Expert: William Forster - 2/23/2007

Question
hi william.I need your expertise on this problem.I bought a white 2005 Mazda3 4 door sedan the other day.It looked brand new.Started washing it and noticed that the hood has numerous small chips(complete paint missing) and a bunch of long deep scratches going across the hood from left to right,some covering the entire left side.The paint is like a glass and is basically brand new looking with a tremendous shine BUT when you look close you start to see those scratches(many of them).the scratches still have paint but the chips do not.I touched up the chips,so now my daughter tells me she can see all the touch-ups and of course all the real long scratches.William, i hate those scratches and touch ups.The question is should I paint the hood although it might not look even with the rest of the car? or just leave it alone?What is the best paint to paint the hood on this car for an even look and will it be the same in quality as the factory?Thanks for your help and i really appreciate your expertise on this subject matter.  

Answer
 A good body shop can paint the hood, and blend the fenders, for a seamless match. If the paint is all chipped up, the factory paint must not be that great. However, ALL paints are subject to chips and scratches. It's paint, not Kryptonite. tailgating and stone roads will increase likelyhood of getting stone chips across the front of a car. It's just common sense. Bill