Causes: Stone chips

Affected Areas: bumper, radiator, bonnet, leading edge of the car roof;

Description of the damage: Stone chips are the most common type of car body damage. The resulting impact of a flying piece of debris that is flicked up in the air and towards the car can take off small chunks of the paint. These stone chips need to be treated and repaired correctly in order not to turn into rust.

Experts: Remove rust and chipped off or loose pieces of paint and clean the bare area. Apply the paint with the paint pipette, let it cure and fill it with clear lacquer afterwards. After 2 – 3 days the paint will be completely cured and needs to be sanded until a slight elevation is left. Then polish the sanded area with a car polish and a microfiber cloth. In order to achieve a perfect result preserve it with hard wax.

Beginners: Do away with the rust! All the chipped off and loose pieces of paint need to be removed with a pointed object. Clean the damaged area thoroughly from grease and silicone as well as from rust particles with a silicone remover.

Shake well the reinforced touch-up pencil for two minutes until you hear the agitator ball, open the screw top lid, tap off the brush and put it aside. Now the pipette is coming into play. Squeeze the bulb before inserting the tip of the pipette into the liquid. Release your grip on the bulb and the lacquer will be sucked into the pipette.

The tiny mouth of the pipette – 0.2 mm – allows an exact dosing and a precise application of the lacquer. In contrast to the touch-up pencil, the paint is not applied by using a brush but by dripping the paint into the affected area. This slightly overfills the crater and the base coat is evenly distributed in the stone chip. The crumbled edges are thus completely sealed.

Over a third of the filled in quantity is solvent and evaporates. So, space is provided for the clear lacquer that follows. Now, the surplus base coat that still is on the edge of the crater needs to be removed. This is done by wrapping the piece of wood, that is part of the delivery, with the wet sandpaper, grit P2000. Now, sand the surplus base coat with a lot of water, slight pressure and circular movements. Without using the piece of wood there is a risk to also remove the dropped in lacquer in the crater. Keep checking the result. Now, start to drip in the clear lacquer into the cleaned and dry area and overfill it noticeably. Be sure that the clear lacquer fills and seals every scratch, however small it may be.
Adhere exactly to the drying time of two days, so the clear lacquer can harden completely.  Only then you will be able to sand the area properly. Sand this hardened protective layer of lacquer again carefully with a lot of water, a piece of wood and sandpaper P2000. Sand the area until a slight elevation is left. This slight but important overfilling guarantees a 100% tight sealing.

The surface now appears matt due to the sanding. Therefore, it has to be polished several times. It will not always be possible to make the paint damage invisible. But this new way of repairing leads to optimal results. Not only visually perfect, but also absolutely air and watertight. Without oxygen no oxidation – rust is simply not possible anymore.