Stone Chip Repair Guide

[Breezy]

A common sight on everyones bonnet is stone chips unless you've just had it re-sprayed but even then they are still inevitable!

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~khural/pics/bmw/m3_journal/stone_chip1.jpg

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~khural/pics/bmw/m3_journal/stone_chip2.jpg

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~khural/pics/bmw/m3_journal/stone_chip3.jpg

So after spotting a few on mine I thought I would have a go at repairing them after reading a couple of repair guides. Firstly I got hold of some touch up paint from Paints4U (www.paints4u.com) you can alternatively just buy a touch up stick from the stealers but for the same price i got a 100ml tin of paint and 30ml clear lacquer which was a perfect colour match too it also came with a fine artists brush.

I also got some IsoPropyl alcohol to clean out all the dirt, crap, polsh & wax from the stone chips, once this was done i went round filling the chips with paint and making sure the paint filled the chip and not the area around it as this can easily be done if you use a brush thats too thick you need to fill the chip so that the paint is raised over the area of the chip.

once left to dry the bonnet looked like this with blobs of paint

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~khural/pics/bmw/m3_journal/blobs.jpg

the wet & dry paper I used was Meguiars unigrit 2500

The next job was to wet sand the blobs of paint down to the same level as the existing paint and the best way i found to do this and keep the repairs to the local area was to wrap a small bit of sandpaper around the end of a flat piece of plastic (aka a bicyle inner tube remover!) or a pencil and gently rub down the raised paint and then level it out with the rest of the surface.

i used plenty of water with fairy liquid which foamed up nicely and acted as a good lubricant and also soaked the sandpaper in some fairy liquid before hand.

some nice sanding marks afterwards!

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~khural/pics/bmw/m3_journal/sanding1.jpg

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~khural/pics/bmw/m3_journal/sanding2.jpg

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~khural/pics/bmw/m3_journal/sanding3.jpg


these were easily removed using my porter cable polisher with a "4 lake & country orange light cut pad & Menzerna Intensive polish, the whole bonnet was then followed up with Menzerna Final Finish Polish (P085RD) with a "6 Sonus SFX blue finishing pad and 2 coats of Colinite 476s wax.

if you dont have a porter cable you can easily remove the sanding scratches by hand using 3M Perfect-It III fine cut compound

i can't see the chips anymore! :D

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~khural/pics/bmw/m3_journal/repaired1.jpg

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~khural/pics/bmw/m3_journal/repaired2.jpg

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~khural/pics/bmw/m3_journal/repaired3.jpg

[Scud]

xcellent right up m8..........How long did you leave the paint on before adding the clearing...... then how long did you leave it to dry ?

Cheers
Scud

[warne]

Great write up Ive got to get my chips done and every time someone posts on this topic it gives me the confidence to go and do the job just waiting to get a break in the weather!

[Breezy]

xcellent right up m8..........How long did you leave the paint on before adding the clearing...... then how long did you leave it to dry ?

Cheers
Scud


i initially filled the chips then left overnight and touched up a few that needed touching up left for 24 hours again then sanded and polished after

[Phil H]

great write up! i too have a pot of touch up paint from paints 4 u. Can i ask why did you buy extra laquer? as it says on there site the touch up paints have laquer mixed in?

[burns863]

I dont have a porter cable. When you say you can do it by hand with the 3M product is it something that is gona take hours of elbow numbing polishing or would you say its quite easy? I have a MINI so the paint is hard.

Great Write up! Think I will be giving this a go soon!

[Phil H]

no, u can get the marks out with sonus sfx1 by hand a good combo by hand is a yellow sfx spot pad and sfx 1.

[gobbo]

I'm tempted to give this a go on my car, i'm just worried about wrecking it :S

[NavSG]

I'm tempted to give this a go on my car, i'm just worried about wrecking it :S


Why dont you practise on a scrap panel first !

:thumb:

[DarrylB]

I need to do mine, my bonnet is actually embarrassing under artificial light.

Nice write up!

[Breezy]

great write up! i too have a pot of touch up paint from paints 4 u. Can i ask why did you buy extra laquer? as it says on there site the touch up paints have laquer mixed in?

i opted to get the touch up paint without lacquer mixed in

[Phil H]

ah right, is that a better option? or is mine ok as its mixed?

[Rags]

Brilliant write up.

I also have a BM which seems to attract stone chips, no matter how I drive.

Annoying!

I have filled all the chips, so its 2000grit time.

I don't have Unigrit but another make of 2000/3000 grit but bought from an automotive supplier.

I hope it will be ok.


Anyway, any idea the best way to prevent stone chips? Thicker coast of LSP?

