Stone-Chip Repairs in Tyne and Wear

Every road leaves its mark. Gravel thrown up by the vehicle in front, grit from roadworks and loose chippings leave tiny craters in the leading edges of your car, most often across the bonnet, front bumper, wing tops and mirror housings.

A chip looks minor, but once it goes through the paint layers it can expose primer or bare metal. At Banks of the Tyne in Hebburn, stone-chip repairs sit within our paintwork services, and we can look at what your car needs.

Why chips are worth dealing with

Paint is a protective system, not just a colour. When a chip reaches bare steel, moisture can get in and corrosion can begin, then creep out under the surrounding paint. Aluminium panels corrode differently but still suffer.

Chips on plastic bumpers rarely rust, but they still look untidy and can let the paint lift at the edges. Leaving a front end covered in chips usually means a bigger and more involved repair later.

• Dark spots or crater marks across the bonnet
• Bright metal or grey primer showing in the chip
• Rust coloured specks starting to appear
• Paint lifting or flaking around a chip
• Dozens of marks across the front end

What the repair involves

Each chip is cleaned and checked. Any loose paint or surface rust is removed so the repair has something sound to bond to. Primer is applied where metal is showing, then colour matched to your vehicle, then clear coat to seal it and bring the finish level.

Because chips are tiny, the work is careful rather than quick. The goal is to seal the damage and make it far less noticeable, not to claim every mark will vanish completely.

What affects the result

Depth matters most. A shallow chip is simple. A deep one with rust beneath needs more preparation. Colour also matters: solid colours are more forgiving than metallic or pearlescent finishes, which need careful matching.

The number of chips counts too. A handful can be dealt with spot by spot. A front end peppered with damage may be better served by a panel repaint, and we will tell you if that is the sensible route. We explain the options at the estimate.

Alternatives and keeping new damage away

If paint on a panel is widely damaged, a partial respray of that panel can be a cleaner answer than dozens of individual repairs. For one stubborn mark, a SMART repair may be better suited.

Once repaired, you can reduce future chips by leaving a sensible gap behind the vehicle ahead on gravelly roads. Ask us at the time about care for the repaired area, as fresh paint benefits from gentle treatment at first.