Rock Chips......

[fenderpicks]

So i got some rock chips on my car.... I have wet sanded that spot to smooth out the chip, so now it is like a small dot without paint. The primer is there, it is visible, so only the base and clear is gone.

I have got a bottle of touchup from Automotivetouchup.com, so do i just dab a small amount of paint in the chip and continue doing so until it is filled? Then wet sand it again using 3000 Grit and compound and polish?

I dont have a gauge, so i dont plan on using anything but 3000 grit.

[Randmill]

Re: Rock Chips......

Those nasty little rock chips are always a pain! It's difficult to get a perfect repair but you can at least cover and protect the spot and make it less noticeable. Even though you have already purchased some touch-up paint, you might check out drcolorchip.com. I personally haven't used their system but I know several people who have gotten very acceptable results using their products and techniques.

I initially used dealer supplied touch-up paint followed by a leveling agent called Langka Blob Eliminator. After several attempts, I was able to get acceptable results. I have since gone to a local body shop tool and paint supplier for my touch-up paint and some reducer to thin it out a bit to avoid the "blob" effect and have gotten far better results with that.

Small chip spots can be filled in with a very fine artist's brush, toothpick, needle or similar small applicator. The size of the spot will dictate what you need to use. Flow the paint in carefully in several coats with a short dry time in between until you get the repair to be just slightly above the surrounding paint - it's pretty much trial and error until you get the hang of it. Make sure the touch-up area is very clean and is free of any wax - clean with isopropyl alcohol or Prep-Sol.

Be very cautious with your sanding, especially since you don't have a paint thickness gauge. Absolutely do not sand using only your fingertips behind the sandpaper, as you can develop an uneven surface, even with 3000. Use a backing pad such as the Meguiar's Mirror Glaze Professional Sanding Backing Pad E-7200. This is available from most of the online detailing suppliers for around 3 bucks. Also, all sandpaper is NOT created equal, so don't use sandpaper from the local hardware store - invest in some high quality automotive grade sandpaper. Soak your sandpaper in water for at least 15 minutes before use (longer is better), sand carefully, use a lot of water, clean the sandpaper and the repair area often and check your work - blow on the surface to dry it completely and check for uniformity. Once you're happy with how it looks, compound and polish.

Don't necessarily try to make it perfect and invisible - depending on the paint color, you should be able to get it good enough that nobody else will see the repair unless you tell them it is there. Good luck and please share your results. And jump right back in here and ask more questions as you go, if you need further help or advice.

[PatrickW]

Re: Rock Chips......

A few years back we had some really nasty hail and the hood of my car got damaged from it. What is left is now these small chips and I've noticed that they are starting to rust. Is there something that I should use differently to take care of the rust, or will sanding it do that for me?

[Top Gear]

Re: Rock Chips......

Well, if you see rust, it's basically too late, IMHO. The time to treat these chips is very soon after they happen, or within a season or so, assuming you're already waxing regularly. If you do a repair over rust, it might look fine for a while, but that rust process can/will continue underneath. You may need to find a paint "blender" service, and they will sand down the whole area and airbrush matching paint and clear back on for a perfect blend. They're not cheap, but less than a full body shop. Some of them can also be terrible hacks, so choose carefully.

I agree with Randmill above, btw, and there's a great thread or two here on the site (search). I've used all techniques except for Dr. ColorChip. Sanding and machine compounding with just the right dab of touch-up paint can work wonders, but I'll admit, black is much easier to work with for this kind of thing (nice trade-off from the detailing black can require). Some chips you can repair quickly so they literally disappear, others will be very difficult or require more than one layer of paint. Get comfortable and make an afternoon of it. It can be rewarding to eliminate a bunch of chips around the car, even if most people won't notice one way or the other

[Randmill]

Re: Rock Chips......

