chipped lacquer repair options?

[Dee James]

I have a couple of chips in the lacquer on my ML, about the size of a coin i thought i might have a go at at least improving with some lacquer i have. Anyone had a go at this sort of thing? i`m not expecting miracles but it would be nice to improve the appearance a bit

 

[b1g1an]

Like the way you equate chip to something the size of a coin!

 

[Dee James]

Like the way you equate chip to something the size of a coin!

Is that more of a chunk?

 

[sallison1504]

Is that more of a chunk?

I'd say a 'patch' lol

 

[Dee James]

I'd say a 'patch' lol

Your probably right, I'm being optimistic lol

 

[Dee James]

Anyway, anyone got an tips on improving the look of the patch/chip in the lacqure?

 

[Blue Moon]

Save the £30 you'd spend on buying prep material and crap 1k products from Halfrauds that'll never fully cure, or even if you use the 'lacquer that you have' add another £30 to £40 and get it done properly

 

[Dee James]

Save the £30 you'd spend on buying prep material and crap 1k products from Halfrauds that'll never fully cure, or even if you use the 'lacquer that you have' add another £30 to £40 and get it done properly

The car lives on a busy road at the moment so not really worth spending good money on blemishes until I move when it will be parked on a drive. I was just looking to improve and hopefully stop it getting worse by gently brushing in some lacquer and wondered if anyone had tried this or there was another way perhaps

 

[Giantvanman]

The car lives on a busy road at the moment so not really worth spending good money on blemishes until I move when it will be parked on a drive. I was just looking to improve and hopefully stop it getting worse by gently brushing in some lacquer and wondered if anyone had tried this or there was another way perhaps

I haven't done it but here is my thought, right or wrong. Lacquer on the wheels is the equivalent to top coat/clear coat on paintwork. There are three schools of thought, I believe, when fixings stone chips; fill in thin layers over a few days, overfill and polish flush or feather the edges of the chip and blend in the repair.

Of course, there is a fourth which is strip the whole thing and re-lacquer.

If it were me, knowing if it didn't work I could have the whole wheel refurbished, I would wet and dry sand the edges of the chip and apply lacquer in thin coats with the area beyond masked of. The point of the sanding is to get rid of the lip on the chip which will always stand out if you just fill. I think.

It may be worth getting a quote from a mobile alloy repairer; likely it would cost about half of a full dent/ding repair (which was £90 eighteen months ago).

 

[Dee James]

I haven't done it but here is my thought, right or wrong. Lacquer on the wheels is the equivalent to top coat/clear coat on paintwork. There are three schools of thought, I believe, when fixings stone chips; fill in thin layers over a few days, overfill and polish flush or feather the edges of the chip and blend in the repair.

Of course, there is a fourth which is strip the whole thing and re-lacquer.

If it were me, knowing if it didn't work I could have the whole wheel refurbished, I would wet and dry sand the edges of the chip and apply lacquer in thin coats with the area beyond masked of. The point of the sanding is to get rid of the lip on the chip which will always stand out if you just fill. I think.

It may be worth getting a quote from a mobile alloy repairer; likely it would cost about half of a full dent/ding repair (which was £90 eighteen months ago).

the patches are on the wing near the wheel arch rather than the wheel but your advise still makes sense. I f i can improve the appearance slightly for the moment and stop it getting worse i will be happy. Once i`ve moved i will probably get it done properly anyway.

 

[bamba]

Do you not think it would be better to save the money for now and get i t done properly when you move ( instead of wasting money on a "quick fix" ) unless you not moving for a long time

 

[Dee James]

Do you not think it would be better to save the money for now and get i t done properly when you move ( instead of wasting money on a "quick fix" ) unless you not moving for a long time

I wouldn't be wasting money I already have what I need here. I might or might not bother spending money getting it done at a later date, it's a 12 year old car at the end of the day and has a few marks here and there - where do you stop? Just curious to see if anyone else has tried what I am going to

 

[Andrew W]

When I have done these sort of touch ins
To improve the overall look of a car I have
wet sanded the area and surrounding area
Clean with panel wipe to remove oils and wax
then blow over with a few coats of lacquer
Allow to harden then buff in with a light compound , I also do this on sills and leading
edgers on dark coloured cars that have been
peppered with stones .