So I spend 600.00 (Canadian) for a 3M clear bra for my entire front bumper and hood. During the ugly winter we had I would just wash down my car at the local coin power wash, but it is too cold to do a really good job.

Today was finally a nice sunny day in Toronto so I gave my car nice wash and detail. What do I find? No stone chips on the bumper and hood....but....both rear view mirrors have stone chips, both roof pillars on both side of my windshield have stone chips, I have a couple of more on the lip of the rear passenger window. I have a couple of scuffs on my rims, not from curbs for sure I neve get close enough....what the......is Nissan paint this cheap? What would my hood and bumper look like if I did not have the 3M clear bra.

I going back outside to look at my stone chips and cry.

Unbeleivable

 

yea these are a usual with cars, I have a small one on my hood...


hey change your profile to liquid silver instead of light silver... got to get those colors right..

 

It happens dude, you learn to deal with it...no curbs here...i chalk it up to road debris hitting this highly offset painted big rims.

 

you've been doing donuts in a quarry haven't you?

they have 3M for our mirrors, but how does one get them way up on the pillars? also trying to figure out how the wheels got scuffed...

but yeah, Nissan paint has been known to be weak for years

 

Regarding my colour, up here in Canada, our spec and my touch up paint actually is called, light silver not liquid. I was actually wondering about that myself...oh well must be a Canadian thing eh

 

I have four freaking chipped spots on my ride also. One on the hood/one on each side above the rear wheel. Also one somewhere else I can't recall I was too pi$$ed when I saw them during my last wax job. I have only had mine for a few months hate to think what it's gonna look like 2 years from now! Never seen a car's paint chip so easily.

 

If one lives in a part of the country where salt and sand are dispersed onto the roadway to help combat ice, chips are inevitable. The 'sand' used by highway departments is not 'playground sand'; it includes pieces of rock as large as gravel. When these collide with paint, paint loses.

When driving where there is such 'stoneware' on the roadway, I stay WWAAYY behind the vehicle in front of me, but understand there is no way to avoid rocks thrown at me by vehicles flying by me going the opposite way.

The only solution is to stay off the road when this trash is present. For folks living where the quarrys are routinely emptied onto the roadway throughout the winter, there is no real solution. My sympathy.

 

My car is approaching 2 years old and has more paint chips than our 7 year old Lincoln. I know you can't avoid some chips, but I have them on the pillars and even the space between the front window and suroof. Also, above the front wheel wells due to the angular front sides. The hoods a mess. The bumpers not too bad and believe it or not the mirros are not bad. I agree the paint seems cheap and have called Nissan Cosumer Affairs. Should have an inspection done soon. I've had so many issues. Nissan was really sloppy in the first production year of this model. Wish I had waited until 05. Unbelievably, I still love this car. That's a tribute to Nissan for building a truley enjoyable car to drive. As bad as I have had it I'd probably do it again. Although, I may have to go domestic next year if the arrival of the 2007 Shelby Cobra GT500 really happens. WOW!

 

This paint chip problem is a nissan issue:
Check your area between the rear wheels and the rear door, closest to the pavement. On my driver's side, no problems, the rear door sticks out slightly more than the body area here, so no chips. Pass. side: rear door is recessed more causing a slight protrusion of the body panel at the base of the car infront of the rear wheel = multiple chips from road debris.

 

Thats just another day on the road. It blows but thats what happens. The cars with better aero dynamics get it more than others, My friend has a GSR and he complains about it all the time. My 98 black Max was filled with stone chips. It suked when I waxed it and saw all the white spots.