How to remove stone chips?

[macc70]

Hi after doing a couple of long motorway trips I arrived home to discover loads of chips and scratches on the front of my golf. I would appreciate any advice you have to getting rid of these. The chips although small are deep whereas the scratches are fine and only surface marks. What do I need to buy to get the best results. the market is awash with products and choosing the best and easiest to use is a bit of a puzzler
many thanks for any advice you have

[Col]

Not the answer you want but...

Get it re-sprayed.

Waxes will only very slightly mask the chips.

[macc70]

Many thanks BigCol your the second person to suggest that. It does seem to be the best solution as the car is new and the paint will be easier to match than it would be if on an older car

[JR001]

Every car is going to get stone chips. Even with the protective films, you will get stone chips.

Get yourself the touch up paint from the dealer. Don't use the brushes in any touch up job as you don't want to leave brush strokes.

Using a cocktail stick tip, carefully dab a little of the paint into the chip. Leave for about 45 mins to dry a bit. Then add some more. Over time you want the paint to sit proud of the panel. This then gets wet-sanded down to the panel level. Lots of sanding scratches appear but then get polished out by dual-action or rotary polisher.

We can't respray our cars every time we get chips, well I can't! A good detailer in your area can do this for you at approx £20-£30 an hour.

If you have the money to respray all the time, then lucky you!!:p

[macc70]

Many thanks for the response especially for the cocktail tip I will give it a go
I have been quoted £45 to fill in the chips on the front and sides which is OK if you dont get anymore for a while but sods law says the very next day ..................

[sherlockuk]

Looking at sorting some of my stone chips on the bonnet too.. So thanks for the advice..

With respect to a rotary polisher, does anyone have any recommendations with respect to which on is best / best value etc?

Cheers.

[JR001]

You would probably be better off with a dual action polisher for the job. It's job will be to sand out your sanding marks from wet-sanding. A DA is adequate for this. No need for a rotary as they have so much torque and require a good bit of training to use them safely and effectively. I'm not sure of the value of the £30 on sale a Halfords, I think they're ok for applying products like cleansers and sealants and the like, rather than removing wet-sanding marks - you need a range of speeds.

The dual action polisher/sander that has been hi-jacked by the car enthusiasts is the Porter Cable 7424, now superceded by the Ultimate Detailing Machine
(UDM). Both are available from Autopia is USA but will need a transformer. Will soon be available as 230V UK version so worth waiting really. It's the machine to have if you care for your car. Machine polishing guide will be up within the next week or so.

To have a look anyway, here's the Autopia link:
http://www.autopia-carcare.com/

Stone chip repairs, no matter how good, will always be visible upon close inspection and only a respray will give a seamless job. Worth bearing in mind. But a good enthusiast job to get into if you have an appropriate polisher.

Hope this helps.

JOHN

[sherlockuk]

Thanks for the info... When I get my home internet connection up and running I will look into what you have told me.

Cheers!

[mr rugby]

Try this,
lollypop stick
small piece of chammy leather
"T" cut liquid
coloured polish wax (matching your car)
cocktail stick
Paint aerosol because you get more and because you can brush or spray.

PROCEDURE.
Remove dirt/grime from around chipped area.
Spray a little paint into the paint can cap
Using a cocktail stick dab paint into chipped area so that it is slightly proud of the surface.
Allow to dry for a couple of hours but not so long that the paint is too hard. It must be set, but still a little soft. Check the paint left in the cap to see how soft it is.
Now mix a little T cut and the coloured polish together in a small bottle cap or bigger.
Wrap the chammy around the lolly stick
Dip the chammy into the polish mix
Using the end of the lolly stick or the flat part of the lolly stick,Carefully cut/polish the mound of paint untill it is as flat as the normal surface. You may need more than one coat.
Because it is still fairly soft it should rub down quite easily.
Once finished, polish the area with the coloured wax and step back in amazement.
You'll never beat a respray but with patience it won't be a bad job.
Remember.....PATIENCE.
Remember........DON'T LET THE PAINT SET TO HARD BUT IT MUST NOT BE TOO SOFT

Hope this helps

MR RUGBY

[Wazza_G]

There is a UK franchise called Chips Away which does stone chip repairs, I would do a link but I'm not 100% certain whether I'd get a bo**ocking for it :confused:, so just Google (am I allowed that? :confused:) "Chips Away".

[mobitune]

Careful... as has already been said this is a franchise.

As with all franchises, there are good and bad owners. Before letting someone loose on your car ask to see some of their previous work.

Or, you could just take the chance.. depends on how much you value your paintwork.

Pete

[curiousgeorge]

Chips Away will not spot repair stone chips, they will only do a complete bonnet respray because of the difficulty in getting a good match.

[CHIPEX]

For a high quality repair look at the Chipex Paint Chip Repair System

http://www.chipex.co.uk (http://www.chipex.co.uk/)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l-BdjV5I7I

[24vsenator]

I found this last night : Scratch and stone chip removal....This might help someone it explains 2 methods for sorting scratches and bumper/bonnet chips
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=217520

cut & paste this into browser if the above does not work: http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=217520