3 Tips To Evaluate Stone Chips On Your Car

Keeping a prized classic car blemish-free is hard enough, even if you keep it garaged 24/7 and only take it out on the clearest, sunniest days. Unfortunately, the typical daily driver isn't nearly as lucky. Even if you keep your car garaged as often as possible, your daily commute will still expose it to many environmental conditions and road hazards.

Stone chips are nearly unavoidable under these conditions, and they're one of the most common cosmetic issues to appear on otherwise well-maintained vehicles. While fixing every tiny chip may be unnecessary, there are times when you'll want to consider a professional repair. These three tips will help you evaluate your car's chips and decide on a course of action.

1. Check for Bare Metal

Stone chips usually occur due to relatively small objects hitting your vehicle at high speed. As a result, the damage can vary from minor to fairly severe. If you notice some chips on your car, a good first step is to check the depth of the damage. Start by inspecting the chip visibly and determining if you can see bare metal.

If you can't see any metal, the damage didn't penetrate through the primer and the problem, while ugly, isn't critical. On the other hand, bare metal can provide a foothold for rust. Although you don't need to panic, you may want to avoid leaving chips that expose bare metal for too long. Scheduling a professional repair can help seal the damage and prevent the metal from rusting.

2. Look for Clustering

Paint chips cluster near the front of vehicles because impacts usually come from rocks and debris kicked up by other vehicles. If you notice your paint is looking a little worse from a distance, get up close and check for small clusters. You may find that an area that looks dull or less-than-perfect is a cluster of minor chips that only penetrated through your car's clear coat.

Repairing these areas can require more care than repairing small, individual chips. Doing a poor job can result in an obvious repair and leave that section of paint looking worse than the surrounding area. If you have large clusters of paint chips, even if they appear small, a professional repair may be a better option than a do-it-yourself approach.

3. Consider Size

Paint chips come in all shapes and sizes, which means repairs can vary from tiny to very large. You may be able to fix small paint chips yourself because the small amount of paint used is unlikely to stand out. On the other hand, repairing a large chip takes more skill and experience, and you're more likely to notice problems if you make a mistake.

As with clusters of small chips, it's usually better to rely on a professional repair for large, single stone chips. Although this approach will cost more, you'll end up with a flawless finish that won't stand out every time you glance at your car.

For more information about stone chip repair services, contact a local company.