Stone Chip Magnet

[Guest]

Has anyone else thought the Rav is a bit of a stone chip magnet, I was contemplating getting the 20 year old tin of turtle wax polish out the other day (soon stopped that random thought ) when I started counting the number of stone chips on the front of the Rav, might have to try a local paint shop to get rid of all of these, but a bit concerned at what the price might be!

Gus

[Davrav]

Has anyone else thought the Rav is a bit of a stone chip magnet, I was contemplating getting the 20 year old tin of turtle wax polish out the other day (soon stopped that random thought ) when I started counting the number of stone chips on the front of the Rav, might have to try a local paint shop to get rid of all of these, but a bit concerned at what the price might be!

Gus

I was concerned about this issue having read about it prior to buying my XTR. After quite a bit of research I decided to go for 'Ventureshield' film coating of the bonnet, front bumper, leading edges of front wings, headlights, mirror covers, door edges and top of rear bumper. Not cheap BUT no evidence of stone chips in those areas after 3 years.

[firemac]

Has anyone else thought the Rav is a bit of a stone chip magnet, I was contemplating getting the 20 year old tin of turtle wax polish out the other day (soon stopped that random thought ) when I started counting the number of stone chips on the front of the Rav, might have to try a local paint shop to get rid of all of these, but a bit concerned at what the price might be!

Gus

I was concerned about this issue having read about it prior to buying my XTR. After quite a bit of research I decided to go for 'Ventureshield' film coating of the bonnet, front bumper, leading edges of front wings, headlights, mirror covers, door edges and top of rear bumper. Not cheap BUT no evidence of stone chips in those areas after 3 years.

Or have a look at this:

www.chipex.co.uk

[Manxrav]

Ho!!!!!!! the dreaded Stone-chips, the baan of my life.My U/C is Ok but my Dad,s is a bit of a mess(to me at least).His U/C is black Mica and really does show them up. I,ve tried Chip-ex on his U/C but whether I got it wrong or I,m thick but I really came unstuck with it. The idea behind it is good,I watched all the You tube vids I could get hold of but I gave it up as a bad job in the end. I ended up using Toyota touch up paint and clear coat,and I didn,t do two bad a job,the problem is you know where they are and your eyes always go to that spot( or spots in my case).

I also have a 2005 Cooper S Chilli red and there isn,t a chip on it,don,t know whether it was pre water-based paint but it has a lot better finish than both the U/C,s.

If anyone on the forum ever buys Chipex and is successful please tell me step by step how you did it Pleeeeese!!!!!!

Regards Clare

[CharlieFarlie]

Ho!!!!!!! the dreaded Stone-chips, the baan of my life.My U/C is Ok but my Dad,s is a bit of a mess(to me at least).His U/C is black Mica and really does show them up. I,ve tried Chip-ex on his U/C but whether I got it wrong or I,m thick but I really came unstuck with it. The idea behind it is good,I watched all the You tube vids I could get hold of but I gave it up as a bad job in the end. I ended up using Toyota touch up paint and clear coat,and I didn,t do two bad a job,the problem is you know where they are and your eyes always go to that spot( or spots in my case).

I also have a 2005 Cooper S Chilli red and there isn,t a chip on it,don,t know whether it was pre water-based paint but it has a lot better finish than both the U/C,s.

If anyone on the forum ever buys Chipex and is successful please tell me step by step how you did it Pleeeeese!!!!!!

Regards Clare

Modern water based paint is very easy to chip !! A touch up stick is the best way to repair chips along with a lacquer over the top. I have had great success with doing this but the best results come with wet sanding and careful polishing of the painted repair. It can really be an invisible repair if time is taken !! I could write for hours on this subject..... Quite honestly I find those chipex kits a waste of time.

Wee Charlie.

[crofter]

Ho!!!!!!! the dreaded Stone-chips, the baan of my life.My U/C is Ok but my Dad,s is a bit of a mess(to me at least).His U/C is black Mica and really does show them up. I,ve tried Chip-ex on his U/C but whether I got it wrong or I,m thick but I really came unstuck with it. The idea behind it is good,I watched all the You tube vids I could get hold of but I gave it up as a bad job in the end. I ended up using Toyota touch up paint and clear coat,and I didn,t do two bad a job,the problem is you know where they are and your eyes always go to that spot( or spots in my case).