[Kriminal]

You got balls mate - and great skill :thumb:

I had a go on a Lexus I had previously.....followed the instructions on a detailing website (not this one)....simple procedure of hole punching out the fine grit-paper, sticking a piece to the end of a pencil rubber, and hey presto you have a super close to use "stone chip paint eraser".:D .........DON'T DO IT !!!!!! :doublesho

I couldn't exactly see what was happening as you had to keep applying soapy water to the surface....and then......I started noticing it was coming back the surface real good....and then.....I noticed two kinda funny looking lines parallel to the edge of the chip area :eek: ......and then.....I wiped it dry to discover that the bloody bit off paper that I had stuck to the end of the pencil eraser had CURLED !!! The edges of the paper had actually "dug" into the paintwork and took it back to the primer !!! :wall:

What a nightmare that was.....talk about being traumatised.....lucky I can look back and laugh about it now.

Anybody want there's done ???? :D :D

[a8kuc]

Can you come and do my car for me!!?

I just bought one of those halfords repair kit things, just gotta find a dry window in the weather for a few days to get the chips done, unlikely!

[dodger]

superb write up, thats a job that i have got to do.

Can a mod make this a sticky for future reference.

[streaky]

One of those jobs you know you have to face and now we have a bit more guidance thanks

[Breezy]

Can you come and do my car for me!!?

I just bought one of those halfords repair kit things, just gotta find a dry window in the weather for a few days to get the chips done, unlikely!


i would stay away from halfords paint and lacquer mate the quality is terrible!

get some decent paint and give it ago its not that hard to do:)

[Rags]

One thing you do realise is that there are an awful lot more chips than your first realise.

:eek:

[Coxy914]

Good write up. My RS2 has loads of stone chips on the front and would like to get them done. I thought my best option would have been to get it resprayed before I read this!

Did you apply the clearcoat afterwards or not??

[Breezy]

i do plan to put some lacquer over the areas i've repaired then blend it in the the PC as i've used this method with other repairs and brushed lacquer on before and once dry lightly wet sand then buff

[Rags]

One question I have for you Breezy

When wet sanding, how do you know how much to sand?

ie. leaving the clear coat intact?

Also, I have some blobs that protrude the surface maybe too much......how should I deal with these as too much sanding may end up with no clear coat!

[Brazo]

^^Thats where skill and a PTG come in :thumb:

[micken]

i do plan to put some lacquer over the areas i've repaired then blend it in the the PC as i've used this method with other repairs and brushed lacquer on before and once dry lightly wet sand then buff

When you put extra lacquer on do you key the original at all, say with 3000 unigrit? Or will new laquer bind to original lacquer that's simply had all traces of polish, glaze and wax removed?

[Breezy]

When you put extra lacquer on do you key the original at all, say with 3000 unigrit? Or will new laquer bind to original lacquer that's simply had all traces of polish, glaze and wax removed?

clean the area you plan to lacquer (over the top of the original lacquer) thoroughly first with some IsoPropyl alcohol or fairly liquid, dry then lacquer.

Once the lacquer has dried then you can go over it with some 3000 grit to smoth then polish

[micken]

^ good man Breezy, thanks.

[Bigadz]

Good work breezy your bonnet came up a treat!.

Quick question, I have a mark where someone kindly opened thier door onto mine hard!
Its gone back to the metal so with my kit from paints4u i got some white groundcoat. When I have put a thin layer of this into the chips how long should I leave it before applying basecoat/laquer mix? Do I have to let it fully cure, only otherwise it will take several days! Thanks:thumb:

[Breezy]

Good work breezy your bonnet came up a treat!.

Quick question, I have a mark where someone kindly opened thier door onto mine hard!
Its gone back to the metal so with my kit from paints4u i got some white groundcoat. When I have put a thin layer of this into the chips how long should I leave it before applying basecoat/laquer mix? Do I have to let it fully cure, only otherwise it will take several days! Thanks:thumb:


you should let it sure for 24 hours at least and some goes for the basecoat as you will often find the paint will sink into the chip as it cures and you may need to apply more once its dry to build up the layer slightly. So handy if you have a garage you can leave your car in...

[Bigadz]

Okay mate thanks for that, well I dont have a garage so I shall have to make do. I might try and cover the area to help it cure better overnight. And protect from rain?

[Jockrock]

Nice guide mate.

I'm feeling the need to give this a try. I'm in the process of repairing my front splitter too so this helps me with that too.

Cheers m8:thumb:

[JSH3]

I'm just about to give this a go: I've got a Scratchmaster kit and some light grey groundcoat coming tomorrow to try and fix some chips on my Crystal Blue Audi... Thankfully I've got someone from DW coming over this weekend to give it a proper detailing, so if I make a hash of it at least there's gonna be someone to hand to get the paint level again! Now all I need is three solid days of good weather, which in the UK is of course absolutely guaranteed...


...oh hang on, I mean "is extremely bl**dy unlikely", don't I? Keep yer fingers crossed for me: I've never done this kind of thing before! :thumb:

[Black 125]

Any chance that 3000 grade wet sanding marks can be removed by hand with scratch x? It's a real a struggle trying to remove the lightest of swirls with it! Have not got anywhere to try it out on.

