Large chip in my hood 😭 What would you do?

[Broncette]

So upset that I just found this huge chunk taken out of my hood. I'm super anal about my car and only use touchless washes, park super far in the parking lot so no one dings me, etc.

Last week I noticed someone managed to ding my rear driver's side door anyways.

It's not horrible but I notice it. I think the dent might honestly be too small to fix. But that's not why I posted. This just piled on top of that. Today I see a very large chip in my hood. The rest of my paint is essentially flawless so I don't think this is a warranty issue, just bad luck.

I'm going to ask the dealer the cost to fix it but my husband said he thinks it will be ridiculous. Anyone else gone through with a fix like that? I'm willing to pay a couple hundred dollars if it will be close to new. Otherwise maybe I just use a touch up pen? I'm really upset and it feels like it's out of my control. What does everyone here think? What would you do?

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[davidb1841]

I bought a black GTI in 2010.....when I washed it I found a big chip out of the roof all the way down to bare metal. Similar to what you have. The VW dealer said they "had a guy" who stopped by weekly to fix such things without a trip to a body shop. He fixed it in very short order. They only had my car for the morning. Couldn't even tell where the damage was.

 

[Mark S.]

What does everyone here think? What would you do?

Do you plan to drive your car off road? If so, I would breath a sigh of relief that you no longer have to dread the first paint chip.

Some people pay a lot of money to make their cars look "used." Believe it or not, the truck in the photo below is painted to look the way it does. I'm not suggesting you should want your Bronco Sport to look like that, but it's no longer a "new" vehicle, so I don't think it's unreasonable to expect it look a bit used.

 

[Broncette]

Do you plan to drive your car off road? If so, I would breath a sigh of relief that you no longer have to dread the first paint chip.

Some people pay a lot of money to make their cars look "used." Believe it or not, the truck in the photo below is painted to look the way it does. I'm not suggesting you should want your Bronco Sport to look like that, but it's no longer a "new" vehicle, so I don't think it's unreasonable to expect it look a bit used.

It's definitely a mindset, I totally get the sentiment. I'm very much bothered when something of mine is "not right" and I know this is more related to my anxiety than anything else. We did just buy a camper so while I'm not planning on off roading I might see several gravel roads this summer.

 

[Broncette]

I bought a black GTI in 2010.....when I washed it I found a big chip out of the roof all the way down to bare metal. Similar to what you have. The VW dealer said they "had a guy" who stopped by weekly to fix such things without a trip to a body shop. He fixed it in very short order. They only had my car for the morning. Couldn't even tell where the damage was.

Do you remember how much it cost you?

 

[davidb1841]

Do you remember how much it cost you?

It was new...they didn't charge me.....but it could not have cost $200....because they didn't have my car long enough for it to be expensive.

 

[RiotfunK]

I’ve never had a vehicle chip down to bare metal with every chip like the bronco does. Their paint also doesn’t blend the best using a chip stick. Need to go to body shop to have it blended for it to not look really obvious. Mines black and is noticeable.
Problem with the hood is it’s aluminum and the rock strikes usually make little dents/deformities causing bigger chips and taking paint completely off.
Get it touched up and blended at a shop and then get it clear wrapped. Really your only option.

 

[AndyMac204]

thats fancy paint, so it might get a lil expensive. generally you need to sand out the chip, apply filler (if needed), seal, prime, paint and clear the entire hood. probably cost $500-$700 range. or you can touch it up with a paint pen from the dealer.

 

[Bucko]

There are several sites, including your dealer, that offer repair touchup paint that matches your color (depending on how old the paint is, as it can fade). At the very least, I'd consider touching it up if the chip is down to the meta, otherwise the exposed metal can and will rust.

If you don't use your dealer, here is a link to a common site that explains how even a novice can do a repair:

https://drcolorchip.com/how-it-works/

 

[FakeCowboy]

Paint protection film pays for itself over time if you care about the appearance. For about $500 I covered the bumper, part of the fenders and hood, a-pillars and part of the roof with 3M Pro PPF.

 

[Broncette]

Paint protection film pays for itself over time if you care about the appearance. For about $500 I covered the bumper, part of the fenders and hood, a-pillars and part of the roof with 3M Pro PPF.

Will that prevent chips completely?

 

[FakeCowboy]

Will that prevent chips completely?

from the garden variety of stones and debris that you come across on most road ways, yes. It's also self healing. I don't understand why people spend hundreds of dollars on those front hood deflectors when for not much more they could have most of their front end protected instead of just a few inches of their hood.

I suggest doing some research on paint protection film to see how much it can protect.

 

[Broncette]

I’ve never had a vehicle chip down to bare metal with every chip like the bronco does. Their paint also doesn’t blend the best using a chip stick. Need to go to body shop to have it blended for it to not look really obvious. Mines black and is noticeable.
Problem with the hood is it’s aluminum and the rock strikes usually make little dents/deformities causing bigger chips and taking paint completely off.
Get it touched up and blended at a shop and then get it clear wrapped. Really your only option.

Good to know about the touch up pens. I used to have a sunshine orange Crosstrek and if anyone is familiar they are known for tons of chips in the paint. So I had a touch up stick that I used every year to cover chips. But that was flat orange and I don't know how different if at all it is to use a touch up on this type of paint.

 

[Dude]

Will that prevent chips completely?

Nothing can prevent chips completely. I have XPel Ultimate Paint Protection Film 8mm - 10 Year Warranty and a few months ago got a chip in the same location as yours but didn’t go down to bare metal. The film absorbs some of the energy but can’t prevent all chips. I also have a few chips right at the front edge of the hood (I don’t have one of the plastic hood protectors that some use).

 

[FakeCowboy]

Nothing can prevent chips completely. I have XPel Ultimate Paint Protection Film 8mm - 10 Year Warranty and a few months ago got a chip in the same location as yours but didn’t go down to bare metal. The film absorbs some of the energy but can’t prevent all chips. I also have a few chips right at the front edge of the hood (I don’t have one of the plastic hood protectors that some use).

I've had mine on over a year now, zero damage despite almost all highway miles. I even had someone apparently nudge my bumper in a parking lot and although it damaged the film there was zero damage to the paint underneath.

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