I also have a 2005 Cooper S Chilli red and there isn,t a chip on it,don,t know whether it was pre water-based paint but it has a lot better finish than both the U/C,s.

If anyone on the forum ever buys Chipex and is successful please tell me step by step how you did it Pleeeeese!!!!!!

Regards Clare

Modern water based paint is very easy to chip !! A touch up stick is the best way to repair chips along with a lacquer over the top. I have had great success with doing this but the best results come with wet sanding and careful polishing of the painted repair. It can really be an invisible repair if time is taken !! I could write for hours on this subject..... Quite honestly I find those chipex kits a waste of time.

Wee Charlie.

What grade do you use for this,Charlie?

A pal suggested using soap on the paper when rubbing down,any thoughts on this?

Del

[Manxrav]

Please Charlie lets have the Experts way of doing it,I wait in antcipation!!!!!! Mind remember I,m only a novice.

Regards Clare

[CharlieFarlie]

There are so many paint types and ways they have been applied. Paint as a rule on Japanese cars is fairly soft and very thin, Typically (On My Rav as well) Around 6 to 8 microns thick.

This total say 6 microns is made up of usually 40% base-coat which gives the base and colour and 60% lacquer.

All paints will also have very different degrees of hardness.......

From that We work out how many microns of lacquer We have to play with This is Very Very important when wet sanding as sanding through that lacquer would be a disaster !

So. Fill that chip with base coat but only so the bottom of the chip is covered. Its then a case of filling the chip up to the top and at least level but preferably slightly higher with lacquer It pays to add layers maybe 1 per day until You have the desired level. This allows natural sink-age and shrinkage that occurs with the lacquer.

Once You are satisfied You have the chip completely filled as said if its higher like a blob above the level of the surrounding original lacquer then great results will be had ! If I am doing multiple chips or need to complete in the same day I will accelerate the drying process with an infra red lamp..

Time to wet sand GENTLY !! With 4000 grit paper and sand with lots and I do mean lots of water.Sand a very little at a time as You can sand a bit more if needed but once You sand to much You cant put it back !! If the paint is hard then 3000 grit or even 2500 grit paper will be needed..

When its sanded all level which really takes very little sanding indeed You will be left with a very dull finish to the repair area. Dont panic ! Its now time to polish..

Many go straight for the rotary polishing machine. I much prefer to do the initial polish by hand as I feel better control is had. Go easy and start with a light cut compound and if needed go to a slightly more aggressive polish if needed,

Once You have a nice shiny and smooth finish You can either be well satisfied with the job or Refine the area with a nice very low cut polish on a soft pad and polish the whole panel bonnet or whatever area You are working on..... HTH.

Wee Charlie.

[CharlieFarlie]

Ho!!!!!!! the dreaded Stone-chips, the baan of my life.My U/C is Ok but my Dad,s is a bit of a mess(to me at least).His U/C is black Mica and really does show them up. I,ve tried Chip-ex on his U/C but whether I got it wrong or I,m thick but I really came unstuck with it. The idea behind it is good,I watched all the You tube vids I could get hold of but I gave it up as a bad job in the end. I ended up using Toyota touch up paint and clear coat,and I didn,t do two bad a job,the problem is you know where they are and your eyes always go to that spot( or spots in my case).

I also have a 2005 Cooper S Chilli red and there isn,t a chip on it,don,t know whether it was pre water-based paint but it has a lot better finish than both the U/C,s.

If anyone on the forum ever buys Chipex and is successful please tell me step by step how you did it Pleeeeese!!!!!!

Regards Clare

Modern water based paint is very easy to chip !! A touch up stick is the best way to repair chips along with a lacquer over the top. I have had great success with doing this but the best results come with wet sanding and careful polishing of the painted repair. It can really be an invisible repair if time is taken !! I could write for hours on this subject..... Quite honestly I find those chipex kits a waste of time.

Wee Charlie.

What grade do you use for this,Charlie?

A pal suggested using soap on the paper when rubbing down,any thoughts on this?

Del

Del. soap would provide a lubricant to the paper . This is what water does but obviously to a lesser degree. I have never used soap !! I use water mixed with detailing spray mixed 50/50 . But plain water will do but just that bit more care must be taken....