[Bigadz]

Any chance that 3000 grade wet sanding marks can be removed by hand with scratch x? It's a real a struggle trying to remove the lightest of swirls with it! Have not got anywhere to try it out on.

I have been told by several people that as you are using the finest paper as in 3000 you should be able to remove them by hand.
I too have scratch X and some proper polishing pads to give a bit more bite. You might want to get some more agressive polish in. I am going to be sanding in the next day or two and I have some Sonus SFX1 at hand but they might come out with scratch X/SFX2. I will be starting with scratch x then working up more aggresive if needed. :thumb:

[Black 125]

I have been told by several people that as you are using the finest paper as in 3000 you should be able to remove them by hand.
I too have scratch X and some proper polishing pads to give a bit more bite. You might want to get some more agressive polish in. I am going to be sanding in the next day or two and I have some Sonus SFX1 at hand but they might come out with scratch X/SFX2. I will be starting with scratch x then working up more aggresive if needed. :thumb:

Thanks. Let us know how you get on.

[Phisp]

Really excellent job! :thumb:

Did you have any problems with dulling the flake by sanding (i.e. shearing the metallic particles)? Perhaps polishing will will correct this anyway? I've not tried wetsanding metallics before.

Cheers,
Phil

[Simpson]

At what stage did you apply the lacquer?

[gtst-chris]

Couple of questions...can this be done on plastic bumpers and with my car having soft soft paint (or so i have heard) will i have to take extra care when carrying out the repairs. Also on the paints 4 U site they have a touch up and G3 compound option, what does the compund do.

Cheers

Chris

[Breezy]

I applied the lacquer only to larger scuffs i repaired using the same method after the base coat had been leveled off, sanded and the polished with the pc.

yes this can be done on plastic bumpers as I repaired a few small scuffs on mine, the compound is basically used to remove coarser sanding marks e.g. 1200 grit but menzerna intensive polish or meguiars 83 will remove 1500-3000 fairly easily

[NavSG]

Im gonna give this a go this weekend, but i only have SSR 1, 2 and 2.5. Will these get polish out the marks made by 2500-3000 ?

[Breezy]

Im gonna give this a go this weekend, but i only have SSR 1, 2 and 2.5. Will these get polish out the marks made by 2500-3000 ?

yes they should remove the sanding marks without any problems

[bsmotorsport]

inspiring, ive got a spare door for my car, might have a got at it and see what will and wont polish out after painting and sanding

[Bailes1992]

Can I do the same for Scratches? Will Scratch X work instead of the 3M stuff? and do I need to apply a laquer?

[rav t sport]

great writ up

can someone let me know if i am buying the right kit

i am going for the Paints4u Scratch Master Kit

http://www.paints4u.com/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=6912

is this correct

[bluenose]

Yes, same question from me.
Anyone have experience with this kit?

Thanks

[Breezy]

havent seen that kit before but looks like a very good buy has everything you need

[rav t sport]

which one did you use

[powelly]

Just my 2p worth, if using an aerosol lacquer on localised repairs, spray fade out thinners over the repair before polishing, this helps dissolve the edge of the newly applied lacquer and blends it in to the surrounding paint/lacquer and makes for less blending work afterwards with wet and dry and polish. It can be bought from paints4u in an aerosol can, I used to use this stuff from a gun when doing smart repairs, works brilliantly and gives a more invisible repair.

[ThyJones]

Few quick questions from me before i attempt some on my car, how raised does the paint need to be over the chip itself? and where can you buy the meguairs unigrit 2500?

Cheers

[chris'svr6]

Thy, i don't think it matters too much as long as the actual chip has been filled in, obvouisly the smaller the bump, the less work you have to do with the sanding down. Check out the sponsor's on the site....most of them sell Meg's Paper 2000/2500/3000 in singles and packets, depends how much you need.

[S500]

Just my 2p worth, if using an aerosol lacquer on localised repairs, spray fade out thinners over the repair before polishing, this helps dissolve the edge of the newly applied lacquer and blends it in to the surrounding paint/lacquer and makes for less blending work afterwards with wet and dry and polish. It can be bought from paints4u in an aerosol can, I used to use this stuff from a gun when doing smart repairs, works brilliantly and gives a more invisible repair.

Just about to tackle a scratch on my mondeo, thanks for the useful tip:thumb: There must be a lot of handy tips for getting the best results from a spray can, someone should post a sticky, or has this already been covered?

[ThyJones]

another query from me im afraid.

When do you apply the lacquer? or dont you?

and I take it this is the right stuff for use without a porter cable?
http://www.autopaint-pro.co.uk/index.asp?function=DISPLAYPRODUCT&productid=112



Cheers

[S500]

Just my 2p worth, if using an aerosol lacquer on localised repairs, spray fade out thinners over the repair before polishing, this helps dissolve the edge of the newly applied lacquer and blends it in to the surrounding paint/lacquer and makes for less blending work afterwards with wet and dry and polish. It can be bought from paints4u in an aerosol can, I used to use this stuff from a gun when doing smart repairs, works brilliantly and gives a more invisible repair.

