Large stone chip on front bumper

Technical Area Body, Interior & Styling
#1
  1. My model of MX-5 is: ND RF
  2. I’m based near: West Yorkshire / Bradford
  3. I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: Repairing quite a hefty stone chip on my 5’s front bumper

Hello, could anyone give me any reccomendations of how to go about getting this stone chip corrected? It’s far too big for me to be able to ignore!
I didn’t even hear it happen, though I do believe it was on the M1 so I was been shaken to death!
My car is a 2017 plate in soul red. I’ve been told that it could be quite a big job due to the colour.

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There’s also a super small chip underneath that I’m guessing was caused by the same culprit

I’m avoiding using touch up paint as I think the chip is too deep (and I’d probably make a right mess of it!)
Any reccomendations on what I could do/where I could take it would be most appreciated.

Josh

#2

Really sorry to see what’s happened to your MX-5 (I’d be gutted personally) I would find a good bodyshop who could repair the damage… Regarding the colour matching, they’d have to blend away from the damaged area to get the best possible match… Maybe someone on here could recommend a repair shop for you in your area…
Rob

#3

Cheers Rob.

Yeah I am a bit gutted. I can live with small chips as that’s just part and parcel of driving a low car, but this one is just staring at me!

I’ve contacted a couple of garages for quotes but thought it would be a good idea to ask on here incase anyone has any reccomendations :slight_smile:

#4

Yes, mine has half a dozen small chips which I can live with - No issue rusting, but may get touched in sometime… Personally I’d used a paint repair shop over one of the companies that come out and do a “smart repair” These companies have to work in all climates, some of which aren’t ideal for paint repair! Hope you get it sorted :slight_smile:
Rob

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#5

Short of getting the area resprayed your only option would be to touch it up wouldn’t it? :thinking:
Certainly using a touch up would reduce the stone chip being so obvious in the short term. Red on red won’t jar as much as white on red.
If you do touch it up, ditch the included brush in the top of the pot. No more use than ornament.
If possible thin the paint and use a small artist’s/hobbyist’s paint brush to apply several thin coats in the stonechip. Same goes for the clear top coat. If it’s possible to stay within the outline of the chipped paint it’ll look neater even if the result is lower in depth than the manufacturer’s factory finish.
Hth.
Cheers, Guy

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#6

Cheers Guy,

You’re right about touching it up, I could always give it a go! Red on red would definately look better than it does now!

I’ll have a look into it, and if I do attempt to touch it up myself, I’ll follow your advice :slight_smile:

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#7

Really it’s overkill to respray the whole bumper at least £250, are you going to do that for every chip?
Get the Mazda Soul red touch up it comes with base coat and coloured lacquer, from a Mazda dealer or MX-5 parts. Follow the instructions to the letter, when the base coat is dry wet the sponge on the cap and very gently level the excess paint. Then when dry use the special coloured lacquer.
At a couple of feet away you won’t see it.

If there is a slight dent, you need to smooth in a tiny bit of filler before to level it up. Let it dry of course.

3 Likes
#8

Only one real option get a chap to pop out and do a smart repair. Had mine done and you would never know. Various companies about. :+1::slightly_smiling_face:
PS you will never touch it in properly with soul red, (from experience with the Mazda 2 we had).

Edit - It was “Revive” that did mine as well.
Complete paint shop in the back of a van for mixing to the car.
Let’s be honest they will never do a bad job for obvious reasons.

2 Likes
#9

Thanks all for your suggestions, I think I will order some tocuh up paint and a bit of filler if I need it and give that a go first!

As long as it’s bairly visible (got to look beter than it does now) I think I will be able to live with it!

I’ll let you know how it goes :slight_smile:

#10

I would try www.chipex.co.uk It’s more expensive than a touch up pen but it is paint and lacquer in one, so easier to blend in. It’s a lot cheaper than a body shop. Good luck
John

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#11

I scraped across the lower bumper area of my ND. It’s plastic so it won’t rust so won’t get worse but looked terrible. The local chap from “chips away” did a marvellous job, perfect match.

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#12

I did a repair on my true red paint in more or less the same area, Mk3 bumper. The lacquer had peeled and left a white mark about the size of a thumbnail. Also I had a deep gouge out of the bonnet that needed a few layers of paint adding to fill.
The basic method was to finely sand the area with wet n dry paper and add layers of paint to build it up to level. You may need a primer first if it’s gone through to the bare plastic or metal. I used a plastic primer (grey) from a spray can and sprayed into the lid, then be quick with an artist brush and dab the wet paint on to the area, repeat if necessary when dry. Do the same with the colour coat and finally the lacquer coat.
The key is for the colour or lacquer coat if using these touch up kits (Mx5parts have them) is to not use the brushes supplied, use a fine artist brush. Buy a few brushes, my local pound shop has a selection, I use those then throw them away.
The brave bit is to lightly sand between coats and finally the finished lacquer coat then buff with a suitable polish, I use Autoglym SRP.
Both repairs I’ve done I have to hunt for them on the car to notice them and then very close up.

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#13
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#14

Hi Josh, Unfortunately it will annoy you every time you see it, did with me when I scuffed the bottom of my ND door. I used a company called “Revive”, who are a mobile outfit similar to “Chip’s Away”. Did a fine job for me and also used on my daughter’s Audi. Depends of course on the operative, but worth a punt. You can send a photo to get a quote. Won’t be cheap, but nothing is these day’s. Good luck.

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#15

Hi, I’ve used ‘Chips Away’ in the past and they really work magic, you would never know there was a repair. I’m sure they vary as it’s down to the skill of the guy doing it, so look for reviews etc. :+1:t2:

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#16

Hello Josh, that’s a nasty chip. I had one similar on the wing of my Soul Red. I used the Mazda two part touch up paint. You can read my post about it here:

It would be worth giving it a try before going down the professional route. The base coat is water based so even if you mess it up you can wash it off and start again.
It is only when the glaze coat is applied it becomes a permanent fix.
Build up the chip with layers and layers of base coat, just thin touches at a time.
You will only appreciate how good this system is after the final glaze is applied.
The result I got was outstanding. :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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#17

I was reading your post earlier, your results are really good!

I have ordered the two part touch up kit from MX-5 parts - I’ll give it a go next week :smiley:

#18

Sometimes the touch up application is obvious and you will need very fine grade paper 2000+ sand it down and then compound it to blend it in.

#19

What is this compound stuff you are mentioning, please?
I have seen the term on another touch-up related post too.

#20

It’s called rubbing compound.
It tends to be red and come in a flat tin

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