How to prevent stone chips
 

Hi everyone, I have my white frs for two month and notice that there are already got some stone chips on e front bumper :cry::cry: just wondering how to you guys prevent this .. This is my first new car and I want to take very good care of her.:thanks:

Clear bra.

Opti-coat (not that effective), Clear-bra (very effective), Don't drive it (Super effective).


The paint on these cars is... sensitive.

Try to keep way back from people without mudflaps, drive in the center lane when possible and avoid driving on dirty roads. Other than that, a Clear Bra type of product is probably your best bet.

I expect the plastic parts to chip a lot easier than the body panels.

entropy is the 2nd law of thermodynamics and thus inescapable...it's the arrow of time. decay is inherent. except for AU of course lol

congrats on your first new car you picked a great one:)

oh, in all seriousness, try the 3m paint defender lol..im a smart ass btw:)

dont tailgate and dont drive behind trucks

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi3hJYmtKR4"]3M™ Paint Defender Spray Film: Full How-to Application - YouTube[/ame]

Speaking of paint - don't mean to thread jack.
But say if you autox and hit uhh a few cones... Is it difficult to buff any marks out or should you invest some time in the 3m spray and peel it off afterwards?

Become proficient using touch up paint and a tooth pick.

Clear bra, is the only real way.

As others have already said. Clear Bra if you have deep pockets :P, Dont tail gate other vehicles, NEVER follow or drive behind a semi/large vehicles.

Easy, don't drive your car.

@wilson0326 use the 3m product that @supra2nv posted. Wish i knew about it when i first got my car.

I dislike, there has to be a better way

I use clear bra. $500 for the bumper, front hoot, part of the side front, and the mirrors. There is so much construction where I love right now, I felt it was money well spent. It was $200 to just do the front bumper where most of the chips will occur.

Dont think sensitive is the word, shit is more accurate, on my 3rd subaru, all shit paint, least the cars are reliable and fun

there's no construction where I love right now :)

Clear bra, I'm getting stone chips too and there's no other "easy" way.

Ok.. I decided not to drive my car anymore...lol

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

clear bra as others have said. I know its hard to shell out 500 - 600 for the clear bra, but its definitely worth it in the end.

Smash up the front of your car with a hammer, you will never notice the stone chips afterwards. You can thank me later for this sage advice.

There is a new clear coat that is out in Body shops.

I have tested it for three years ar the track.

It is very good for preventing chips.

It's coat so rocks bounce off. You can put your finger nail in it and watch the paint bounce back.

clear bra/ clear coat dip ect.. you will still get them.. just drive wise.. dont follow to close/avoid driving in the slow lanes were cars/trucks are merging on the freeway. im sure they will have some gravel ready to throw when they get up to speed.. also always look way far ahead to see if theres a dump truck carrying dirt that could be spilling out gravel..

its a car. it will have chips no matter what unless its not a daily driver/ garage queen.. i was worried about it but after i got some chips i could really careless.. i just drive wise and just knowing my car still runs great..

im pretty sure we all have sCARS.. thats life.. so dont worry about the small things worry about the big things... enjoy the car for what its ment for and drive it:burnrubber: wisely:D

Build a bridge.

You beat me to it.

If you decide to get that 3m spray protector, make sure you have it applied professionally. I have heard horror stories from professional detailers.

-Nick C.

I know it sucks, it's a lot like being a teenager and waking to find new pimples on your face. I personally will end up buying a replacement front bumper/ fenders, because I'm weird like that.

We wouldn't need clear bras so badly if many of the manufacturers hadn't cheaped out by slapping on 90-130 microns of paint on cars that should have 150-180 microns, especially with the implementation of these water-based paints which tend to be less durable to begin with...:mad0260:

Personally, I'd rather have paint that chips than higher incidences of birth defects and developmental issues from lead. But what do I know...
:burnrubber:

Haha, smartass...:happy0180:

I'm fine with the water-based stuff...I just wished that they didn't spray it so damn thin...

:D

I agree. Rock chips make me a sad panda.

Wasn't there a 3M spray on clear bra or something?

If the rock chips get bad enough I will have the bumper painted or buy another one. I can't stand bras whether they are clear or not.

Even if you look close at the photos of the Griffon by TRD there are rock chips all over the bumper of that beauty. It's going to happen.

So for me touch up paint until it gets bad enough that I want to do something about it.

tape some newspaperon the front of the car during long trips... that's how we used to do it before all these fancy clear bras and jazz.

I spent a lot of time claybar-ing out rubber marks from cones. Depending on the state of the cone, it is possible to hit one hard enough to damage the paint. That's why I went with more protection (plasti-dip and 3M Paint Defender).

Mothers also makes a rubber remover product, I haven't tried that one yet.

just drive and get bumper repainted later. i was in same boat but repaint is the best

Wonder if us early adopters will be able to mount say a 2017 brz sti front bumper or 2018 trd front or whatevers coming down the line

Back in the 1980s we used Saran Wrap (actually Reynolds Plastic Wrap was thicker and worked better) and masking tape. Tape would leave a residue but would come off with WD-40. Today, painter's tape is used on the leading edges. Leaves no residue and even comes in colors now so it doesn't look as foolish.

if Einstein was on this forum, he'd point to relativity