[AMP_NW]

I have a Black Forest pearl 2020 Honda Passport- living in Oregon we do not use salt on the winter roads but sand/gravel which as you can see has lent to my problem- rock chips on the hood of my thing emerald green/black passport. I had bought the matching color from Honda and used the pen to dab it on the scratches but it's a bit lumpy and obvious. Question I have is what has worked for you'll to smooth the paint pen dabs out- and whether it is worth the $995 (peace of mind over the long term I plan to keep my car) to get the paint protection that coats half the hood, fenders, and mirror backs. Will appreciate your feedback

 

[stevenD]

Hello I paid well over $1k to have XPEL applied over my entire Passport front end and YES it was worth it!

 

[HarveyW]

I have a Black Forest pearl 2020 Honda Passport- living in Oregon we do not use salt on the winter roads but sand/gravel which as you can see has lent to my problem- rock chips on the hood of my thing emerald green/black passport. I had bought the matching color from Honda and used the pen to dab it on the scratches but it's a bit lumpy and obvious. Question I have is what has worked for you'll to smooth the paint pen dabs out- and whether it is worth the $995 (peace of mind over the long term I plan to keep my car) to get the paint protection that coats half the hood, fenders, and mirror backs. Will appreciate your feedback

Is it something that you want to and have the skill to tackle yourself, or do you just want to get it repaired? Doing it yourself with require some dexterity, time and a few simple supplies, plus patience.

Otherwise take it to a shop that specializes in paint chip repair and have it done.

SteveD's method of preventing chips is a good one, but if you plan on keeping the vehicle for a few years well worth it.

 

[CaveGator]

I’ve never had good luck with those paint pens. Before you apply that stuff to any more chips, go to a hobby shop and get some of the smallest paint brushes they have. Apply the paint using those brushes in very light layers.

As for the future, if you plan on keeping the car for a while and want to protect your investment for as long as possible then a combination of PPF and ceramic are your best bets. I had Laminar PPF applied to the whole front. I also had them apply a piece to the roof from the windshield to the sunroof. Then I had the whole vehicle ceramic coated.

 

[DudeCS]

Have never used it, but check out "Dr. ColorChip".

As for the Honda or standard paint touch up, it takes a lot of patience and practice, but it still won't be perfect. It primarily helps inhibits rust. A couple of hints that may help to try...

• mix a small amount of the base color and clearcoat together before applying vs applying the clearcoat last.
• use a hair dry to expedite drying.
• apply multiple layers of paint to fill the chip.
• use isopropyl alcohol to clean up or start again, if the paint is not cured.

 

[PNWGarageDad]

@DudeCS Dr.colorchip is a great product! I used it on both of my Audi's. You just need to find your paint code before ordering. I never lose any sleep over rock chips and door dings. More miles come with imperfections.

 

[Moab Junky]

We had our local tint shop put a 22" clear plastic cover, 3M I believe,, on the front of the hood a few days after we bought it . It cost about 60 bux and worth every penney.
You can touch up your chips and then get it covered with clear plastic.

(BTW, Loved PNWGarageDad's outlook

 

[HarveyW]

OP, If you want that like new look here are the steps to achieve it. I learned how to do this from a work mate who grew up doing body work. His dad owned a body and frame repair shop for over 30 years. He literally taught me the technique when I was too poor to afford to have a hood and two front fender areas resprayed due to multiple rock chips.

First thing hand wash and dry the affected area, use a soft bristle tooth brush to get into he chip spots. They have to be completely clean. Next hand dry the area.

Time to check the chip spots for rust. I like a jewelers loop for this. Check the chips for any rust. If you find rust a set of dental cleaning picks are small enough to scrape off the rust. Once the rust is gone treat those chips with a rust inhibitor.

Now you are ready to paint. This is also a technique I learned from the same guy. This article and video will show you the tool and technique to get the chips filled in properly.
How to Touch-Up Rock Chips On Your Car

Once the chips have all been filled and the paint is throughly dry you need to wet sand the chips. Small dowel rods with 1000, 2000, & 3000 grit wet sand paper cut into small pieces and glued onto the dowel rod tips work well. If the chips are small a paper hole punch can be useful for punching out small circles of sand paper.

Sand with progressively finer grit sand paper until the chips are smooth and level to the other paint. Once that is done clean the area again by hand with soap and water and throughly dry.

Time to clear coat the chip areas. After each application of clear coat you want to lightly sand with 3000 grit except for the final coat. Once you have applied the number of coats of clear coat comes the fun part.

One last wash of the entire hood in this case, again by hand and hand dried. Time to buff the hood out completely with buffing compound. This will blend the repaired areas with the rest of the hood. If you are careful and take your time you can fix those chipped areas so that you and anyone else will struggle to find them.

