That's a lie.
They're trying to get money out of you.
Which rock chip are we talking about, the ones on the front bumper, or the one near your fuel door?

That's true for body shops - they do it by the panel...

You can't touch up the paint and have it look perfect to every customer, that, and it's not profitable to do small spots...takes time from addressing the money-makers...

i think i was really just paranoid with the car when i first got the Z. honestly, i didn't want to invest in the clear bra because i wanted to get exhaust and intake, etc.

it hurt when i got my first rock chip in the paint. it was on the driver side door and it was small but i knew it was there even though no one could tell.

dr. colorchip work OKAY. not the best from my experience. i got one for my girl and she has a black is250 and it really didn't help out with the chips on that car. moderate success at best with the dr. colorchip.

i've learned to live with the tiny chips and whatevers. what you want to do is get that baby repainted and apply the clear bra all over your car. i think they do have options where you can actually cover your whole car with that stuff. my co-worker, who WAS a car freak had that stuff done few years ago. and at the time it cost him around 2-3 grand for the whole shabang but he said no chips what so ever.

up to you. but i would try and get that bumper repainted. unless it's just dirty from the video you posted.

2-3 grand is about right for touch-up feathering, and reshoot clear over top of the whole car...I'd guess...

Even then there's no guarantee that a clearbra will protect the car...

As a biker, I can say that stonings happen on the highway more often than anywhere else...

They do it by the panel because of the lack of cut-lines (seams) where the repainting can end at a clean line so as to best look like it hasn't been repainted and to be able to "hide" slight mismatches in paint hue.

Its done soley to produce a professional result and has nothing to do with trying to run up the bill as someone else suggested.

That's what I was basically alluding to - in addition to what I was saying! :)

:iagree:

The bumper of my '06 350 looked like it had been shot with a shotgun. I don't tailgate, but it is almost impossible to stop the chips if you live in a heavily populated area and drive the interstate daily. Had my 370 clear bra installed right after purchasing the car, and the bumper is perfect 4 months later. I highly recommend one.

John

The self-sealing paint is an option in the UK, don't know why it's not available here. Does anyone know if it actually works?

In the US some major car manufacturers such as Ford spray a layer of epoxy down after the primer is applied but before the paint is applied. This reinforces the strength of the paint from a hardening perspective and also provides a measure of adhesion so chips are minimized. They still can occur but it literally takes a very hard wack to cause a deep chip.

I learned this when a truck retread blew off the truck and plowed directly into the front of my Shelby's air-damn. There was some minor knicking. I expected to find alot more paint damage but there wasn't. The dealer explained to me at that time about the epoxy-paint process they employ.

What I am wondering is if this s the "self-sealing" paint you have referred to that is dominant in Europe?

"Using a special highly elastic resin, the Scratch Shield process can take anywhere from one day to a week depending on the ambient temperature and depth of the scratch . This resin is combined with a conventional clearcoat to increase its flexibility and strength. The Scratch Shield will not be able to repair damage that gets past the clearcoat and into the paint."

My front bumper looks like it's been sandblasted. The hood has a couple of nice chips too. Nissan paint is the cheapest **** I've ever seen. My Audi had less chips than this after 6 years of ownership, and I've had my Z three months.