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Rock chip fix

Chaser20

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Well, my neighbor decided to mow the other day and shot a rock up at my Jeep and created a nice rock chip on the drivers side of the hood. It didn’t chip down to the metal, but it took out a chunk of clear coat. I used touch up paint that was specifically matched to my jeep and clear coat. Applied a couple of layers of paint and one clear coat. This is the result. You can’t really tell now from a distance that it’s there but my OCD makes me see it every time I’m driving. My question is, is there anything I can do to make it look any better on my own, outside of taking it to a professional, or should I just keep it like this?

Jeep Wrangler JL Rock chip fix IMG_0677
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JL MADDOG

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Did you sand the area down before applying the paint?

Did you sand between color coats and the clear coat?

A little wet sanding should flatten it out.

Or, start over and create a small bowl for the color coat to slide into, sand between color coats, then finish with the clear.

Then wet sand the clear coat until it's flat.

Lastly, wax and polish the repaired area.
 

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Yeah, you are going to have to add enough paint to start filling the chip and wet sand/polishing compound as you go. I get the OCD thing, but if you can let it go and try not to dwell on it. Just leave it as is. I guarantee something worse will happen someday and learning to live with a couple battle scars will do you good in the longrun!
 
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Chaser20

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Yeah, you are going to have to add enough paint to start filling the chip and wet sand/polishing compound as you go. I get the OCD thing, but if you can let it go and try not to dwell on it. Just leave it as is. I guarantee something worse will happen someday and learning to live with a couple battle scars will do you good in the longrun!
so true. I needed to hear this lol. I gotta learn to do that and let go of that ocd haha. Only three months old and it already has that and two small dents. Drives me crazy. Guess it’s time to start taking pride in those battle scars and realize it’s a right of passage for a Jeep owner. Love this community
 
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Chaser20

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Did you sand the area down before applying the paint?

Did you sand between color coats and the clear coat?

A little wet sanding should flatten it out.

Or, start over and create a small bowl for the color coat to slide into, sand between color coats, then finish with the clear.

Then wet sand the clear coat until it's flat.

Lastly, wax and polish the repaired area.
What would be the best way to get what I already did off to start over?
 

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JL MADDOG

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What would be the best way to get what I already did off to start over?
Careful Sanding.

Try gluing a small square of sandpaper to the end of a pencil to work down to a small, clean, bowl.

Make sure the square is bigger than the eraser.

Don't go all the way past the color coats or the primer to bare metal. Leave a little bit of the color at the bottom of this bowl.

A small flat wood block will work well with the edges and ridges of paint. Again, sand carefully, use finer grits, flatten the area out but don't remove all the paint & primer.

Keep the area you are working on as small as possible. If you remove too much paint over too large of an area then you are back to determining whether you will ignore it (MY OCD won't let me do that either) or go to the body shop.
 

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Just curious, where did you buy your color match paint from?
 
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Chaser20

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Just curious, where did you buy your color match paint from?
I got mine from the dealership I bought it from. They ordered it for me
 
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Chaser20

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Careful Sanding.

Try gluing a small square of sandpaper to the end of a pencil to work down to a small, clean, bowl.

Make sure the square is bigger than the eraser.

Don't go all the way past the color coats or the primer to bare metal. Leave a little bit of the color at the bottom of this bowl.

A small flat wood block will work well with the edges and ridges of paint. Again, sand carefully, use finer grits, flatten the area out but don't remove all the paint & primer.

Keep the area you are working on as small as possible. If you remove too much paint over too large of an area then you are back determining whether to ignore it (MY OCD won't let me do that either) or head to the body shop.
Also, thanks for this advice
 

JL MADDOG

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Also, thanks for this advice
I hope it helps. Maybe going to the body shop first will help you make the decision after hearing the price for the repair.;););)
 

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Chaser20

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I hope it helps. Maybe going to the body shop first will help you make the decision after hearing the price for the repair.;););)
Lol it probably will make the choice easy. Maybe I should learn to accept the battle scars for sure and call it character. Isn’t it crazy I see other jeeps driving around with dings and think it looks cool but when it’s mine it hurts ?
 

JL MADDOG

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Well Brad... I don't think you wanna try having it both ways. Talk about going crazy! Ask me how I know. :LOL:
 

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What would be the best way to get what I already did off to start over?
I would think what you already did is going to be sufficient to make sure it doesn't get worse. I wouldn't bother trying to be an amateur body shop paint expert. Most likely scenario is you end up making it worse or being aggravated your fix is more noticeable than the original chip.

Do what you can and let it go if you can. Take it out and enjoy it for what its capable of. For most of us on the forum, it's a tool to get you out in the wilderness pretty much where no other vehicle can go stock. Not to say there aren't those who never hit the trails, but I would take a rock chip any day over the inevitable door ding or key in a parking lot!
 
 







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