When I washed my car yesterday, I was sick to see a bunch of tiny white gravel-chips on the front of my previously perfect Emerald Fire (British Racing Green) XK. The strange thing is that I don't even remember during my drives last week of being sprayed by gravel. I usually stay far away from trucks.

Not being familiar with what paint detailing can and can not do, my question is; can any detailing process touch up those fine, needle-pin sized gravel chips?

An other thing I wondered about was; why do manufacturers use white primers? Had Jag used basically the same colored primer as the finish coat, you probably could hardly tell. I can't help but think that Jag is using a very soft finish coat to have it so easily chipped by what-ever.

Albert

 

What about these guys? I don't personally have any experience with them, but I have your same issue with some small chips in the front bumper cover...

Dr.ColorChip Custom Automotive Touch-Up Paint Kit - Dr. ColorChip: Automotive Paint Chip Repair Systems

 

Two months ago I decided to get a PPF applied to my front bumper, lamps and rocker panels. I also had 2 small paint chips in the front bumper. I wanted to fix the chips before getting the PPF applied so I ordered Dr. Colorchip (custom mix since they didn't have my color code on their website). I took my car to a local detailer and gave him the Dr. Colorchip touchup paint. When I picked up the car from the detailer he mentioned that he prefers to work with the manufacturer's touch up paint since it actually fills the paint chips and gives a smoother finish -- Dr. Colorchip apparently does not. YMMV.

Mike

 

Thanks for the link. I've just completed my order for the med-sized kit even though I am "somewhat" apprehensive about applying a dab of paint and smearing it all over the rest of my gorgeous finish. I'll have to test at a hidden place, probably under my license plate first.

Albert

 

So, Albert, since you have volunteered to test this out ( ) I am gonna wait till your feedback on how it works.

Thanks for taking the lead on this.

 

Yes, I'll hang my neck out smearing paint over my existing paint :-).

I'll report back with the results.

Albert

 

I'll jump in here and share my experience before Albert receives his kit.

I've used the Dr.Color chip with great success on my BMW 328i. I haven't used it on my Indigo XK coupe yet as - 'touch wood ' - I don't have any chips. That's probably the kiss of death!!

It does have it's limits. Deeper chips wont get filled as the dabbing and smearing process will just push the paint out of a deep chip. Regarding your concern at the smearing process I wouldn't get too worried as the third stage of the process uses a solvent to remove the excess smudged paint. If you dont like the results you can simply use a little extra solvent and remove all the paint and start again. Practice makes perfect. I found the best results are obtained by following these steps:

1. Dont be too shy with the paint. If you dont apply enough you simply smudge it away and don't cover the chip. If you smudge the paint 1/2" beyond the chip it's perfectly OK - its easily removed.

2. Apply different pressure when using the solvent to finish the job and remove the excess paint. Use additional pressure to remove the excess paint but much lighter pressure over the area of the chip. Go too hard and as stated above you'll remove the paint completely.

3. As my confidence grew I had no problem dabbing 5-6 chips at a time and smearing them all at once. If I didn't like the result first time it didn't hurt me as I simply removed the paint and started again.

4. For deeper chips you will have to apply numerous 'dabs' but give it a day between applications or you'll simply remove the previous application.

It's not perfect and wont make it invisible to close up scrutiny. I like it for the exact opposite reason mjsammon's detailer doesnt like it. I find OEM touch up paint too thick and it tends to leave a raised finish. Dr. Color Chip paint is thinner and if the chip is not too deep or too big in diameter the results are good.

The one area that was tough to do was a scuff on the rear bumper about 3/4" long that revealed the black plastic base. That took plenty of dabs and doesn't look great but a damn site better than it did before.

Good luck

Steve

 

Thanks, Steve, for sharing your experience. It sets my mind at a bit more ease for smearing paint all over my paint. My paint chips appear very shallow so, they should be just right for the application, as you describe it. I suspected all along that it would not be perfect but, should be a lot better than looking at bright white spots on a dark green paint.

Albert

 

I hate imperfect remedies. On every car I've owned I simply get the front bumper repainted once a year, if needed. The body shop I use knows me so well they only charge me $250 for the job.

I've heard horror stories about clear bra's but I think I'm going to give that a try.

 

I'm a huge fan of the clearbras. They do a fantastic job over the longterm, and cover more than just the bumper. Mind you, the cost of the bra itself is usually the cost of a couple bumper refinishes.

 

LOL,

Speaking of rock chips.... Crossed a mountain pass in Sothern Oregon two weeks ago, where they used crushed red lava as a sanding material.

Just got an estimate for rock chips behind the front tire. They run the length of the side of the car as high as a foot and a half up the door.... FYI, Lava doesn't "chip" paint...it "slices into it".

Synopsis: Complete repaint of both sides of the car @ $5900.

Paint shop says insurance may not cover the damage as it would be considered normal wear and tear...grrrr

BTW: Clear Bra Gets a thumbs up from me, but wouldn't have helped my issue.....

Vince

 

I used the dr colorchip on my ultimate black and it worked pretty good. I just used it at the bottom where there were a few white specs from rock chips and I was very pleased. Now when I hear a pebble hit the bottom of my car I don't get as upset as I used to because I know I can patch it up when I get home.

 

So, I got and used Dr. ColorChip and am fully satisfied with the results. As a final check I had my wife look at the front-end that had a couple of dozens of white-based paint chips on my dark-green "Emerald Fire" color. She could not find the original chipped areas even though she saw them before.

Ok, I can find them since I know exactly where to look. But, no way to tell even for me from more than 2 feet away.

A few tips:

Shake the paint, again and again. I found that after shaking it and mixing it well, it started separating after only a few minutes, providing not enough color coverage. So, I shook it before each application. That worked.

Apply to the chipped area and swipe immediately, no waiting. It starts drying almost immediately so, it is best to swipe it quickly. You do the swiping to keep the pain very thin around the outside edges of the chips.

Keep close track of the areas that you are working on. It is easy to put paint on a diverse number of chipped areas but, forget or otherwise miss cleaning up an area. I used a good light reflection against the paint to go over and over the general areas to make sure that I cleaned all excess paints off with the solvent.

The solvent appears to be soap or detergent based and requires a fair amount of rubbing to get the excess dried paint off. It was more pressure required than I anticipated initially. Again, use light reflection to tell if there is any paint smudge left.

I ordered the mid sized package and it is far more than I needed. I think for the average road chipped front end the small would be enough.

She got a good wax job following the paint repair and she is once again shining an gorgeous. Thanks to all who contributed to this thread with your advice and experience.

Albert

 

That's fantastic Albert - great that you had such a positive experience. I received my order and will be trying it out this weekend sans any rain.

 

This is good to know. Certainly cheaper than repainting bumpers every year.