1 million stone chips

[R2D2]

My w203 has been getting a fettle as its going to be used as a limo for a do tomorrow. whilst cleaning it and polishing it I have been shocked by how bad the stone chips are. I started painting them in, which is OK (ish) on the bigger ones but on the million little ones they are like a rash.

Do I.

a. Except that a car with 52,000 miles will have stone chips.
b. paint in the big ones and polish up the rest as best as I can and then leave it.
c. Respray the bumper and bonnet at a paint shop.
d. Buy an AMG body kit and start again! (not very likely)

As ever, help, advice, comments and opinions welcome.

 

[Mudster]

I vote C.

This is mainly because, if you're like me, you will now notice every single chip whenever you walk out to the car and it will grate terribly.

 

[Seamster15]

Don't polish it again, it will be much a much cheaper option!

 

[kbhogalW126]

It will cost about £150 to respray a complete bonnet (which may vary due to region and bodyshop).

Probably about the same? to do the bumper?

£300 is not much when you really think about it.

I would respray.

Regards,

KJ

 

[C43AMG]

I vote C.

This is mainly because, if you're like me, you will now notice every single chip whenever you walk out to the car and it will grate terribly.

Me to.

 

[tudu]

My w203 has been getting a fettle as its going to be used as a limo for a do tomorrow. whilst cleaning it and polishing it I have been shocked by how bad the stone chips are. I started painting them in, which is OK (ish) on the bigger ones but on the million little ones they are like a rash.

Do I.

a. Except that a car with 52,000 miles will have stone chips.
b. paint in the big ones and polish up the rest as best as I can and then leave it.
c. Respray the bumper and bonnet at a paint shop.
d. Buy an AMG body kit and start again! (not very likely)

As ever, help, advice, comments and opinions welcome.

I would go for C. I recently had my bumper resprayed due to stone chips cost £100. Bonnet and front side wings due to get done this autumn cost £250. My car is in daily use plus a lot of motorway driving so stones chips take their toll. Good luck with your choice.

 

[Spinal]

I vote D!

Why respray (and risk getting the colours mis-matched) when you can have the same risk AND get some AMG kit in?

 

[television]

£250 is an honest price to do the bonnet and bumper. it is a one day job.

 

[tikw2124]

My w203 has been getting a fettle as its going to be used as a limo for a do tomorrow. whilst cleaning it and polishing it I have been shocked by how bad the stone chips are. I started painting them in, which is OK (ish) on the bigger ones but on the million little ones they are like a rash.

Do I.

a. Except that a car with 52,000 miles will have stone chips.
b. paint in the big ones and polish up the rest as best as I can and then leave it.
c. Respray the bumper and bonnet at a paint shop.
d. Buy an AMG body kit and start again! (not very likely)

As ever, help, advice, comments and opinions welcome.

I too have the same problem with stone chips on my W203. Is it because the paint is too thin on these areas on our particular cars? Reason i say this is because many second hand cars i see for sale on garage forecourts are immaculate, not a stone chip in site. May be thet have all been resprayed!

 

[television]

I too have the same problem with stone chips on my W203. Is it because the paint is too thin on these areas on our particular cars? Reason i say this is because many second hand cars i see for sale on garage forecourts are immaculate, not a stone chip in site. May be thet have all been resprayed!

Some dealers do have to respray the fronts, some dealers do not bother,. a black car with white polish in the stone chips looks awful. Paint chips when it is too hard, but no way around this with the laws that govern the painting of cars at the present time, there will be improvements over time as in all things

 

[crockers]

is there anything one can put on -- some sort of sealant / film that is invisible to the eye but stops the chips...if so then once you have had the chips done that would ensure no more respraying is needed...I have a few too and they are getting to me too..

 

[Dieselman]

My w203 has been getting a fettle as its going to be used as a limo for a do tomorrow. whilst cleaning it and polishing it I have been shocked by how bad the stone chips are. I started painting them in, which is OK (ish) on the bigger ones but on the million little ones they are like a rash.

