Can you fix and prevent stone chips on your car?

01/03/2025 02:00 PM

There’s nothing more frustrating than finding those tiny chips in the paint on the front of your new car.

RELATED: How much does it cost to wrap a car?

You can always avoid roads with loose surfaces, but sometimes, even small stones can make their way onto major roads, only to be flicked up by other cars.

But is there a way to stop this from happening? We spoke to the professionals to find out how to prevent and fix stone chips on your vehicle.

How to prevent stone chips

The most popular option to prevent stone chips in 2024 is a paint protection film or PPF. It essentially wraps a portion or the whole car with a clear contact that repels debris and can even save you from scratches in the event of a light accident.

Because the clear wrap is a soft and flexible material on top of the paint, which is hard and chippable, it essentially deflects the small stones thrown at it.

A PPF wrap will cost between $4000 and $6000, depending on how complex and large your car is, but you can always have just the front bumper and bonnet wrapped for less.

Another way to partially protect your car from stone chips is to install a stone guard. These are little plastic strips that run along the front of your bonnet and are often an optional extra when buying a car new, but they can be found through aftermarket sellers too.

A stone guard typically only protects your bonnet and windshield from stone chips by deflecting small stones away from the car.

Finally, what is less common to see is a ‘car bra’. These were a popular fit in the ’90s and ’00s, and they are removable vinyl guards that are essentially part of a car cover. They are usually popular with enthusiast cars who do not want stone chips on the front of their pride and joy while going to and from events.

How to fix stone chips

We spoke with a painter from the south coast of New South Wales, who said stone chips are tough to fix at home and should not be undertaken unless you have proper training.

“It’s not recommended to try and repair stone chips at home as it’s pretty easy to mess up the rest of the paint,” they said.

“Because when a stone hits your car, the paint it chips off will cause the surface to no longer be flat; it’s more than just painting over the spot.

“We will typically sand back the area, put a small amount of filler and/or high-fill primer, sand it back again and then paint it. We can’t just focus on one small area either – it needs to all be blended in with the existing paint otherwise it’s really noticeable.

“Paint-matched pens or small touch-up paint can stop the spot from rusting. But again, it takes more than just blotting the area, otherwise, you can easily tell what sections have been touched up.”

“If you want it to be perfect, talk to a painter or panel beater and get a quote. It will heavily depend on the number of stone chips and the colour of your car, but it can sometimes only cost a few hundred dollars to repair.”

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