Stone Chips: ReSpray, Wrap or Full Wrap?

sukrw · Aug 4, 2016

Hi guys,

Just wanted to see on opinions: I have an Audi S3 8V 2013 in Estoril Blue - it was not my first choice in colour but the car/spec/price/availability were correct. Only had it 2 months and when I bought it I didn't realise how stone chipped the bonnet and front bumper is. There is the odd "chip" but there are 100's (if not 1000's) of tiny ones and it looks like specs of dust all over the bonnet. No one notices it but when I wash it I notice it and it winds me up. The rest of the body work paint is mint.

So, options I see are:

1. get bonnet re-sprayed and maybe bumper
2. get the bonnet wrapped - won't be able to colour match audi estoril blue so I thought of maybe a black high gloss on the bonnet and maybe on the roof and rear spoiler to blend it in rather than it looking like a 2nd hand bonnet from a scrapper (or a carbon finish)
3. get the car completely wrapped - complete colour change - maybe go for a much bolder colour - god knows what but huge range of choice.

Your thoughts?

Thanks

moonlight · Aug 4, 2016

Any prices for these options?

Personally i don't like the black bonnet/roof look...looks a tad 'chavvy' and the S3 subtleness is part of its charm.

Even though full wraps do look pretty good...I guess eventually it will need some maintenance ...may need to peel it off especially if you ever sell it....my suggestion is a respray at a reputable company .....only guessing but Estoril should be easy to match?.it is a pearl...and dark......good colour Estoril...I'd keep it

moonlight · Aug 4, 2016

or get a few stone chip sticks! lol.....

sukrw · Aug 4, 2016

moonlight said:
Any prices for these options?

Personally i don't like the black bonnet/roof look...looks a tad 'chavvy' and the S3 subtleness is part of its charm.

Even though full wraps do look pretty good...I guess eventually it will need some maintenance ...may need to peel it off especially if you ever sell it....my suggestion is a respray at a reputable company .....only guessing but Estoril should be easy to match?.it is a pearl...and dark......good colour Estoril...I'd keep it

Thank you, I must admin I don't love the idea of the black roof/bonnet (and agree could look boy-racer style which I'm way too old for now lol) but it was the only colour combination against the estoril blue I could think of which is why I was more inclined on a full wrap.

Not had a quote yet for a front re-spray, I will have to get some quotes. As for wraps: been quoted around £1300 for a full wrap (not door shuts etc) for 3M product or around £350 for roof/bonnet wrap again with 3M products.

batch · Aug 4, 2016

You've got to keep it Estoril mate, that's a very special colour! Respray then 3M invisi-shield it?

Scottyg · Aug 4, 2016

@batch you took the words out my mouth. Re-spray they invisible wrap over bumper and bonnet!

moonlight · Aug 4, 2016

With rest of the body being 'mint' I would still go for the spray.....I maybe tempted with a wrap..if the bodywork was iffy ...but covering Estoril IMO would be a sin!

I once had my Golf Gti bonnet re-sprayed (pearl grey which was just as well as the car was that colour lol) at Audi ...was perfect...but that was back in the 90's and was only £100!..remember gauking at that price....it was in for something else and they pranged it into their garage doors!...so had the bonnet re-sprayed FOC....

moonlight · Aug 4, 2016

any pics?

xpoweruk · Aug 4, 2016

How about get it fixed then have a clear protective wrap applied ??

eg

http://chipguard.co.uk/audi-s3-model-2009-present.html

sukrw · Aug 4, 2016

This is the bonnet - not clean but wiped over with a cloth to remove dust etc and you can see just how many white dust like chips there are - when I got the car I polished and clay bar'd the areas but made no difference. I even tried a T-Cut on there but again nothing.

S32B · Aug 4, 2016

sukrw said:
This is the bonnet - not clean but wiped over with a cloth to remove dust etc and you can see just how many white dust like chips there are - when I got the car I polished and clay bar'd the areas but made no difference. I even tried a T-Cut on there but again nothing.

wow I see what you mean! Thought my black was bad!

There is another option cheaper than a full wrap.....trying to think of it (forum search)....

OK found it http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/wrapping.232291/#post-2319764

Apparently you can go for another colour change and you don't have to tell the DVLA place!

The good side is when you take it back/trade in, you just peel it off!

azibux1 · Aug 4, 2016

Check out chipex maybe?

jungle650 · Aug 4, 2016

azibux1 said:
Check out chipex maybe?

