ghostwriter11

I was on 99 near Fresno when I came up on a truck carrying gravel or some kind of dirt.

Before I could brake, the blow-off was taking tiny chunks out of my paint (I'll post pics as soon as I can). They look like they go all the way down to the bare metal on my top and hood.They're about a 1/32 of an inch across.

Is there some kind of repair or at least first-aid I can apply to keep these ****** from getting bigger, rusting, etc. ????

I expect crap like this on my plastic bumper cover, but when it happens to metal parts of the car, I get really PO'd.

TOGWT

A surface scratch that will `catch' your fingernail is approximately 0.004" deep will usually require wet sanding and refinishing. There comes a point when you must judge wither removing a scratch will compromise the clear coat, there is a need to refinish the paint surface or ‘live’ with the imperfection

Marine Blue

Unfortunately you will either have to touch up or respray.

If you do choose to respray you may want to consider a clear bra.

Gravel trucks suck, I can always tell when there's one in front of me miles ahead by the increased rocks ricocheting off my windshield.

I make it a point to stay away from other cars when I hear this and then speed past the truck as soon as I spot it.

Jon996

Scratches are a bitch, but I have had limited success with the Lanka system for chips. With this system you use your touch up paint, let it dry for several hours, then use a chemical to carefully dissolve the not-quite set paint. With practice you can actually level the "blob" very well. I have had good luck with actual chips--not much with scratches.

http://www.langka.com/chip-scratch-repair-c-21.html

ghostwriter11

A friend suggested that I fill in the tiny pits with clear fingernail polish (lacquer) just as protection. Anybody ever done this?

HighEndDetailing

TOGWT is probably correct. I would simply wetsand the surface with 2k grit then 2500 grit sand paper and then polish it out with a compound then polish the finishing polish then jewel the surface.

TOGWT

Re-finishing paint from a body shop cannot replicate the conditions of the factory paint shop. OEM production lines carefully control the temperature of the panel, dust, spray pattern, time, etc. then then 'bake' tha paint at high temperatures to cure / harden the paint. Also they start with clean body panels ( body with a white e-coat) the body shop will just scuff up the paint surface to enable a bond and then re-spray making the paint thick in that spot. A metallic paint finish makes it extremely difficult to obtain a OEM finish or even a decent “match’ as the factory uses an electrostatic paint gun so the metallic flakes "stand up", which gives the paint surface a ‘glitter effect’.

It's also worth noting that an 'original' paint has a higher re-sale value than a vehicle that's been refinished

Marine Blue

If the chips are to bare metal he can't wetsand and correct the paint without first filling it. Did I miss something here?

HighEndDetailing

but he could use touch up then wet sand that!

Marine Blue

Yeah that is definitely the way to go.

Like Jon, I've also had very good luck with Langka. It acts like a liquid sandpaper but it focuses on the touch up paint before it has had a chance to completely harden. If you practice on a spot you will get the hang of it quickly and then you can do the more visible areas.

HighEndDetailing

well if you wanna wait till next summer i will be taking a few trips out to arizona and cali. i could do it for you. haha but i doubt you wanna wait that long.