Paint Cracks

[alirzn]

Hi Guys,
There are some cracks on the paint of my 2004 530I hood. The color is dark blue and I am not sure why it happened? I think it is because of the sun. Here I have attached the picture. Does anyone know how I can fix that? It is on the hood and it does not look nice. thanks

[husker4life]

Originally Posted by alirzn

Hi Guys,
There are some cracks on the paint of my 2004 530I hood. The color is dark blue and I am not sure why it happened? I think it is because of the sun. Here I have attached the picture. Does anyone know how I can fix that? It is on the hood and it does not look nice. thanks

The only way to fix that is to repaint. If you take it somewhere to have it repainted, make sure they do it right. The only way to make sure the cracks never come back is to sand all the way past the cracks. If you do not sand past the cracks they're just gonna come through the new paint.

I had paint on an old jeep that cracked all the way to metal so I had to sand all the way down to the metal. It is a lot of time and a lot of sanding, but you gotta do it right

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using AutoGuide App

[alirzn]

I prefer to not re-paint it. How can I make it looks better? Does polish or wax like turtle wax black box work?

Originally Posted by husker4life

The only way to fix that is to repaint. If you take it somewhere to have it repainted, make sure they do it right. The only way to make sure the cracks never come back is to sand all the way past the cracks. If you do not sand past the cracks they're just gonna come through the new paint.

I had paint on an old jeep that cracked all the way to metal so I had to sand all the way down to the metal. It is a lot of time and a lot of sanding, but you gotta do it right

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using AutoGuide App

[4given]

It looks like your clear coat is cracking. Here's what I'd do, I would tape off the area surrounding the cracks leaving the cracks exposed. Then I would sand down the area lightly with 1200 grit wet sandpaper. Find a can of paint that matches and spray light coats until fully covered.

[alirzn]

Do you think that insurance cover that?

[4given]

Nope! Insurance will never cover stuff like that.

[Lord Vader]

Originally Posted by alirzn

Do you think that insurance cover that?

I wouldnt want to claim something like that through insurance. Risk of your premiums increaseing isnt worth it.

If it is in fact just your clear coat then it may be quite easy to fix. By wetsanding it you can remove the damaged parts of the clearcoat. If it is the clearcoat, and you are able to sand it down then re-spraying it with clear should be easy.

Your best bet would be to talk to a local reputable body shop. A full repaint of the hood could be anywhere from $500-1,000. BUT, you want to pay for it once and have it done right the first time. Trust me. I can post a picture of what happens when a hood repaint is not done properly. That picture is of MY hood. It started rusting under the roundel and by the time it was noticeable the damage had already been done and a full repaint is required.

[Lord Vader]

Originally Posted by 4given

It looks like your clear coat is cracking. Here's what I'd do, I would tape off the area surrounding the cracks leaving the cracks exposed. Then I would sand down the area lightly with 1200 grit wet sandpaper. Find a can of paint that matches and spray light coats until fully covered.

This isnt good advice. First, when have you ever seen a rattle can that will match your factory paint code? I have, but only in Germany.

Just spraying over the crack wont prevent them from getting worse or speading. You will also have to re-clear coat the area to protect it.

[4given]

You're right, what was I thinking?