Excessive 2017 Mustang Paint Chips

Joined
Jul 4, 2017
Messages
40
Location
Chicago
Hello Oil Connoisseurs,

Sorry in advance for the long post. I am a bit frustrated with how my paint is wearing. I'm open to any advice to help alleviate the problem.

I purchased a 2017 Mustang in 'Shadow Black' in May of 2017. I live in Illinois and the car is my daily driver. It is garaged both at home and at work. Most miles are highway miles commuting to work from Chicago to suburban Illinois.

At this point, I almost regret buying a black car. That small blip of time looking at the car after an ONR wash and Collinite 845 waxing makes all of the hardship worth it. The color is not that relevant here, but it may exacerbate the problem I'm having in that my imperfections are much more noticeable.

I have way too many paint chips! The style of which I treat my car -- most of my friends think I'm crazy, my girlfriend thinks I'm paranoid, etc. I can park in a different zip code to avoid door dings, I can pressure wash my car to remove salt at a self service gas station, and I can come home and ONR it all in well below freezing weather. But at the end of the day, I probably have about ten to fifteen paint chips across my entire car. The hood and front bumper of course, the back fender, my side mirrors, etc.

I am aware of preventative measures I can take, 3M clear bra, ceramic coating, installing custom mud flaps on the car, etc. My car has 7,000mi, I could not imagine accruing another ten to fifteen chips at 14,000mi. Is it possible that 2017 Ford paint is just low quality? Is my aggressive highway driving and overall low center of gravity muscle car to blame? I'm almost tempted to go talk to a Ford service manager, but what could they even do for me? I understand paint chips are a normal occurrence, however I feel like I have way too many at this stage of ownership. Today I noticed a rock chip on my 'black accent' package wheels the size of a penny. I'm really at a loss for what to do and it is completely demoralizing for someone who otherwise enjoys his car more than anything.

Thanks in advance
 
I feel your pain. In your case, the low stance is definitely not helping since you are that much closer to the ground than any other vehicle.

Do you know where your car was assembled? There is a bit of a urban legend (or it could be true) that cars manufactured/painted in states with stricter EPA laws tend to use certain solvents that make paint more likely to chip. California, of course, would be one of these states.

Does IL use sand or coarse salt in the winter? Driving in traffic with that stuff on the ground is almost a guarantee for rock chips.

Clear film paint protection would be the logical next step, but you probably want to touch up any chips and let the paint cure before you have it filmed over.

About taking this complaint to the dealership -- Best case is they offer to strip and repaint the chipped areas. How would you feel about having your owned-since-brand-new car molested by a bunch of body shop guys who may or may not do quality work? Most body shops seem to cut corners when it comes to masking, wet sanding and buffing, and on a black car you'll notice these defects. If I am gauging your personality right, then none of this sounds very appealing to you, and in that case you might find solace in doing what you can do personally to fix your chips, put on a clear film, and move on with life. (and maybe consider buying a winter beater car)
 
One of the most common causes of excessive road debris paint chipping is tailgating too close, too often... not sayin' you are, just something to think about.
 
Such a car in winter conditions its not surprise it has chips all over the place. My advice to you is learn to love a cheap beater for the winter, they are cheaper than a paint job.
 
Sad to agree with others after many black cars that it is a losing game. You just can't avoid some dings and dents in a daily driver forever.

I second the Dr Colorchip stuff, it has worked well in the past. But if you only seek perfection then you are doomed to disappointment.

Keep up the good fight!
 
As soon as I bought my 2016 Sorento, I had 3M film mask installed on-

complete front bumper
headlights
front fenders
complete hood
mirrors
A pillars

That was my best try at keeping the paint chip free
I've seen some impacts on the 3M that punctured the film, but left the paint unaffected
I don't tailgate
$1000 for the work
 
You're not alone mate. Same here - chips, chips, chips. I don't think it is manufacturer specific. All the cars I've had were prone to the same issue when highway driven. If that's a daily and not a whole a lot invested in it - just forget about it.

BTW, ceramic coating won't help you with the rock chips. The thickness of the coating is 1-2 microns at most (depending on how many layers you put on), so if the rock hits it - another chip it is.

I don't know if this helps - but I'm the same way you are when it comes to washing and keeping the car clean..probably even worse. Cheers
 
I would recommend a good bodyshop to first fix the chips.
You can search for Dparm's new ccorvette thread to see how he found his high-level pros for a showroom quality job.

...and already specified:
-clear bra
-front mask

and for the others:
-yes, Chicago area does uses salt + brine pre-treatment(in the coldest nights)
-roads are a mix of asphalt and concrete and patches of various quality. Lots of it could crumble under the heavy/high quantity traffic = pebbles

P.S. I just repainted the hood of my mazda5. And I'm not following too close.... Semis and trucks could kick a salt crumb/pebble for along length (I saw 50-100 ft.)
 
