Is Chipex worth the money?

[TR5tar]

A few days ago I noticed a long and deep scratch along the side of my Land rover. I'm not sure how it got there, but it's pretty nasty. Perhaps Reg sent the boys around!

Anyhow, I've been looking at some of the patch up options and have been thinking about trying Chipex. There are a few Youtube videos that suggest that it works quite well. Has anyone here tried it and had success?

Darren  

[PaulAA]

Hi Darren

According to YT, all you need is WD40, a hairdryer and a dodgy Russian accent.  Voila!

Paul

[AB|W]

Is it a paint scratch or just in the clear coat on top of the paint? Assuming of course that the Landy is modern'ish.

Alan

 

[TR5tar]

Hi Alan, 

At one end of the scratch it might only be clear coat deep, but at the other end I think it's deeper than that. Even where it doesn't look too deep, I can feel a ridge with my finger nail. Isn't there a simple way to tell if it's just clear coat deep? I'm sure I've heard that there is, but I cannot remember it. 

Darren

P.S. Yes, I've seen the WD40 video Paul. If only   

[AB|W]

Darren,

I would clean the scratch with plain water, then dry off any drops but try and leave the scratched surfaces with just a film of water when the white tearing of the scratch's surface  will become more transparent if I explained that properly. 

Then with a bright light at an angle really look into the whole of the scratch for signs of base coat or primer. If the scratch is only clear coat then that is so much easier & cheaper to deal with and more successful. 

If the paint is damaged then when you come to treat the scratch run a length of masking tape a couple of inches away from and along  the scratch and mark the tape with the one or two areas (perhaps) where the actual paint is scratched and only paint those areas. Filling a clear coat scratch with coloured paint will never make for an invisible repair but delicate sanding back and re-clearcoating followed by lots of compounding and polishing back can be very good without the need for colour matching.

Alan

[Rod1883]

I've not used Chipex, but I've been cleaning up Diana's Focus ready for sale which has/had a few car park and other scratches.

I've found that a good clean with a clay bar and then a good quality polish seems to cure most small scratches/swirlmarks. I've tried the Autoglym 'Scratch removal complete kit' on a small area with a couple of scratches and other marks. It has dealt with the scratches pretty well, but seems to highlight a couple of other blemishes rather than remove them by depositing what is effectively a mild cutting paste into those blemish - which was then a bugger to get out again. It might be worth a try Darren on your scratch - the kit is £18 at Halfords and includes the paste, a special sponge to apply it with, a microfibre cloth and some polish.

[JohnD]

Not Chipex, but ChipAway, for actual stone chips, and they are blindingly good!

John

[TR5tar]

Thanks for the suggestions. 

I've had some time to look at the scratch more closely today, and to use Alan's suggestion of spraying the scratch with water to see if it disappears while the area is wet. In some places it does, in others it most definitely does not. I think it is as expected, that in places it is just clear coat deep and in other areas it is back to primer. Whoever made the scratch must have been incredibly careless, because it's getting on for two feet long.

Does ChipsAway offer a kit John? I had it in mind that it was just a service. ChipEx is a kit. 

Looks like I'll need to tackle it in two ways. I'm going to try Alan's method of using fine sanding for the clear coat scratch. Can I ask Alan, what do you suggest for reapplying clear coat. Is there a spray that I can buy? 

For the deeper part of the scratch, I'm still tempted by ChipEx, although I've seen mixed reviews. Here's one that makes me think it might be worth a go. Skip to about 7 minutes if you don't want to see all the unpacking preamble ... 

  

[PaulAA]

19 minutes ago, TR5tar said:

Whoever made the scratch must have been incredibly careless

 

I know the feeling, Darren.  I had a stand-up row with a sub-contractor on site once, when I still had the A5.  Foolishly, it was parked close to the site compound and, when I returned from the site inspection, 'somebody' had carelessly dragged a key nor screwdriver around every lower panel - wings, boot & both doors.

Remarkably, I had managed to park in the only part of the car park not covered by security cameras.  Another coincidence!

