[hems77]

Hi

I've had my E90 320d M Sport in Le Mans blue for almost 3 months now and am loving it. Except for the stone chips it has picked up recently which is really annoying me now.

Initially when I bought the car it had a few marks/stone chips on the front which the dealer tried to sort out before I collected the car. They had cleaned up some but I think they could have done more, but didn't want to as I got it for a good price and I don't think they wanted to spend any more time or money on it.

Anyway since then I have picked up a lot more stone chips which I am really fed up with. I was thinking of touching them up, t-cutting and waxing and repeating this every few months to help mask them over time. But I now think I may be beyond this. So today I thought I'd pop to my local dealer in my lunch break who I know have a bodyshop and see what they think. The guy had a look and said really the best solution would be to pull the bumper off and completely respray it at a cost of £300+vat. Or have the whole front done including the bonnet for £1700+vat. These are just too high and can't afford it right now.

I just wanted advice of any one who has had the same problem or has a good solution for stone chips? Like I say I've only had the car nearly 3 months and it's an 07 plate with 44k, I know I can't escape stone chips completely but it's just annoying as I haven't had it long and it's like this already.

Has any one used Chips Away are they any good? Or can any one recommend a good bodyshop or independant bmw bodyshop in the coventry area who could help? Or has anyone gone through their insurance to sort theirs - if so what would you say and how would it impact no claims/excess etc. I don't know if going down the insurance route would be an option as after I got my car, my local council started re-surfacing a road near me and I think this is where a lot of my stone chips may have come from. Not sure if this would be a valid case for an insurance claim???

Any help/advice would be great!

Thanks

[E92Fan]

Unfortunately, you've discovered the major weakness in a modern BMWs armoury - really 'soft' paint. Like everyone else, BMW have had to go to water-based paints and the result is that the finish just isn't as hard-wearing as they used to be.

Stone chips are a very common occurrence nowadays and either you live with them, or you take drastic action to avoid them. If you had one or two chips, then using a local SMART repairer like Chips Away might work to mask the damage. However if you have several chips, you really can't SMART repair them because the end result will look like your car has developed paint spots everywhere!

Your only solution to get rid of them is a respray. If the stone chips are confined to the bumper, you can get just the bumper redone. If you have chips on the bonnet as well, then you'll need the whole bonnet, bumper, and front of the rings resprayed and blended. I had this done on my car because of the amount of stone chips I picked up on my various trips to the Nurburgring (travelling at high speeds on motorways exacerbates the problem). I went to Specialised Paintwork in Reading who did an absolutely incredible respray, and for quite a bit less than the £1700+VAT you got quoted from your local bodyshop.

Having had the front end resprayed, I then went straight to Paintshield and had the entire front end protected in their transparent film. It's been fantastic so far, hardly visible to the eye, and has protected the front end from all sorts of damage. Wasn't cheap though at around £900 (I can't remember exactly) - have a look at the link in my signature below for the Paintshield details and review.

Being honest, I think it's pointless having the car resprayed if you don't then take steps to protect the front end from repeat damage. You could just have the bumper resprayed, then Paintshield the bumper to protect it... that would be a substantial amount less than a full front rectification and protection...

[RichardM]

There are quite a few guides on detailingworld.co.uk, have a look at this one:
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/foru...archid=6854224

[Dr Dave]

Got a couple on mine, right on the leading edge of the bonnet ffs!

Time to get a cocktail stick and me touch-up out!

[MOB]

Dr colorchips is a good option

[hems77]

thanks for the replies guys

i think im tempted to look at it myself - as long as i do it properly. the examples on detailing world make it look easy. would you use a electric circular buffer machine to help?

dr colorchips?? what is this??

[hems77]

Originally Posted by MOB

Dr colorchips is a good option

i had a google around for dr colorchips - it looks pretty good and might be worth a try.

any one on here with any experience using this?

does any one know where to buy from in the UK?

thanks

[MOB]

I dont think you can get it in the UK directly, I got mine from a group buy over on Detailing World. The issue is the postage cost - much more cost-effective to buy several sets

Not got round to using it yet, but it gets pretty good reviews on there.

[hems77]

Hi

just picking up on this..

i contacted dr colorchip in the states to make sure they could do my colour - le mans blue. they replied back and gave me the colour code.

just wondered though, has any one had this before for le mans blue? did you get good results?

i think bimmian.com sell the same kit too, but don't think they have le mans blue.

Any ideas where else I might be able to order from?

cheers

[lolololol]

I have a few stonechips currently - then again I use the car everyday so it is to be expected. They have never really been that bad to overly worry me.

[tomgrey]

Agh! Stone ship on the bonnet of the car. Only 1100 miles on the clock. Gutted. Have called paintshield to ask for quote to have clear stuff put on. Waiting for call back.
I am based in Bristol, does anyone know someone good at stone chips? I called chips away and the guy said they could do pillars and bumpers, but not the bonnet. He said they were only allowed to use water based paint and that the best thing to do was get a paint stick and touch it up. Or else, get the whole bonnet resprayed. He said he coud not help.
The car is white and the stone chip is showing dark colour, so has gone through at least top layer.
Any ideas anyone?

[Petem95]

Some of the guys at work have had little mobile chip repair people come and sort out stone chips, and I've always been well impressed with the results. Basically you can't see where the chips were and the cost is usually quite fair (< £100 for a few chips)

I wouldn't even bother thinking about doing my own stone-chip repairs on something under 3-4 years old.

[superbow]

I have had le mans blue from dr colorchips, very good match, simple to use and great at covering the motorway rash of chips