Yes Chipex do great touch up packs. Not cheap but you can often find a club discount code for one. In the pack they suggest for large bad areas ( such as yours! ) you apply the paint onto a soft cloth and wipe over the troubled area. Then blend with solution and repeat. Everything is in the pack. Paint, blend solution, clothes, gloves and cleat coats. It should hide about 90-95% of the road rash you have. This solution will cost you circa £30 -£45 dependent on code etc

Chipsaway - Is another solution (other companies out there as well - take the weekend off etc ) and very dependent upon your local chap but they offer a smart repair solution cheaper than a full bonnet respray. Well worth a look.

A full bonnet respray would probably be the best long term solution, but ultimately it comes down to your own budget. Check out local repair shops, they might not be as expensive as you first thought.

I dont know what the previous owner did to suffer such bad stone chips but I would be with you and want to correct this.

All the best
Jungle

dno_uk · Aug 4, 2016

Find a decent body shop and get the front end sprayed.

It'll be like having a new car again, as mentioned above maybe go for some form of paint protection in future.

azibux1 · Aug 4, 2016

jungle650 said:
Yes Chipex do great touch up packs. Not cheap but you can often find a club discount code for one. In the pack they suggest for large bad areas ( such as yours! ) you apply the paint onto a soft cloth and wipe over the troubled area. Then blend with solution and repeat. Everything is in the pack. Paint, blend solution, clothes, gloves and cleat coats. It should hide about 90-95% of the road rash you have. This solution will cost you circa £30 -£45 dependent on code etc

Chipsaway - Is another solution (other companies out there as well - take the weekend off etc ) and very dependent upon your local chap but they offer a smart repair solution cheaper than a full bonnet respray. Well worth a look.

I dont know what the previous owner did to suffer such bad stone chips but I would be with you and want to correct this.

All the best
Jungle

Yeah exactly this ^^^

Never used it, but it has amazing reviews! Well worth checking it out I'd say

sukrw · Aug 4, 2016

Thanks guys for all your help and advice. I will look into each of the options mentioned and see what the best fix per dollar will be I guess. Good call on the products and advice. I knew I could ask for help here and get loads of good advice and thoughts. You guys rock.

Thanks. Will post pics when I get it sorted

batch · Aug 4, 2016

Just had a close look at the picture. That's a front end respray all day long, then fork out for VentureShield for bonnet and bumper.

sukrw · Aug 5, 2016

batch said:
Just had a close look at the picture. That's a front end respray all day long, then fork out for VentureShield for bonnet and bumper.

Yes it's very odd when you look close at the paint work, it's almost like it's overspray or something as 99% of the little white marks have no "edges" to them like a bigger chip i.e. you can't feel them with your fingernail but I'm sure t-cut and polish/clay would have made a difference so they must be little chips.

I'm going to see if I can swing by the local chips away tonight and let them have a look and see if they can estimate if they can repair it - if not I will look into the chipex and/or a local garage for a respray.

Most annoying but everyone I show the bonnet to says "can't see it - just looks like dust, i would leave it as it is" but I see it every time I was or polish the car and true you can't really tell after it has a bit of dirt/dust on it from daily driving but hey that's why we are on forums like this as we are a bit more "into our cars" I guess.

Gazwould · Aug 5, 2016

Be the envy of your friends and people of this forum , treat it to a wonderful nose bag...

Falmouthboy · Aug 5, 2016

A decent respray of the offended panels is the only option if it's that bad. We've had reasonable success with chipex, but it's not a total solution. Good result for the cost though if you take your time doing it.

If you get the panels resprayed don't bother with the added cost of 3m invisible wrap. The respray should be far more durable than the original paintwork and unless you plan to keep the car a long time or drive a lot of motorway miles it will take a long time to get unsightly again.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

sukrw · Aug 5, 2016

Just got a very ball park figure from the repair shop my local audi dealer use (part of the same group) and they have quoted:

Bonnet - £600 + vat
Bonnet + Bumper - £750 + vat

3 day job - I think they sand it all back not just spray over it and they will blend it into the wings as a fresh Estoril Blue on the bonnet will stand out.

So that's the "audi" price.

0B1001001 · Aug 5, 2016

Gazwould said:
Be the envy of your friends and people of this forum , treat it to a wonderful nose bag...

I saw a BMW with one of these things once. I nearly cried I was laughing at it so much...

