Yes it happined...I got a rock chip on the roof. Its a big one and its right to the brownish primer. I am really bummed. Anyway the dealer gave me a bottle of touchup. Any tips to apply it? Should I take it to a paint shop?

 

What a bummer dude! Well this is a fact of life with a daily driver and specially one that is driven on the highway day in and day out.

I found this good DIY article from MINI2.com with instructions to how to properly apply touch up paint:

http://www.mini2.com/forum/faq.php?f...aq_paint_chips


Whatever you do, DO NOT USE THE PROVIDED BRUSH IN YOUR PAINT STICK KIT TO APPLY THE PAINT.

Good luck!

 

Now that you haven't gotten your first chip, the next one will not hurt as much . The paint finish in these cars is beautiful, but can't seem to take road stone impacts without further chipping. Water based paints are the nemesis for new car owners of virtually every make and model, but a cash cow to manufacturers of paint touch kits, Langka a businesses that specialize in the repair of paint rock chips.

I also have a link to a company that performs scratch/dent and paint chip repairs in the Miami/Ft Lauderdale area:

http://www.aerocolours.com/services.html

They are very good and often can repair annoying scratches and chips with professional results. You need to call either Banee Persaud (954) 214-6578 or Pete Lagasse (954) 410-1074 to schedule service. They do offer repair service at home or your office, so give them and call and get a second opinion.

A body shop should be your absolute last option because they will encourage you to respray the entire roof just to repair a single small chip. Not worth the time, money and aggravation (Loss of use of your car).

The folks from Aerocolours will repair your chip fast while you wait, while preserving the original factory finish for the fraction of the cost of traditional body shop repair methods.

 

here's another site, if you're ****:

http://www.autopia.org/


I just use a toothpick and some wetsandpaper, compound, scratchx.
If the chip is larger than 5mm diameter, you might be better off with a
small brush. Just do layers upon layers until the hole is filled, then
clearcoat to a tad convex. Let dry about 4 days, then wetsand
(2000grit sandblock is best) and use some rubbing compound at
the end.

finish off with scratchx to blend.

 

If you are truly ****, repairing a paint chip is a job best left to a professional, IMO with the proper tools and techniques.

The Autopia link is really informative but not something I would encourage an amateur to do on a brand new car.


$0.01

 

I share your pain.

Was all excited about washing my car this mourning until I found a stone chip on my hood while wiping it down It is about the size of a medium ball point pen head. I was pretty pissed but then I got to thinking it's inevitable and out of my control (sorta, unless I don't drive or something )

 

Not so fast!

There's a way you can use the brush provided, fill the chip without worrying about the neighboring area (you can just "blob" it) and get rid of the excess paint and smooth it out a couple days later without using sandpaper.

How? http://www.langka.com

The Langka process really works -- I've tried it!

(btw, if you're going to check out this site, select the "Basic HTML" mode from the first page -- that part of the site seems to offer more detailed info...)