Rock Chips

[The Critic]

First time pick-up owner. I am a bit surprised by the amount of rock chips I have accumulated after only 8,000 miles. This truck is primarily a highway vehicle, but I wonder if the shape of the front-end has anything to do with this.

All of the painted areas on the front of this truck are wrapped with clear bra / paint protection film. The rock chips have actually broken the film on two separate occasions.

 

[Blinker]

Yep, flat faced vehicles will get more rock chips.

 

[CKN]

As a SIlverado owner-my truck (2018) has 33,000 miles on it. The front of the hood looks like it has 70,000 miles on it. Having spent my career with "ink and paper" (printing) I am all too familiar with adhesion and substrates. To keep it brief-yes you can thank a square shaped vehicle and the new aqueous based car paints and the poor adhesion this paint has. Very few have been successful (at least with GM) of having a repaint done on the hood.

 

[Danno]

I have PPF on 3 vehicles - Suntek. I have had a small tear, but no paint damage.
The damage would have been far worse without the PPF imo.
What brand is your PPF?
The chips when they appear should be filled asap with touchup paint.
Looks like the second chip is rusting already.
Where is that located? Rams have aluminum hoods.

 

[JHZR2]

Welcome to poor aerodynamics, wider open wheel wells, and big tires.

 

[The Critic]

I have PPF on 3 vehicles - Suntek. I have had a small tear, but no paint damage.
The damage would have been far worse without the PPF imo.
What brand is your PPF?
The chips when they appear should be filled asap with touchup paint.
Looks like the second chip is rusting already.
Where is that located? Rams have aluminum hoods.

A few inches from the edge of the hood. I think the discoloration may be trapped dirt, but I will have to investigate further.

The PPF is Stek Dynoshield.

 

[Luftmasse]

I feel your pain. I was thinking about putting PPF for the front bumper. Not sure if it is worth it.

 

[dishdude]

Highway miles will do it. All I hear are rocks pelting every vehicle I drive on the highway.

 

[Nick1994]

Highway miles will do it. All I hear are rocks pelting every vehicle I drive on the highway.

Yup, especially here in the valley with gravel everywhere.

The front of my Genesis is kinda sad . I've had the windshield replaced (insurance, $1,500), the front parking sensors are messed up from rock chips (as in not functioning usually), and the radar cruise control sensor cover has a bit chip in it.

 

[Pew]

Highway miles will do it. All I hear are rocks pelting every vehicle I drive on the highway.

Yep, I don't even bother to clay bar and wax the front bumper anymore.

 

[gregk24]

I think it's just todays water based paints. Even being the cautions drivers that we are, our previous new Jetta had a few rock chips after 3500 miles.

 

[The Critic]

I think it's just todays water based paints. Even being the cautions drivers that we are, our previous new Jetta had a few rock chips after 3500 miles.

I was just surprised that the rocks broke thru the ppf. I expected to face this scenario eventually, but not this soon.

 

[SZR48207]

1. Avoid driving behind construction equipment, and trailers towing construction equipment.
2. Avoid driving behind pickups that run AT tires without mud flaps.

Large tread block gaps on AT tires = great places for large pebbles to hide until the tire is spinning at 80mph. Also the extra ground clearance of trucks and jeeps means there's more room for them to spit back at you.

 

[willbur]

Welcome to poor aerodynamics, wider open wheel wells, and big tires.

And poor road maintenance. Debris and gravel/sand etc everywhere anymore. Hold hand out of window on I-95 around philly and feels like a sand blaster at work.

 

[xBa380]

I was just surprised that the rocks broke thru the ppf. I expected to face this scenario eventually, but not this soon.

PPF is thin urethane. It helps for protection against light debris, but it absolutely won't survive impact against larger rocks and other projectiles.

I decided against PPF on my new car because PPF also gets damaged and looks like crap long term. So why pay more money for little benefit?

 

[Wylie6G72]

If you're up for the maintenance they require, there's still no protection that surpasses a bra. I had one on my '91 Civic, 90 Talon, 93 Sundance and '02 Altima, and the hoods and bumpers were flawless when I traded them in. But you do have to remove and clean them periodically, and any time it rains. Some folks aren't up for it, but it never bothered me. I've had the film installed on a couple of cars, and both of them took a hit, and then dirt got into the breach and created a brown spot. If perfection is your goal, film can't deliver.

 

[supton]

I think it just happens. Sand will do it I think. My windshields over time just get pitted, badly, and it's not from rocks hitting them.

Not sure if I'd expect that much damage this quickly out in your area though...

 

[Luftmasse]

PPF is thin urethane. It helps for protection against light debris, but it absolutely won't survive impact against larger rocks and other projectiles.

I decided against PPF on my new car because PPF also gets damaged and looks like crap long term. So why pay more money for little benefit?

You have answered my question well. Short and simple. Thank you

 

[Crash Bandicoot]

My truck’s front bumper looks like the it has morning stubble. Spent the first 6-8 months of its life as a rental in SW Colorado/northern NM so no doubt a victim of the famous gravel roads on the Ute and Navajo reservations around Gallup and Farmington/Ignacio/Cortez. Definitely square front/lack of aero has an impact. Luckily damage isn’t very obvious since the paint and the primer colors are vary similar and 1/3rd of the bumper is black plastic.

 

[The Critic]

PPF is thin urethane. It helps for protection against light debris, but it absolutely won't survive impact against larger rocks and other projectiles.

I decided against PPF on my new car because PPF also gets damaged and looks like crap long term. So why pay more money for little benefit?

Without PPF, the front-end would have had even more chips by now. I do expect PPF to experience some damage over time, but perhaps not this soon.

PPF's do discolor over time, but if you maintain the vehicle well and wrap entire panels, it isn't as terrible as it sounds. For a darker colored vehicle like yours, it is probably a non-issue.