Grade ? Soft paint like that found on Japanese cars needs a very non-aggressive grade like say 4000 05 3500 grit. German paint for some reason is very hard ! I would start with 3500 working down to 2500 grit on this harder paint.

I cannot emphasise enough that all of Us must start with the least aggressive grade of paper needed to achieve the desired result, Same goes for polish for the same reasons. You need to remove as little amount of lacquer as is possible so start light and only move to more cut if You have to.

Japanese paint ? 4000 grit no less no more.

Paper of course loses its cutting ability as it wears. I always keep the old paper as it can be very useful !!

It is even possible to use extremely worn paper along with a very light compound polish to get a very high quality finish.. HTH

Wee Charlie.

[crofter]

Ho!!!!!!! the dreaded Stone-chips, the baan of my life.My U/C is Ok but my Dad,s is a bit of a mess(to me at least).His U/C is black Mica and really does show them up. I,ve tried Chip-ex on his U/C but whether I got it wrong or I,m thick but I really came unstuck with it. The idea behind it is good,I watched all the You tube vids I could get hold of but I gave it up as a bad job in the end. I ended up using Toyota touch up paint and clear coat,and I didn,t do two bad a job,the problem is you know where they are and your eyes always go to that spot( or spots in my case).

I also have a 2005 Cooper S Chilli red and there isn,t a chip on it,don,t know whether it was pre water-based paint but it has a lot better finish than both the U/C,s.

If anyone on the forum ever buys Chipex and is successful please tell me step by step how you did it Pleeeeese!!!!!!

Regards Clare

Modern water based paint is very easy to chip !! A touch up stick is the best way to repair chips along with a lacquer over the top. I have had great success with doing this but the best results come with wet sanding and careful polishing of the painted repair. It can really be an invisible repair if time is taken !! I could write for hours on this subject..... Quite honestly I find those chipex kits a waste of time.

Wee Charlie.

What grade do you use for this,Charlie?

A pal suggested using soap on the paper when rubbing down,any thoughts on this?

Del

Del. soap would provide a lubricant to the paper . This is what water does but obviously to a lesser degree. I have never used soap !! I use water mixed with detailing spray mixed 50/50 . But plain water will do but just that bit more care must be taken....

Grade ? Soft paint like that found on Japanese cars needs a very non-aggressive grade like say 4000 05 3500 grit. German paint for some reason is very hard ! I would start with 3500 working down to 2500 grit on this harder paint.

I cannot emphasise enough that all of Us must start with the least aggressive grade of paper needed to achieve the desired result, Same goes for polish for the same reasons. You need to remove as little amount of lacquer as is possible so start light and only move to more cut if You have to.

Japanese paint ? 4000 grit no less no more.

Paper of course loses its cutting ability as it wears. I always keep the old paper as it can be very useful !!

It is even possible to use extremely worn paper along with a very light compound polish to get a very high quality finish.. HTH

Wee Charlie.

Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions Charlie.

Paintwork never came up for me. I never knew the clear coat made up such a large part of the finish and I can now see why I got such cack handed results in the past.

My motor is listed as Rain Forest Pearl(green to me) Does this have to be treated any differently?

I just hope you can teach this old dog new tricks.

Del

[CharlieFarlie]

Ho!!!!!!! the dreaded Stone-chips, the baan of my life.My U/C is Ok but my Dad,s is a bit of a mess(to me at least).His U/C is black Mica and really does show them up. I,ve tried Chip-ex on his U/C but whether I got it wrong or I,m thick but I really came unstuck with it. The idea behind it is good,I watched all the You tube vids I could get hold of but I gave it up as a bad job in the end. I ended up using Toyota touch up paint and clear coat,and I didn,t do two bad a job,the problem is you know where they are and your eyes always go to that spot( or spots in my case).

I also have a 2005 Cooper S Chilli red and there isn,t a chip on it,don,t know whether it was pre water-based paint but it has a lot better finish than both the U/C,s.

If anyone on the forum ever buys Chipex and is successful please tell me step by step how you did it Pleeeeese!!!!!!

Regards Clare

Modern water based paint is very easy to chip !! A touch up stick is the best way to repair chips along with a lacquer over the top. I have had great success with doing this but the best results come with wet sanding and careful polishing of the painted repair. It can really be an invisible repair if time is taken !! I could write for hours on this subject..... Quite honestly I find those chipex kits a waste of time.

