My car is jet black and has a bunch of rash and chips on the front hood and bumper. I've been trying to clean it up and then get a clear bra to protect it from there. But my touch up painting isn't going so well. Short of a respray it won't look right. So I though what if instead of a clear bar I get gloss black. Jet black doesn't have any metallic in it. If the film is close enough it might just look like a clear bra over the original paint. What are your opinions?
Embrace the rust... Nature's way of adding "lightness".... Every day you MINI will be a little bit faster... Winter salt is waiting in the wings to give you an assist... Dimpled golf balls will have nothing on you... Nature way of modding your MINI for free....
There is a Napa paint store I go to and give them the paint code, they mix it and put it in a spray can. I have painted my hood scoop twice and it is a perfect match .
I've come to embrace chips, scratches, and dents on the GTI (it currently is wearing a some orange/black side stripes from auto-x cones). I barely can deal with hand washing cars, let alone trying to keep up with filling paint chips. I figure I can do a couple of good drives in the time some people spend detailing/fixing paint chips.
I am all for a re-spray of the entire hood and front bumper. ( I had mine done) Now if the black vinyl matches, have the whole hood done and the front bumper. Best idea, Have a full front re-spray and wrap it in Xpel PPF. <~~ This will cost the most but will look the absolute best when completed and will protect from future rock chips.
I'm with Nathan, wear them as a badge of miles driven. Believe me you are the only one who notices those stone chips. In all the pictures I have taken of your car no stone chips are showing. I have always tried to keep my cars looking good, but can't bring myself to worry about the little stuff, I hit it with a paint pen & call it good. Instead of worrying about those chips & stuff go out for a nice long country road drive & enjoy your car. Just my .02 because you asked.
Lotsa good suggestions but it really depends on what you think ( and can afford ). If'n the chips just bother you a bit then let it go and enjoy your ride but if they gnaw away at your car soul then it's the high dollar answer.
The black vinyl will pull into the chip cavities and look worse than the chips themselves. Wait until winter, respray the hood and bumper, let them cure for about 30 days and then clear bra them.
Back the car into the garage. That way you won't see the chips when you walk out to the car from the house.
Let the rust take over, then have a cheap shop spray it with clearcoat when it's just right. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
A friend of mine is the best clear shield guy in Dallas... possibly Texas. On any given day he has a new Ferrari, a couple of Porsches and a occasional Rolls or Maclaren in his shop. He has done a couple of cars for me, and they had a few very minor scratches, and the film actually made them a lot less noticeable. My MINI had too many chips when I bought it, so it wasn't worth the money to put clear shield on it. So, for people who just have a few very minor imperfections, you may still be able to get it wrapped clear with good results. CD
My guy did the clear bra on my wife's car and it did hide a few spots. The clear material is much thicker than the black wrap film would be. So the black is out. I'm getting the hood polished correctly this month because I just can't get it right and added more scratches than I took out. We'll see about the bra after that.