rock the size of jupiter took a chunk out of my hood
 

Hey guys, i was getting out of my car today and I noticed there was a pretty big chip in my hood, right dead in the center of it. I have bad luck with imperfections like that. It's about half the diameter of a dime, must have been a huge rock. But, its pretty deep, and its been raining the past couple of days, didn't notice it until today. It looks like theres a little redish/brown in there? Not rust hopefully? :( But possibly if its been raining? What should I do with it? I want to get it patched up. Should I take it to a body shop? The dealer? What should I ask them to do? Also, i won't have time to take it for a good couple of days, should I do something to it temporarily? Thanks guys!

The hood is a pretty thick hunk of metal...don't worry about possible rust effects (if any), as it will be surface rust at best.

A body shop should be able to repair the damage fairly easily. It won't be perfect however, unless a whole-hood respray is in order..

Was the metal damaged, or is damage confined to the paint? The red may be from brick. What color paint do you have to match?

I've been able to fill bad chips with paint dabbed on with the paper end of a matchstick made into a point. Then, when dry, use a tiny file to get it flat with the rest of the surface. Finish with 600-, 1000-grit, rubbing, and polishing compounds. It's not a perfect fix, but neither does it catch the eye.