Gazwould · Aug 5, 2016

Yeah ok , the full on gimp mask is the best .

imageuploadedbytapatalk1347076665-301820-jpg.6722

Jassyo06 · Aug 5, 2016

Small Private bodyshop and not the big named boys,l reckon for a respray of the front ie,wings,bumper,bonnet,£1200 banger £300 a panel...you cant respray just the bonnet and bumper....front wings need to done aswell

Falmouthboy · Aug 5, 2016

jassyo06 said:
Small Private bodyshop and not the big named boys,l reckon for a respray of the front ie,wings,bumper,bonnet,£1200 banger £300 a panel...you cant respray just the bonnet and bumper....front wings need to done aswell

Exactly, you will get a far better (and more reasonable) job done by a small local guy with a good reputation near you, who doesn't 'feed' off inflated jobs for insurance companies.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

sukrw · Aug 6, 2016

Lol for £1200 I may just close my eyes when I dry the car after washing it and pretend it's all perfect

I've got a detailer coming round later to confirm its road rash and needs a respray or if it's something on the surface that can be fixed. Guessing it's road rash. Hey ho

sukrw · Aug 6, 2016

Yep it's road rash! Sigh

if Audi will do bonnet wings and bumper for £900 ish then maybe a local garage might get it done for around £500/£600. Hhmmm

Jassyo06 · Aug 7, 2016

sukrw said:
Yep it's road rash! Sigh

if Audi will do bonnet wings and bumper for £900 ish then maybe a local garage might get it done for around £500/£600. Hhmmm

You can only ask mate and it's not worth doing again if you don't protect the bonnet and bumper with some transparent opti coat like kit...as you know it will just happen all over again

sukrw · Aug 29, 2016

Just a quick update. I bought a bottle of turtle wax color Magic, I got the black rather than blue as my blue is very dark. Polished the hell out the bonnet and to my surprise it looks very much better. Ok, it's no respray and won't last but for 30 mins elbow grease I'm very pleased with the results. Would recommend to anyone who has road rash or swirls that needs it to look "better" without forking out loads of dollars!

I know the purists will argue and say respray is the only way, but hey it's a quick cheap solution that covers most of it up.

Below is the after polish results. The before polish is earlier in this thread.

jungle650 · Aug 29, 2016

Cant beat a bit of spit n polish

Thats looking better.

Jungle

S32B · Aug 29, 2016

Big difference, have you gone over with a wax to seal it?

Jassyo06 · Aug 29, 2016

Used this stuff on my Milano red FN2....Its good stuff but comes off in the wash

sukrw · Aug 29, 2016

S32B said:
Big difference, have you gone over with a wax to seal it?

Yes I put a layer of wax on it to try and seal it in to prevent it coming out when washing. Will see how it goes I guess. Just happy it looks good for now

Ruhel · Aug 29, 2016

sukrw said:
Just a quick update. I bought a bottle of turtle wax color Magic, I got the black rather than blue as my blue is very dark. Polished the hell out the bonnet and to my surprise it looks very much better. Ok, it's no respray and won't last but for 30 mins elbow grease I'm very pleased with the results. Would recommend to anyone who has road rash or swirls that needs it to look "better" without forking out loads of dollars!
I know the purists will argue and say respray is the only way, but hey it's a quick cheap solution that covers most of it up.
Below is the after polish results. The before polish is earlier in this thread.

Just put for before picture up to see the difference. Amazing!

Looks amazing man. Is it permanent or do you need to repeat regularly?

sukrw · Aug 29, 2016

I was sceptical if it would make any difference and when I started applying it I didn't think it had done anything. But I did a few coats and buffing and was taken aback just how different it is. You can hardly see any of the white speck on it now. It truly looks so much better.not washed it yet since doing it as today was the first time I've tried it. Will give an update next weekend after its washed. But I'm pleased so far.
It's also reduced massively the swirl marks from previous polishes.
£9 well spent, so far. Even if I have to repeat it once a month I will be happy.

Ruhel · Aug 29, 2016

sukrw said:
I was sceptical if it would make any difference and when I started applying it I didn't think it had done anything. But I did a few coats and buffing and was taken aback just how different it is. You can hardly see any of the white speck on it now. It truly looks so much better.not washed it yet since doing it as today was the first time I've tried it. Will give an update next weekend after its washed. But I'm pleased so far.
It's also reduced massively the swirl marks from previous polishes.
£9 well spent, so far. Even if I have to repeat it once a month I will be happy.

£9! Well gonna have to have a go to see if it works on the little scratches on the doors.

moonlight · Aug 30, 2016

it looks outstanding......I have used it before albeit several years ago so may well have improved.....unfortunately it will come off in the wash..go gentle when washing that area and you may only need to spend half the time second time round...I'd be happy re-applying every wash to save that kind of money...........l...although to get a true comparison you should have waited for the exact same clouds to appear across your bonnet!!!lol

Let us know how it fairs

sukrw · Sep 4, 2016

Quick after wash update.

Washed and dried the car as per usual. Didn't take it any easier than a normal wash.

A bit of the polish has been washed out but I would say a good 70-80% has stayed in place and the bonnet still looks very good.

I'm guessing every 3rd wash or maybe 4th wash will need another polish and wax.

Happy with that

Hope it helps others ....

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