Hi all
I picked up a mk3.5 a week ago the bonnet has a lot of stonechips which I don’ think will improve using touch up paint so i have an idea to either cover with vinyl or racing stripes to hopefully hide the worst of it. My question is will the stonechips show through the vinyl if so will I be better touching up with paint first?
Secondly show me your graphics on your mx5s!
I imagine it would depend on the severity of the chip - depth, particularly. A nasty chip could show up on very thin vinyl.
I would personally touch it up before hand. The beauty is, it doesn’t have to a picasso of a job because any modest imperfections will be covered by your wrap!
Agree with the above - a deeper chip will show through vinyl. Tidy it up a little then wrap and you should be good to go! 
I’ve been toying with the idea too but circumstances mean the outlay is too large for me. Ho hum!
Edit: I’d want to wrap the entire car rather than stripes or just the front, with respect to my financial quandary statement.
Personally im not into stripes over the bonnet
but it’s your car and your tastes so go for it
as for the chips it’s amazing what shows through a wrap so do the best you can before hand
If it looks like measles then definitely have to cover with graphics
Thanks guys will see if I can tidy up the chips this weekend.
If it’s that bad (just the bonnet) why not have it reprayed?
I know this can be costly but by the time you’ve dealt with the chips and messed around with striping
Yeh i dis think aboit respray but decided against it as I don’t think its bad enough for a respray and a bit too costly
Firstly any blemish will show through a vinyl. However what is more important is how well the vinyl is applied. A poorly applied vinyl looks terrible with visible joints, creases and trapped air bubbles. Make sure you see the quality of a finished car before selecting a company to apply the vinyl.
Unless you are looking for a different colour or a new design on the bonnet I would consider repainting rather than applying a vinyl. There is not much difference in price between repainting and a professionally applied vinyl. You will pay around £250 to £300 for a bodyshop to rub down and repaint the bonnet. Not the bonnet but I have had the front wing, front bumper and boot lid repainted on my copper red Mk3 with a perfect colour match.
The problem with vinyl is that it starts to fade after about 3 years and if not properly fitted will lift at the joints.
If you decide to apply a vinyl then insist on a quality material with a good guarantee such as 3M, you should get a colour fast warranty of 3 years.
I’ll see how well I do at touching up the stone chips this weekend if it doesnt look too bad afterwards might leave as it is.
Just been reading about chipex anyone used this before with good results?
Viper stripes on my previous NC…
No offence intended and as always, each to their own, but IMO that just looks silly. Stripes do not suit a MX5.
Not used chipex just used Mazda OEM touch up paint on the bonnet applied with a fine paint brush. Don’t use the brush in the paint, it is too big.
When I had the front bumper and wing repainted due to a scuff I asked them to machine polish the bonnet to remove some fine scratches. The touched up chips are now hardly noticeable.
I think that looks nice but like you say everyone’s got different tastes