Wee Charlie.

What grade do you use for this,Charlie?

A pal suggested using soap on the paper when rubbing down,any thoughts on this?

Del

Del. soap would provide a lubricant to the paper . This is what water does but obviously to a lesser degree. I have never used soap !! I use water mixed with detailing spray mixed 50/50 . But plain water will do but just that bit more care must be taken....

Grade ? Soft paint like that found on Japanese cars needs a very non-aggressive grade like say 4000 05 3500 grit. German paint for some reason is very hard ! I would start with 3500 working down to 2500 grit on this harder paint.

I cannot emphasise enough that all of Us must start with the least aggressive grade of paper needed to achieve the desired result, Same goes for polish for the same reasons. You need to remove as little amount of lacquer as is possible so start light and only move to more cut if You have to.

Japanese paint ? 4000 grit no less no more.

Paper of course loses its cutting ability as it wears. I always keep the old paper as it can be very useful !!

It is even possible to use extremely worn paper along with a very light compound polish to get a very high quality finish.. HTH

Wee Charlie.

Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions Charlie.

Paintwork never came up for me. I never knew the clear coat made up such a large part of the finish and I can now see why I got such cack handed results in the past.

My motor is listed as Rain Forest Pearl(green to me) Does this have to be treated any differently?

I just hope you can teach this old dog new tricks.

Del

Colour doesn't make any difference Mate the thickness harness and make up of the paint does though. I have a PTG or paint thickness gauge which I measure the paints thickness with before I start sanding or polishing. My gauge measures the total thickness of the paint plus the lacquer so I have to how much lacquer in microns I have to play with based on the 60/40 rule of thumb.

There are gauges that can actually tell You how many microns of paint there is and how many of lacquer. But these gauges are very expensive around 2 thousand quid !! So I use the more basic type and have never yet (Touch wood) ran into trouble...........

Wee Charlie.

[CharlieFarlie]

One other thing. People will often say that the touch up pencil or stick is the wrong or different colour.. Well it is until it has a lacquer coat over the top and that lacquer coat is made translucent by polishing..... Then miraculously the match makes sense...

Wee Charlie.

[crofter]

Ho!!!!!!! the dreaded Stone-chips, the baan of my life.My U/C is Ok but my Dad,s is a bit of a mess(to me at least).His U/C is black Mica and really does show them up. I,ve tried Chip-ex on his U/C but whether I got it wrong or I,m thick but I really came unstuck with it. The idea behind it is good,I watched all the You tube vids I could get hold of but I gave it up as a bad job in the end. I ended up using Toyota touch up paint and clear coat,and I didn,t do two bad a job,the problem is you know where they are and your eyes always go to that spot( or spots in my case).

I also have a 2005 Cooper S Chilli red and there isn,t a chip on it,don,t know whether it was pre water-based paint but it has a lot better finish than both the U/C,s.

If anyone on the forum ever buys Chipex and is successful please tell me step by step how you did it Pleeeeese!!!!!!

Regards Clare

Modern water based paint is very easy to chip !! A touch up stick is the best way to repair chips along with a lacquer over the top. I have had great success with doing this but the best results come with wet sanding and careful polishing of the painted repair. It can really be an invisible repair if time is taken !! I could write for hours on this subject..... Quite honestly I find those chipex kits a waste of time.

Wee Charlie.

What grade do you use for this,Charlie?

A pal suggested using soap on the paper when rubbing down,any thoughts on this?

Del

Del. soap would provide a lubricant to the paper . This is what water does but obviously to a lesser degree. I have never used soap !! I use water mixed with detailing spray mixed 50/50 . But plain water will do but just that bit more care must be taken....

Grade ? Soft paint like that found on Japanese cars needs a very non-aggressive grade like say 4000 05 3500 grit. German paint for some reason is very hard ! I would start with 3500 working down to 2500 grit on this harder paint.

I cannot emphasise enough that all of Us must start with the least aggressive grade of paper needed to achieve the desired result, Same goes for polish for the same reasons. You need to remove as little amount of lacquer as is possible so start light and only move to more cut if You have to.

Japanese paint ? 4000 grit no less no more.

Paper of course loses its cutting ability as it wears. I always keep the old paper as it can be very useful !!

