Chip on CF roof

[scream3r_zcp]

Hello guys, so driving on the highway a couple days ago a truck flung a small pebble into my windshield and it seems to may have skipped and chipped the clear on my carbon roof.

Anyone know what the best course of action is to repair this? will it have to be completely re clear coated, or can a detailer put a dab of clear on it, wet sand and polish it?
If anyone in the Orlando,Fl. area knows of a reputable person/shop please let me know, thanks!

Here are the pictures:

[codinge90]

Clear can be put in the chip and wetsanded and polished flat. You will still notice the outer edge of the chip but will be less noticeable. It doesn't look too deep should be done for pretty cheap

[dparm]

A good shop could potentially dab clearcoat into the chip and wetsand. It won't make the mark invisible, but it should be way less noticeable. I had a shop fix a fisheye like that once.

Honestly, I would not pay to have the entire roof re-clearcoated. The chances of there being orange peel, fisheye, or other blemishes from a less-than-perfect paint job are pretty high on a large flat surface like that. You'd feel really stupid spending all that money just to trade one problem for another.

[scream3r_zcp]

Originally Posted by dparm

A good shop could potentially dab clearcoat into the chip and wetsand. It won't make the mark invisible, but it should be way less noticeable. I had a shop fix a fisheye like that once.

Honestly, I would not pay to have the entire roof re-clearcoated. The chances of there being orange peel, fisheye, or other blemishes from a less-than-perfect paint job are pretty high on a large flat surface like that. You'd feel really stupid spending all that money just to trade one problem for another.

Yes, good point. I’m going to let ok into reputable shops in the area. Thanks.

[GORDON.M3]

clear epoxy resin, then sand with 1000/1500/2000 and polish.

[inTgr8r]

^WHS
dont use clearcoat.

[GORDON.M3]

Most body shops follow the same technique.

With these small little repairs like the one shown in your photo a dab of uv clear epoxy resin will be sufficient.

Leveling the epoxy is the hard part. Go very slow and 1 direction with the sandpaper.

[r0cketm0nkey]

The thing is, while the correct method to do it, finding a high quality epoxy that doesn't yellow over time is harder than it sounds. BMW's resin is actually pretty high quality in that regard.

A cheaper, faster way to do it would be to use a clearcoat, buff the clearcoat (not sand, just buff, keep as much original material as possible), and then add a clear bra cut out to the entire length of the top. The clear bra will even out the imperfections, and you get to have an extra layer of protection.

[m3power13]

I had a chip almost identical to that one. No shop around me knew how to fix it. After searching this forum just went the clearcoat route.

Get the BMW chip repair kit (paint/clear).
Clean around the chip so no lose edges.
Clean hole with some IPA.
Use a small paint touch up stick (cheap on Amazon) and just dab in some clear.
Little at a time and build it up, don't try to fill all at once.

I was not going to refinish my entire roof for a tiny chip.

[scream3r_zcp]

Originally Posted by r0cketm0nkey

The thing is, while the correct method to do it, finding a high quality epoxy that doesn't yellow over time is harder than it sounds. BMW's resin is actually pretty high quality in that regard.

A cheaper, faster way to do it would be to use a clearcoat, buff the clearcoat (not sand, just buff, keep as much original material as possible), and then add a clear bra cut out to the entire length of the top. The clear bra will even out the imperfections, and you get to have an extra layer of protection.

I really like the idea of doing it correctly, just don’t trust myself to go for a DIY lol. If I can find a shop to do it a clear bra is definitely going on there.

Originally Posted by m3power13

I had a chip almost identical to that one. No shop around me knew how to fix it. After searching this forum just went the clearcoat route.

Get the BMW chip repair kit (paint/clear).
Clean around the chip so no lose edges.
Clean hole with some IPA.
Use a small paint touch up stick (cheap on Amazon) and just dab in some clear.
Little at a time and build it up, don't try to fill all at once.

I was not going to refinish my entire roof for a tiny chip.

Hmm..how’d you level the clear after? Some buffing or did you wet sand and polish?

[r0cketm0nkey]

You can most certainly do the clear bra yourself, especially for an easy flat surface like the roof. There are pre-cut kits you can purchase. Installation on a surface like that will take you 10 minutes tops, even if you've never done clear bra before.