Are you getting rock chips on your lower body panels?

[fxstbi]

I was cleaning my car tonight and found numerous small rock chips on my lower body work. I would have thought that the GM Engineers would have solved the problem of paint damage. My car is a 2002 with less than 4000 miles on it and it NEVER sees gravel. I can't belive that road dirt can do this. Has anyone used the molded fender guards to eleminate this??? Do I have bad paint???? Any input would be appreciated. Pete

 

[les]

I've had the same problem. It's a lot worse now that my car has been painted. I have not tried the clear plastic gards, i have seen them but they seem to get discolured.

 

[78SilvAnniv]

Chips happen, just drive.

I get a lot of chips on the lower half of the body behind the wheels, and a few on the doors. I know that my chips happen because of the way the C3 body is designed. Tires stick out, body is angled in behind the fender / tire wells.

The worst place for chips is just in front of the rear wheel well, where the body is tucked in then has to flare out to meet the edge of the well. It catches everything from the front tires!

I think I'll have to take a look at the newer vettes, I also thought that problem would have been eliminated.
Silver

 

[DkBG]

I have the molded mudflapson my 2000 and I don't think they help that much . Maybe a little though . Cliff

 

[fxstbi]

Clean Roads??!!

Drive on clean roads, you got to be kidding! Next, someone will tell me not to drive when it rains. No way, I drive my 'Vettes. I have over 125,000 on my '81, all by me! I think that GM engineers should have solved this problem. I look at other performance cars and they don't have this problem. I talked with my local body shop and they suggested that I re-paint the areas and use Gravel Guard as a base coat. This will absorb the impact of the road grit. Anyone ever try this? I have seen it on other tin cars and they don't seem to have any chipping. It really bums me out to pay forty plus thousand and have to paint the lower half of my car!ad

 

[Drewser]

I'm thinking like Silver. Chips happen. I'm concerned every time I wash one of the vettes. The 84 has several chips. It has lower body stuff that absorbs most of the damage, but the hood is chipped up like crazy (although not bad for a car that is 18). I've noticed a few spots on the 99 and they really irk me.
--Drew

 

[mhaber]

Yes, chips happen. I bought the Altec stone guards and had them painted to match my Vette and the cheap $15 flaps from Mid America for the front of the rear wheel wells. Zero chips. I get mixed reviews from fellow Vette owners, some think the stone guards are awesome and others dislike them, but I have no chips and didn't want to go the route of repainting the rocker panels and rear fascia every year or two. I've been looking at Porsche's as they pull next to me and clearly they have big time chips in the same places as the Vette. I did put XPel film over the front headlights (painted part). It's totally invisible and will protect against chips up to 120 MPH, so they say. I also run a nose bra until the rocks are cleared from the roads after winter because our roads are nothing but rocks from November to May 1.

 

[02Z06]

I think the kind of paint used by different manufacturers/car models really makes a difference. To illustrate:

1999 Black BMW 328i, 38000 miles (sold) - not a single stone chip on the paint.

2001 Spectra Blue Mica Lexus IS300 sedan, 33000 miles - about 10-15 stone chips on the hood (show up as white chips on blue paint). Someone on the IS300 forum, had a fender bender that required the Lexus body shop to repaint the hood; their stone chipping issue diminished by more than 90% with same driving habits after the repaint?!?!

:confused

Too early to tell on my Vette but all this is to say that paint formulation seems to really make a difference in how easily the paint will chip when hit by stones.

.

 

[fxstbi]

Chips!

I looked my car over really well this afternoon in the bright sunlight. It seems like the chips are comming from the front tires. The area in front of the rear wheels looks like it is sand blasted. Same with the area below the doors, bunches of small chips. Sucks! Guess I'l put some mud flaps on it too. Pete

Wait, I have an idea! Running boards! Thats what we need, running boards!

 

[Tom Martin]

Drive only on clean roads?!!! You must be a Mustang owner!! So, since I already know that clear plastic is junk then either a bra for the front plus some kind of deflector behind the front wheels seem to be the answer. Now, if I could only find out what kind of deflector works I'd be home free.

 

[Tom Martin]

I think the kind of paint used by different manufacturers/car models really makes a difference. To illustrate:

1999 Black BMW 328i, 38000 miles (sold) - not a single stone chip on the paint.

2001 Spectra Blue Mica Lexus IS300 sedan, 33000 miles - about 10-15 stone chips on the hood (show up as white chips on blue paint). Someone on the IS300 forum, had a fender bender that required the Lexus body shop to repaint the hood; their stone chipping issue diminished by more than 90% with same driving habits after the repaint?!?!

:confused

Too early to tell on my Vette but all this is to say that paint formulation seems to really make a difference in how easily the paint will chip when hit by stones.

.

That damned white primer doesn't help at all. It just makes the chips show up even more. I had a blue '12 BMW M3 and the chips showed up quite well!!