Repairing Paint Chips After 3 Yrs + Ceramic/ClearBra Protection

jvivlemore

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I am considering keeping my car at the end of the lease next year and purchasing it. If I do this I want to make the car look "showroom" new again if possible. The car is minus any major scratches and has zero dents and just has some very small pebble sized chips from road debris when on road trips.

I did NOT do the ceramic coating when I did the lease because I was just planning on returning the car after 3 years. I just did a paint protection to prevent fading that also protected the interior (can't recall the name offhand).

#1) Has anyone ever had a car's paint touched up after a few years of ownership to bring the life back to it and/or repair chips? I'm sure the cost varies but what can I expect to pay for a quality repair job or paint restoration?

#2) How much does the ceramic coating and/or ClearBra installation cost?

#3) Would you recommend doing the ceramic coating and not doing a ClearBra or is there a way to do both? Is that overkill?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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87elco

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I am considering keeping my car at the end of the lease next year and purchasing it. If I do this I want to make the car look "showroom" new again if possible. The car is minus any major scratches and has zero dents and just has some very small pebble sized chips from road debris when on road trips.

I did NOT do the ceramic coating when I did the lease because I was just planning on returning the car after 3 years. I just did a paint protection to prevent fading that also protected the interior (can't recall the name offhand).

#1) Has anyone ever had a car's paint touched up after a few years of ownership to bring the life back to it and/or repair chips? I'm sure the cost varies but what can I expect to pay for a quality repair job or paint restoration?

#2) How much does the ceramic coating and/or ClearBra installation cost?

#3) Would you recommend doing the ceramic coating and not doing a ClearBra or is there a way to do both? Is that overkill?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Ceramic coating is like 400-1000 same as clearbra
 

ricoxg

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Bump. Would like to know price to repaint/repair bumper. Got a bunch of rock chips :(!
 

Shinjari

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Not sure I would agree that Ceramic coating is the same as clearbra. Rockchips will still penetrate a ceramic coating. Sure itll be more difficult to do vs not having it...but a clearbra will protect and typically has self healing/repair properties. Granted a quality clear bra and installation will cost more than a ceramic coating.

Ceramic Coating from my understanding/research has been more to protect against the elements. UV, chemical resistance, etching, spiderwebbing...the whole 9h hardness is kinda snake oil-ish to me.

I would've liked to get a clear bra when I first got the car, would've prevented the 4-5 rock chips I have in the front bumper now. Darn soft Honda Paint.

As for touching up the rock chips vs painting the whole bumper, a good shop should be able to blend the touch up pretty well. Full bumper paint is ideal but depending on color may have trouble blending to match the 3 year old paint if you haven't been taking care of it.
 
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jvivlemore

jvivlemore

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Thanks for all that information. What would you recommend at the 3 year mark if I buy it? Is a paint restoration or touch up (not sure what to actually call it) too costly? Would you do ClearBra over Ceramic afterwards? Sounds like both are for different reasons so I’m torn now. If Ceramic is up to $1,000 based on the reply above how much is a ClearBra?
 


Shinjari

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I mean if there couple of rock chips truly bother you that much then painting the whole bumper, then clearbra would be my choice. You could also do ceramic on top of the clearbra as the ceramic is a hardy sacrificial layer. Seems several thoughts on detail forums are to clearbra the front end and get ceramic for the rest of the car.

My front bumper would have to be riddled with a ton of rock chips for me to get it repainted considering that a good paint job/match will not be cheap.
 

ricoxg

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I mean if there couple of rock chips truly bother you that much then painting the whole bumper, then clearbra would be my choice. You could also do ceramic on top of the clearbra as the ceramic is a hardy sacrificial layer. Seems several thoughts on detail forums are to clearbra the front end and get ceramic for the rest of the car.

My front bumper would have to be riddled with a ton of rock chips for me to get it repainted considering that a good paint job/match will not be cheap.
How much would repainting and clearbra cost for bumper?
 

Shinjari

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How much would repainting and clearbra cost for bumper?
Not sure man, not in that business. I will say that you get what you pay for regarding paint and clearbra install.

When I was getting clearbra quotes they were anywhere from $750-2000 depending on the brand they were using, partial or full hood/fender coverage etc. The 'boss' at home wouldn't give the approval to spend money on 'clear plastic'... =/ oh well.
 

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I just did an exhaustive clean of my car. Also near 3 years old. I have a lot of chips. You may consider getting a touch up kit. I think I have a honda pen and a 3rd party one. If you start with spots in inconspicuous areas, you can gain some experience without getting sour as you learn. I blend the two together to better match my aged paint. The hard part is timing if you don't have another car. You have to concede to a few spots at a time. I may go to a shop, but to pay for another round of chips on new paint. Ehhh not so sure I'll enjoy it.
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