Chips Away or 'proper' body shop?

[Herbie]

I posted maybe five weeks ago about some stone chips I'd found on the bonnet.

For various reasons I won't bother with here, I haven't yet managed to sort them out but that may inadvertently have worked in my favour because I've now found another problem. I know it wasn't there last week but just when and how it appeared, I have no idea.

Given that I've now got five stone chips on the bonnet and a scuff on the rear 'wing', would it be worth getting 'Chips Away' to sort it (anyone got any experience of the Preston area franchise?) or would it be better to go to a proper body shop?

The bonnet chips:

The rear 'wing' scuff:

[PCM]

We used Chips Away - very impressed. Took about 3 hours... 

[cruisermark]

In this instance I would look for an experienced bodyshop, an outlet with good reviews or perhaps someone who is recommended by word of mouth.

You could even ring the Lexus dealer and ask if the can recommend a body shop.

Not all chipsaway franchises are good - it all depends on the skill of the person working on your car,

A family member used chips away a couple of years ago and had to baby sit the guy (took him 3 atempts to get it right) and now the laquar is starting to peel off.

[Rabbers]

55 minutes ago, cruisermark said:

Not all chipsaway franchises are good - it all depends on the skill of the person working on your car…

I agree, and there is nothing that ChipsAway operatives can do that a bodyshop can’t do just as well or better and perhaps at the same cost.  Usually, though, they have the advantage of doing a job more quickly. At least this is my experience as regards stone chips on bumpers, which ChipsAway repairs individually whereas a bodyshop prefers sectional spraying.

[Barry14UK]

Agree, on older car or if the likes of Chips Away local guy has a good reputation fair enough but with more valuable car like yours Herbs probably safer to get better match with more comeback if needed, although they may want to do whole bonnet and this wouldn't be cheap.  I have a few stone chips and to stop creeping rust will be touching them in before these are so noticeable that the complete bonnet needs doing.  Unfortunately such marks show up more on some cars than others - great shame!

[wharfhouse]

Some of the Lexus bonnets are aluminium - I know my IS 300h is - quite a few stone chips but don't cause any problems but have sort out any on other panels. 

[ColinBarber]

https://chipex.co.uk

 

[Rabbers]

I used Chipex for a couple of stone chips of approx. 2mm diameter on Sonic Titanium paint, and was rather disappointed with the result measured against the company’s highly persuasive advertising.  I followed the instructions faithfully but the colour was perceptibly a little darker and both holes dried with a central dimple. All in all I was sorry to have spent the money.

[Steve67]

A quality detailer would be able to fill, wet sand and polish the repair..👍

[ColinBarber]

On 5/27/2021 at 8:28 PM, Rabbers said:

I used Chipex for a couple of stone chips of approx. 2mm diameter on Sonic Titanium paint, and was rather disappointed

Yeah I doubt you would have a good result with a sonic paint. Not sure chips away would do an invisible repair either. The 5 coat paint process is difficult to replicate with a 1 or 2 pack paint - it just doesn't reflect the same in different light conditions.

[NemesisUK]

I had a quite large stone chip, down to the white base coat on my Sonic Red RC. I approached the dealership for advice and they said would would happily attempt a 'touch-up' repair FOC but said it wouldn't be an invisible repair. They also said they had tried the more involved 'Chips-away' type repair but that also never gave a good finish.

The only totally invisible repair would be a total bonnet respray, using the only paint system available to repair the 5 coat factory finish. Apparently only available to dealer and approved body shops. Total cost would be ~£1100. 

I carried that stone chip with pride as a war wound of everyday driving for the rest of my 3yrs ownership...

[hondansxr]

do it yourself with touch up from lexus then flat and polish it after a week ..

[Barry14UK]

On 6/1/2021 at 10:16 PM, NemesisUK said:

I had a quite large stone chip, down to the white base coat on my Sonic Red RC. I approached the dealership for advice and they said would would happily attempt a 'touch-up' repair FOC but said it wouldn't be an invisible repair. They also said they had tried the more involved 'Chips-away' type repair but that also never gave a good finish.

