Chipped paint from bumper

[eomullane]

Hello,
I was washing the car today and noticed the paint of my secondhand 2021 ID3 Family (Glacier White) chip away as I cleaned it. Any ideas for fixing it or is it best to leave it to the professionals? Thank you in advance.

[Boattrainman]

Def one I would have a got at myself, but you would need to be handy.

Carefully remove that piece of paint inside the lozenge shape with a craft knife, but don't take any off the edge. Use thin model hobby tape (Tamiya) to mask the edge of the shape, then ordinary masking tape around the indent, and lots of paper and masking tape for around the whole area especially the black plastic grill. Lightly sand the area to be sprayed (a small bit of nail emery board will do) and wipe the area clean with a dab of acetone (nail polish remover).

Any gloss white acrylic rattle can from Halfords will do, but shake it thoroughly and test it on a scrap bit of paper to ensure a fine mist.

The trick is several short passes of the can, never stop and spray where the repair is being done, the paint will thicken around the lozenge edge and look bad, also wait a few minutes between passes, building up the paint slowly.

Remove the masking tape and if there are tiny bits missed around the edges, spray some paint onto a bit of spare paper, and use the tip of a cocktail stick to dab a small bit of paint.

It won't be perfect, but complex shapes are actually easier to DIY than large flat featureless panels (one for the professionals only), the indent itself will hide the slight difference in shade etc.

The problem is most car detailers will suck in air and tell you the complex shape will be a bugger to 'blend in' and want to raid your wallet.

A fiddly job for sure if you have the patience, but can be done for around £20.

Rob

[eomullane]

Thank you so much for taking the time to look at my query and for providing me with a detailed description.
Regards,
Eimear

[Boattrainman]

Best of luck with it Eimear.

Rob

[DumfriesDik]

I have never used them but have heard of Chips Away.

[Up the jumper]

I have used Chips Away. They did an excellent job where someone turned into me in a car park and scratched the door. However, for such a small repair, particularly on a plastic component I would suggest DIY in the method outlined above.