Paint chips ?

[Betts-4]

having properly cleaned and detailed my car (basic details with some new products) I have noticed a few more light scratches here and there and some paint chips

Should I worry about these and get them repaired if I’m planning on keeping it

Will it eventually cause me bigger paint problems ?

 

[SRGTD]

Scratches should polish out, provided they aren’t too deep and they don’t ‘catch’ when you run a fingernail over them (the fingernail test).

Provided the paint chips aren’t right through to the metal, you shouldn’t have any rusting issues - they may just look a little unsightly, depending on how many there are and what the colour of your car is. If your car’s a dark colour, paint chips will show up more, as VAG use light coloured primer coats when painting car body shells in the factory.

Can you not repair the paint chips yourself - either with a Seat paint pen or equivalent from the likes of Halfords, various on-line sellers or alternatively, buy a Chipex repair kit? One of the first things I buy when getting a new car is some touch up paint to deal with the inevitable stone chips which unfortunately are an inevitable consequence of poor roads and water based paints. Repairing stone chips is part of my post-car cleaning routine; if I notice any new ones when I wash / dry my car, they get repaired there and then as I don’t like to see them.

 

[Betts-4]

Scratches should polish out, provided they aren’t too deep and they don’t ‘catch’ when you run a fingernail over them (the fingernail test).

Provided the paint chips aren’t right through to the metal, you shouldn’t have any rusting issues - they may just look a little unsightly, depending on how many there are and what the colour of your car is. If your car’s a dark colour, paint chips will show up more, as VAG use light coloured primer coats when painting car body shells in the factory.

Can you not repair the paint chips yourself - either with a Seat paint pen or equivalent from the likes of Halfords, various on-line sellers or alternatively, buy a Chipex repair kit? One of the first things I buy when getting a new car is some touch up paint to deal with the inevitable stone chips which unfortunately are an inevitable consequence of poor roads and water based paints. Repairing stone chips is part of my post-car cleaning routine; if I notice any new ones when I wash / dry my car, they get repaired there and then as I don’t like to see them.

Just wanted to make sure long term it wouldn’t cause an issue.

I plan to get some paint hopefully,it’s black.

How do you go about repairing them ?

 

[SRGTD]

How do you go about repairing them ?

Everyone will have their own preferred method of repairing stone chip damage, but if using a Seat touch up paint pen, Halfords touch up kit or similar and assuming the stone chip damage hasn’t removed the factory primer, I’d do the following;

• Clean any dirt, wax or debris from the stone chip.
• Apply a very small amount of paint to the stone chip. I find the in-cap brush in these paint pens too large, and using them makes it difficult to control the amount of paint you apply. A small amount of paint on the end of a cocktail stick or toothpick works best for me. Don’t attempt to repair the stone chip in one go - building up the paint to the level of the surrounding paint (or very slightly above the level of the existing paint) in thin layers is best, letting each layer of paint dry before applying the next.
• When dry, polish the repair. If you’ve built up the paint layers in the repair so they’re above the level of the surrounding paint, it’ll take more effort to polish the repair level with the existing paint - don’t polish too hard, as there’s a risk you might polish through the clear coat on the surrounding existing paint!
• Apply a coat of protective wax or sealant to the repair.

If you buy a Chipex kit, I’d recommend applying the paint to the repair using a cocktail stick / tooth pick just to the stone chip and not use the ‘smear’ method shown in the YouTube video on the Chipex website at the link below. Doctor Colour Chip kits are also available. I’ve not used these, but they look pretty much like the Chipex kits - link below;

https://www.chipex.co.uk/how-chipex-works/

https://www.drcolourchip.co.uk/

• Clean the affected area to remove wax and dirt using the blending solution applied with the kit. As with the paint pen repair method, build up the paint in layers - ideally to just above the level of the existing paint.
• Remove the surplus paint using the blending solution on the blue cloth wrapped around the foam rubbing block (both the cloth and rubbing block are also supplied as part of the Chipex kit). Rub very gently back and forth across the repaired area to remove any surplus paint so the repair is level with the surrounding paint. Note; this takes a little practice and there’s a good chance with the first few attempts you’ll apply too much pressure and rub too hard, removing too much of the paint you’ve applied to the repair. If you rub too hard or you’ve not used enough blending solution (so the cloth’s too dry), there’s a risk you might inflict swirls to the area surrounding the repair.
• If you’re not happy with the quality of the repair, you can remove all the paint that’s been applied to the repair with the blending solution and start again.
• Once happy with the repair, polish the repaired area using the supplied polish and microfibre cloth.
• Apply some protective wax or sealant to the repair.

People seem to have differing levels of success with the Chipex kits. Getting good results does take time and practice, but it’s easier to rectify mistakes than it is with the Seat paint pens. Also bear in mind that if you’re getting your new car ceramic coated, ceramic coatings don’t stop stone chips.