It is even possible to use extremely worn paper along with a very light compound polish to get a very high quality finish.. HTH

Wee Charlie.

Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions Charlie.

Paintwork never came up for me. I never knew the clear coat made up such a large part of the finish and I can now see why I got such cack handed results in the past.

My motor is listed as Rain Forest Pearl(green to me) Does this have to be treated any differently?

I just hope you can teach this old dog new tricks.

Del

Colour doesn't make any difference Mate the thickness harness and make up of the paint does though. I have a PTG or paint thickness gauge which I measure the paints thickness with before I start sanding or polishing. My gauge measures the total thickness of the paint plus the lacquer so I have to how much lacquer in microns I have to play with based on the 60/40 rule of thumb.

There are gauges that can actually tell You how many microns of paint there is and how many of lacquer. But these gauges are very expensive around 2 thousand quid !! So I use the more basic type and have never yet (Touch wood) ran into trouble...........

Wee Charlie.

Please bear with me,thickness harness?

Del

[CharlieFarlie]

Ho!!!!!!! the dreaded Stone-chips, the baan of my life.My U/C is Ok but my Dad,s is a bit of a mess(to me at least).His U/C is black Mica and really does show them up. I,ve tried Chip-ex on his U/C but whether I got it wrong or I,m thick but I really came unstuck with it. The idea behind it is good,I watched all the You tube vids I could get hold of but I gave it up as a bad job in the end. I ended up using Toyota touch up paint and clear coat,and I didn,t do two bad a job,the problem is you know where they are and your eyes always go to that spot( or spots in my case).

I also have a 2005 Cooper S Chilli red and there isn,t a chip on it,don,t know whether it was pre water-based paint but it has a lot better finish than both the U/C,s.

If anyone on the forum ever buys Chipex and is successful please tell me step by step how you did it Pleeeeese!!!!!!

Regards Clare

Modern water based paint is very easy to chip !! A touch up stick is the best way to repair chips along with a lacquer over the top. I have had great success with doing this but the best results come with wet sanding and careful polishing of the painted repair. It can really be an invisible repair if time is taken !! I could write for hours on this subject..... Quite honestly I find those chipex kits a waste of time.

Wee Charlie.

What grade do you use for this,Charlie?

A pal suggested using soap on the paper when rubbing down,any thoughts on this?

Del

Del. soap would provide a lubricant to the paper . This is what water does but obviously to a lesser degree. I have never used soap !! I use water mixed with detailing spray mixed 50/50 . But plain water will do but just that bit more care must be taken....

Grade ? Soft paint like that found on Japanese cars needs a very non-aggressive grade like say 4000 05 3500 grit. German paint for some reason is very hard ! I would start with 3500 working down to 2500 grit on this harder paint.

I cannot emphasise enough that all of Us must start with the least aggressive grade of paper needed to achieve the desired result, Same goes for polish for the same reasons. You need to remove as little amount of lacquer as is possible so start light and only move to more cut if You have to.

Japanese paint ? 4000 grit no less no more.

Paper of course loses its cutting ability as it wears. I always keep the old paper as it can be very useful !!

It is even possible to use extremely worn paper along with a very light compound polish to get a very high quality finish.. HTH

Wee Charlie.

Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions Charlie.

Paintwork never came up for me. I never knew the clear coat made up such a large part of the finish and I can now see why I got such cack handed results in the past.

My motor is listed as Rain Forest Pearl(green to me) Does this have to be treated any differently?

I just hope you can teach this old dog new tricks.

Del

Colour doesn't make any difference Mate the thickness harness and make up of the paint does though. I have a PTG or paint thickness gauge which I measure the paints thickness with before I start sanding or polishing. My gauge measures the total thickness of the paint plus the lacquer so I have to how much lacquer in microns I have to play with based on the 60/40 rule of thumb.

There are gauges that can actually tell You how many microns of paint there is and how many of lacquer. But these gauges are very expensive around 2 thousand quid !! So I use the more basic type and have never yet (Touch wood) ran into trouble...........

Wee Charlie.

Please bear with me,thickness harness?

Del

Sorry that should have said hardness, As in how the job is approached.. Or should I say the hardness of the paint/ lacquer determines the kit We use.......

Wee Charlie.

[crofter]

Got yer,those flaming keys seem to move about at this time of night!!