Has anyone here noticed excessive paint chipping on the front of their HL due to rocks and road debris? My HL only has 1400 miles on it and there's already two sizeable chips (one on the hood and another on the area between the headlight and grille) and another tiny one on the hood. I didn't see anything nearly as bad on my last car, which I had for 13 years. I'm worried that in another couple years, my entire front and hood will be pock-marked by chips...not looking forward to that at all.
No, I haven't. Chips are a function of where you drive, and sometimes bad luck. For example, my last vehicle was 2 yrs old and chip free paint until one day, driving back from the lake, some idiot couldn't keep his trailer off the shoulder, thus spraying rocks everywhere. Even though I wasn't directly behind, there was a line of cars kicking up rocks, and when I got home, I found nearly 8 chips, ranging from small pinhole, to 1/8".
Another example, my last vehicle was only a few days old when it was hit by a rock on the windshield and chipped it. Almost exact same thing happened with my HL. Just crappy luck.
Cheers.
__________________ 09 Black HL Sport, loaded Cdn version: AWD, bk leather int.
Mods: tinted windows; upgraded headlight and fog bulbs; bug deflector; Ichiba 15mm bolt on wheel spacers, Pioneer FH-P8000BT head unit; Blaupunkt underseat sub, Viper 5901 security/auto start, stainless dual exhaust tip, upgraded horns.
No, I haven't. Chips are a function of where you drive, and sometimes bad luck. For example, my last vehicle was 2 yrs old and chip free paint until one day, driving back from the lake, some idiot couldn't keep his trailer off the shoulder, thus spraying rocks everywhere. Even though I wasn't directly behind, there was a line of cars kicking up rocks, and when I got home, I found nearly 8 chips, ranging from small pinhole, to 1/8".
Another example, my last vehicle was only a few days old when it was hit by a rock on the windshield and chipped it. Almost exact same thing happened with my HL. Just crappy luck.
Cheers.
+1 I've had two tiny chips on my hood from flying rocks but nothing the touch-up paint didn't handle. I religiously try to stay away from big rigs because of the pelting they give cars behind them. Also, even though I don't have mud guards I have had not a single chip from stones kicked up off-road or on dirt roads. My Avalaon hasn't been so lucky with hood dings.
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2008 Highlander Base 4WD
2002 Avalon XL
1987 Suzuki Samurai 4X4 - Treading where no Jeep can follow....
fwiw, Around the turn of the century, Toyota changed their paint formulation to a less VOC formula. The result of this is a "less hard" paint, which is more susceptible to deformation and chipping. This paint is not as hard as the paint on your 13 year old car. Most manufacturers have had to switch their paint in order to maintain compliance with EPA regulations. I don't take the highway to work in winter because there's just too much stuff hitting the front end.
Mine is under 1k mile and noticed two chips on the front bumper.
Anyway we can prevent or protect the front end from rock chip?
Where can i get the touch up paint?
You can buy a hood protector, though it is debatable how much protection it actually provides. A better bet is the clear film (3M?) that some people get and apply to the front end. It can cover the bumper, hood and even the headlights.
As for the touch-up paint, you can get it from the dealer.
__________________ 2010 Highlander Limited, Blizzard Pearl/Sand Beige Opts: (QI) EVP 8 (RF) Sport Spoiler (TO) Tow prep Accessories: Carpet mats w/ cargo mat, Hood Protector, Mudguards, Body Side Molding, RS3200 GBS, Exhaust Tip
Sure!
Sorry it was raining out so these are in the garage. Once it clears up,I can take some more if you would like. The bra has a carbon fiber look to it, it looks awesome!
The Following User Says Thank You to nov0798 For This Useful Post:
thanks for the pics. I was curious on how the carbon fiber looked and it does look pretty good. How was the install? Is it easy to clean? From my recent trip to Monterey bay aquarium there was a lot of bug splatter.
It is super easy to clean. Is what I do is wash it while its on the vehicle, then when Im done, I remove it, and hose off the inside of it. I then let it dry overnight, and reinstall. I wax the paint every other time, just to keep it protected as when it rains it does get wet under there, but no biggie. Some folks will say it causes mold, etc, whatever, but I have never had a problem with any of my bras doing this.
Also, I had a bra on my Mercedes before my HL, and one of the seams tore(same company). The bra was 5 years old, and they repaired the seam at no charge to me, excellent customer service!
As for bugs, the come off with no problem, especially if you keep the thing armor alled (sp?), or something else on it. My front end looks good as new and I have 31k on mine. The only issue I had is the grille part underneath is not protected in any way, but oh well!
As for install, it takes about a minute to get it on. The initial install is a little tough, because the fit is so precise, but once you get it stretched across (and I mean stretched, you've really gotta pull the first time), and let it sit in the sun a few days, its easy to remove and reinstall.
I got my touch-up paints from here: http://www.automotivetouchup.com/
I was an idiot and got the pen instead of the actual bottle of paint. The pen really does not work very well on chips since there's a lot to fill in.
It's unfortunate the paint chips so easily now. I'll just have to try and stay ahead of it before my entire front end becomes pitted. I really wish I could get a clear bra but it's pretty expensive from what I've seen (~$150) and the install does not look like a walk in the park either.
Let me tell you from experience, do not try to install the clear bra stuff yourself. I tried it once on a Mercedes I had, and well I messed it all up. I then had to rebuy the stuff, and have it installed. Once I watched the install, I could probably now do it myself, but if youve never seen it done, its difficult. Save your time and money and buy a bra, if you want protection!
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