Hi guys, does anyone here have any probs with your bumper getting a lot of rock chips?

I have 4000 miles on my 04 silverstone, the front bumper is full of rock chips, about 30 of them. There are tiny ones that show up white (teared up the clearcoat), and there are several deeper ones shoe up black (went all the way to the primer).
You can totally notice them if you are standing about 2 feet away.

Is this normal on a new car? At this rate, I would have to repaint my bumper every year!

My commute everyday consists of about 10 miles of construction zone, but still, this is unacceptable.

It feels like the paint is really soft, my car was built in July, the paint should be cured by now, right?

 

You are not alone.

The eurathane bumper cover is a soft compound, requiring lots of flex agent in the base coat (paint) and clearcoat to keep them from cracking. Because of this, and the fact that the bumper cover is basically a vertical surface, it will get lots of chips.

Many of us have complained to our dealers and to Nissan North America {1- (800) NISSAN 1} but no one has come up with a satisfactory answer.

My fix is enroute from CA as we speak. I'm purchasing a new bumper cover made out of carbon fiber (NISMO replica.) CF is very tough, so does not need nearly as much flex agent in the paint.

Anther fix is a traditional car bra, either from Nissan or well known manufacturers like Colgen.

A 3M clearbra is another option, from StoneGard or other clear bra kit manufacturer.

 

Yeah, I had many very small divets from road debris @ 4,500 miles on my front bumper. Lucklily, I got a brand new front bumper after my accident. I only drive on normal paved roads and try at all costs to avoid construction zones and sand. I also stay away from trucks and do not tailgate pickups. There is nothing you can do about it besides get a bra, but that defeats the purpose anyway. By having a bra, you are making your front end look like sh*t, so it doesn't matter that you are protecting it from rock chips. I dont think any amount of wax will prevent this from happening either. I would say, juist replace the front bumper after it starts to become visible from a few feet away (40,000 miles maybe). This happens to every car to some degree, not just the Z.

 

No way I am putting on a bra. It's like putting seat cover on leather seats.
My dealer once mentioned a $500 option....a clear protective coating on the bumper, I believe he said Teflon or something. Not clearbra though, it is sparyed on.
Any ideas?

Man....I might have to get a CF bumper.....poor me.

And by the way, I don't think other cars are like that. I've been surveying other cars, from BMW to Chevy Malibus, they don't look as bad as mine, even with more miles and older.

 

On a second thought, I am having a little hard time imagin paying money on a "fix" for a problem that I didn't not cause.

I think my dealer will see a lot of jedoublery from now on.

 

my bumper is f*ed up too....i have A LOT of rock chips and a couple on the hood....i think it's cheaper getting a nismo replica front bumper then an OEM one...why is this?

 

join the club!

 

These posts help me justify the $500 i spent putting on the clear bra 4 days after picking up my Z. In 4 days of minimal driving without the bra i still managed to get a couple nicks in the paint!

Clear bra is a must!

 

Join the club... As one once told me when I asked the same exact question. Paint chips. Luckily since my recent backing into by my friend, his insurance is paying and I am getting the front bumper resprayed. yay.

 

Damm 18 wheelers are all over the freeway here shooting up rock into my bumper and windshield.

 

My sentiment exactly. Worth every penny I spent. 3,300 km later, not a chip on the front bumper or hood. Bra also easy to wash and clean. Also, bra hardly noticeable unless up close.

 

Had my Xpel kit installed about a week or two after I bought the car

I'v got a nice clean bumper! Only a few divits from before it was installed. People don't even know there is anything on the front of my car until I point it out to them...

 

I put on a clear bra, I have 4500 miles, not even one small chip. It is still perfect. I cannot understand why anyone would put on a regular bumper after you see a clear bra. Actually, i cannot understand oanyone not having a clear bra on a Z considering the soft paint and large ft painted area.

 

10k miles with clear bra and not one single rock chip

 

I have a few chips on my bumper, it is more than I would like, but not unacceptable, but the area my car has a problem with is the rocker panels. On both sides of the car behind the front wheels and right before the rear wheels the paint is so torn up it is almost white and you can notice it standing 20 feet away. Now if I drove in rocks or something this would be understandable, but I never drive on dirt/stone roads. Most of the roads the Z goes on are fairly new macadam or concrete roads, and I wouldn't expect these kinds of roads to be throwing up enough debris to cause this. Has anyone successfully had their dealer repaint parts of their car? I am tempted to have it repainted and have splash guards installed or have the clear bra material installed on this area because it looks terrible.

 

I do not have a single chip behind the wheels...I even removed my splash guards.

 

Put the 3M clear bra on the 2nd day I owned the Z......on Silver the clear bra is completely invisible from 4 ft away........not a single rock chip..............dealer installed/sold me the 3M for 300.00 total.......a good deal. You can buy the kit on line from 3M for around 200.00..........then you could find your own installer.....Ziebart will normally install it for about 100.00...........worth every penny

 

I'm the same club....tons of rock chips on the front bumber. I have gone the route of having the front bumber repainted through the dealerships preferred body shop. I'm very pleased with the work they did and the paint match looks great. However, be warned that you will still potential have some of the deaper rock chips still prevalent after repainting due to the depth of the chip. But I'm very happy with the results and it's way to late to consider the clear bra as an option now.

 

OK, is it too late to put on the clear bra now?
I am the originator of this thread....the guy with tons of chips

 

Why spend the money to protect paint that is already damaged? A clear bra wont take away your existing chips. If you ever end up getting a new bumper (nismo, etc) or end up repainting yours, I would get a clear bra put on then.