Clear Coat Crack/Bubble From Rock

[strikeblaze]

Hello! I'm from Portland, OR and we were hit with some snow a few weeks back. The city freaks out when this happens and they spray all kinds of stuff on the ground. The most upsetting and almost crazy thing that they spray is tons of rocks and pebbles onto their freeways. Anyway, on my way to work, I picked up a rock and it hit my hood at a perfect angle to where it didn't chip the paint, rather lifted the clear coat. I am hoping to wet sand this to correct it since it's on my hood and unlike rock chips, this is very noticeable even at distance. Is this a viable fix? Also, my fear is that there won't be any more clear coat under this damage left so I would cause more harm than good if I do wet sand. Any input will be greatly appreciated! 

[Rich]

From my experience this isn't repairable except to have it professionally removed and your hood re cleared.  You can wet sand it down, but it's going to remove that broken clear and leave a bare spot.  Once you get it off, get some good wax or maybe even ceramic coat or spray to help protect the exposed paint until you can get it corrected .  Not everyone has the cash to do that (I'd be in that category) so do the best you can either way.  Sorry to see that happen.  

[Dan@Adams]

Hi Sean, it's very possible that is down to the base coat (paint) level rather than clear. For rock chips like that, my temporary fix is to get a touch-up paint pen from your local dealership, or get it VIN matched from an online touch-up paint supplier for even better color match. Most of the touch-up paints will come with a bottle of clear coat now as well. First I will polish the area, then apply the paint if necessary, carefully smear away any excess bubble of paint to try to get it smooth, then allow it to dry for a few hours. Then I will apply the clear on top of that, allow it to dry completely, and then machine polish the area to a shine. It's by no means perfect, but from 5 feet away you can't tell the difference in most cases, and it can be a temporary solution if you don't want to have a body shop professionally repair the area.

[strikeblaze]

9 minutes ago, Rich said:

From my experience this isn't repairable except to have it professionally removed and your hood re cleared.  You can wet sand it down, but it's going to remove that broken clear and leave a bare spot.  Once you get it off, get some good wax or maybe even ceramic coat or spray to help protect the exposed paint until you can get it corrected .  Not everyone has the cash to do that (I'd be in that category) so do the best you can either way.  Sorry to see that happen.  

Thank you for your answer. That was what I was afraid of. I do have Adam's new Ceramic Spray but I would like to find a more permanent solution. I am playing around with the idea with just leaving as is. This is my daily (however my only) car and I know this stuff happens, especially during the winter. Yet, it's a huge eye sore and I do not have the money to get it repainted/recleared. Do you recommend just wet sanding it down and ceramic coating it for now, or just leaving as is? 

 

Maybe I can find a way to cover it up somehow with a sticker or something lol

[Rich]

I don't think I'd leave it be. Water could get underneath and make it worse. Then again, I'm looking at the picture thinking it's about the size of a dime when it could just be a nick.  Yeah, I'd sand it a bit, not down to the bare paint, and then protect it with wax or ceramic spray, or if you're doing to do a Ceramic coat,  do the whole hood, not just a spot.

I know other guys will chime in that have more experience than I do.

[strikeblaze]

7 hours ago, Rich said:

I don't think I'd leave it be. Water could get underneath and make it worse. Then again, I'm looking at the picture thinking it's about the size of a dime when it could just be a nick.  Yeah, I'd sand it a bit, not down to the bare paint, and then protect it with wax or ceramic spray, or if you're doing to do a Ceramic coat,  do the whole hood, not just a spot.

I know other guys will chime in that have more experience than I do.

OK, I hope when I do sand it, there's enough (if any) clear coat still on the bare paint to sand down to. I don't want to bit bare paint if all the clear coat got lifted off by the rock. Anyway, thanks for the help!