Unusual amount of rock chips - warranty service or tough break?

[martinw89]

I've been noticing rock chips every time I detail my car. I finally decided to do something about it, and started by marking every chip that I could see bare metal: http://i.imgur.com/tYqSw5I.jpg

Wow! That's only at the 12,000 mile and 9 month mark. This seems really unusual, because I take care to drive defensively and always maintain a 2-3 second gap between myself and the car in front of me at the bare minimum. I also am stupidly meticulous, probably obsessive, about maintaining my car's finish via proper washing techniques and regular application of good sealants like Collinite 915.

My original plan was to touch up every chip, but that was when I thought I just had 4 or 5. I've applied touch up to every chip to prevent corrosion, but the results are of course not that great with touch up paint, and it's also going to take me quite a long time to get an acceptable finish.

To me, this seems like more chips than regular wear and tear. Is there any chance Ford's going to cover a respray of the hood and the front bumper, or should I just accept my fate and continue with touching up all these chips?

 

[FocusMike]

Even though I think the paint on the Fiesta is extremely susceptible to chipping, rock chips aren't covered under warranty, that's why there are threads on the forum dedicated towards clear bra protection.

 

[martinw89]

Dang, that sucks, because this paint definitely could be more durable and is pretty disappoint considering the rest of the car is so great. Hell my first car was a hand-me-down GM from the 90s with 130,000 miles and it had far fewer chips than this.

Yeah I'm looking at clear bra threads now. I guess I'll just be making this look as good as possible and then getting a clear bra.

 

[Fasta123]

Dang, that sucks, because this paint definitely could be more durable and is pretty disappoint considering the rest of the car is so great. Hell my first car was a hand-me-down GM from the 90s with 130,000 miles and it had far fewer chips than this.

Yeah I'm looking at clear bra threads now. I guess I'll just be making this look as good as possible and then getting a clear bra.

dude that is crazy, the roads you drive on must be pretty bad.. they have to be? that's pretty extreme...im sorry bro, id be so pissed.

 

[Caad10Black0]

Seeing posts like this makes me have absolutely 0 regret for paying $650 for a clear bra as my first purchase for this car.

 

[DaveG99]

My clear bra was $800. But I got my entire hood and even my mirrors done. Best money I've spent on this car. I'm way too OCD about my paint

 

[me32]

Rock chips are gonna happen if you drive the car. Just the way it is. Keep a really really good coat of wax can help.

 

[Vince62]

I had clear bra the whole front end, all the hood,mirrors,over the windshield, Up to the moon roof and rocker panels.I have 1 chip on my hood that looks not like a rock chip but maybe a key.Loose clear is hanging to the front like something hit from behind.I can notice cuz I wash the car but not really noticeable.

 

[rexdriver85]

That's pretty bad. I don't have a clear bra, I'm at 14k miles and 11 months of ownership with a lot of highway driving. I have about 5 rock chips right now.

The FoST guys have it just as bad or worse.

Once the nice weather comes back I am going to give https://www.drcolorchip.com/ a try.

I've done a lot of research on it and it seems to work very well in the videos. Lots of detailers swear by it as well.

You may want to give it a try.

You can still get a clear bra, but you'll have to perform and/or have a professional paint correction done to ensure the paint under the clear bra is flawless before application.

Good luck!

 

[DaveG99]

About 2500 miles. Clear bra looks great. Just washed it today.

 

[Muldoon]

OP - If a sealant and wax isn't holding up against what your local roads are throwing at you, you'll definitely be happy with the investment of a clear bra. Like others have said, it's been the best "mod" I've invested in. At nearly 10k miles in Pennsylvania and there are zero chips in my front bumper, totally worth the cost.

 

[boombots]

Luckily I only have a few rock chips on the hood, they were there from the prior owner. Most of mine are in the plastic bumper. I have put probably 5% of my miles on via highway. Driving surface streets at 45 keeps the chips away. If I drove highway id go for the bra.

My '12 focus was all chipped from highway driving. Someone told me it is due to different paint ingredients to meet epa or safety regulations or something. Not sure if it's true, but it does seem most new cars chip a lot. My 97 explorer which spent some rough miles off road had like 2 rock chips...

 

[haste]

Good lord, 27k on my 2015 and only 3 chips to be found.

 

[alamo76]

It also depends on paint color, right? Burnt orange, Green Envy, and White Platinum are tri-coat, so would probably hold out better?

 

[FistSt215]

Got tuxedo black too and I have at least 2-3 rock chips on my hood . Almost 13k miles

 

[forevercasual]

I looked today and I have 4-5 chips on the hood alone. Didn't look very hard at the bumper but I'm sure there are a couple ><. I have 6.5k miles on it. My MO isn't holding up so well

 

[FatGuyInALittleCar]

I turned down the first car the dealership sourced for me, '15 TB because of a billion "fish eyes" all over the car. It turns out Ford authorized a full strip and reap ray of that car by the dealer's body shop. Apparently, there are some broad issues with "environmental factors" leading to poorly painted cars coming out of the Mexico plant.
Seems logical that a combination of cheap paint and potential issues with application could lead to these issues many of us are having. Too bad, considering some of Ford's cars have very good paint right out of the box.