AfoolandhisPony

Well, I got my first rock chip on my hood. It's pretty tiny, but I know it's there.

I've never had to fix a rock chip. Am I better off paying a "pro" to do it or is there ways a novice can repair the chip?

Do those "paint pens" work?

Any links or videos of "how to...." that someone as inexperienced as myself can follow?

Is there some miracle products that just rules? I wouldn't care how much it cost if it works and well.

My GT is Black, not that it matters.

Thanks folks

FivePointToTheOh

Dr. Color Chip is the best I have heard of.

ThaiCobra

Just finished taking all the rock chips and scratches out of my paint a few weeks ago. I have perfected the process and consider myself a semi expert.

forget all that drcolorship, fix kits, they are all total bs.

you will need: a small tube of bondo, some high-build automtive primer, some matching base paint (paintscratch.com), and some automotive clear coat.

1) sand the area with some 1000 grit, sand an area roughly 2 inches by 2 inches. just a light sand to take off the clear, and some base paint

2) press some bondo into the chip, pass over it with a flat edge to even the bondo. wait 24 hours.

3) the bondo shrinks a little. so i reccomend doing a 2nd layer of bondo, but this time leave the bondo a little above the chip. wait 24 hours.

4) gently wetsand the area with 1000 grit till its all smooth and even.

5) lay down some primer. i recommend taping the area off with painters tape (a 2x2inch area like before) and spraying the primer down, then pull off the tape and voila, you have a nice even square of primer. wait 24 hours.

6) wet sand the area with 1500 grit this time. focus on the edges, you want it to "slope up" from the old paint onto the new area. only lightly sand the middle.

7) lay down some base coat. follow the above, taping and sanding process. you may need as many as 3 or 4 coats of base (24hr wait period and wetsanding after each time) until it looks smooth, even, and matches the old paint color.

8) now lay down some clear. i just do one light coat. but you could do 2 light coats. its important not to go to heavy on clear or it will haze.

9) sand the clear, same as above, 1500

10) use a "polishing compound" and some microfiber cloths to bring back the shine and blend the area. if you have a machine buffer, it will do a better job, but using your hand is fine too. you may need to apply and buff as many as 6 or 7 times before it looks decent.

11) still a little dull? use 3m scratch remover. use it 2 or 3 times until everything blends and the shine returns. only use a little bit of liquid each time, cause this stuff pulls up existing paint, to blend things together, so it slightly pits your paint.


sounds like a lot of work, but its actually pretty simple. it will take you about 1 week, but only 15 minutes per day. much cheaper than going to a body shop, who will want to repaint the whole area. body shops will rarely just refill a small spot, they dont like putting in all the work to fix one little area, when they can just repaint a whole panel more easily.

good luck, the first time is a little awkward, but its actually pretty easy to do. I had about 15 of these all over my car. now that i've perfected the process, the areas look perfect now.

ThaiCobra

oh, and you will need 1000 grit and 1500 grit sandpaper, as well as the 2 paint compounds i mentioned.

and the above paints need to be spraycans

dennisafrompa

A little dab of black paint on a small foam hobby "brush" will do. If needed dab again when dry.

You will eventually get more chips if you actually use your car. They will soon be invisible to you. The first is the worst.

WildAzCat

Agreed. I try not to look at the front bumper too closely. Ignoring the chips seems to work for me.

Clevor

Yup, fixing a tiny rock chip the proper way you will have to make things worse before they get better. Which is why I am having plastic protective sheeting put on my 2013 Mustang. Just too lazy to do bodywork anymore.

I think the stuff is a ripoff myself. Usually will run $400-600 just for the front of the car itself. But it's a PITA to install, which is why the pro shops charge so much. The front end of a 2013 'Stang would be a nightmare for an installer.

The problem with paint chips is that it's unlikely you will ever get them for the most part, but it can happen at any time. Last year I was driving and a dump truck changed lanes into my lane. Some loose gravel fell off the truck, bounced off the road and hit the front end. Sure enough, a rock chip.

A cheaper option is run a Colvan bra, for around $170. But some say it may mar the paint or cause discoloration, and it should be taken off when wet or only used on long road trips.

Derf00

I got my first rock chip (actually a 1/8" wide by 1" long scrape) on my hood from a concrete truck entering onto the freeway about two weeks after I bought my car new.

I was in the middle lane. The truck was coming down the on ramp ahead of me about a 1/4 mile. I switched to the furthest lane (fast lane) but as I did that I saw a damn rock the size of my pinky nail come bouncing across the lanes and strike my hood It was friggin slow motion. No other cars on the road between us so I couldn't duck behind anything to avoid it.

I was physically sick when I saw it on my car after I got to work. I've learned to ignore it and most people don't even see it since I have a Windveil blue color car. The primer underneath is black.

Normally I try to keep another car or two in-between myself and construction or industrial vehicles until I have a way around the industrial vehicle. I've seen those buffer cars take some big rocks and even one of those plastic chairs. Better them than me!

adidasUNT8

It's obvious ThaiCobra has no idea what he is talking about! haha

ThaiCobra

like i said above, taking out rock chips is pretty simple man. i may make a youtube video this month explaining the process. link to follow...

i know my above post sounds complicated, but its really not, just a lot of small steps.