Make a donation

Author Topic: stone chips  (Read 2184 times)

Offline slider955i

  • Always Involved
  • ****
  • Thank You
  • -Given: 23
  • -Receive: 2
  • Posts: 135
  • you are only here once so enjoy
    • Email
stone chips
« on: December 30, 2013, 08:10:29 pm »
 best way to deal with stone chips on a black pearl car , any ideas  :notworthy:
gt sport 170 tdi , p - torque stage 1 map 208 bhp 338 ft lb
powder coated gunmetal alloys and caliper colour change


Offline winrya

  • Won't Shut up.
  • *****
  • Thank You
  • -Given: 7
  • -Receive: 16
  • Posts: 997
Re: stone chips
« Reply #2 on: January 01, 2014, 05:56:03 pm »
I use chipex on both our audi and mini.  Brilliant stuff which completely covers/removes stone chips.  I did a little write up on the mini forum.  Not as cheap as a touch up stick but so much better.

http://www.totalmini.com/forum/46-exterior/4504-answer-all-our-jcw-bumper-stone-chip-problems.html

Offline samb377

  • Taking part
  • ***
  • Thank You
  • -Given: 1
  • -Receive: 4
  • Posts: 34
    • Email
Re: stone chips
« Reply #3 on: January 09, 2014, 10:16:32 pm »
My process (which after years of trying other products / techniques, and failing badly) is;

All these things are relatively cheap via ebay etc...
- Get some VW touch up paint (black magic pearl is code LC9Z). I've always used the genuine stuff, so I can't vouch for anything else.
- Get a meguiars unigrit block. I got a 2000 grit and it works fine. Coarser blocks will require more polishing / sanding to correct the defects.
- Get a glass fibre pencil.
- Get some isopropyl alcohol.


- Clean the chip with IPA. Use the glass fibre pencil to give it a proper clean and remove any loose paint. Clean it after with a microfibre and IPA
- Fill the chip in layers with the paint. To apply it I tend to use one of the brush bristles, plucked out of the brush and taped to a cocktail stick. Some people use a cocktail stick successfully. Either way, the brush is no good - you'll get paint everywhere. Wait for the each layer to dry (maybe 10mins) before applying the next. If you have lots of chips, you might find the first is dry by the time you have painted the last so you can work in a sequence.
- You'll notice the paint will shrink when it dries. You need to keep going until the paint is above the level of the clear coat.
- Once at this level you should let the paint cure properly (maybe a few days).

- Clean the area properly, finishing with IPA
- Using the meguiars unigrit block with lots of water (keep it wet!) sand the chip down until it's level with the clearcoat. Don't be tempted to focus too much on the chip, work in strokes over the area. There are lots of guides on the net.
- Next you need to polish the sanding marks. I've found that with a few passes (using menzerna final finish) using a DA polisher the clear coat is back to perfect.

Anyway, that's a breakdown of what I do once a year. I can't recommend the unigrit block enough, it really simplifies things and helps prevent some pitfalls that can damage your paint.

One thing - it will never look perfect... you'll need a respray for that. It won't be noticeable to anyone apart from you.

Offline slider955i

  • Always Involved
  • ****
  • Thank You
  • -Given: 23
  • -Receive: 2
  • Posts: 135
  • you are only here once so enjoy
    • Email
Re: stone chips
« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2014, 05:41:10 pm »
I use chipex on both our audi and mini.  Brilliant stuff which completely covers/removes stone chips.  I did a little write up on the mini forum.  Not as cheap as a touch up stick but so much better.

http://www.totalmini.com/forum/46-exterior/4504-answer-all-our-jcw-bumper-stone-chip-problems.html

i think i will give this a go
gt sport 170 tdi , p - torque stage 1 map 208 bhp 338 ft lb
powder coated gunmetal alloys and caliper colour change

Offline swgti

  • Always Involved
  • ****
  • Thank You
  • -Given: 28
  • -Receive: 6
  • Posts: 440
  • GTI owners are born not manufactured!
Re: stone chips
« Reply #5 on: March 25, 2014, 01:21:21 pm »
I use chipex on both our audi and mini.  Brilliant stuff which completely covers/removes stone chips.  I did a little write up on the mini forum.  Not as cheap as a touch up stick but so much better.

http://www.totalmini.com/forum/46-exterior/4504-answer-all-our-jcw-bumper-stone-chip-problems.html

How much are those kits? look quite good.
Laser Blue 3dr No 209683, Leather, Monza II's and a few other goodies...........GONE but not forgotten......now in an A4 S-Line Avant 170tdi......god I miss the Gti.

Redemption

  • Guest
Re: stone chips
« Reply #6 on: March 26, 2014, 12:27:36 pm »
I use chipex on both our audi and mini.  Brilliant stuff which completely covers/removes stone chips.  I did a little write up on the mini forum.  Not as cheap as a touch up stick but so much better.

http://www.totalmini.com/forum/46-exterior/4504-answer-all-our-jcw-bumper-stone-chip-problems.html

How much are those kits? look quite good.

http://www.chipex.co.uk/