One thing you need to know about clear bra's, they will turn yellow over time. They are a PITA to install. Need to be heated and stretched out. Unless you're going to pay for it to get installed, don't do this yourself. My 06 Accord had one and it turned yellow...had to basically soak it in gas and then scrape it off using a plastic scrapper. Got plenty of scratches on it now, but I'm keeping this until the cows come home. I wouldn't get a front cover. Once dirt and dust get between the paint and the cover, it acts like sand paper and will ruin your paint no matter how many times you wash it. I've taken the stance that it's a car, I need it to get to work, if it gets front end chips, I just deal with it and touch them up from time to time. If I'm going to sell the car later, then I'd probably keep in mind that I'll just get it repainted.
 
Originally Posted By: parshisa
You're not alone mate. Same here - chips, chips, chips. I don't think it is manufacturer specific. All the cars I've had were prone to the same issue when highway driven. If that's a daily and not a whole a lot invested in it - just forget about it.

BTW, ceramic coating won't help you with the rock chips. The thickness of the coating is 1-2 microns at most (depending on how many layers you put on), so if the rock hits it - another chip it is.

I don't know if this helps - but I'm the same way you are when it comes to washing and keeping the car clean..probably even worse. Cheers


Pretty much my experiences with my '99 Camaro which I bought nearly chip-free 6 yrs ago at 12,500 miles. Now with 6500 more miles, no winter driving, no bad weather driving, no tailgating, and minimal highway driving....and I still get chips on the red paint...mostly all on the lower half of the hood. About 2 dozen total now. I have to think it's a quality of paint issue. My 2002 Lincoln daily driver? I drive that in all sorts of bad weather and frequently close to other cars on the highway. It has 80,000 miles on it now and has LESS chips (less than a dozen) than the Camaro which I drive 20% of the time and only under ideal weather conditions. Clearly, the Ford paint on my Lincoln is far more resilient than the Camaro. It's true the low slung hood of the Camaro is an ideal "rock catcher." But I don't think it should be accumulating chips this easily when I'm purposely drive the car anywhere but the highway to avoid them.

When I drove my black 1993 Trans Am in all conditions including mostly highway (55K miles) it had very few chips. I did use a bra on that car for the lower 3rd of the hood. It probably helped. The best idea is to get a white car such that the white primer doesn't show very easily. My white 1998 Camaro Z28 saw 115K miles before I sold it...and I don't recall much in the way of chips on that one...probably because I couldn't easily see them.
 
Thanks everyone for the replies. Firstly, want to dispel the notion that I'm a jag -- I do not tailgate. I do speed a bit though, which I'm sure has some consequences as my rear fender rock chips are likely flung by my RWD.

Not to be a pessimist but looks like there's not much I can do at this point, to do paint correction and a clear bra just seems prohibitively expensive. I can work from home two days a week so as treacherous as Chicago winters are, I'm rarely on the road during the worst of the storm. I feel like I've amassed most of my rock chips in non-winter months, as backwards as that sounds.

Is there any argument to be made in the quality of the paint? I had a 2010 Civic before this, also black, at 70,000mi and it had maybe a handful of rock chips total. While not as powerful, it was certainly as low to the ground. I am wondering if the 2017 Mustang paint is more eco-friendly, or something to that effect? Is there a such thing of having a defective paint job from the factory?
 
Originally Posted By: double vanos
There’s always DrColorChip. Ive used their product on lots of my vehicles and it’s pretty good. Keeping a black car perfect is a second marriage.


I haven't used that stuff yet, but in the youtube videos I've watched on how to use it, it looks like it's super easy to use, and the paint chips look to be completely gone when you're done...might be something for the OP to consider...
 
In this day and age of advanced technology, you'd think they could develop a paint that holds up better...
 
Originally Posted By: Maddog1337
Hello Oil Connoisseurs,
I am a bit frustrated with how my paint is wearing. I'm open to any advice to help alleviate the problem.

I purchased a 2017 Mustang in 'Shadow Black' in May of 2017. I live in Illinois and the car is my daily driver. .......Most miles are highway miles commuting to work from Chicago to suburban Illinois......Is my aggressive highway driving and overall low center of gravity muscle car to blame?
Yes...
Protect the front with a bra or go HD clear tape.
If you're upset already, it's just going to get worse w/o additional protection.
 
I was a big fan of clear bras until mid-2017, when the price of installation seemed to suddenly spike. You used to be able to get the front bumper, 1/4 hood and mirrors done for ~$400. Suddenly, it's $999 everywhere I call. Can't justify it. Touch up paint, patience and a steady hand.
 
Maybe it may be the quality of the paint? Here is my 1999 SLK daily driver, original paint, that was totaled out a little less then 2 years ago. I don't recall any chips. Replaced with a used 2013 SLK and no chips either. Maybe get a Mercedes dealer to paint it with Mercedes paint?



 
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