Quick question Powelly, I am going to blow over a scratch on my machine silver mondeo, I have ordered basecoat, clear laquer and the thinner you reccomended, do I use the thinner after the basecoat or after the clear laquer?

[Restorer]

I've got a MK1 Punto that has a key scratch all the way along the rear quarter panel.

Can I use this same technique to paint a line along the scratch and sand down?

Don't have any experience doing anything like this, any hints would be good. :newbie:

[powelly]

Quick question Powelly, I am going to blow over a scratch on my machine silver mondeo, I have ordered basecoat, clear laquer and the thinner you reccomended, do I use the thinner after the basecoat or after the clear laquer?

Sorry only just got back from holiday, you spray the fade out over the lacquer, it helps to dissolve the edge of the new lacquer in to the old surrounding lacquer, it will still need a bit of flatting/polishing though to get a perfect finish.

[Yeungster]

I really want to try this technique out, but am just too scared. I know that all of you say it'll be fine, but there's always that little bit at the back of your head that's telling you that you could screw things up badly.

Might have to practice a bit on my runaround first

[lard]

brilliant guide thanks Breezy, had a little play on SWMBO's car over the weekend (was too scared to use mine for my first go) and it looks loads better now.

Just got to get a PC before tacking my car as I've got loads of stone chips on my bonnet and my arm will ache if I have to polish all the scratches out:o

[fil_b]

HI there

I dont own a PC yet, but i want to have a go at this

What kind of polish is good to remove the wet/dry marks??

i have some tcut currently but i guess thats not good enought

What is good things to buy

3M stuff?? and Sonus pads good to use with no PC??

Feebs

[V8burble]

HI there

I dont own a PC yet, but i want to have a go at this

What kind of polish is good to remove the wet/dry marks??

i have some tcut currently but i guess thats not good enought

What is good things to buy

3M stuff?? and Sonus pads good to use with no PC??

Feebs

T-cut does not break down, so you can end up with a haze like finish due to lots of very fine scratches. Depending how hard or soft your paint is you should be able to remove the sanding marks with any light to medium cut polish.

[Breezy]

Any medium grade polish should be fine to remove the sanding marks Menzerna Intensive Polish PO91L / PO85RD 3.02 or 3M Fine Cut Compound 09375 I have both found to be very effective at removing 2000 - 3000 grit sanding marks although following up 2000 grit sanding with 3000 sanding makes marks a lot easier to remove.

I've also using these polishes with the white side of a german applicator pad by hand which makes them a lot easier to work / break down

[fil_b]

the 3M & Menzerna are they ok to use by hand also??

[Breezy]

yes mate as per my previous post these polishes can be used by hand to remove sanding marks

[fil_b]

well ordered my UDM just looking at the polishes now and a play bonnet to test my skills

[K-Lex]

I take my hat off in admiration to you sir. That shows great skill and I wish I'd got the balls to do that. I've got a PC and am thinking about giving it a go. I'm scared!!!!!!!

[Breezy]

I take my hat off in admiration to you sir. That shows great skill and I wish I'd got the balls to do that. I've got a PC and am thinking about giving it a go. I'm scared!!!!!!!

I was a bit scred too at firs but whats the wrost that can happen eh?

I was a lot more scared when I machine sanded my car with the PC & some 2000 grit sanding discs :eek: :lol:

[pingu]

think im gonna give this a go on mine and my mates car

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing/polish/menzerna-250ml/intensive-polish-po91l-/prod_216.html

this the polish i need ? also i will be using 3000 grade wet and dry with water and lots of washing up liquid

will all this be ok

[Breezy]

think im gonna give this a go on mine and my mates car

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing/polish/menzerna-250ml/intensive-polish-po91l-/prod_216.html

this the polish i need ? also i will be using 3000 grade wet and dry with water and lots of washing up liquid

will all this be ok

Yes that or the Intensive Polish PO85RD 3.02 (http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/polishing/polish/menzerna-250ml/-menzerna-intensive-polish-po85rd-3-02-/prod_229.html) will be fine.

Auto perfection are also doing samples of polishes now including the 3M Fine Cut Compound 09375 (http://autoperfectionworld.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=103&products_id=274) which is an excellent polish to use by hadn to remove fine sanding marks.

[fil_b]

is this ok to use with sanding??

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/pb281polish.html

[Breezy]

is this ok to use with sanding??

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/pb281polish.html

Yes that what i use when sanding larger areas I find a small bits of sandpaper wrapped around a small square rubber eraser works very well for wet sanding small areas too

[fil_b]

having some issues with the swirl removal atm with megs 83

think i need to do more passes to get working

weather not been on my side atm tho so got to wait - thanks

[Xcase_BMW]

nice write up:thumb:

[nortonski]

Pretty damn good result, I have a few that I need to do on my own motor, I'd be more than happy if it turns out like this!!

