2018 ST intercooler in rough shape after 1 month of daily driving.

[Mylerx]

Hey everyone, new to the ST family I’ve never really owned a car before as I always owned trucks growing up but I decided to buy a small car to help save on gas for my 1.5 hour drive to work. Today I was cleaning the car and noticed a bunch of small paint chips on my hood I then had a look down below and noticed the fins on the intercooler were all bent up and looks horrible. There’s no holes but some spots are pretty bad. I knew this would happen a little bit as it’s low to the ground and I drive it on the highway everyday and it’s full on winter here but I didn’t think it would be that bad. Any suggestions to help prevent it from happening? Stronger aftermarket one? Forgive my lack it car knowledge I’m just getting into it!

Thanks in advance!


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[apex1]

You must have an awful lot of small debris on the roads you drive. Maybe you can try buying some window screen material from a local hardware store and wrapping it around the intercooler to keep the debris from damaging the fins so badly. You can also buy a comb-like radiator fin tool to straighten the bent fins. There are several sold on Amazon. As far as the paint chips go, a number of people here install clear paint protection film to prevent that, though obviously the chips you already have will require touch-up if they bother you. Some people can fill chips and blend them so they care almost undetectable.

 

[Quickone]

It could have suffered some damage from debris, rocks, etc. Need to show us a picture to see how bad it is. Intercoolers, radiators and AC condensers the fins should not distort in normal driving. Bugs can get caught in the fins and a gentle rinse with a garden hose nozzle should flush them out.

 

[ron@whoosh]

Hey everyone, new to the ST family I’ve never really owned a car before as I always owned trucks growing up but I decided to buy a small car to help save on gas for my 1.5 hour drive to work. Today I was cleaning the car and noticed a bunch of small paint chips on my hood I then had a look down below and noticed the fins on the intercooler were all bent up and looks horrible. There’s no holes but some spots are pretty bad. I knew this would happen a little bit as it’s low to the ground and I drive it on the highway everyday and it’s full on winter here but I didn’t think it would be that bad. Any suggestions to help prevent it from happening? Stronger aftermarket one? Forgive my lack it car knowledge I’m just getting into it!

Thanks in advance!


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you could add a Zunsport lower grill for added protection
https://whoosh-motorsports.myshopify.com/collections/ford-fiesta-st-interior-exterior/products/zunsport-fiesta-st-lower-grill-kit-free-shipping