Stonechips
Stonechips
Having previously just resprayed panels is there a better cheaper way these days?
Chippex?
Fill in chips and get a detailer on it?
Boxster seems to be a magnet for them.
Chippex?
Fill in chips and get a detailer on it?
Boxster seems to be a magnet for them.
Re: Stonechips
PPF is the only way to significantly reduce stone chips. Like most things, you need to find a really good bodyshop with resprays.
M235i
Re: Stonechips
Thanks. I've the painting covered but it's 250 to 350 per panel usually which is overkill for tiny chips I reckon.
The ppf option Ideal after respray tho.
I've done 5k and it's probably got the thinnest paint on a car I've ever had.
Re: Stonechips
I posted this some time ago. I never followed up, but possibly useful input from Mito & Alex? DrColourChip don’t list my car.
Re: Stonechips
I actually forgot I ever did that it’s been so long
Chipex did do better long term as the paint still hasn’t washed out. Obviously not as good as a respray, the smaller the chips the better it works. I just could never get it level with the paintwork so in a certain light I can see all the pock marks but from a few feet away it does a good job.
Iirc the best way to use it was just to throw a bunch of paint over the affected area and then buff off the excess with that solution they provide but it’s very wasteful and there’s not much product in the bottle.
Chipex did do better long term as the paint still hasn’t washed out. Obviously not as good as a respray, the smaller the chips the better it works. I just could never get it level with the paintwork so in a certain light I can see all the pock marks but from a few feet away it does a good job.
Iirc the best way to use it was just to throw a bunch of paint over the affected area and then buff off the excess with that solution they provide but it’s very wasteful and there’s not much product in the bottle.
How about not having a sig at all?
- Swervin_Mervin
- Posts: 4762
- Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2018 8:58 pm
Re: Stonechips
Yeah the hardest part is getting the painted chip level again. And if the paint on your car is thin then good luck.
Mine now doesn't look too bad from most angles but you can still see some pock marks up close. Also, the paint on mine must be stupidly thin as I've actually gone through in a couple of locations when I've been sanding off the repaired area
If you've only got a couple of stone chips I'd say have a go. But for the amount I've had I wish I hadn't bothered tbh I mainly did it as some were starting to corrode though.
Mine now doesn't look too bad from most angles but you can still see some pock marks up close. Also, the paint on mine must be stupidly thin as I've actually gone through in a couple of locations when I've been sanding off the repaired area
If you've only got a couple of stone chips I'd say have a go. But for the amount I've had I wish I hadn't bothered tbh I mainly did it as some were starting to corrode though.
Last edited by Swervin_Mervin on Wed Jun 10, 2020 9:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Stonechips
I'm fairly certain I'd make it look worse reading your inputs
Re: Stonechips
If it’s absolutely peppered with chips then it’s probably a waste of time touching them in - you’ll only get a load more within no time. Some cars just have soft paint or vulnerable areas. My CTR bonnet looked shit after 6 months whereas the M3 was fine after 10 years.
If it bothers you now, then sort it properly now, otherwise you’ll just be back to square one in a year.
If it bothers you now, then sort it properly now, otherwise you’ll just be back to square one in a year.
Re: Stonechips
Thats the quandary, it only bothers me now as the car is clean and shiny. Come a few months I won't care much, plus I got this to use not pamper BUT I hate seeing scabby bits on my cars. It's not peppered... yet.Rich B wrote: ↑Wed Jun 10, 2020 9:47 am If it’s absolutely peppered with chips then it’s probably a waste of time touching them in - you’ll only get a load more within no time. Some cars just have soft paint or vulnerable areas. My CTR bonnet looked shit after 6 months whereas the M3 was fine after 10 years.
If it bothers you now, then sort it properly now, otherwise you’ll just be back to square one in a year.
- NotoriousREV
- Posts: 6437
- Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2018 4:14 pm
Re: Stonechips
My mate’s otherwise-immaculate 997 C2S has a front that looks like to surface of the moon if you look closely enough, but he’s really the only one that notices.
Either do it properly and get the film fitted or leave it. Don’t half arse it or it’s just a waste of time & money, imo.
Either do it properly and get the film fitted or leave it. Don’t half arse it or it’s just a waste of time & money, imo.
Middle-aged Dirtbag
Re: Stonechips
Those kits or just careful touching in make a big difference by colour matching the marks.
I can't find the photos now but my 996 at 10yr old had a lot of chips on bonnet, front bumper and front of rear arches. As it was red the grey primer underneath would catch your eye when it was clean. I touched them all in and arranged for a local guy to machine cut and polish it, so for £200 it looked like a 3yr old car. As a bonus it was keyed along the full length of the driver side the night before it was being polished and as it hadn't gone through the lacquer he wet sanded it and pretty much got it all out.
I can't find the photos now but my 996 at 10yr old had a lot of chips on bonnet, front bumper and front of rear arches. As it was red the grey primer underneath would catch your eye when it was clean. I touched them all in and arranged for a local guy to machine cut and polish it, so for £200 it looked like a 3yr old car. As a bonus it was keyed along the full length of the driver side the night before it was being polished and as it hadn't gone through the lacquer he wet sanded it and pretty much got it all out.
Last edited by Carlos on Wed Jun 10, 2020 10:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Stonechips
I was debating getting the front and rear bumper resprayed back then but with hindsight I’m glad I didn’t as I managed to ruin my touch up efforts on the Alpine passes following bikes, then people in Italy must have used my car as a parking sensor as both the front and rear bumpers got grazed so it would have been a waste of money in that regard.
How about not having a sig at all?
- integrale_evo
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- Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2018 5:58 pm
Re: Stonechips
I'd just touch in the big ones so they're not as distracting to the eye, then when it gets bad enough that you can't cope with it any longer get it painted.
Not a fan of films either, you can always see the edges, and getting decent film properly applied isn't cheap. Plus no point putting it on an already chipped surface.
Not a fan of films either, you can always see the edges, and getting decent film properly applied isn't cheap. Plus no point putting it on an already chipped surface.
Cheers, Harry
Re: Stonechips
That’s the thing, film costs per panel almost as much as the panel costs to paint so what’s the point. It’s good if you have a mate who’ll do it for beer money as the actual material costs peanuts but personally I’m yet to find that mate.
How about not having a sig at all?
Re: Stonechips
I've got Dr ColorChip for the 235. The colour match for Melbourne red is really good but it's difficult to match perfectly for the fading red. I've only used it to fill in small but deep chips on the side of the car. It does the job, you only ever notice the blobs if you look really, really closely.
M235i
Re: Stonechips
The PPF on my 235 is just over 5 years old now and the front bumper, bonnet, left wing are perfect. The ring wing's PPF got removed when it was in for repair due to getting hit by middle-lane twat a few years ago. Subsequently, the ring wing has a couple of stone chips. One or two edges of PPF have started to peel but nothing majorly to be concerned about. It is expensive, I paid £1300, but I'd do it again if I bought a brand new car and it was interesting.
M235i
- Orange Cola
- Posts: 2232
- Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2018 7:56 pm
Re: Stonechips
I’m struggling to find a decent body shop, I want to get the stone chips taken out the Mustang then get it ceramic coated. I’ll probably just wait until it’s bad then get the whole car re-sprayed and ceramic coated.
Mustang GT 5.0 V8 -- Jaguar F-Pace