Paint chips and general paint quality on MG

[sammoj]

Has anyone who owned MG cars had any experience of paint chip repair on the bonnet? What are peoples views on the quality of paint on MGs? Is it easily chipped or have I just been unlucky?

On cleaning my car today I found a 1cm chip down to the primer on the bonnet. Chipsaway have said the whole bonnet needs repainting as it isn’t suitable for a smart repair! I could just get a touch up pen and cover it but car is only 2 months old so I know it will irk me if patched like that.

 

[PeterHR2]

I was going to suggest SMART by ChipsAway until I reread your post. Unlucky, I think.

Not quite the same thing, but my recently departed MG5 FL sat under an oak tree for two autumns and got peppered with acorns from upwards of 50 feet and never had a problem. And I've had a few journeys along recently dressed roads without issue.

Looks like something heavy and sharp hit that bonnet. Can't quite tell from the photo, but it looks like a slight dent/scratch through to the metal. Or is it just a black mark (tar?) on the primer?

Check your insurance policy. It may cover you for large stone chips.

 

[salty]

Doubt MGs paint is any worse then any other mass produced car. Stones shoot up from the car in front like a bloody bullet. How else do you think they can chip and break windscreens. Paint doesn't stand a chance. No matter what bloody car it is. As for your chip, you've just been unlucky.

 

[MG Clive]

That doesn't look like your normal stone chip, it looks as if it's been caught with a sharp tool of some sort.

 

[sammoj]

If it has the only possibility was the 4 days the dealer had it two weeks ago or something has happened in a car park that I didn’t spot. Whatever it was has skimmed the surface and left a black mark. Whatever it is will need to get it sorted though, just one thing after another with this car for some reason.

 

[Lovemyev]

Has anyone who owned MG cars had any experience of paint chip repair on the bonnet? What are peoples views on the quality of paint on MGs? Is it easily chipped or have I just been unlucky?

On cleaning my car today I found a 1cm chip down to the primer on the bonnet. Chipsaway have said the whole bonnet needs repainting as it isn’t suitable for a smart repair! I could just get a touch up pen and cover it but car is only 2 months old so I know it will irk me if patched like that.

View attachment 40153View attachment 40154

Ouch !.
I agree with @PeterHR2 the black marks look tar ?.
These could be easterly removed with some white spirits or even a bit of T Cut etc.
That would remove some of the marks at least.
It needs something doing with it pretty smartly because it has exposed the metal and it will start to rust and make the problem a lot worse.
Your MGS5 is in flat white ( a non metallic finish ) which is less likely to show in a touch up.
You have absolutely nothing to risk here by trying to touch it in tbh.
In the worst case scenario, the result is not great, but it’s protected.
Then you can make the call on having the whole bonnet painted at your own convenience ?.
If you are going to attempt a touch in, then I would suggest that you buy some cellulose based touch up paint, not the normal stuff you get today, this tends to be a water based product that needs a protective lacquer finish to protect it.
The cellulose is a gloss finish straight out of the tin, so you will need to keep the tin sealed after each use or it will harden.
You will have to take your time and build up the coats bit by bit.
You could start with some primer first, but it will have to be cellulose based of course.
It not that vital as the area is small tbh.
Don’t apply any to coloured finish around the damage, just the chip itself !.
You can drop in the paint with the end of wooden cocktail sticks, to give you better control, don’t use a wide paint brush like the ones that normally come with the touch up sticks.
If you have a very fine good quality artist brush, you can use this, but you will have to use cellulose thinners to wash it every single time.
The cellulose will dry really quickly and you can get a few coats applied each day, depending on the weather of course.
You could also use a hair dryer to speed up the process.
When you feel that the chip is completely filled, apply one more coat and leave to dry for about 8 hours.
Then, you can use some T Cut or a mild cutting compound and polish the direct area of the repair.
This should then bring the touch in, level with the original paint surface itself.
If it’s still too low, apply more paint as before, leave and go again.
If you are happy with the repair and finish, then finally apply a good coat of polish to the area to reseal the paint.
Will be an invisible repair - maybe, maybe not, but with a flat white paint colour, I would certainly give it a go if it was my car !.
The worst case scenario is you have the panel painted anyway .
The touch paint is going to be less than £20 and painting the bonnet is going to run into hundreds of pounds for sure.
If the car was metallic, the chances of spotting the repair will be much much higher as metallic paint finished need to be applied from a gun really and not a brush, in order to get the metallic particles to flow correctly.
It can be a long process building up the coats and that is why it’s not practical or cost affective to pay somebody else to do it.
Hope this helps !.
The first paint chip on any new car is gut wrenching for sure.
If it has to be anywhere, let it be on the plastic bumper please !.
No risk of any rust of course.
Good luck on what ever you decide to go with .