[bosshogg]

I'm gonna do this in the next couple of days, so i just need clarification on what grade wet and dry to use, is it soley 2500 or do i use 3000 and 2500, cheers.

[Breezy]

I'm gonna do this in the next couple of days, so i just need clarification on what grade wet and dry to use, is it soley 2500 or do i use 3000 and 2500, cheers.

you can just use 2500 although i find following 2500 with 3000 makes polishing easier

[bosshogg]

:thumb:

[bosshogg]

Actually come to think of it i have another question, i bought a chip repair paint from my local Honda group, when i open the bottle the paint looks a hell of a lot darker than my car, they asure me it's the correct one but i'm not so sure, any ideas.

[Breezy]

Actually come to think of it i have another question, i bought a chip repair paint from my local Honda group, when i open the bottle the paint looks a hell of a lot darker than my car, they asure me it's the correct one but i'm not so sure, any ideas.

the paint will look a lot darker when wet but once its set and dry it will be fine and should blend into the rest of the bodywork with no problems as its just a very small amount of paint you are using as supposed to trying to repair or re-spray a bigger section

[fil_b]

i bought a clio 172 last week, its had lots of stone chips on the front bumper, paint has been added to it. But it seems to have not filled the chips propper

like sunk in the middle

is it worth adding more paint??

[never ready]

I followed this guide and got some amazing results (if I do say so myself)
Yes add more paint, mine took a couple of goes to fill the chips so they were just proud for the surface, but I felt this was a better approach than having a massive blob that needed a lot of sanding. I left it just over an hour between coats and 24 hours until the final wet sanding.
Did you fill in the chips or were the chips filled in when you got the car? The only reason I ask is that if it is old paint you might want to give it a little rub with some unigrit 2500 so the new paint keys in properly and won’t come away when you wet sand it later.

Good luck, I’m sure it will go well.

[fil_b]

well, it was on there when i got it - no idea if the garage did it or previous owner

i have a test bonnet in garage i going to play on 1st before i do my car

want to be sure i can buff out wet sanding marks hehehhe

so, sand the paint and add more then sand again???

[jimmer]

Excellent guide .

[singlespeed]

Help please :confused:

Ive just got a 100mm tin of Star silver metalic from Paints4U, for a Vaux Astra. On the bonnet and top of the boot lid, the colour shade match is near perfect. However, doing a scratch on the vertical section of the boot and door skins, the paint had dried a few shades darker. Any ideas how to get the same shade as a horizontal pannel ( without tipping the car on its side :lol: ) I guess it is the way the flakes are alligned in the paint, and suspect there is nothing that can be done to prevent it :(

Thanks Neil

[jont404]

Help please :confused:

Ive just got a 100mm tin of Star silver metalic from Paints4U, for a Vaux Astra. On the bonnet and top of the boot lid, the colour shade match is near perfect. However, doing a scratch on the vertical section of the boot and door skins, the paint had dried a few shades darker. Any ideas how to get the same shade as a horizontal pannel ( without tipping the car on its side :lol: ) I guess it is the way the flakes are alligned in the paint, and suspect there is nothing that can be done to prevent it :(

Thanks Neil

Careful, I was told by Vauxhall there are 3 shades of Star Silver...

[singlespeed]

Careful, I was told by Vauxhall there are 3 shades of Star Silver... but the match is very good on the bonnet and top of the boot :confused:

[fil_b]

sounds soft, there is colour difference depending what angle of the car you look at - could be that

[PinkRinse]

Fantastic guide, just what I needed :) Wish me luck because I'm going to be "attacking" my poor cars bonnet in the next day or so. :D

[bosshogg]

Good Luck.:buffer: :thumb:

[Martin Burnard]

Sometimes if you "dab" the paint in it will match, sometimes if you "brush" along the scratch it will match, and sometimes it just won't!

Silver bugs me no end.

Ohhh and silver "colour magic" really doesn't work.

(Will I be banned for mentioning that.......errr colour stuff?).

[Sav]

Sorry for asking this.

You fill in the scratch or chip with paint then sand down right?

Then do you add the lacquer over the area and Sand down again?
then wait to cure then blend with polish?
Or is that all wrong?


Cheers
Sav

[T123VOR]

Extremely good guide Breezy

But I can't be the only person who wishes to do this but is slightly scared by this image!



some nice sanding marks afterwards!

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~khural/pics/bmw/m3_journal/sanding1.jpg




Reassure me that once I have wet/dried the paint level - I can simple polish back with a G220 a polishing pad and some merzerna?

Also I have some paintchips and scratchs on my rear plastic bumper is this applicable to those too?

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/tjwooding/rearbumperscrape.jpg

It's black sapphire bmw if that matters?

I'm definitely willing to give it a go though

[little john]

I was inspired by this guide, the family has 3 black vauxhalls so Ive invested in some paint and a seperate clear coat. I've got a few sheets of 2000, 2500 and 3000 grit paper, and today picked up a G220, 2 pads and some #83, thats all the shop had left. My sister has a few key marks in her's from 2 weeks after she bought it. Anyway I've filled all the scratches and chips with paint just as in the guide but not applied any clear coat.

