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5 day old Telsa Rock Chip

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Telsa, my 5 day old S75 gets a, as deep as you can get, rock chip on my hood. For the veteran owners out there how do you handle these? I know enough to stay away from the pen-application type touch up paint options. Has anyone used Dr Colorchip or the like? I had planned on detailing and applying Gtechniq CSL and EXO v3 this weekend, should I apply any fix before or after detailing (light cutting and polishing)?
 

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Outch!!! Once you get that sorted I recommend you Paint Protective Film your car...

As a lot of owners will tell you the paint is soft and prone to chips. Surface coatings are nice but they don't protect against rocks just make the surface easier to clean. If you want to protect your car from rock chips you must wrap your car in a Paint Protective Film (PPF)

Personally I went with 3M Scotch Guard Pro PPF, amongst other various reasons they invented the material years ago for military applications / protecting helicopter blades. I feel the material they offer was superior to there brands on the market. I constantly get complements about how clean my car looks and I give the credit to the film. It increases the depth of the cars clear coat making it have a deep reflective just washed look.

Also when the car does get dirty I just use a spray wax detailer and wipe the dirt away without worry of scratching the paint or the PPF. The PPF itself also self heals any surface scratched when its in the sun!

I suggest finding a certified installer in your area for 3M PPF using the link below select find a 3M certified and preferred installer...
Scotchgard™ Pro Series
 
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I used Dr Colorchip on something very similar to what you have there on another vehicle with an aluminum hood. It was NOT easy. Dr Colorchip is not very good about handling very deep and large chips like what you have there. The provided paint is very thin, and by the nature of the process you pull a (hopefully) small amount of every coat back off during the smoothing step. For small scraches and chips this gives you a nice even surface, but on larger areas it tends to pull paint out of the middle. I had success with it, but it was tedious. I think I ended up needing 12 coats, and had to start over several times when the entire repair was pulled out during smoothing. On the plus side, it's absolutely invisible. It's been a few years: I know the general location of the repair, but genuinely cannot locate it.

If you're going to correct, the better route would probably be to grab Tesla's touch-up paint and use Langka: Langka - Paint Chip Repair
With that you put the paint on in a big blob, completely filling the chip. Then you let it mostly dry, and use the Langka to bring the blob level with the surrounding surface. I haven't used this mechanism myself, but many are very happy with it.

Neither one of these would be likely to have the paint in a condition to be polished and sealed by the weekend. They take time to cure. I suspect you'd just be undoing your work with a polish so soon after the repair.
 
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I used Dr Colorchip on something very similar to what you have there on another vehicle with an aluminum hood. It was NOT easy. Dr Colorchip is not very good about handling very deep and large chips like what you have there. The provided paint is very thin, and by the nature of the process you pull a (hopefully) small amount of every coat back off during the smoothing step. For small scraches and chips this gives you a nice even surface, but on larger areas it tends to pull paint out of the middle. I had success with it, but it was tedious. I think I ended up needing 12 coats, and had to start over several times when the entire repair was pulled out during smoothing. On the plus side, it's absolutely invisible. It's been a few years: I know the general location of the repair, but genuinely cannot locate it.

If you're going to correct, the better route would probably be to grab Tesla's touch-up paint and use Langka: Langka - Paint Chip Repair
With that you put the paint on in a big blob, completely filling the chip. Then you let it mostly dry, and use the Langka to bring the blob level with the surrounding surface. I haven't used this mechanism myself, but many are very happy with it.

Neither one of these would be likely to have the paint in a condition to be polished and sealed by the weekend. They take time to cure. I suspect you'd just be undoing your work with a polish so soon after the repair.

Thanks for the quick replies. Obviously PPF is better than the nothing I have now. I'm going to give the langka a shot. Running by the Nashville service center today or tomorrow to get the touch up paint. I am going to delay the coating a few days to let it cure out completely before hitting it with my Rupes.
 
I used Dr. Colorchip on gravel chips on the front fascia with varied results: the scratches were eliminated very nicely, but the deep dings remained pox marks. Dr. Colorchip does not fill in pits. I came across the product below and have ordered the putty and liquid remover. I'll then use Dr. Colorchip to paint over the repair, since I already bought the latter. I'll let you know how it turns out.

