After years of driving my '03 330ci on mostly highways around Chicagoland and SE Wisconsin, I've got a fair amount of road rash and micro chips on the hood and grill area. Any advice on a.) DIY with some of the products offered in BAV Autosport catalog like the paint chip repair pens, etc. (not inclined or confident in my skill or abilities...), b.) using a reputable paint shop around NW Chicago (suggestions...?), or c.) biting the $$ bullet and taking it to the BMW dealer bodyshop for an estimate. Color is matte black... FYI, I purchased a Colgan bra for the car a few years ago to stop any further road-inflicted chips, but I've long suspected that when dust and dirt gets trapped b/w the bra and the paint finish, it acts as sandpaper powered by the wind -- paranoid theory or real possible lousy side effect? Thanks.
pretty much, the water getting trapped in there will also make the chips rust, I shake my head when I see someone with one of those on their car thinking that they're protecting the paint if the color is matte black you could probably just have a shop sand a respray it, shouldn't cost too much
Have you considered trying the Roundel's Advertiser Dr Colorchip? If you decide to use their color kit, please post your results.
I recently used the Dr Colorchip on my '06 325Ci convertible (Quartz Blue metallic) with good results. Directions were easy to follow. I would recommend it for small stone chips but in your case, I'd agree with sanding and repainting by a reputable body shop.