Do I wet sand them flat then clear coat and sand again or sand flat clear coat and then the DA? I hope to have a go at the weekend so any help could be useful, she has decided to buy another car.

Thanks

[Breezy]

There are much scarier images, i.e. the look of your car after a full machine sanding! :doublesho

I re-assure you that the 2000 - 300 grit amrks wil leasily be removed with your G220 and Menzerna polishes if you use 2000 grit i find sanding with 3000 grit afterwards makes polishing the sanding amrks out easier, just dont rub too hard!

you can use the same process for bumpers but i find it can be tricky if the scuffs are on a curved area the hardest part is laying the paint down evenly as with a chip you just need to fill it but scuffs can be a bit more tricky and would prob be easier to correct with spraying unless they are slighly deep in which case you can fill them

Extremely good guide Breezy

But I can't be the only person who wishes to do this but is slightly scared by this image!



Reassure me that once I have wet/dried the paint level - I can simple polish back with a G220 a polishing pad and some merzerna?

Also I have some paintchips and scratchs on my rear plastic bumper is this applicable to those too?

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c307/tjwooding/rearbumperscrape.jpg

It's black sapphire bmw if that matters?

I'm definitely willing to give it a go though

[John74]

Can this method be used for keying damage as some scumbag has keyed my car ? or am i looking at getting the panel resprayed ? the damaged area is 7 inches long.

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j3/John74_2006/ST225/Damage001.jpg

[little john]

Can this method be used for keying damage as some scumbag has keyed my car ? or am i looking at getting the panel resprayed ? the damaged area is 7 inches long.


I had a go today, a few stone chips and a few nice key marks like yours well these broke through to the base layer. I painted them a few weeks ago with thin layers and built them up to just above the surface, wet sended them today with 2500 grit then 3000 grit to flatten them but I either painted them baddly or took too much away and the edges of the paint in some parts have the white primer/undercoat showing through but some parts are spot on. I then went to it with my new G220 and some #83 and it removed the sanding marks with out problem just a few passes I will need to paint again I think sand then polish and then put a layer of clear coat on to make the area shine as at the moment the filled scratches just look matt and not shiney like the rest of the paint then another polish proberbly with megs #80.

[esseker]

great guide Breezy :doublesho

and it looks great :argie:

i have few chips too, im gonna go for it. can i use 4000 wet?
never sanded my car before, actually im scared to do it

[addsvrs]

Great guide.
I am new to detailing so will have to pluck up the courage to sand my paintwork..

All in good time

[Waz]

fantastic guide, going to give this a shot sometime. Near the intake vent on my rear arch area on my Porsche, I have noticed it is hammered with stone chips and filling them with paint is difficult due to sheer number of them in that small area. The picutre doesn't really show them that badly due to the flash, but it looks horrendous in person. Any ideas on how to tacke such an area?

http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg157/wazy15/IMG_2029.jpg

[Breezy]

I think the langka repair system uses a squeegee system to spread paint over an area with large chips and fil lthem all then remove excess paint from around the area.

and yes you can use 4000 grit wet might take you a bit longer to sand down though i've found I have to resort to 1200 grit sometimes to level down the paint/lacquer to the surrounding area

[Waz]

Hi Breezy, had a look on their site and can't find the stone chip squeegee system you mention, they all seem to be for filling individual chips.

[David]

Nice guide mate.

My ibiza is the same, black paint, 9 years old and a GTi that the previous owner used for going down the motorway to work with, which is the worst for picking up stone chips.

When i decide to finally order my megs PC G220 i'll definately be giving this ago.

Thanks, Dave

[Growie]

Nice write up mate!! Good work and info for others....

[fil_b]

is it better to wash the car with normal wash meathod dry then add the paint to the chips?

[Breezy]

its always good to wash the area you are planning to fill with paint with something stronger than a normal shampoo to remove any wax and build up of dirt, something like a degreaser or just wiping the area with some IPA will do the trick.

This is a scuff i repaired using the same technique over the weekend

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~khural/pics/detailing/a3_2/scuff1.jpg


Area was clayed and wiped with IPA to remove any paint that had been transfered from the other car and then sanded using 2000 & 3000 unigrit

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~khural/pics/detailing/a3_2/scuff2.jpg


After polishing with the rotary and 3M fast cut plus on a compounding pad the depper marks stil lremained and these had gone through to the primer

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~khural/pics/detailing/a3_2/scuff4.jpg


So the deeper scratches were filled with touch up paint using a fine swab applicator and left to dry overnight, once dry area was sanded with 2000 & 3000 unigirit and polished with the rotart to remove the sanding marks to leave this

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~khural/pics/detailing/a3_2/scuff5.jpg

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~khural/pics/detailing/a3_2/scuff6.jpg

http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~khural/pics/detailing/a3_2/scuff7.jpg

[fil_b]

whats an IPA??

