PPF Install

[Midnite8]

So I mistakingly did not get my car clear bra'd when I purchased it a little over a year ago. It is my daily and the bumper is pitted with rock chips and tiny little indentations(crappy/soft Subaru paint). I really plan to clear bra it at the beginning of the new year and want to know my best course of action.

Should I just have the bumper repainted or should I try to get it wet sanded or through unigrit/trizact discs?

[zero4]

I would just touch it up and if anything, after few years, get it repainted and then get it PPF'd.

[Midnite8]

I would just touch it up and if anything, after few years, get it repainted and then get it PPF'd.

For now I am not going to touch it since I am not doing the ppf yet. I have carpro cquartz on the car but obviously that doesn't protect against chips. So is it a better option to have it repainted versus sanded before ppf?

[zero4]

If you are going to ppf it, then I would get it repainted, unless you only have a few chips. If only few chips, then I would touch it up with something like Dr. Colorchip and ppf it. I ppf'd my car and on my way to the installer, got a chip. I used Dr. Colorchip and now, because of the ppf, you can't tell I touched it up. I am not sure you can ppf a car right after a repaint so you should check that as well.

[Midnite8]

If you are going to ppf it, then I would get it repainted, unless you only have a few chips. If only few chips, then I would touch it up with something like Dr. Colorchip and ppf it. I ppf'd my car and on my way to the installer, got a chip. I used Dr. Colorchip and now, because of the ppf, you can't tell I touched it up. I am not sure you can ppf a car right after a repaint so you should check that as well.

There are more pits and divots from rocks than chips I would say. That's why I want to consider sanding it

[Just02896]

There are more pits and divots from rocks than chips I would say. That's why I want to consider sanding it

I don't think sanding is going to give you the results you are looking for. It certainly will not help make divots or stone chips any less noticeable. Not to mention you will be removing some protective CC. The first thing you need to do is to stop tailgating! Lol! If your going to eventually have the bumper re-sprayed then just touch up the chips for now, repolish / recoat, and let the body shop spray it when the time comes. Then apply PPF and you'll be GTG.

[PursuitDT]

If you consider sanding at all then you might as well repaint the bumper. For as many divots and chips that you say are on there you would have to do a lot of sanding to feather them down. Doing a touch up has its advantages, but its only a patch job. To properly get it back to original condition the chips will have to filled with bondo and sanded down. Again since you're sanding it down you'll be potentially getting into the paint that isn't affected.
Patch Job - Touch Up Paint
Total Fix - Refill chips and divots and repaint.