Paul

[TR5tar]

I'd like to think that my scratch is nothing more than somebody's carelessness, but it's difficult to know these days, the way some people behave. There seems to be so much more anger on the roads now, compared to a few years ago. My wife, Tina, said that just the other morning on her way to work, she had a driver race up behind her as she was overtaking a lorry. The "gentleman" behind was flashing his lights and beeping. When Tina had finished the overtake, said gentleman decided to pull in front of her and keep slamming his brakes on. Nice. I said to her that she needs to get an old banger. Years ago I had a Montego that had a slightly bashed in rear end, where a Volvo had rammed into me. That and the tow bar on the back gave it a very distinctive, distressed look. It was amazing how wide a berth people would give me when I was driving that. Only rarely did anyone park next to me in a car park. It was great.

Anyhow, as my scratch isn't very uniform, I'm prepared to belief it was just carelessness on someone's part. Here's how it looks ...

 

 

Edited December 14, 2018 by TR5tar

[AB|W]

Darren,

A picture saves a thousand words.

Hey that's not a hairline scratch its a 1/4" dam great gouge. I would leave that to a professional who would probably end up painting / sanding then clear coat the whole panel. 

If you suspect that it was deliberate they may do it again so I would leave a couple of months to see if any reoccurrence. Shame to have to pay for a painting a panel twice and it doesn't look as if it will rust whilst you wait.

 

- You haven't been upsetting anyone recently have you?

Alan

[JohnD]

Wow!  I'd say that's definitely down to the primer, if not bare metal (look under the handle scoop) and should be dealt with asap!

Why so fixated on a kit, Darren?   I know, cost, but you are protecting the value of your vehicle.  You may have to sp[end some money to get a reasonable repair.    ChipsAway is a franchise, the quality does vary (I read) and a big ding like that could need a proper body shop - ask for estimates? 

 And ask around locally for others' experience.  If you tells us here where you live, there may be someone to point you to a reliable person.

John

Edited December 14, 2018 by JohnD

[TR5tar]

Thanks Alan.

If the car was in perfect condition and not 14 years old, I'd get a professional job done on it, but as it is I'm not sure it's worth the expense. Overall it's a good car (apart from one other issue that I'll post about another time) and I've no intention of selling it at the moment. I'll probably just keep it until it claps out. That being the case, I just want to make an acceptable job of it, so it looks OK from a distance, without spending hundreds. 

Apart from a certain bunch of people from a certain club, I don't think I've upset anyone lately. It might come as a shock to some, but I typically get on with most people I meet  

It probably happened in a car park, but it is in an odd place, just under the door handle, and above the wheel arch. It must have been something sticking out quite far. What I will do is leave it a couple of months as you suggest, just to see if I find anymore scratches appearing like that one.

Cheers, Darren   

[JohnD]

Ah!  not a pristine new car, but a keeper.     Just covering the scratch with touch-in paint asap will give some protection, and won't be a problem for a professional dealing with it later.

From the height, I'd say that is a supermarket trolley drive-by!

John

[TR5tar]

Yes, I was thinking supermarket trolley John. I can see how if the handle of the trolley was turned inwards with someone pushing it at speed, it could cause that. I wonder if there is a way that I can tell the direction that whatever caused the scratch was travelling?  Would be interesting to know whether it started where it is at its worst, or at the other end. I'm not sure if it's obvious from my photo, but the scratch goes right back to the rear light unit, although it is very fine there and not too deep.

It's not that I'm particularly fixated on a kit, it's just cost. I have, however, just approached ChipsAway for a quote. Providing it's not hundreds, then I'll give them a go. 

Darren

[JohnD]

Hmmmmmmmmm!   If it's that long, and goes that deep, then it's probably not a trolley drive-by - they are very light and would bounce off before the scratch got that far.    This is something heavy and with ground traction, so it doesn't bounce around - like another car.   But academic.    You need to get a repair, not the perpetrator!

John

[TR5tar]

Door mirror sounds more likely then. 

Either way, I suspect it happened in a supermarket car park, so there's no hope of finding the perpetrator and therefore no hope of recompense. And so yes, a repair is the priority. Just had a call back from the ChipsAway chap. He said if it was dented, he'd be looking for £500 to £600, if not £400 to £500, so we said goodbye at that point. 

Looks like I'll be trying that kit. 

