[10FLSTC]

Folks, my 02 M5 is otherwise pristine, but it has a few rock chips on the hood.

Whats the best way to fix these? I dont want to re-touch, that usually looks horrible.

So I think I could either have my hood re-sprayed, or the other option would be for someone to re-spray just the front part and blend it in.

Can a skilled painter really blend it in that well?

What would should I estimate my cost of a hood re-spray.

 

[jrsuh85]

I was quoted $500 a while back

 

[OptimusPrimeM5]

There are some folks that quote they can sucessfully touchup the nicks, unfortuneately I have never seen it done successfully. In my opinion $500 sounds low as I would hope they are blending with the front fenders other wise it wont look right. Also, if your hood is requiring it I also presume your front bumper cover would need attention as well? Why not have it all done at one time, get a few quotes and report back. Its hard to quote prices as those are generally market tuned and depend on type of shop you go to. When your done slap a clear bra on it and your good to go.

 

[Beemer Guy]

Yes, a skilled painter can blend it in so that you never notice.

However, as mentioned you probably need to have the bumper cover done as well, and I'd suggest the fenders too. If you decide to sell it later, you need to show the buyer that it was repainted for rock chips, not due to an accident. Have that noted on the invoice.

I'd suggest that if you are going to do this, first try to touch up the nicks. Why? Because it's a lot cheaper! And if you do screw it up - who cares? You're going to repaint it anyway! Take your time, be careful, and it may not be that bad.

Are you going to park the car or continue to drive it? If it's the latter, then you'll just get more rock chips. I'd suggest the touch up paint.

 

[ard]

First, with clearcoated paint you MUST clearcoat an entire panel...so the hood to all edges must be done.

You can (and in fact must) 'blend' the color to 'mid panel'... If you color to the edge and do not 'feather', the discontinuity between the panels will be obvious. (This is why damage at the edge of one door will require paint and clearcoat of that door AND the neighboring panel.


My guess for the hood is that you can blend the color up onto the hood.... $500 is cheap.

 

[Feld1128]

Ard is correct, you can blend the basecoat but not the clear on a big flat surface like a hood. The only time you can blend clear is if there is an edge where you can break off the blend so it is not noticeable. Touch up you will always see especially with a basecoat clearcoat system, straight colors like imola red will touch up better than metalic colors.

 

[Sales Geek]

$500 isn't bad for a re-spray. I just paid $400 (negotiated a 'frequent flyer' discount with my body shop) to have the hood on another of my cars repainted. Like the M5 it has clearcoat and I'd say the hood is only slightly bigger (2002 Maxima).

Trust me, it's money well spent if for no other reason than you spend your quality time looking over the hood. Plus if you clean it up really nice a good shiny hood will draw the eye more than that little nick or two on the bumper. Either way, if you care about your drive like most folks here do it'll drive you nuts until you have it repainted...hiha

 

[ard]

Ard is correct, you can blend the basecoat but not the clear on a big flat surface like a hood. The only time you can blend clear is if there is an edge where you can break off the blend so it is not noticeable. Touch up you will always see especially with a basecoat clearcoat system, straight colors like imola red will touch up better than metalic colors.

To quibble then this isn't a 'blend'....

 

[captain_anonymous_2003]

I don't know if this helps but I tell you my recent experience as I had some paintwork done on my car. There were a few niggles I wanted sorted out.

Bad dint on the bonnet, bad scuff and bad chips due to rock strike on the motorway. It was peppered actually.
Rear bumper, bad scuff in the corner and PDC sensors needed doing as they were replaced and not colour coded.
Filler cap area bubbling, found to be surface rust, it was all ground out and the area repainted.
Side skirt scuff.

When I took it down to be looked at they said that the only way to properly do the bonnet is to redo the entire thing. They had blended the bonnet into the fenders at the front quite nicely. The only part I am perhaps less pleased with is there is a slight run on the paint on the bumper (but you'd not notice it), but for now it'll stay like that until I can be bothered to do anything with it, everything else was fine. I was particularly pleased with the bonnet, filler cap and side skirt. I got all this work done for £420 which even the repairer said was a bargain (but then he would wouldn't he). When he was quoting he attributed about £250 for the bonnet only.

I also have a couple of other chips I want repaired as there is a spot of rust (which I forgot about before dropping it off so they weren't done). We took a close look at these and it seems they are surface only and should take a day or so to repair, so that'll be the next job!

I am wondering if I can polish out the run on the bumper though by machining it?

 

[10FLSTC]

Very helpful, thanks for all the advice, guys.

 

[Feld1128]

To quibble then this isn't a 'blend'....

Yes it is, a blend is anytime you do not refinish the entire panel. If you have a sharp edge within the same panel where you can backtape and stop the clear at that edge versus clearing to the panels edge it is a blend. Not possible on a flat panel like a hood, just to quibble.

 

[ard]

I wasn't thinking.