Stone Chips

[ProjectIS]

Hey guys!

Im throwing it out there....................

Who here has excessive stone chips?

Who feels that something just ain't right??

What do you know about the paint??

What do you know about repairing them??

Do you know anywhere that can do it with some new techniques?? (Im not talking the old tooth pick and razor blade method)!!

The reason I ask, as some of you are aware, the front of my ride is covered in chips. (Stone). I even have the odd one along the side skirt.I have never had this problem before with my other cars and like all of you, I give careful consideration to where and what part of the road I drive!

Tell me what you know............................do I just ignore it?..............do i get the paint tested??!!

Help here fellas would be cool!!!

And before anyone says "mate, we have covered the lead free, soft paint issue before", i just want to know if anyone has current info or situations that they can share!!

(Not that anyone would cause........................well you wouldn't) Ha!!

Maybe this can be a place for general discussion and pics! See some of my stone chips have come off almost like a flake. Surely this ain't right!!

[Aircon]

the front of my ride is covered in chips.

Feed them to the seagulls.

[ilv1004s]

the front of my ride is covered in chips.

Feed them to the seagulls.

lol dunno how to react on that joke lol

denis im telling ya mate

it's just your car

my cars fine

and u know where i live..

[Sapphire Cam]

I too am dissappointed in the number of stone chips too. Mind you my car is nudging 4 years old now and is a dark duco (Sapphire Blue) which does accentuate the chips. Ive done some cotton bud the hairdryer then cut n polish to repair them - to varying success. And yes I even have a couple of chips on the side of the vehicle (over front wheel arch and on the door just in front of the mirror).

I would think it just depends on how much highway driving you do. I only get chips when Im on the open road on day or weekend trips into rural Victoria. You're not going to get stone chips crawling along at 30km'h in Sydney or Melbourne traffic, but at 110 km/h behind ANY vehicle, but especially a heavy vehicle, they're inevitable.

Front stone chips are on the increase across the industry based on three things (and this is according to a detailer friend I know and a VicRoads engineer)....

1. Generally softer duco used on cars today.

2. Asphalt companies are moving towards coarser aggregate on highways to cut costs when sealing long stretches of road - so when aggregate becomes loose, when flicked up each stone has more potential for duco damage

3. Less and less vehicles now have mudguards these days, resulting in more airborne material.

Anyway there's my 5 cents worth. Its a frustrating issue, and not sure what can be done. There are mobile 'touch up' businesses out there that do an ok job and aren't too expensive that could sort out a few of the worse ones for you.

[ilv1004s]

noticed a difference today

my is250 does not have chip

my rx350 does

i think it's due to the paint protection as well

i didnt opt for the paint protection on the rx350

but i was told my 250 has paint protection

[FrankyX]

I couldn't agree more. The front end has copped a bit of a beating from the M2 & M7, i've even noticed one just above the windscreen. But what do you do??? You fix it, then another one appears, it's never ending.

Is it wrong to hope someone hits me in the front end softly to get it resprayed?

Being black, it's going to show more, but I have had black cars before and it hasn't been this bad.

[Oliver Twizt]

I'm actually going to get a Ventureshield stone guard kit applied soon (hopefully within a month) from these guys: http://www.universalshield.com.au/index.html

Will let you know how it goes! The USA guys rave about these kits.

[IronFist]

Got one too many. Each time I wash the car I find more each time :(

It's my main form of transport so I use it everyday.

Every car I ever owned had has the same problem

One of the things I do is stay well away from trucks either really far from them or overtake them to be in front. Stones and other crap come flying into your car!!

Had a shattered windscreen by a flying rock from the truck in front whilst going up the M4 at Church St. Had to punch it out as couldn't see out of it.

The truck driver was oblivious to the whole thing and drove off.

[domdom]

My tip is not to follow trucks! Motorways are notorious for stone chips

If you must touch up the stone chips, try dipping the end of a toothpick in some touch up paint, then gently tap the stonechip area.

[Art_76]

I'm actually going to get a Ventureshield stone guard kit applied soon (hopefully within a month) from these guys: http://www.universalshield.com.au/index.html

Will let you know how it goes! The USA guys rave about these kits.

let us know how you go. Which kit are you thinking of getting?

[Oliver Twizt]

let us know how you go. Which kit are you thinking of getting?

The 'Full' kit

[ProjectIS]

Is it wrong to hope someone hits me in the front end softly to get it resprayed?