 

[sammoj]

Ouch !.
I agree with @PeterHR2 the black marks look tar ?.
These could be easterly removed with some white spirits or even a bit of T Cut etc.
That would remove some of the marks at least.
It needs something doing with it pretty smartly because it has exposed the metal and it will start to rust and make the problem a lot worse.
Your MGS5 is in flat white ( a non metallic finish ) which is less likely to show in a touch up.
You have absolutely nothing to risk here by trying to touch it in tbh.
In the worst case scenario, the result is not great, but it’s protected.
Then you can make the call on having the whole bonnet painted at your own convenience ?.
If you are going to attempt a touch in, then I would suggest that you buy some cellulose based touch up paint, not the normal stuff you get today, this tends to be a water based product that needs a protective lacquer finish to protect it.
The cellulose is a gloss finish straight out of the tin, so you will need to keep the tin sealed after each use or it will harden.
You will have to take your time and build up the coats bit by bit.
You could start with some primer first, but it will have to be cellulose based of course.
It not that vital as the area is small tbh.
Don’t apply any to coloured finish around the damage, just the chip itself !.
You can drop in the paint with the end of wooden cocktail sticks, to give you better control, don’t use a wide paint brush like the ones that normally come with the touch up sticks.
If you have a very fine good quality artist brush, you can use this, but you will have to use cellulose thinners to wash it every single time.
The cellulose will dry really quickly and you can get a few coats applied each day, depending on the weather of course.
You could also use a hair dryer to speed up the process.
When you feel that the chip is completely filled, apply one more coat and leave to dry for about 8 hours.
Then, you can use some T Cut or a mild cutting compound and polish the direct area of the repair.
This should then bring the touch in, level with the original paint surface itself.
If it’s still too low, apply more paint as before, leave and go again.
If you are happy with the repair and finish, then finally apply a good coat of polish to the area to reseal the paint.
Will be an invisible repair - maybe, maybe not, but with a flat white paint colour, I would certainly give it a go if it was my car !.
The worst case scenario is you have the panel painted anyway .
The touch paint is going to be less than £20 and painting the bonnet is going to run into hundreds of pounds for sure.
If the car was metallic, the chances of spotting the repair will be much much higher as metallic paint finished need to be applied from a gun really and not a brush, in order to get the metallic particles to flow correctly.
It can be a long process building up the coats and that is why it’s not practical or cost affective to pay somebody else to do it.
Hope this helps !.
The first paint chip on any new car is gut wrenching for sure.
If it has to be anywhere, let it be on the plastic bumper please !.
No risk of any rust of course.
Good luck on what ever you decide to go with .

Thanks that really is a detailed explanation and much appreciated. The irony of it is I deliberately picked Artic White and not the Red as although I really like the Red I wanted something that was more easily repairable after my Pearlescent finish on the Kona which was a right pain. I just didnt expect to be doing it after just 2 months but hey ho thats the way it goes sometimes.

The car is off to the dealer next week for a few days anyway to get software updates and having spoken to the after care manager who is handling the software issue he has agreed to get the body shop they have there to do the touch up with appropriate paint. I am sure they will make a good job of it but I have saved your brilliant instructions in my Apple Notes for the next time I need to deal with a chip.

John