[TheProtector]

Hi Breezy
that last job is unbelievable! Just proves you have a lot of skill and confidence to undertake a job like that. Don't think many of us would continue past the sanding stage (pass the smelling salts !!)

[TheProtector]

IPA - Iso-Propyl Alcohol Used in many things (antiseptic agent, degreaser and found in cosmetics) In this example it is probably used as a cleaning agent to remove contaminants and old wax, polish & sealant

[fil_b]

wash the car and spray the IPA on??

[05 A4 TDI CAB]

slightly off topic.... the meg 83... ifI use it too fast will it not work? i.e will it not cut as well if I am using it at 2000rpm? (thats the slowest my current rortary goes) REALLY NEED A NEW ONE!!!

[designer1]

Ok - I have read the guide and thought i would try on my BMW.

Recently my neighbours child threw a lump of slate up the bonnet....nice!
Anyway - hes paid to get it painted but I thought if i could work some magic i would!

My car is Titanium Silver 354 - and im finding it incredibly hard to blend the 'chips' out......the 2ft scratches came out using Megs 83 and 80 with the G220 i recently purchased.

Is silver a particularly hard colour to do - or is my lack in knowledge and experience letting me down!

I am new to this - so any help would be much apprected -

Thanks In Advance.....

[graeme]

superb write up, i dont have a polisher but have ssr 2.5 and ssr 3 so may give it a go. i have plenty of stone chips, a scuffed mirror and couple of scratches. VERY VERY nervous about trying although there is the girlfriends car.......

would this technique work with scuffed alloys as well btw? may save a refurb.

[silver bmw z3]

I need to do a scratch, I bought some paint from paints4u but it is separate clear and colour. Does that make it harder to touch up because I have to get the right levels of both ?

[RosswithaOCD]

I have to do this to my car its is peppered in chips

[Mike V]

Lets get this stickied!!!

[aziraphale]

ok, newbie wanting some advice, pretty please.

i have a silver (grigio chiaro met) alfa 156, 2000 year, and the paint is terrible. stone chips all over the front end.

i have tried to fill in stone chips using a guide seen on here, it was a separate thread with someone filling chips on an aubergine coloured ford escort, if i remember rightly, yet i cant find it now.

i have a matched paint touch up, and every time i put the touch up paint in the chip, leave it to dry, then try to wet and dry flat (2000 or 2500 grit), it will simply pull the paint out of the chip.

this has happened when i have tried airbrushing scratches in too.

what am i doing wrong?

:newbie:

[mgreen]

Are you sure you have cleaned it properly? And if you are down to the metal, you should use some primer first. Also available on touch up bottles.

[mlgt]

Hi guys,

Ive been asked to help my friend repair chips on his Midnight Blue Porsche Targa 4S.

Where do you guys order/buy your paitns from? Is Midnight blue universal?

Im happy to order online or try going to hafrauds to buy some spray paint. But they offer a metalic blue, which I am not certain is Midnight blue.

Am tempted to try the Dr Colorchip, but the thing is I said I would tackle it and it wouldnt cost more than £30 for the paint and sandpaper etc :P

Can anyone advice me :)

Thanks

[Ennoch]

try www.paints4u.co.uk There was also a dedicated porsche paint & accessory supplier that I found when looking for Wurth wheel paint but I can't remember who they were tbh. I would perhaps show your friend some of the before/after pics that have been on this site and see if he thinks spending the extra would be worth it. It's amazing how quick a couple of touch up sticks and the accessories can increase the cost. Split the postage from the states by getting a kit for your own car etc and that will help bring the price down too.

[mlgt]

I am very tempted to try the Dr Colorchip and it falls into the price category.
However my only concern is that if I did not try the CC method then its down to wet sanding... and thats what putting me off :P

I will run this by him and hoping to try and repair the chips next weekend.

[mlgt]

I did not realise that the postage will cost more than the product itself if bought from Colorchip.

Which is kinda crazy for a small box to be sent over. Im gonna try order a kit from paints4u and see how I get on.

Currently awaiting a reply in regards to colour matching a Porsche.

[whitelockben]

thats an amazing job!

would love to attempt comething like this myself!

[hardhitter]

The kit from Paints 4 U looks good. You should be able to get the porsche paint from there or a porsche dealer no problem.

[The Cueball]

I have purchased a Paints 4 u kit as well after reading through this guide..

Cheers!!

:thumb:

[Agar]

Superb guide - i think i'll be trying the technique out on my mums battered Clio before doing my Golf.

Regarding sanding, ive heard reports that German (inc VW) paint is very hard. Is the kit from paints4u still ok to use? How much pressure to you put on the surface whilst sanding?

Thanks

[pugleon]

I had a very similiar skuff as breezy on a black mondeo. Complete noob to all this stuff but bought sfx-1 and the pad recommended on this tread and took it out by hand no less. Sorry I didnt think to take pictures but very similiar skuff to breezy on the passenger side door basically the whole length of the door. Took about two hours by hand after some touch up paint was applied. Sadly forgot to get any 2000/3000 grit paper so this was all sfx-1 and its restored the door to perfection. Looks perfect! Very pleased, also tempted to invest in a pc but for now its saved me a respray and some serious cash.