The same thing has gone through my mind so you are not alone there!! Hey "FRANK" ,you reckon it would be suss if we have a small head on with our rides?!?!? At least we can limit the damage to each of our cars so that we just get the re-spray!! HAHa!

Its just so crap cause I absolutely love the car and then I look at the bonnet and I get angry! Not happy hey!

I'm actually going to get a Ventureshield stone guard kit applied soon (hopefully within a month) from these guys: http://www.universalshield.com.au/index.html

Will let you know how it goes! The USA guys rave about these kits.

I wish I knew or even thought about these products when I first bought the car! There is no use doing it now because i will just be protecting the existing (stone) chips! But definately for all those out there that are awaiting delivery of their NEW ride, definately do get some sort of clear protector!!!

I will post up a pic soon! Danny knows how bad my bonnet is. For all you Sydney foke, keep off the M2!!!!

[Art_76]

let us know how you go. Which kit are you thinking of getting?

The 'Full' kit

Won't you get a border line on the bonnet though?

I saw an RX450h that had a similar kit and the border line was quite noticeable.

[Oliver Twizt]

Won't you get a border line on the bonnet though?

I saw an RX450h that had a similar kit and the border line was quite noticeable.

The Ventureshield stuff is supposed to be near invisible, unlike the first gen 3M stuff (So good, 3M bought the Ventureshield firm)... the 3M stuff has a more noticeable orange peel apparently. If the surfaces are cleaned properly before the install (ie claybar etc) it should be invisible. There may be a slight line due to wax buildup, but this can be cleaned with a cottonbud/cuetip.

I've seen it applied on numerous Porsches and Ferraris with no blatantly visible lines.. Up close, yeah there'll be a slightly noticeable line but thats the cost you pay for not having stone chips!

From what I recall it was a fair bit extra to have the entire bonnet covered, as I'm getting this done through my work I only have a certain budget to work with (still waiting on payroll to sign the paperwork so I can get it done! grr)

[FrankyX]

I think this stuff would be great, but it's a little too late when the bonnet etc is already chipped. To get back that perfect look, you'd have to respray, then cover. Only good on new cars - IMHO

Should have thought about this 12 mths ago. Damn

[Aircon]

I put this stuff on one of my cars. Pretty much invisible and works a treat. Mate's been using it for years. Sold M3 CSL with 100,000km on it and it still looked like new.

[Oliver Twizt]

Great to hear, I've just booked the car in on Monday, I'll let you know how it goes and try and get some photos!

[Platinum_Jay]

omg .... glad I'm not the only one. my bonnet looks like it has rabies.

the stone chips are so bad, I'm thinking of respraying the whole bonnet. I got a quote for $400 just for the bonnet.

How did the ventureshield stone guard kit go? Apparently it cost $1400 for the bonnet, front bumper and side mirrors?

[Oliver Twizt]

omg .... glad I'm not the only one. my bonnet looks like it has rabies.

the stone chips are so bad, I'm thinking of respraying the whole bonnet. I got a quote for $400 just for the bonnet.

How did the ventureshield stone guard kit go? Apparently it cost $1400 for the bonnet, front bumper and side mirrors?

It's great, I only have one small knock where I think a large-ish stone hit the lower front bumber and left a mark on the bra. The bumper underneath is fine though!

I paid $690ish for the standard kit, then got the door cups and door edges done for $100 extra iirc.

Well worth it, a colleague of mine's (jonnydrama) is250 which was recently traded in has stone chips everywhere, almost looked like swiss cheese. Had it been a private sale or dealer trade in, I shudder to think at the markdown in value!

[Platinum_Jay]

omg .... glad I'm not the only one. my bonnet looks like it has rabies.

the stone chips are so bad, I'm thinking of respraying the whole bonnet. I got a quote for $400 just for the bonnet.

How did the ventureshield stone guard kit go? Apparently it cost $1400 for the bonnet, front bumper and side mirrors?

It's great, I only have one small knock where I think a large-ish stone hit the lower front bumber and left a mark on the bra. The bumper underneath is fine though!

I paid $690ish for the standard kit, then got the door cups and door edges done for $100 extra iirc.

Well worth it, a colleague of mine's (jonnydrama) is250 which was recently traded in has stone chips everywhere, almost looked like swiss cheese. Had it been a private sale or dealer trade in, I shudder to think at the markdown in value!

Thanks for the info. $690 is worth it. Wouldn't pay over $1000. I'll probably respray first and then get the kit. Perhaps can have a look at the next meeting? :)

[Oliver Twizt]

omg .... glad I'm not the only one. my bonnet looks like it has rabies.

the stone chips are so bad, I'm thinking of respraying the whole bonnet. I got a quote for $400 just for the bonnet.

