Stone chips happen while you are driving down the road and pebbles and small rocks hit your car. If your car has small stone chips, you can fix it yourself, and you can do it in only a few minutes.

Clean the Chip

Put warm water in a bucket and add a teaspoon of liquid soap. Mix well, dip a soft rag in it, wring it out, and then clean the chip. When it is clean, dry it using a soft cloth.

Purchase some car polishing compound at an auto parts store, put a dab of it over the chip to soften the ragged edges, and rub it in with a soft cloth. Rub it in a circular motion for a few seconds. You do not want to rub it too much or you will remove the clear coat from the paint.

After a few minutes, clean the polishing compound using denatured alcohol. Put a few drops on a soft cloth, and then wipe it a few times. The alcohol will remove any grime and wax build up that may be left.

Apply Primer

Purchase some primer made for vehicles at an auto shop. Put a small amount of primer on a q-tip, and fill in the area within the chip. Allow the primer to dry for one hour.

Paint the Chip

Go to an auto parts store to find the paint. They should have a variety of touch-up paints available. Talk with the salesperson to help you find the paint for the year, make, and model of your car.  If you are unable to find the color you need, the auto dealer should help you. They usually carry paint for the cars they sell.

When you have the color, test it on a piece of paper to make sure it is a match. This also allows you to see how thick the paint is to help you determine how much to put on the brush.

The touch up paint comes in a small bottle with a brush on the inside lid, much like nail polish. Dip the brush in the paint, and slowly wipe it in the chip area. Make sure you do not get it on the other paint, but only inside the area of the chip. Wait one hour, and apply a second coat.

Wait one week, and then rub over the area gently with the polishing compound to complete the repair.

When you paint a chip, make sure you are not in direct sun, as it will dry too fast. If you have a garage, this is the best place to do it. If not, make sure there is no rain in the forecast for the next week. Chips with rust should be taken to an auto body repair shop (such as Collision One) to have it repaired. 

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