imported_kasimmmmm

Hello all. I have a 2004 civic coupe and I do a lot of highway driving. My car has a lot of chips and scratches now and its starting to look bad. There not all over the place but in certain areas of the car. I don't know much about paint. Do I have to repaint the whole hood or can I get away by just claying it?
Thanks in advance.
-kasim

Jacob

imported_kane2k

I wouldn't bother touching up stone chips. It's not like you're not going to get another 5 for every one you fix. A friend of mine has a car with many and there are a few that have been touched up, given a year or so to age on the car, I think stone chips looks better than touch up paint. Just don't follow so closely and you'll get way less.

scarlemthug

The best way to stop it is to get that 3M clear stuff and put it on ur bumper. IT may be noticeable on some colors but you wont get any stone chips on ur bumper.

Cyberkinetic

I have an 01 civic and have had the same problem. I have about 95,000km on it now, 90% highway driven. My suggestion is not to touch up the bumper. Sure you can get that new double sided pen from Honda with the paint on one side and clear coat on the other, but it makes it look worse (trust me I know). I got in to a fender bender a while back, so my bumper was repainted anyway, but within a year, the stone chips devoured my hood and bumper again. I had some other body work done to my car a year later, and had it repainted again, this time for free. This time I decided to be pro-active about this problem, so I searched for an after market bra. Unfortunately since they haven't been popular for many years now, they're tough to find. You can get them quite easily from Honda, but you'll pay $300 (tax incl). I ended up having my body shop guy order me one and saved a bit of money (cost me $200 tax incl. for the actual honda bra, which is a two piece - hood and bumper). I paid about $150 to get my bumper painted the first time, incase you want an idea of what it will cost. I'd like to suggest using the clear 3M plastic because it's less of a headache to wash your car, etc, but I don't know how easy it is to apply, nor how much it costs. However if you'd like to see a pic of my car with the bra on, lemme know and I'll post a pic. If you have any further questions feel free to pm me, as I have shared your pain with the stone chip problem.

gladiator

hey i have the same problem with stone chips. i find driving slower reduces the severity of the chips since the don't smash into your car as fast.

i was thinking of getting the 2 piece oem nose mask but wasn't sure whether it was worth it. since it looks like a pain to put on and take off. and also the extra effort required to make sure it doesn't scratch the paint underneath the bra.

can you post a pic? was it worth it? did it really save you from chips? or was it more a waste of timie and effort?

TIA

Cyberkinetic

*Note* this same message was sent to gladiator's pm box.


Since the nose mask covers the areas of your car that are most suseptable to stone chips, it is very effective. However, it is not for everyone. The first time I put it on, it took me about 15 mins, now it takes me about 2-3 mins to put it on or to take it off. You must wax the hood and bumper every onece in a while (I do mine once every 3-4 weeks) before applying the bra to avoid swirls in your paint. I've put it on before without any wax on the car, and this has happened, but I got the swirls out with a little wax, so no big deal. I take the bra off everytime I wash my car, and really only use it when taking trips out of the city (so when highway driving). I often take the bra off and drive without it if I'm just going to be doing city driving, just because I'm worried that the sun will eventually fade the paint unevenly-more so where the bra is not covering the car. Essentially I only use it when necessary. Personally, I am happy with the bra, and feel it was well worth the money. I haven't noticed a new stone chip since buying it in May. I have the blue 2001 DX model with black trim and side mirrors so I think the black mask looks pretty good on my car. I would suggest the bra to anyone who is really concerned about stone chips and doesn't mind the additional hassle of putting on and taking it off every once in a while. I have never caused a scratch through the application or removal of the bra, so thats not something you should worry about. Also they suggest you remove the mask everytime it rains or gets wet, but this is a little hardcore. I always just leave it on when it rains and I wash it + wipe it down with armour all every once in a while to keep it clean and looking new. I will post pics a.s.a.p., however if there are any further questions in the meantime, please feel free to ask.

red90dx

to the car BRA