First Damage

[andy111]

It's happened, my first damage to the car...
I was turning round and just caught the front left edge of the front clam, its taken a bit of a chunk out of the gel coat.
Does anyone have any advice on how to get it fixed? Does the fibre glass need sealing before it gets wet?
Does anyone know anywhere good to get it fixed in the north/midlands?

Andy

[jondude]

Has it left cracks or crazing, or is it more a scuff/scratch?

If the latter, you will be amazed how much you can tidy it up with something like Autoglym Paint Renovator - although this will mean not too deep damage.

There are people like Chips Away but they ( as do all SMART repairers ) have an awful hit or miss reputation, depending on the bloke you get. ( Anyone can start their own company, it is a franchise )

So never use them without local research!

If it is in an area which is not too visible, then cleaning and tidying up may be the best option....you will need a clam respray sooner or later as an Elise owner, anyhow!

I haven't tried it yet, but apparently 'Colour Magic' by Turtlewax will hide most things on a temporary basis.

May well be worth a go?

[andy111]

Thanks for the info, unfortunatly i think the damage is deeper than that as its down to the fibreglass. Any ideas?

[buzybee]

i managed to hit my pride and joy this week, luckily didnt damage the clam just the front splitter, cracked it in two places....when i rang the service dept in a panic they thought i ment the front clam...nearly cried when they said how much they r to replace!!! so i feel for you!!

[sneakypete]

Did pretty much the same last year on a pub car park. Had it repaired and resprayed (with all stone chips sorted) looked good as new. But cost £400 at Stratton... Exceptional job and the car was looking mint.

[jondude]

Not easy, I know!

If it is a deep crack, apparently you have to wait a while ( 4 weeks ? ) to see how much it may 'spread'.

My basic idea is that if it can be tidied, it may be worth doing so, enjoy the summer and then have the WHOLE clam resprayed at around £500. You could easily pay £200+ just for this repair, then still pick up a few nasty stone chips/scuffs anyhow during the summer which will need doing.

I did a surprisingly good repair by filling, sanding down and re-spraying the area only - but this was at the lower rear end, I would not touch damage to the front or 'in-yer-face' stuff!

I do an 'A' service myself which knocks off £150-£250 and put the respray cost down to normal 'servicing'!

If you do take it to a dealer, you may well be better off getting the whole clam done.

[andy111]

Thanks for the tips. There are no cracks, just the scrape so i think i will have a go at sorting it myself for now then get it sorted properly later in the year with a full respray of the clam.
Does anyone know where you can buy Ardent Red or is it only from the main dealer i can get it?

[jondude]

Had a friend get the paint for me, but apparently Halfords are good - even have a guarantee if you are not 100% satisfied, and a place called www.paints4u.com say they can match the paint and put it in a spray can/cannister for you. Tad expensive by the time you add their hidden costs.


Also www.autoglym.co.uk for advice on filling scratches...

www.polishedbliss.co.uk ( or dot com )...

Yep, we've all been there!