Most body shops don't do this as for them it is usually cheaper and faster to just respray the hood, then it is to do all of that work for just the chipped areas.

Good luck on your project no matter how you decide to go about it and do look to invest in one of the methods mentioned above to protect from any further damage.

 

[AMP_NW]

Have never used it, but check out "Dr. ColorChip".

As for the Honda or standard paint touch up, it takes a lot of patience and practice, but it still won't be perfect. It primarily helps inhibits rust. A couple of hints that may help to try...

• mix a small amount of the base color and clearcoat together before applying vs applying the clearcoat last.
• use a hair dry to expedite drying.
• apply multiple layers of paint to fill the chip.
• use isopropyl alcohol to clean up or start again, if the paint is not cured.

Thank you - should have asked you all first before tackling it myself in my headstrong way!

 

[AMP_NW]

OP, If you want that like new look here are the steps to achieve it. I learned how to do this from a work mate who grew up doing body work. His dad owned a body and frame repair shop for over 30 years. He literally taught me the technique when I was too poor to afford to have a hood and two front fender areas resprayed due to multiple rock chips.

First thing hand wash and dry the affected area, use a soft bristle tooth brush to get into he chip spots. They have to be completely clean. Next hand dry the area.

Time to check the chip spots for rust. I like a jewelers loop for this. Check the chips for any rust. If you find rust a set of dental cleaning picks are small enough to scrape off the rust. Once the rust is gone treat those chips with a rust inhibitor.

Now you are ready to paint. This is also a technique I learned from the same guy. This article and video will show you the tool and technique to get the chips filled in properly.
How to Touch-Up Rock Chips On Your Car

Once the chips have all been filled and the paint is throughly dry you need to wet sand the chips. Small dowel rods with 1000, 2000, & 3000 grit wet sand paper cut into small pieces and glued onto the down rod tips work well. If the chips are small a paper hole punch can be useful for punching out small circles of sand paper.

Sand with progressively finer grit sand paper until the chips are smooth and level to the other paint. Once that is done clean the area again by hand with soap and water and throughly dry.

Time to clear coat the chip areas. After each application of clear coat you want to lightly sand with 3000 grit except for the final coat. Once you have applied the number of coats of clear coat comes the fun part.

One last wash of the entire hood in this case, again by hand and hand dried. Time to buff the hood out completely with buffing compound. This will blend the repaired areas with the rest of the hood. If you are careful and take your time you can fix those chipped areas so that you and anyone else will struggle to find them.

Most body shops don't do this as for them it is usually cheaper and faster to just respray the hood, then it is to do all of that work for just the chipped areas.

Good luck on your project no matter how you decide to go about it and do look to invest in one of the methods mentioned above to protect from any further damage.

Wow- you are very sweet- thank you- wish I had asked for advice first before messing it up with the paint pen!

 

[AMP_NW]

@DudeCS Dr.colorchip is a great product! I used it on both of my Audi's. You just need to find your paint code before ordering. I never lose any sleep over rock chips and door dings. More miles come with imperfections.

There is a lot to be said about the fact that as long as I cover up the spots to prevent rust, just enjoy the fact that it takes me safely into the backcountry and to see my kids -- important stuff- the rest is a first word problem!

 

[mcrimm]

Dr. Colorchip is the way to go.

 

[HarveyW]

Wow- you are very sweet- thank you- wish I had asked for advice first before messing it up with the paint pen!

You didn't do anything that can't be fixed. When I was younger I did the very same kind of thing. Like CaveGator, I never had much luck with the paint pens that the dealerships and car parts stores sell. They recolor the area alright, but you can usually spot the repair as it doesn't blend, Now I always get one of the little bottles of paint when I buy a vehicle.

Good luck with the chip repairs.

 

[ProdGirl]

Hello I paid well over $1k to have XPEL applied over my entire Passport front end and YES it was worth it!

👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻 This!!

StevenD mentioned to me about XPEL and the installer he found near where we live, before I even had my Passport, actually, I think it was when I was driving 390 miles to pick it up after searching for a few months.

I had scheduled the appointment not knowing 100% if I was getting the vehicle and before I had to drive another 390 miles back to work for several months. It was the best investment! My CRV looked like Swiss cheese if you got really close and 22 months later my Passport has no chips. There is one little dent from where a rock hit the film which meant it did its job. I also had the entire front end covered, which included the sideview mirrors, door cups and the flat piece along the cargo area.

