The Best Way to Fix a Rock Chip in Paint
Fixing a rock chip in your automotive paint is similar in many respects to repairing scratches. In the case of rock chips, however, you will find that the damage does not extend farther than the paint on the car. You may see some gray in the chip, which is the car's primer coat. To properly repair the stone chip, you must have the correct touch-up paint color.
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Things You'll Need
- 2000-grit wet/dry sandpaper
- Paint stick
- Automotive touch-up paint
- Automotive touch-up clear coat
- Scratch remover liquid compound
- Orbital buffer
Instructions
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Wrap the 2000-grit sandpaper around the paint stick and sand the surface of the paint surrounding the stone chip to loosen and remove any cracked paint or clear coat that might pull away from the panel when the stone chip has been repaired.
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2
Open the cap of the automotive touch-up paint and pull out the brush that is attached to the cap. it will have a heavy dab of paint on the end of it. Touch the dab of paint onto the stone chip, and the paint will settle into the depression of the chip. Allow the paint to cure according to the package directions before continuing.
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3
Sand down the area of the stone chip with the 2000-grit sandpaper wrapped around the paint stick as before. The touch-up paint will have dried slightly higher than the level of the original paint, but sand the paint in at least a 3-inch diameter around the stone chip.
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4
Open the cap of the automotive touch-up clear coat and withdraw the brush from the tube. Again, there will be a dab of clear coat at the end of the brush. Touch the dab against the spot where the paint chip is located, but do not attempt to apply clear coat to the area surrounding the paint chip. Allow the clear coat touch up to dry according to the package directions.
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Sand the excess clear coat away using the 2000-grit sandpaper wrapped around the paint stick until there is a smooth, dull-looking finish in the area surrounding the paint chip.
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6
Apply a dab of scratch remover compound the size of a quarter to the repaired section of paint, then use the orbital buffer at a low speed setting to slowly polish away the scratches from the sandpaper. Avoid allowing the paint surface to get too hot. If it becomes warm, leave it for a moment, then add another dab of scratch remover and continue polishing until the paint chip and scratches can no longer be seen.
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Tips & Warnings
On vehicles that are significantly damaged by multiple stone chips on the front bumper, it is worthwhile to have the front of the car repainted entirely rather than spend the time and effort needed to repair each paint chip.
References
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