 
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I used Dr. Colorchip on gravel chips on the front fascia with varied results: the scratches were eliminated very nicely, but the deep dings remained pox marks. Dr. Colorchip does not fill in pits. I came across the product below and have ordered the putty and liquid remover. I'll then use Dr. Colorchip to paint over the repair, since I already bought the latter. I'll let you know how it turns out.


Let us know how it works out. I have a deep scratch that was self inflicted on my trunk. I ordered Dr. Colorchip but I think I will need to fill it first like you. I read very mixed reviews about Scratchwizard across the web....
 
Telsa, my 5 day old S75 gets a, as deep as you can get, rock chip on my hood. For the veteran owners out there how do you handle these? I know enough to stay away from the pen-application type touch up paint options. Has anyone used Dr Colorchip or the like? I had planned on detailing and applying Gtechniq CSL and EXO v3 this weekend, should I apply any fix before or after detailing (light cutting and polishing)?

I feel your pain but don't despair. From a winter of long distance driving rock/salt etc. chips and then recently a freak incident(window frame picked up by wind and scratched across my hood and fender :eek:) I was pretty bummed. Brought it to my local detailer and $200 later(cost of working his magic making chips/scratches disappear then applying Nano ceramic coating etc.) it looks gorgeous. Just give your detailer the touch up paint for your car and you should be good:).
 

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I don't want to hear anything about scratches after coming back to my car in Venice Beach to this...

Looks like someone keyed their gang sign above the passenger side handle. I have no words...View attachment 230041
Sorry that some SOBs did it to you. I despise people who hurt others just for the sake of hurting others and gain nothing in process.
Very highly recommend installing a dash cam, well worth the money (approx. $300) and fairly easy to install. Dashcam saved me in excess of $20k when I got into an accident few years ago. No argument with the other driver or his insurance carrier. I have Blackvues on both of my Teslas.
 
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I don't want to hear anything about scratches after coming back to my car in Venice Beach to this...

Looks like someone keyed their gang sign above the passenger side handle. I have no words...View attachment 230041
That is absolutely terrible, sorry to see that happened to your car. Were you parked on the street or in a parking lot? I will stay the heck away from Venice after seeing this.
 
MrJones that's so hard to look at and infuriating too. I also recommend going to a good detailer. Would recommend ours but they are up in northern calif. Sadly I heard a similar story of vandalism from another Tesla owner when we were chatting at a service center. They had to leave their car at the beach for a few hours (can't remember which one but around Santa Cruz I think) and they came back to find it keyed and window damage. One of our early warnings from other owners about where to park or not park. Hope your car is back to looking beautiful soon.
 
Tessi caught her first rock today and I fear it'll become her new hobby. It chipped and scratched the hood. I will take her to a detailer soon and am now also considering PPF.
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@MrJones390, my heart just broke seeing the picture you posted. I can't comprehend why people do this kind of thing (to any car for that matter). Thank you for sharing - it helped me not to feel as bad about my first chip and scratch.
 
Rock chips are part of owning any car. Since I don't consider my Tesla just any car, I went with Xpel to help reduce the wear and tear to the body. Plus as previously mentioned, just like 3M, the ease of keeping the car looking clean and shiny with a protective covering/wrap is an added bonus.

After you get the chips repaired, consider Xpel or 3M for at least the hood and front bumper. The self-healing capabilities of these newer films is quite impressive.

As for the damage inflicted by others, part of owning a better-than-average car inherently draws attention, good and bad. When it's bad, it's usually folks who feel the need to cause damage. We can only hope that karma catches up with them quickly.
 
I know. Chips happen. But within 24h.
Anyone try the touch up method where the chip depression is filled with paint then the wet paint is skimmed level with a poly tool? I assume there will be a thin bit of paint dragged onto the intact paint. I'm thinking clay and lube will take that off. I've never had good luck just working on the chips by trying to use the brush applicator. I have some 3000 grit sandpaper but I want to avoid sanding if I can.
 
I parked my P85D for nearly two weeks after getting it because I didn't want to xpel it with the paint so new. Perhaps it was an unfounded concern but as soon as it had cured for a few weeks I got Xpel Ultimate full front edge wrapped etc and have never regretted it. It has saved me a dozen plus times already from major chip and scratch damage. Best $1200 bucks spent.