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small chips from road gravel
- Thread starter scannon18
- Start date
Ron Ketcham
Active member
As long as you are required to drive on that sort of road, and your vehicle meets others coming and other's passing you, no matter what you do, it will not get better.
However, I would assume that you know that.
So, without more important information, such as what the vehicle is, how old it is, what color it is, etc. very difficult to provide some real and helpful advice.
There are many ways to protect, really protect those areas, however, they are not some "wipe on-wipe off" products, and then there is the issue of "repairing" the rock chips.
Not that difficult to "sort of-kind of" reduce the visual damage, however, what would that really do, if the vehicle will continue to be exposed to the chipping issue?
Hang in there, and "think about what I have said".
Come over to the Thursday night chat here and you will be exposed to many professionals who will provide their take on this concern of yours.
Grumpy
However, I would assume that you know that.
So, without more important information, such as what the vehicle is, how old it is, what color it is, etc. very difficult to provide some real and helpful advice.
There are many ways to protect, really protect those areas, however, they are not some "wipe on-wipe off" products, and then there is the issue of "repairing" the rock chips.
Not that difficult to "sort of-kind of" reduce the visual damage, however, what would that really do, if the vehicle will continue to be exposed to the chipping issue?
Hang in there, and "think about what I have said".
Come over to the Thursday night chat here and you will be exposed to many professionals who will provide their take on this concern of yours.
Grumpy
I'll be sure to put pertinent info in my signature. What protective measures are there? The chips aren't that bad, its just that I imagine after two or three years my front end will be totally chewed up. I hear that 3m makes a sort of "tape" that you can apply over parts of a car but I don't know what they call it and can't find any info about it.
Ron Ketcham
Active member
Find the time, go on, take it and come to the chat Thursday evening.
Grumpy
Grumpy
imported_truzoom
New member
It's a bit late since the damage has been done, but various companies manufacture a very thin film that has to be professionally applied to paint surfaces to protect from bugs and rock chips.
One such example: Protect your vehicle's paint with Scotchgard
One such example: Protect your vehicle's paint with Scotchgard
imported_truzoom
New member
scannon18 said:I still might get that installed to prevent further damage. Doesn't this happen to everyone? Or am I just tailgating too much?
I'll do you a favor and snap a picture of the front bumper on my daily driver. I've pretty much declared it a total loss, but you have to set your expectations correctly for any vehicle that has to leave the garage.
I notice you have a TC, so could it simply be an issue of ground clearance or road conditions?
Well, I live in Southern California, and right now there is a lot of freeway construction and so a lot of rocks on the freeway. I actually have gotten a chipped windshield and nicked rims in the short six months that the car has been mobile.
Another thing I am worried about is long term damage to the paint caused by these small marks on the front bumper. Doesn't this reduce clear coat coverage and thus increase UV exposure to the immediate paint area? And what about rust? Can I just replace the bumper or panels or whatever part is affected?
And a picture would be appreciated
Another thing I am worried about is long term damage to the paint caused by these small marks on the front bumper. Doesn't this reduce clear coat coverage and thus increase UV exposure to the immediate paint area? And what about rust? Can I just replace the bumper or panels or whatever part is affected?
And a picture would be appreciated
Accumulator
Well-known member
scannon18 said:Well, I live in Southern California, and right now there is a lot of freeway construction and so a lot of rocks on the freeway. I actually have gotten a chipped windshield and nicked rims in the short six months that the car has been mobile...
Since the windshield is getting chipped too, I guess it's not just "chip-prone" paint. Staying *way* back from othe traffic might help, but I know most people hate to leave even the "safe minimum" distance (based on your reaction time and rate of travel...never less than two seconds at highway speed, and that's if you're highly trained).
Another thing I am worried about is long term damage to the paint caused by these small marks on the front bumper. Doesn't this reduce clear coat coverage and thus increase UV exposure to the immediate paint area?
The paint will fail faster if it's chipped. Maybe not fast enough to be a practical issue though. Keep it waxed/etc. and really...how long you gonna keep the vehicle?
And what about rust?
Isn't the bumpercover plastic? The chips on metal *might* cause rust if they're through the clear/basecoat/primer/ecoat, but only if you don't keep the area well detailed. I've let to-the-bare metal chips go for *years*, even through salty Ohio winters, with zero problems at all.
Can I just replace the bumper or panels or whatever part is affected?