How did the ventureshield stone guard kit go? Apparently it cost $1400 for the bonnet, front bumper and side mirrors?

It's great, I only have one small knock where I think a large-ish stone hit the lower front bumber and left a mark on the bra. The bumper underneath is fine though!

I paid $690ish for the standard kit, then got the door cups and door edges done for $100 extra iirc.

Well worth it, a colleague of mine's (jonnydrama) is250 which was recently traded in has stone chips everywhere, almost looked like swiss cheese. Had it been a private sale or dealer trade in, I shudder to think at the markdown in value!

Thanks for the info. $690 is worth it. Wouldn't pay over $1000. I'll probably respray first and then get the kit. Perhaps can have a look at the next meeting? :)

Maybe!

I got it done by a mob in Brookvale, Universal Shield - 99057488. They do a lot of high end cars, lambos, ferraris, along with the Minis for the Mini Challenge

There was also a mob up the coast that consisted of a guy and his son...They were a couple of hundred $ cheaper but sounded a bit suss on the phone with regards to how long it'd take and where they were located. According to the mob in brookvale they are in some serious debt due to a struggling business among other things. I was happy to pay the extra $ to know there will be someone to honour the warranty 3M supplies, and also to have someone knowledgeable fit it, as the IS250 is rated on the installers guide as a dificulty 5/5 - the hardest

One thing to note is that it isn't a 100% coverage as you'd normally think, like you would cover a book. It mainly covers the leading edges/face where most stones will hit, and when they stretch it to fit it there's some small gaps along edges between the bumper sections, but nothing to really worry about.

[kidd]

Hey M8, Sorry about your stone chips on the Black Paint. I feel your pain. I owned Black Liberty and Black W203 earlier and both of them suffers the stone chips. When I purchased my W204 I decided to have the Full Bonnet and Roof protected with the 3M Venture Shield and it's been 2 years no and am very Happy with the quality of the shield. I picked up my IS250 (Black) last year and did the full Front on the kit. And I can be proud that my car has no Swirl Mark nor Stone Chip (I've been driving to the Great Ocean Road, Phillip Island) and no problem at all....

just my 2 cents...

Btw, I did mine with Ozicozi (for W204) and Invisiblecarbras for IS250.

I'm actually going to get a Ventureshield stone guard kit applied soon (hopefully within a month) from these guys: http://www.universal...m.au/index.html

Will let you know how it goes! The USA guys rave about these kits.

[kidd]

Hi Mate,

I've got mine done by OziCozi back in 2009 for my W204 for $750 [ Full Bonnet + Full Roof (with SunRoof cut) + Head Lights + Side Mirrors + Door Cups] which were very cheap!! unfortunately he wont do it any more when I asked him to do my IS250. So I left with InvisibleCarBras that charges me $1500 for Full Bonnet, Full Bumper, Full Side Guards, Side Mirrors + Door Cup + Trunk Opening ]

I decided to go for it because of my car is Black and I hate the Swirl Marks on black car and cleaning up the Birds SAP is like a walk in the park now...

Good luck with yours mate!

omg .... glad I'm not the only one. my bonnet looks like it has rabies.

the stone chips are so bad, I'm thinking of respraying the whole bonnet. I got a quote for $400 just for the bonnet.

How did the ventureshield stone guard kit go? Apparently it cost $1400 for the bonnet, front bumper and side mirrors?

It's great, I only have one small knock where I think a large-ish stone hit the lower front bumber and left a mark on the bra. The bumper underneath is fine though!

I paid $690ish for the standard kit, then got the door cups and door edges done for $100 extra iirc.

Well worth it, a colleague of mine's (jonnydrama) is250 which was recently traded in has stone chips everywhere, almost looked like swiss cheese. Had it been a private sale or dealer trade in, I shudder to think at the markdown in value!

Thanks for the info. $690 is worth it. Wouldn't pay over $1000. I'll probably respray first and then get the kit. Perhaps can have a look at the next meeting? :)

[PLZ17]

Hi All,

I know it has been a while since the last post on this thread but i just bought my IS250 a couple of days ago and would really like to know if anyone knows a place in Brisbane where i can get this stone chip shield applied. The car is in absolute perfect condition with no stone chips, dints or scratches.....so before i get blessed with one i wanna try and get this Venture Shield applied ASAP.

Anyone know of a place in Brisbane?

Thank you all in advance :)