Going to have a go with a tonne of touchup blobs on my bonet once i get the sandpaper and sfx-1 it again.

Just wanted to thank you for the great guide. Also mention that when going at it by hand use the right to left and back movement not circular, read that somewhere else but tbh being a noob I didnt know how to apply the stuff.

Anyways with time and hard graft this can be done by hand. Thanks a mill!

[kmeleon]

any picture of the results after using the Paints4u scratch master kit?

Yesterday, I applied 2 layers of base coat paint. Left to dry more than 1 hour and apply 2 layers of clear lacquer. Today, I've applied 2 more layers of clear lacquer as there was still some depth in the chip. Now, it's like a bump as it is adviced. I'll let it to dry 24 hours before using the wet sanding paper. But I'm a little afraid about the wet sanding because I don't want to mess around.

Any advice from experienced user of the scratch master kit?

Thanks

[pugleon]

No pictures mate. But I'll say this. Took 5 coats to get a deep one out of a plastic bumper. That was 3 colour and then a seperate clearcoat I had knocking around. Sometimes takes alot to fill, why you see guys using that stuff you plaster on and then sanding it, sometimes quicker.

Anyways try to get it only bearly above the existing paint. Then a tiny bit of sanding and I mean tiny with a small bit of 1500 or 2000, attaching it to something like the butt of a pencil and using washing up liquid to lubricate your sandwork. But keep wiping it off and checking the results in diff angles. Trying to only sand the blob of touchup not the bits around it. But as you seen from the pics at the beginning of the thread that happens. And this next part blends it in:

Then the bit that brings it back to new. Some compound. I used SFX-1 and a poshing pad by hand. Back breaking at times. Keep to kinda four inch square spots of work and keep checking the results by wiping it off. Could be five minutes of back n forth back n forth trying to get a single touch up blob to even out.

The sfx-1 will actually bring down touchup blobs without sanding but its even harder work. And you tend to see a warp in the reflection of light if you dont. And like I say by hand, could be a couple of hours per panel and painfull. But brings it up just like it says on the tin. Dont worry too much about sanding so long as you dont go down to primer. Just take it easy with it and do the mimimum amount. Then let the compond do its job

Leave plenty of time for the stuff to dry in this weather, maybe even a couple of days... Can see the pass side door of mine as an aftershot. No befores but if you can imagine major scratching/skuffing all along that door much like breezys pics. And completely gone now. perfect restoration http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g100/pugleon/SL732094.jpg

[jay w]

I have a few stone chips on my Omega that am looking to do, but in addition i have a mark that is about 3/4 the size of a 5p piece.

Will this process work for that as well or should i be looking at something a little more 'professional based'

Thanks

[pugleon]

yeah it'll work. just need to see where you stand in the chart of all things in terms of paint layers. I mean, is it down to metal, primer or is there still some orignal paint left in it.

Something that size if it was down to primer youd need at least two coats of touch up nice and evenly painted on. Then at least one to two clearcoat. At that stage you'll have a bump over where it meets the rest of the car paint wise. So take that down with 1500, then 2000 grit. Using some fairy liquid on your paper to lubricate the sanding.

Should be left with similar pics to whats seen in the guide. Kinda skuffed looking where its been sanded. But you only need to do enough sanding to bring it level with the rest of the paint. After which. A good compound like sfx-1. Which Im not selling by the way. Never used the stuff before and blown away by it.

With a lil elbow greese you can get this stuff out by hand.

[gioprivatemove]

Wow, nice write up... very clear and detail too. i'll try it then....

[beany_bot]

Hi, i like the sound of this but

A: never done wetsanding before

B: only have tcut and AG SRP, which im guessing arent ebrasive enough, oh and dont have rotary polisher, only my arms :p I dont mind taking my time over it and getting it right. im thiking fill it half in with paint then half in with laquer protruding the surface then wet sand (no idea how lol) then polish out. i hope. :p

[detailing 4 fun]

great write up,i have a 2003 5 series,my bonnet and front wings are really badly peppered,made much worse by metallic blue with white primer underneath!this has gave me the confidence to have ago!!!! i was gonna pay fora repaint so even if it went tits up ive lost nothing!!!thanks:thumb:

[jtmk]

Great write up to both pugleon and Breezy.

I am a complete noobie and want to have a go at getting scuff marks of the bumper of my car and haven't got an orbital polisher. Do you think the sfx-1 by hand would work? Is sfx-1 a pad or the compound you apply? If it is the pad then what compound do you use to remove scuffs? Looking at them I don't think I need to do any touching up as they are not too deep. I also want to remove nail scratches around the door handles. Can these techniques be used for for that? How much pressure do you apply to the pad if doing it by hand?

Cheers