1.5 inch square rusty bubble under paint ! HELP !

[j.d.clarke]

Any ideas on this anyone ?

I have a 1999 'V' 328Ci in Black. As with most vehicles I have managed to pick up some front end stonechips over the years. Unfortunately (my fault entirely) one of them has now developed into a 1.5 inch square area of bubbled rust under the paint near the front edge of the bonnet. BMW have quoted £515.00 to remove / respray and refit the bonnet !

Any ideas on other options ? Will ChipsAway (or similar) be able to deal with this or am I going to have to get a full spray ?

[ChipsAway Guy]

The darker a finish is, the less forgiving it is to any lacquer issues.

As a result, blending a repair in on a black bonnet is very prone to the lacquer edge being visible in the final finish.

A SMART repair is probably therefore not the option for the best finish - matter for you though, since it would be a fraction of that price!

Try your local independent sprayshops. I wouldn't be surprised if you couldn't save at least half that amount by not going through a main dealer.

CG

[j.d.clarke]

Thanks for the advice, I'll give a few a try.

The only thing that concerns me about having the entire bonnet sprayed is any obvious difference in the finish between the original surrounding panels and the re-painted bonnet.

[ChipsAway Guy]

Mention that when you're getting quotes - that you expect the final texture to match the adjoining panels.

If you make it clear that you have high expectations and that you'll not accept inferior work back, the sprayshops will make sure your job gets the attention to detail a picky customer requires :-)

CG