barstool stonechips

[CJN]

All you guys will know the story , my front bumper looks as though it has been shot blasted. I've got a touch up pen from Lotus but my forte is sitting behind a desk adding numbers up & not painting sportscars. What's the best option for fixing it short of a respray?
I've heard of Chips Away but I don't know anything about them (price/time/quality).



CJ

[jonreade]

CJ,
Same here, if anyone's got any info, it would be very much appreciated.
Jon.

[ducati]

Our company Creative FX manufacture stone chip protection vinyls for the likes of Lotus & Subaru. We have ready made sections for DIY fitting on both new and old Elises, Exige, 340R and VX220.
Of course this is only worth fitting before the vehicle is damaged. For more info call Sean 07860 384090 and I will give you the Lotus part numbers that you need.

[CJN]

Cheers,
How much is the vinyl protection & is it DIY fitting or specialist - I don't fancy bodging it myself.

I still need the front clam re-touching first though.

CJ

[Nightmare]

CJN - I would suggest colourworks (but thats probably cos one of my best mates works for them) who are mobile paint repair specialists.....and very good.

If you want to do it yourself, here's about the best way....

you want to blob the paint onto the stone chip so you end up with lots of little 'humps' on the paintwork (helps if the paint is a bit thick) Once they've fully dried (and at this time of year that'll only happen in a nice warm garage) you take a razor blade (oh yes) and holding it vertically, scrape across the hump, which will ping the additional paint off...no more stone chips! takes time, patience and practice (and a steady hand cos if you accidently dig the razor into the surface you'll know all about it!)

Whereabouts in the country are you?

[CJN]

I'm up in Leeds. Do you know how much colourworks charges? Per hour/per job? Or do you have an e-mail address for your mate?

CJ

[Nightmare]

I would guestimate that it would cost you about £50 all in - but you have to remember it wont look like it has just come out of a bodyshop - as to get that you'll have to take it to a bodyshop! - which is likely (depending on colour) to be a full clamshell resrapy and cost about £500........

will get head office phone number (Im in Hertford so not much use for leeds) - but am sure they have local franchise if that's useful? my mate sneers at Chips away - but thatcould well be rivalry!

Night

[cockers]

Chips Away did the passenger door on my "day car" (106 GTI) and when they'd finished, I honestly couldn't even see where the chip had been. Well impressed (and, even better, it was paid for by the Peugeot dealer, because the chip was their fault!)

[jaydee]

www.psube.com/hides/TheDetails.htm
has details of repairing your own scratches. Although it's very American my local paint supplier had most of the supplies mentioned or equivalents.
I used ChipsAway once and was not overly impressed, the results were v. similar to those I got by DIYing stonechips although their colour matching is excellent on faded paintwork. They also dream up the charges based on the car (alledgedly), repair on my mother's Polo (metallic, deep bumper scratch) was cheaper than on my elan (non-metallic red, stonechips.)
Have you tried getting a quote from a bodyshop? The bodyshop I was sent to by the insurers after some envious little git put a key down the Porker said the insurance company wouldn't pay and it would be £800 so I went to a different local bodyshop and they've done an excellent job for £270.
Quick plug for Autobodies in Matlock (01629) 56136. They've done a fair bit of work for my mother&father (who go in for trashing cars with alarming frequency) including a total rebuild on a squished rover 400.