You can probably just get 'em repainted, but sure, repaint or replace. That's what I do...let things get so bad I can't stand it and then have the bumpercover repainted (had two done within the last year). Ditto for windshields, just had the one on the '00 A8 replaced for the second time.
Ron Ketcham
Active member
I lived in LA from 87 until Jan of 96, when I was the Sales Manager for Finish Kare products.
In 93, got a new company car, black T-Bird, lived in Anahiem area and the office was in El Monte, plus drove all over SoCal with the Bird.
In 6 months, the front fascia looked like it had ran 200 laps at Talladega from all the road rash of the freeway daily driving.
I had that Bird until I left the company, and since I got some bodyshop/painting skills, would use Coddington's paint booth to refinish the fascia every year.
The 3M film had just came out a year after getting the Bird and was involved in a large "real world test" of it with a fleet of Mazda's that were going out to fleets and their field staff.
Problem back then, it turned "yellow" after 6 months to a year, depending on what part of the country the vehicles were in.
That concern seems to have been resolved a few years back, so since you have to drive the freeways, would get some film put on the front fascia or plan on regular refinishing.
Grumpy
In 93, got a new company car, black T-Bird, lived in Anahiem area and the office was in El Monte, plus drove all over SoCal with the Bird.
In 6 months, the front fascia looked like it had ran 200 laps at Talladega from all the road rash of the freeway daily driving.
I had that Bird until I left the company, and since I got some bodyshop/painting skills, would use Coddington's paint booth to refinish the fascia every year.
The 3M film had just came out a year after getting the Bird and was involved in a large "real world test" of it with a fleet of Mazda's that were going out to fleets and their field staff.
Problem back then, it turned "yellow" after 6 months to a year, depending on what part of the country the vehicles were in.
That concern seems to have been resolved a few years back, so since you have to drive the freeways, would get some film put on the front fascia or plan on regular refinishing.
Grumpy
Accumulator
Well-known member
Note that the Paint Protection Film ("PPF") issue gets a little tricky when applying over repaints.
Thank you all very much, these responses have put me at ease. These chips are still young, so I gather that by detailing religiously (i.e. always keeping a coat of wax on the paint) I should be able to get by without rust or clear coat failure? I plan on owning the car for at least six years, ideally up to ten years.
If I eventually replace a panel will the new paint on the panel look different than the older paint on the rest of the car?
I also think it might be a good idea to refinish the front end, at least the areas with the small chips, and then always keep it covered in wax. Thanks for all of the suggestions
If I eventually replace a panel will the new paint on the panel look different than the older paint on the rest of the car?
I also think it might be a good idea to refinish the front end, at least the areas with the small chips, and then always keep it covered in wax. Thanks for all of the suggestions
imported_truzoom
New member
scannon18 said:If I eventually replace a panel will the new paint on the panel look different than the older paint on the rest of the car?
From what I recall, body shops will often want to "blend" the paint between the resprayed panel and adjacent ones, if it is feasible to do so. It is very difficult to get the right color match, so you have to 'feather' it into the overall finish so the difference is not noticeable. I suppose this could depend on color, as well.
Accumulator
Well-known member
scannon18 said:Thank you all very much, these responses have put me at ease. These chips are still young, so I gather that by detailing religiously (i.e. always keeping a coat of wax on the paint) I should be able to get by without rust or clear coat failure? I plan on owning the car for at least six years, ideally up to ten years.
I'd expect things to stay OK, just keep an eye on it. I wasn't fooling about how I let "you have to fix that!"-type chips go for ages with no problems.
If I eventually replace a panel will the new paint on the panel look different than the older paint on the rest of the car?
Depends how good the painter is. But bumpercovers are almost always a little different from the rest of the car anyhow (they're usually delivered to the factory already painted, completely different stuff from what's on the rest of the car). Often my bumpercovers match *better* after I've had them reshot than they did when the car was new!
The blending is situational; sometimes they do it, sometimes they don't. It seems like paints have become easier to match lately, last few times I had paintwork done they did *not* blend into the adjacent panels and things looked fine.
Perfect. I waxed the car today and got a good, intimate look at the front end. I think next month I will claybar and do a light polish over most of the car, a little more aggressive polish on the front end if necessary, and then wax. I am surprised at how many imperfections are on the front bumper. from now on I am keeping very far behind all other drivers.