Got hit by a rock!

Manksgloob · 06-09-2006, 02:38 AM

I was driving home on a freeway this afternoon, about 5 car lengths behind and one lane to the left of a semi.

We reached an underpass when the truck kicked up a jagged rock the size of a walnut. I saw it coming in slow motion and drifted to my left in an attempt to avoid it.
Apparently it was not enough; I heard a sickening thunk and saw that the rock had bounced off the front of my car up over the windshield towards my right where it could then strike another unfortunate soul's car.

As soon as I got home I inspected the damage.
My heart dropped when I saw this:
[attachmentid=3743]
(Bumper, front passenger side -- sorry no size references. I'd say a little smaller than 1/2 of a dime.)

Less than a month in my possesion, and I've already got a chip down to the plastic! Not only that, but also 4 or 5 other tiny spots that are missing paint.

Yes, yes, I know I a clear bra would have prevented this.
I guess I should have gotten one, but it's too late for this situation. Perhaps I'll get one after I touch up the current mess.

Anyway, I went to the nearest Toyota dealership and purchased one of those touch-up paint brushes (for ~$13) and set off to fix it myself. Unfortunately I had no idea how to do a good job (and I had forgotten to purchase some clearcoat -- it's okay though. I need to wait 24 hours before applying it anyway.)
Googling "car touch up tips" yielded several results, but nothing I seemed to be able to do.
Toothpicks just couldn't coat the chip properly, plus the fact this is a side surface and so the paint tended to drip downwards if I put too much on.
I finally managed to get a thin enough of a layer to make it not stick out or bulge in a too noticable fashion but I am really not satisfied.

This is the result:
[attachmentid=3744]

This is the result from about five feet back:
[attachmentid=3745]
(It looks worse in real life though; the pictures make it seem like such a small deal.

)

I'm so bummed out about it.
So I ask you other PriusChatters for help. What can I do to make it look better, short of taking it to a body shop?

Rick Grahn · 06-09-2006, 07:14 AM

I know you are in California, but in Chicago area, there is a company called "The Plastics Surgeons" that specialize in repairing vehicle plastic to look as good as new. I saw some of their before and after work...very impressive.

I wonder if there is an outfit like that out your way?

grasshopper · 06-09-2006, 09:13 AM

Go here http://www.guidetodetailing.com/topics.php?topicId=19 and look for repairing chips and scratches by David Bynon.

Something that I don't think he mentions and I belive is very important is to contain the damaged area by putting blue easy off masking tape around the damaged area. Don't make the damaged area any larger!

SSimon · 06-09-2006, 02:26 PM

same thing happend to me a few months after i bought my car. a rock chipped the paint and dented my driver side, passenger door. i took mine to a body shop to pull the dent and touch up the paint. short of this, they said they'd have to strip and repaint the entire door which would've been a lot more money. i opted for the cheaper of the two and though the damage is still visible to me, no one else seems to notice much. they did a nice job pulling the dent and the cost was slightly over $100.

Jeff Beaver · 06-09-2006, 04:33 PM

Something that has worked well for me, particularly for small nicks, is to pick up a tiny blob of paint on a fine pointed artists brush, and transfer the blob to the nick, encouraging it to stick up above the surrounding paint -- creating a tiny pimple when it dries. After it's thoroughly dry I take a new single edge razor blade, and with a VERY LIGHT TOUCH prop it up so its nearly laying flat on the paint surface, and then I ever so gently push it over the pimple, and voila, the top gets shaved off and the patch is almost undetectable. Unfortunately, this doesn't work too well on anything larger than a pinhead nick, so your gouge may not be helped much.

AlphaTeam · 06-09-2006, 06:48 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Manksgloob @ Jun 9 2006, 02:38 AM) [snapback]268470[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

Yes, yes, I know I a clear bra would have prevented this.
I guess I should have gotten one, but it's too late for this situation. Perhaps I'll get one after I touch up the current mess.

[/b]

That is not always true. I got a nice little ding in my hood UNDER my bra. So a bra might not have protected you from a walnut sized rock.

I just got a spray on clear coat chip protector on my bumper, because I couldn't a bumper bra to fit the 2006. So we will see how that goes. It looks A LOT nicer than the 3M Bra.