 

[Boogene]

I have a Black Forest pearl 2020 Honda Passport- living in Oregon we do not use salt on the winter roads but sand/gravel which as you can see has lent to my problem- rock chips on the hood of my thing emerald green/black passport. I had bought the matching color from Honda and used the pen to dab it on the scratches but it's a bit lumpy and obvious. Question I have is what has worked for you'll to smooth the paint pen dabs out- and whether it is worth the $995 (peace of mind over the long term I plan to keep my car) to get the paint protection that coats half the hood, fenders, and mirror backs. Will appreciate your feedback

Paint protection film is a worthy investment especially if you plan on keeping the car long term. I would also see what the installer can do about smoothing out the surface prior to installation, cause they would likely prep the surface. So the $995, looks like the entry level ppf installation. I suggest going one more tier up to get the full hood covered. Some places may also include high traffic areas. If you have the $$, i highly suggest going to the top tier and getting the whole car. It will be a pretty penny but again if your considering keeping your car long term, its well worth it to me especially if your already seeing nicks in your paint and your car is less than a year old. So let just say you plan on keeping your car for ten years, at the $995, thats 99.5/year or ~$8 a month. Im probably sure one might be able to sacrifice that one cup of coffee and food item to justify protecting your car. For mid-tier ppf protection, your probably looking at like 1500-2000, and whole body probably like 5k+. Overall, its your decision on how much you can invest in your car and to sustain its lifespan. Good luck

BTW, I have the Black Copper Pearl. And since the Black Forest has similar color qualities especially with it looking black at night and then the black forest during a sunny day. The Xpel paint protection film actually seemed to enhance the pearl characteristic. So itll look extra beautiful on a sunny day.

 

[Boogene]

👆🏻👆🏻👆🏻 This!!

StevenD mentioned to me about XPEL and the installer he found near where we live, before I even had my Passport, actually, I think it was when I was driving 390 miles to pick it up after searching for a few months.

I had scheduled the appointment not knowing 100% if I was getting the vehicle and before I had to drive another 390 miles back to work for several months. It was the best investment! My CRV looked like Swiss cheese if you got really close and 22 months later my Passport has no chips. There is one little dent from where a rock hit the film which meant it did its job. I also had the entire front end covered, which included the sideview mirrors, door cups and the flat piece along the cargo area.

Damn you drove that far to get your car wrapped? Was there not a qualified installer located closer? If i would have known about this forum much earlier, I would have suggested my installer since i think yall live in socal.

 

[Moab Junky]

Not sure if it has been mentioned yet, but if you are going to have a clear vinyl applied, make certain that your installer is able to cut the piece to fit with a machine, not with a razor knife.

I was surprised that the shop I went to had the Passport software. He punched it in, and out came a perfectly sized piece of film.

 

[ProdGirl]

Damn you drove that far to get your car wrapped? Was there not a qualified installer located closer? If i would have known about this forum much earlier, I would have suggested my installer since i think yall live in socal.

Not really. I was working in San Jose area on a what turned out to be 9 month project in 2019, and was looking for a MSM Touring Passport for 4 months, never found it, but found an Elite finally in OC. So I took two days off and drove down to pick it up. And also go the PPF put on that same day at an installer just down the street. Then I had to be back up north by Monday morning for work.

 

[AMP_NW]

Paint protection film is a worthy investment especially if you plan on keeping the car long term. I would also see what the installer can do about smoothing out the surface prior to installation, cause they would likely prep the surface. So the $995, looks like the entry level ppf installation. I suggest going one more tier up to get the full hood covered. Some places may also include high traffic areas. If you have the $$, i highly suggest going to the top tier and getting the whole car. It will be a pretty penny but again if your considering keeping your car long term, its well worth it to me especially if your already seeing nicks in your paint and your car is less than a year old. So let just say you plan on keeping your car for ten years, at the $995, thats 99.5/year or ~$8 a month. Im probably sure one might be able to sacrifice that one cup of coffee and food item to justify protecting your car. For mid-tier ppf protection, your probably looking at like 1500-2000, and whole body probably like 5k+. Overall, its your decision on how much you can invest in your car and to sustain its lifespan. Good luck

BTW, I have the Black Copper Pearl. And since the Black Forest has similar color qualities especially with it looking black at night and then the black forest during a sunny day. The Xpel paint protection film actually seemed to enhance the pearl characteristic. So itll look extra beautiful on a sunny day.

Thank you for your advice on this-- so did you get the mid-tier ppf or whole body? I was wondering how much the color looks different with these sparkly colors-- and you say yours looks shinier

 

[ProdGirl]

Thank you for your advice on this-- so did you get the mid-tier ppf or whole body? I was wondering how much the color looks different with these sparkly colors-- and you say yours looks shinier

No change to the color, sparkle or shine at all, only the texture if that’s the right wording, as long as it’s done correctly. You can tap on an area that has the PPF and one that doesn’t, it just feels and sounds different.

I personally would NOT do half the hood as that’s visibly seen that something looks off, (photo of another Passport below). On the second photo, it is not mine, but the owner did a partial on the hood.

On the side profile photo, I have PPF on the front bumper and side fender but not in the door, and you can’t see the difference at all.