Hi Patrick - Sanding, by itself, will not completely get rid of the rust. Plus, you will remove way too much paint around the affected spot and will create a much larger area that needs repair and paint. Rust never sleeps, so even the smallest trace of rust left behind will continue to eat away at your metal, even after sanding and painting over it. Any chips that expose metal need to be addressed very quickly to avoid rust from ever starting to appear. If rust is already present, you need to neutralize it... SOON! There are several products available that are called rust converters that will completely neutralize rust and turn it into a paintable surface (it basically turns it into black primer). I use a product called Rust-Mort made by SEM. I got it from a local body shop supply store but you can find it on the web, as well. It's a little expensive but it works VERY well and I have used it with great success on a few rust spots on my black Tundra. After treatment, VERY light sanding to smooth it out, priming and painting over it with an airbrush and buffing it out with compound, polish and wax after the paint has cured, I have achieved near perfect repairs that have lasted for over 2 years (so far) with no signs of the rust reappearing. Airbrushing takes a little practice and a lot of patience but if you take your time, you can achieve an almost perfect and professional result. If you don't have access to a good airbrush (although a decent airbrush and small compressor aren't terribly expensive), you can still get a decent repair with a touch up paint, such as Dr. Colorchip, but you still have to neutralize the rust first. NEVER paint over even the smallest amount of rust, or it will be back in less than a month.

[DannyB]

Re: Rock Chips......

Hi Patrick - Sanding, by itself, will not completely get rid of the rust. Plus, you will remove way too much paint around the affected spot and will create a much larger area that needs repair and paint. Rust never sleeps, so even the smallest trace of rust left behind will continue to eat away at your metal, even after sanding and painting over it. Any chips that expose metal need to be addressed very quickly to avoid rust from ever starting to appear. If rust is already present, you need to neutralize it... SOON! There are several products available that are called rust converters that will completely neutralize rust and turn it into a paintable surface (it basically turns it into black primer). I use a product called Rust-Mort made by SEM. I got it from a local body shop supply store but you can find it on the web, as well. It's a little expensive but it works VERY well and I have used it with great success on a few rust spots on my black Tundra. After treatment, VERY light sanding to smooth it out, priming and painting over it with an airbrush and buffing it out with compound, polish and wax after the paint has cured, I have achieved near perfect repairs that have lasted for over 2 years (so far) with no signs of the rust reappearing. Airbrushing takes a little practice and a lot of patience but if you take your time, you can achieve an almost perfect and professional result. If you don't have access to a good airbrush (although a decent airbrush and small compressor aren't terribly expensive), you can still get a decent repair with a touch up paint, such as Dr. Colorchip, but you still have to neutralize the rust first. NEVER paint over even the smallest amount of rust, or it will be back in less than a month.

Can you give a little more information on the Rust-Mort process? This is something I am going to have to tackle soon and would appreciate as much info you can provide. If there is a link to a website you can point me to, this will work also.

[Randmill]

Re: Rock Chips......

Can you give a little more information on the Rust-Mort process? This is something I am going to have to tackle soon and would appreciate as much info you can provide. If there is a link to a website you can point me to, this will work also.

The Rust Mort (or any other rust converter product) is very simple to use. Essentially, you just apply the product to the rusted area, leave it for 24 hours, rinse well to remove any remaining trace of the product, then you can prep the area for your touch up paint. In my case, it was a light sanding with 1000 followed by 3000 grit, prime with self leveling primer I purchased from an auto paint supply house, then repaint with my airbrush. The paint was also custom mixed by the paint supplier to match the Toyota black. I also had to thin the paint with reducer to get it to the consistency of milk before spraying. After a few coats with very light sanding in between, I buffed with my DA using Meguiar's M205 and followed up with Ultimate paste wax. It's all pretty easy but just takes some time and patience as well as a little trial and error when you are just starting out - but the rust conversion process is the easiest part of it all. You can check out the Rust Mort product here...

http://www.semproducts.com/rust-and-corrosion-rust-converters-sealers/rust-morttm