ive got rockchips, how 'bout you?

after this last drive and cleaning up the car today i realized i have TONS of big/small chips on the front bumper.

Now the question is, should i get it repainted now and put a clear bra on ... or just wait until it gets even worse and just buy a new bumper or repaint it in a few months.

Here's some pics of it ...

 

I haven't wash mine, hopefully the clear bra did what it's suppose to do..

You can't see it unless you are close, don't worry about it...

be glad you didn't get a chip on the windshield

 

it's pretty bad from far away ... it's like a sea of white.

 

I have the 3m clear coat on my nose and I am getting hits on my front bumper that are causing small dings under the film due to the hi speed of the impacts. barring a cloth nose cover I dont see how you can avoid the impacts. I expect to have a repaint of the nose in a year or so... sniff sniff.. it sucks

And I stay far away from trucks and other dangerous rock throwing vehicles..

EZ

 

i always expected to repaint it ... but i never thought it would get this bad this fast ...

 

Wait until summer when the bugs come out...especially in Houston.

You won't complain about rocks...some of those bastards are hard as a rock and loaded with acid.

 

did you have to take the bumber off to put on the clear front reflector?

 

nope, howard (apexi350z) was able to reach in and install them for me ... the driver side one is very easy to reach, it's the passenger side that's a pain.

 

i have a small chip in my windshield, b/c a small peble hit it while i was on the parkway. Now that sucks!!!

 

tough it out. i can hardly see the big deal of the rock chips that you are having. seems fine to me.

what exactly are clear bras?

 

NO WAY, a clear bra would eliminate 90% of those, I put them on ALL my cars now, they work great.

 

I have to say that 98 % of all the impacts on the 3m have wiped right off without leaving any trace.. but that 2 % have gotten thru the 3m and or left a mark. WOuld I put 3m on my cars again.. DAMN YES.... I jsut wished it was a bit thicker but then I would whine cause it was very visible. the 3m I have on now is quite invisible unless you angle the sun just right to see it.

Question... and I should go point ***** on this but naaaa.... do you wax over your 3m or do you stop at the edge?

EZ

 

My front bumber constantly gets chips and stuff when I'm driving on the highway, and even some on the side. I have the nose guard, but it's so damn hard to put on, I don't even bother. If you want to get it repainted, I would at least wait a while (at least a year), because more chips are going to get on it, no matter what you do. It definitely doesn't help with the car being so low to the ground. One way to save your self a few rock chips is to give the big rigs in front of you some distance. They can cause some pretty big rocks to fly up on your car.

 

A new bumper cost $230. Paint will run around $200. Clear Bra is what? $800, $900 AND the really big **** will still get through it?

I can completely replace the bumper two times over for the cost of one Clear Bra application. Think about the worse-case scenario where you wreck, destroy the front fascia and have to pay for the Clear Bra all over again. Insurance will more than likely NOT cover that.

 

It cost me 300 for my clear 3m film installed....

I know It was going to be charged 250.00 to have the curb rash taken out of my front lip.

I am still waiting to see if I am going to nudge mroe curbs .

Is the 230.00 for a new front bumper include it being painted your color or is it just standard black plastic? ( edited ) I see where yous ay paint is 200.00 and bumper is 230.00. Okay... Its still close to the same price.

If it cost me 230.00 for a new bumper painted I will never put the clear 3m back on.. for that price Driod is right... I can take a bath in bumpers...

Now thats an odd thought.

EZ

 

I don't think $230.00 is bad for a repaint if we're talking paint damage only. I'd be willing to do that every other year or so. But my question is, are we really talking about $230.00 for this service? I haven't checked around or anything but is this an average price?

 

If you were going to repaint the bumper... is there any type of paint that would resist rock chips and look acceptable?

 

Are you sure those are chips? Look like flake. Just tell people it's flake.

 

the most expensive kits INCLUDE the WHOLE front, the lights, the rearview mirrors, the A pillar and the top front (just behind the windshield), that is a LOT of paint, parts and labor to replace 1x/year.

 

Let's face the facts guys. Our Z front bumper is made of soft plastic that's taking a beating. I decided not to go with a 3M film because if you take a big hit you'll have to remove the entire film just to fix one spot or you're stuck looking at a nasty dent. The film may save you from a lot of damage but when it takes a good hit it looks terrible as well. It's like looking at a sandwich through a piece of glass when you're hungry. There's nothing you can do about it unless you break the glass. Regular bra's tend to fade/cloud your paint. This is a lose - lose situation. Getting it painted every so often is the only valed answer I can come up with. Then you'll have another problem. Will the color match the rest of the car...I give up. My front bumper is taking a beating and all I can do is take it like a man.