Need Advice with Massive Paint Gouging.

[Cucurú]

I knew a guy who grew so tired of gouges that he got his entire vehicle sprayed with a spray on truck bed material. It's not pretty. Yet it's beautiful in its own right. It's also tough as nails. Will probably last even after the cars a worn out jalopy.

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[roadpilot]

I knew a guy who grew so tired of gouges that he got his entire vehicle sprayed with a spray on truck bed material. It's not pretty. Yet it's beautiful in its own right. It's also tough as nails. Will probably last even after the cars a worn out jalopy.

That couldn't possible have a negative effect on aerodynamics and fuel mileage, right?

 

[DevilDog]

Well you certainly just jinked yourself!

Funny, I was thinking the same thing.

 

[MM24GT]

RoadPilot, I totally get your frustration. I agree completely with all your statements. I live in Arizona, the rock, gravel and stone capital of the USA! People come from all over the country to view our beautiful rocks. Over time they get ground down to smaller rocks and gravel. That gets blown, scattered and tossed onto our cars driving at high speed. I had a rock ding on the hood of my new '24 GT just days after taking delivery! In case anybody has tried, touch-up paint for these metallic paint colors does not work. It actually makes the ding look worse. Why? It doesn't match the 5-layer paint process done at Ford. So, the very first thing I did was prep the paint for waxing, then give the whole car a good deep wax coating. The hood is alloy, not steel. No rust worry there. There are lots of plastic panels that are painted. No worry there. The other dings I've gotten are filled in with new local wax application. Really, you can't see any of these dings unless I take you there and show you. So, I just forget it. I've gotten used to looking at the paint with blurry eyes. It comes with the territory.

As a fellow Zonie I share your insight. Yes it’s frustrating driving the freeway system here in AZ. I’ve taken two shots off my windshield in the same area of the 101 heading through Scottsdale a week apart. Both times it was another car kicking up a stone as they were rocketing past me. Yes it sucks but there’s nothing you can do about it.
Now only if someone could could develop a 360 degree dome force field that would deflect the flying debris and door ding protection it would solve most of paint and glass worries.

 

[OldMerc]

As a fellow Zonie I share your insight. Yes it’s frustrating driving the freeway system here in AZ. I’ve taken two shots off my windshield in the same area of the 101 heading through Scottsdale a week apart. Both times it was another car kicking up a stone as they were rocketing past me. Yes it sucks but there’s nothing you can do about it.
Now only if someone could could develop a 360 degree dome force field that would deflect the flying debris and door ding protection it would solve most of paint and glass worries.

I understand Xpel is working on a protective film for the windshield. I'll be first in line for an install.

 

[Cucurú]

That couldn't possible have a negative effect on aerodynamics and fuel mileage, right?

I doubt it. But you never know. If one changes their minds they'd most likely never get the stuff off the car. It's thick and strong.

 

[Wiley Marmot]

4,000 miles on mine and not one chip.

4900 on mine, and no chips. Just dumb luck though; like @roadpilot said; **** happens. You guys should have seen the front of my Focus RS when I bought it(just under 30 K miles on it)! Not sure what a previous owner had been doing with it; had hundreds of chips in the front trim bar. Took it to a shop and had them sand it out and repaint.

 

[Rocket Man]

There are some days that I swear I'm going to stop even logging on to these forums.

/QUOTE]

LOL. Ain't that the truth. Did you look at the pics of the damage? He said $2500 each to repair. Any good paint and dent guy would fix those for a couple of hundred each, good as new.

 

[IFFV68]

There are some days that I swear I'm going to stop even logging on to these forums.

Driving cars at speed on roads full of other cars, trucks, and semis means all kinds of roadway debris are going to be thrown up in the air and back at your vehicle. This happens with EVERY vehicle. Doesn't matter what an 'expert' relative the body shop guy, the neighbor down the street who owns the detail shop, or Phill who happened to stay at a Holiday Inn Express has to say about it. Life happens. Chit happens.

Reach out to the dealership? How in the world do they bear any responsibility?

Yes, it's expensive to fix roadway debris damage to your vehicle, as this is 2025, not 1993.

Yes, it's normal. It happens. I've got about 4,500 miles on my Dark Horse and a big gouge in the front fascia due to something that hit it - no, I have no idea what, but it's not because of "thin paint" or "thin metal".

I completely agree with you.
If you want your Mustangs paint to be perfect all the time don’t drive it on the street.
You hit a rock on the highway and your tire goes flat, blame it on the tire. You hit a curb and your tire goes flat. Blame it on the curb.
Your following a semi too close and you get a paint chip on the front of your Mustang. Blame it on the Paint.
The Rock comes flying off a tire on the highway and you the paint gets gouge in your hood.
Blame it on the Metal. It has to be too thin.

 

[Cucurú]

I completely agree with you.
If you want your Mustangs paint to be perfect all the time don’t drive it on the street.
You hit a rock on the highway and your tire goes flat, blame it on the tire. You hit a curb and your tire goes flat. Blame it on the curb.
Your following a semi too close and you get a paint chip on the front of your Mustang. Blame it on the Paint.
The Rock comes flying off a tire on the highway and you the paint gets gouge in your hood.
Blame it on the Metal. It has to be too thin.

Doesn't it supposed to be Trump's fault? Sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

[Will2]

If you leave room in front of you, other people just cut in that space continuously.

The ideal strategy I've found is going faster than general flow of traffic but constantly vigilantly maintaining a distance from whatever car you find in front of you.

Can't be totally avoided however.

 

[Allanrock59]

I would get a ceramic coating which will help a lot for little scratches. But like everyone else stated there is not that much you can do beside staying as far away as possible from the car in front of you.

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