The only totally invisible repair would be a total bonnet respray, using the only paint system available to repair the 5 coat factory finish. Apparently only available to dealer and approved body shops. Total cost would be ~£1100. 

I carried that stone chip with pride as a war wound of everyday driving for the rest of my 3yrs ownership...

Wow, £1100 for a bonnet respray.  I wonder how much a wrap would cost (no not the stuff to get hyped up on), although the whole car would doubtless  have to be done after making good dings and scrapes from rust.  Does wrapping a car offer significant protection and for dings is it easy to just re wrap any affected area without re doing the entire car without obvious differences in the finish? 

[NemesisUK]

I imagine a good quality (i.e. relatively thick) wrap would protect from chips but dings? I doubt it.

I don't know how well wraps tolerate UV and the elements, could be they fade in which case a repaired section might well should?

[Mr Vlad]

Body shops are the way to go. Even if only to get their advice. A good body shop will have the camera system and computer. The camera scans the car at a myriad of locations angles etc then the computer makes a paint code to match that car. Why? Because older cars fade. Spraying brand new paint on a faded car is pointless as it'll show like a sore thumb. Not all body shops have this expensive system so a visit in person is the only way to go. Luckily I know of such a body shop of which I've posted previously. 

Red is a bugger of a colour to match and I thoroughly recommend go round body shops and check them out.

[Vlady]

I used Chips Away and was not impressed, had to come back to them twice to fix it properly and 2 years later the paint was flaking off the bumper and the bonnet, so I would stay away from them.

 

[Herbie]

I apologise for not updating this topic earlier.

Because ChipsAway is a franchise and dependent on the individual franchisee's skills, I made some enquiries and found that the guy who covers this area has an impeccable record and many, many good reviews, so I went with him and I was not disappointed.

He did an absolutely brilliant job and charged me £120. I would highly recommend David Houghton to anyone in his catchment area for the sort of jobs ChipsAway would do.

For bigger jobs I use a guy who is a coachbuilder and who usually does restoration work on E-Type Jags, Bentleys, Porches and even military vehicles like a Hillman Tilly that he has in there at the moment.

[LenT]

25 minutes ago, Herbie said:

 

Because ChipsAway is a franchise and dependent on the individual franchisee's skills, I made some enquiries and found that the guy who covers this area has an impeccable record and many, many good reviews, so I went with him and I was not disappointed.

It’s absolutely right that much depends on the individual skill of the operator - as with any franchise business.

I think it’s also fair to point out that your red colour - a colour notorious for fading - was relatively new and easy to match.  I’ve also used our local ChipsAway guy, with excellent results.  But that was to eliminate scuffs on alloy wheels.

Colin made the point earlier that it’s very hard to replicate the factory finish when doing local repairs.  Or even when more extensive resprays are involved.  So, like Herbs, it’s probably a matter of doing some investigating as to the competence of the local franchise - and managing one’s expectations.

[malcolmw]

Chipsaway told me that they would not touch the Sonic paints as they are too complex to match properly. 

[65mike]

Hi all.

We have used Chips away before the first one the chap came to our home and done a brilliant job on the Renault.

The second time another bloke came and made a pigs ear all he did was lacquer the damn panel so he did not get anymore business.😠

We have since used Chips away at there premises inSt Albans Hertfordshire on the Toyota and they were first class brilliant😀 will be using again in January on my Lexus as the chap at work scuffed my bumper😂

So will expect the same quality work.

65Mike.

[olliesgrandad]

The franchise operator is critical with chips away. The guy that used to be in Gloucester called Stuart was ace. He repaired a hole in the bumper of my pearlescent white GS300h and you would not know it had been painted. The guy there now is nowhere near as skilled. If you have the right guy the repair can be as good if not better than a Bodyshop. 

[Barry14UK]

As with forming a list of independents, it would also be worth recording individuals who do an excellent paint repair job.  Very few owners will want to pay £1,000+ for a Lexus standard repaint for a few chips on a bonnet that could suffer similar damage again at any time.  Provided a good job is done, I am sure the owner will live with it.  I think when you buy a car that is a few years old, you are likely to find on close examination that it has had a small number of stone chips made good, some better than others.  I know Lexus paint restorer did some chip repair work when preparing my car for sale to me.