After over a year of freeways, my front bumper and air dam are looking like its been 5 years. Decided to try Dr. Colorchip. saw it in car & driver. I never buy things out of the back of magazines, but this seemed legit. Well, it did a just OK job, not in anyway something I'm blown away by. They claim it "cures to a shine" but mine cured to a cloud. I should have reasearched BEFORE I did it. Turns out that (according to posts on other forums/message boards) that Dr. Colorchip actually works better on dark finishes as oppose to something like my SSB. Out $49.00 + SH. Anyway...

My major point/question is this: Some have suggested finding out who does the touchup airbrushing at a local dealer. Something high end (benz, Bimmer etc.) and ask what they will charge to do some areas on the front. Some guys over on the BMW forum told me they have been quoted anywhere from $35-$60 per panel. Seems well worth it to me. Anyone on here just skipped the DIY stuff and had work like this done at a dealer?? Not sure how to approach it..

 

I've never had this type of work done, but I have spent the past 9 years or so selling the paint to the people who do it. The guys that do the work at the BMW & Mercedes dealers are the same guys who do it at the Chevy dealer.

The correct way to fix a rock chip would be to sand it and feather it out, then airbrush on the basecoat and clearcoat.

They can also use a small amount of putty to fill the chip, then base and clear it. That is probably the most common fix.

The cheap way is to us a single stage version of the same paint (Paint with the clear mixed in), and use it to fill the chip. That almost never looks good and the odds of getting a close enough color match are slim.

So... find out who a few of these lot lizards are in your area, then talk to them and ask them how they are going to fix it, before you bother asking the price. If they are any good, they will not give you a price without seeing the car.

 

Thanks for the advise on the Dr. Colorchip. I was considering it, now I'll pass. As for the chips. just wait then get the entire panel painted. Also don't tailgate people, as rocks & debris will hit the front more often when your close to the car or trucks in front of you. Also touch-up paints should only be used if the chip goes to the bare metal, as to prevent that chip from rusting.

Good luck.

 

Sounds like great madvise. Thanks Jim

 

had my local body shop shoot my bumper cover for $200 bucks...can't tell it was ever painted...

 

Posts like this make me insane. All you guys who get these great deals at body shops...then there's me. I've been quoted anywhere from $600-$1500 to repaint the bumper cover. One shop wanted to replace the whole bumper entirely because it was "too far gone." I had to just laugh out loud in response. I have some road rash, not dents and scrapes. Geez. Anyway, thanks you to everyone who has replied. I was this refered this evening to a detailing center in my area who will do bumper re-paints. Calling in the A.M.....

 

Hi Mike - Be careful of anyone who advertises on Craig's list in our area that says they are mobile scratch repair. I had a couple of guys come out last fall and totally rip me off of $200. They made the scuff mark on my back bumper worse and clearly had no idea what they were doing except ripping people off.
I had the entire bumper repainted at Sterling Auto body and they did an excellent job matching the paint. I should have know there isn't an "easy" way.
Pat

 

My 07 is closing in on 50,000 miles & has the LPW, I figure every 100,000 miles I'll just cough up the bucks to have the front bumper repainted. Something about I-70 at 80 mph ave. that is not conducive to keeping a perfect bumper!

 

Interesting about the light colors...

After returning from CAA in St Louis this summer, my hood had a number of chips from the 4500 mile round trip. Most were just tiny small pits, but they showed up like dandruff against the black paint. There were two significant chips as well.

I ordered the DR kit and have to say, I am generally satisified. The two larger chips are going to require a little color sanding but the tiny ones are not noticeable unless viewed from a few inches away and then it's not bad at all.

Guess I was lucky having a black car.

 

Hey Pat,

Is Sterling fairly local? If you dont mind me asking, what did they charge you?

 

No doubt. Between the Benz, BMW, AUDI and VW forums I lurk on regularly, almost every satisfied DR. Colorchip user had a darkish color finish. Of course some had good results on lighter colors also. Could have just been my application technique but I dont thnk so.

 

They have several locations, not sure about the Annapolis area. They charged me $300 to repaint and repair a 1" X 5" scuff mark on the rear bumper. the place I went was in Gaithersburg. I found them through Allstate. We use them as our preferred shops. I had a shopping cart scratch taken out on my wife's car and they did an excellent job of matching the paint so I let them do mine.

 

Sorry to be redundant, but did they just repaint the affected area on your car or the entire bumper cover?

 

every area is different as far as pricing goes, but the $200 I spent was just for the lower portion of the bumper cover...he was able to mask a line and paint it...I removed and re-installed the cover. If he had painted the whole cover, it would have been a lot more...but, to me, it is the only way to make it match, and have that smooth original look...

 

I recently did two things to deal with rock/sand damage from the freeways. First, on my used 2005 Xfire (25,000 miles) roadster that I drive about 4000 to 5000 miles a year only in Summer and early Fall, I had the bottom of the front bumper repainted ($80) and then purchased a black bra for the front. This has really helped. The bra takes about 5 minutes to put on and I take it off each week as I do the hand wash on the car. Second, on the 2007 Xfire coupe I put only about 300 to 400 miles a year on I put an invisible bra and put on a black vinyl bra for freeway driving. If you do this make sure you do the lights, mirrors, door edges and the area behind the wheels.

I did this because of my experience with my wife's Mercedes. When she purchased the car (2007) she had a invisible bra put on. At the time I thought what a waste of money BUT after 3 years and 36,000 miles the front looks like it is new. I use a special cleaner on it and it works great. I am glad I reserved my judgement on the invisible bra and as you read above I put it on my 2007 Xfire which was used and had 7000 miles on it but was in perfect shape.

By the way these methods are preventive rather then able to fix existing damage. The only real cure IMHO is fix it with body work and then take preventive methods using either a conventional bra or an invisible bra. Cheapest method is the traditional bra ($150); the invisible bra ($700) is more expensive.

 

Good advice indeed. In a perfect money-doesnt-matter world, I would love to have the bumper repainted and have the 3M invisible bra put on. But being 23 and trying to upkeep 2 cars (without debts or changes in financial freedom) I'm not comfortable shelling out well over $1000 to have my front end repainted AND clear bra'd. I take a certain % of my salary each month and put it into an account that is exclusively for my cars (insurance, gas, repairs etc.)

I do kick myself hourly for not just getting the friggen clear bra done when I bought the car......I was offered it at a great price and declined. Then again none of my past vehicles seemed to have aquired chips and rash quite as liberally as the XF.

Again thanks to everyone who has responded.

 

Sterling is a nationwide chain of shops, owned by Allstate.