Just touch them in with a permenant marker pen.

If you get it sprayed it will only look good until you take it on the road and get your first chip.

After touching them in with paint allow it to dry then sand them flat with 2000-3000 wet 'n dry paper then polish up to a shine.
Don't oversand though because it will be wearing the lacquer coat slightly. (though not much)

 

[Spinal]

is there anything one can put on -- some sort of sealant / film that is invisible to the eye but stops the chips...if so then once you have had the chips done that would ensure no more respraying is needed...I have a few too and they are getting to me too..

This works wonders on motorbikes...
http://www.invisiblepatterns.co.uk

I'm sure they have car kits as well...

 

[umedc]

i vote d only got one life so enjoy it go for it :bannana:

 

[Alps]

defo spray the bonnet, i`d wait till the end of summer, and get it done before tht salt comes out on the road again

 

[television]

After touching them in with paint allow it to dry then sand them flat with 2000-3000 wet 'n dry paper then polish up to a shine.
Don't oversand though because it will be wearing the lacquer coat slightly. (though not much)

Never in 1000 years do you try and do it the way you describe, it cannot work and will not work due to the nature of the solvent additives in the paint, you can fill and flat till the cows come home and it will always show.

There are recognized ways of doing it without the use of sanding that should never be done

 

[Rose Chap]

Spend an afternoon throwing gravel at your car from all directions. This will ensure the rest of the car matches the front.

 

[Dieselman]

Never in 1000 years do you try and do it the way you describe, it cannot work and will not work due to the nature of the solvent additives in the paint, you can fill and flat till the cows come home and it will always show.

I appreciate it might be difficult to obtain the correct finish on a metallic colour but on flat black it should work.

Just an example of this.
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=20127&highlight=touching+in+stone+chips



Here is a recomended product though.
http://www.drcolorchip.com/

In action.
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=65009&highlight=touching+in+stone+chips

 

[television]

I appreciate it might be difficult to obtain the correct finish on a metallic colour but on flat black it should work.

Just an example of this.
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=20127&highlight=touching+in+stone+chips

The base coat colour is so soft that it can be wiped off with Tcut and no hard rubbing, just a light touch. on the detailing world picture you can see where the paint in the holes has already shrunk to below the surface of the original paint. when thoroughly set it will shrink further.

The correct colour in metallic can be brought out by when applying the final coat, leave it for 15 secs at 20c and smudging with the finger, just one wipe, leave it for a day and take off the smudge with Tcut, it comes off like butter. If you do not do this as seen in the link the paint will be too dark with no metallic effect. this is the way the motor trade do it. A stone chip has taken off up to 5 layers of paint, to do it correctly you must put back 5 fills and not one huge blob, getting to much paint on the good surrounding area will leave rings in the surface.

Due to the action of the paint shrinking, this means that as well as sinking it also pulls back from the sharp stone chip edge, when you wipe it with your finger just before it sets it minimizes this action a little, aldo the paint in touch up kits has more solvents than paint, it has to as the original cannot be applied by hand as it would set before you could apply it.
Its a long subject and hard to take pictures, as if done well the camera will not pick them up

I think at the meets I can show this, my car has its share of chips, but you have to look hard to see them

 

[Paddcomp]

I appreciate it might be difficult to obtain the correct finish on a metallic colour but on flat black it should work.

Just an example of this.
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=20127&highlight=touching+in+stone+chips



Here is a recomended product though.
http://www.drcolorchip.com/

In action.
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=65009&highlight=touching+in+stone+chips

Read my mind Dieselman, I have have just looekd up the same DW post that I remember from a few weeks back.
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=64486
Just thought I'd check other replies prior to posting. So thanks for putting this up. It certainly seems a cost effective way of detailing with chips, bearing in mind that following a panel respay you could get another stone chip on the way home.