Darren

[PaulAA]

[TR5tar]

He must have upset even more people than I have 

[Neil T]

Local Land Rover dealer sorted me one out like that last year cost £170 

[TR5tar]

Hi Neil, 

That's certainly closer to the sort of money that I wouldn't mind spending. I'll try my local dealer to see what they say. 

Other than that scratch, the paint work isn't bad for a 14 year old car, which makes it more of shame.

Darren 

[AB|W]

Darren,

Ok. If its a cheap job then cheap it is. On the basis that you can't make it worse and painting is always reversible so…..

Cheap means you spending time.

Buy one of these https://www.halfords.com/motoring/paints-body-repair/scratch-repair-paint-restorers/halfords-chip-scratch-repair-pen-lacquer

Trim the end of the bristles to form a fine point.

Get some 1200 grit paper.

https://www.toolstation.com/search?q=1200 grit

and a pack of

https://www.toolstation.com/sponge-abrasive-pads/p60827

and a pack of

https://www.toolstation.com/prodec-tack-cloths/p27935

So far you are in for  fifteen quid.

Buy a decent bottle of your favourite wine. (expenditure went up)

Get a chair as you'll be there some time and wrap up well.

Cut a foam pad so it is only perhaps one to two inches long and using a bucket of water delicately polish along the scratch using no pressure, if the 600 grit is too rough cover the foam with 1200 grit paper and use that.

You are not sanding you are trying to polish the sides of the  scratch and not the good  panel's outer surface or the bottom where you will cut into the paint. The clear coat should cut back to eliminate the rough surface which scatters light and looks white.

Much, much later your fingers will be getting numb and you will wonder why you started but large parts of the scratch will have vanished and any damaged paint areas will be truly obvious. The car probably has  a reasonable depth of top coat so if the colour along the base of the scratch is even and good (no primer showing)

If you have a garage vacuum the floor, then use the tack cloth on the whole of the panel.

I would run the thinnest most delicate coat of clear coat along the inside of the scratch. It will need to be a warmish day to allow the coat to dry in a reasonable time, you may need to put a fan heater to warm the door skin before you start. You are trying to put an impossibly thin coat of clear coat into the scratch but not fill it. 

Go away, do not poke prod or waft dust over the wet paint. Its winter so have lunch before you go back and decide whether to continue or whether your artistic skills rival those of Jackson Pollock.

If your not impressed and it looks like an original Jackson Pollock then back in the house drink the wine, drown your sorrows and know nature did not intend your to wear a beret and live in a garret.

 If your results are acceptable then  proceed with a second coat, perhaps three or four in total to the point where the scratch is now an ever so slight ridge. If it still looks good then leave for two weeks at least to harden, then using 1200 grit delicately sand the ridge back to become level with the panel surface. Then compound and polish and review your work, if its bad your only £15 down.

If the end result is sort of OK  just not wonderful then how about running one of the self adhesive coach lines along both sides of the car such as on the Triumph Stag I cannot tell from your photo if the line and position of the scratch is good for that sort of disguise. The Stag ones are about £17 would a nice couple of cheap silver lines hide the evidence?

http://www.ldpart.co.uk/shop/shop.php?c=viewproduct&pid=939&cat=54&sid=sidd4c00714d96ab2462e80bb62177cd463

If not then it is time to give a body shop a great wedge of your hard earned for Christmas, they will sand your handy work off in seconds and all at no extra charge.

 

Alan

 

 

 

[Nick Jones]

Chips Away seem to be a bunch of chancers these days - though IIRC it's a franchise so will depend on the attitude of your local "agent".  I'd have thought that a bit of shopping around should get it done for under £200.

The odd battle scar is inevitable........ The A6 has a (fairly small) scar on the front bumper accidently, if carelessly  inflicted by a "gentleman" with a drastically overloaded trolley in a French supermarket carpark.  Saw him do it and he saw me see him do it...... and legged it in a blind panic!  Had it been more serious I'd probably have gone after him as pretty sure he was English not French - it was the vast amount of booze in the trolley gave it away!

Nick

 

[TR5tar]

Thanks for your comprehensive guidance on how to tackle that scratch Alan. If it's not too cold out over the Christmas week I'll set to it. 

I'll post an "after" photo if it all turns out well. 

Cheers, Darren

Edited December 16, 2018 by TR5tar