B Rad · 06-09-2006, 06:55 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Manksgloob @ Jun 9 2006, 01:38 AM) [snapback]268470[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

What can I do to make it look better, short of taking it to a body shop?
[/b]

Check out this web site if they don't have your color then I believe they will custom make it. I used thier products on another car with great results by just following thier directions. http://www.paintscratch.com/

darelldd · 06-09-2006, 07:02 PM

Lots of car clubs swear by Langka blob eliminator

I've just ordered a kit for myself to try.

06-09-2006, 02:38 AM	#1
Manksgloob Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: California Posts: 125 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #6 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	I was driving home on a freeway this afternoon, about 5 car lengths behind and one lane to the left of a semi. We reached an underpass when the truck kicked up a jagged rock the size of a walnut. I saw it coming in slow motion and drifted to my left in an attempt to avoid it. Apparently it was not enough; I heard a sickening thunk and saw that the rock had bounced off the front of my car up over the windshield towards my right where it could then strike another unfortunate soul's car. As soon as I got home I inspected the damage. My heart dropped when I saw this: [attachmentid=3743] (Bumper, front passenger side -- sorry no size references. I'd say a little smaller than 1/2 of a dime.) Less than a month in my possesion, and I've already got a chip down to the plastic! Not only that, but also 4 or 5 other tiny spots that are missing paint. Yes, yes, I know I a clear bra would have prevented this. I guess I should have gotten one, but it's too late for this situation. Perhaps I'll get one after I touch up the current mess. Anyway, I went to the nearest Toyota dealership and purchased one of those touch-up paint brushes (for ~$13) and set off to fix it myself. Unfortunately I had no idea how to do a good job (and I had forgotten to purchase some clearcoat -- it's okay though. I need to wait 24 hours before applying it anyway.) Googling "car touch up tips" yielded several results, but nothing I seemed to be able to do. Toothpicks just couldn't coat the chip properly, plus the fact this is a side surface and so the paint tended to drip downwards if I put too much on. I finally managed to get a thin enough of a layer to make it not stick out or bulge in a too noticable fashion but I am really not satisfied. This is the result: [attachmentid=3744] This is the result from about five feet back: [attachmentid=3745] (It looks worse in real life though; the pictures make it seem like such a small deal. ) I'm so bummed out about it. So I ask you other PriusChatters for help. What can I do to make it look better, short of taking it to a body shop? __________________ 2006 Classic Silver, package #7 Costal EV Mod -------------------- * Orangest.org * Currently on GBStv:

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06-09-2006, 07:14 AM	#2
Rick Grahn Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Illinois Posts: 282 My Car: 2005 Prius Package: #9 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	I know you are in California, but in Chicago area, there is a company called "The Plastics Surgeons" that specialize in repairing vehicle plastic to look as good as new. I saw some of their before and after work...very impressive. I wonder if there is an outfit like that out your way?

06-09-2006, 09:13 AM	#3
grasshopper Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Myrtle Beach SC Posts: 412 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Go here http://www.guidetodetailing.com/topics.php?topicId=19 and look for repairing chips and scratches by David Bynon. Something that I don't think he mentions and I belive is very important is to contain the damaged area by putting blue easy off masking tape around the damaged area. Don't make the damaged area any larger!

06-09-2006, 02:26 PM	#4
SSimon Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: N/W of Chicago Posts: 1,241 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #4 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 3	same thing happend to me a few months after i bought my car. a rock chipped the paint and dented my driver side, passenger door. i took mine to a body shop to pull the dent and touch up the paint. short of this, they said they'd have to strip and repaint the entire door which would've been a lot more money. i opted for the cheaper of the two and though the damage is still visible to me, no one else seems to notice much. they did a nice job pulling the dent and the cost was slightly over $100.

06-09-2006, 04:33 PM	#5
Jeff Beaver Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 36 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Something that has worked well for me, particularly for small nicks, is to pick up a tiny blob of paint on a fine pointed artists brush, and transfer the blob to the nick, encouraging it to stick up above the surrounding paint -- creating a tiny pimple when it dries. After it's thoroughly dry I take a new single edge razor blade, and with a VERY LIGHT TOUCH prop it up so its nearly laying flat on the paint surface, and then I ever so gently push it over the pimple, and voila, the top gets shaved off and the patch is almost undetectable. Unfortunately, this doesn't work too well on anything larger than a pinhead nick, so your gouge may not be helped much.

06-09-2006, 07:02 PM	#8
darelldd Prius is our Gas Guzzler Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northern CA Posts: 4,254 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #6 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 8	Lots of car clubs swear by Langka blob eliminator I've just ordered a kit for myself to try.