/l to about 2.20 g/l of.]. trivalent chromium ions .Iadd.and a surfactant.Iaddend..