[matjow]

Has anyone had the same bad luck as me? I'm on my second SSR and, on both, I've had some small paint chips in the front of the hood. It looks like, to me, that the way the front of the painted hood rolls down that part of the SSR hood is actually acting much like a front grill and the paint takes a beating from road gravel.

Any suggestions? It's not too bad now, but after 5 years we're all going to be repainting our hoods. :banghead

 

[FUZZY]

yep

Mine was full of those chips too :cry . Mine were in there when I picked it up (mine was a PEP vehicle w/ 4000 miles on it). When I got it home I touched up the chips and applied 4 coats of Liquid Glass auto polish. This stuff really works well. I've used it for 20 years on all of my vehicles and told the people I've custom painted their vehicles to use it too.

The comments I get back are: "this stuff is great... I can't even set the bottle on the car while I'm ploishing, because it'll slide off the car", "man I'm glad you told me about Liguid glass..... ten years later and I still don't have a chip in my car", and the last one "I was smokin the tires the other day and found all the rubber melted on the quarters... it wiped right off with just a towel".

Give it a try,you'll like it. It's not a wax, it's polish and easier to use than wax. Just wipe it on in an even circular motion, let it set for 10-15 min to haze up and take cotton baby blanket to wipe it off. No hard rubbing required. Personally I'd put 3-4 coats on the first time, and then when ever you feel like polishing it go ahead, the more you polish the slipperier it seams and rocks seam to slid past instead of gouging and chipping.

I'm not a salesman for the stuff, but I do think it's a great product.

Should be able to get it at any Auto Zone, or go online if you have to.

 

[Marc NY]

Post it!

Hey Fuzzy,

Great idea... could you post that in the Tips & Tricks thread for others to see? :yesnod

 

[rcg530]

This same issue exists for many 350Z owners as well. Nissan uses a soft paint now due to new EPA regulations. At least that is what I hear on their discussion threads.

The most common approach to this (for 350Zs and not necessarily the cheapest) is using a clear bra (xpel or 3M). I didn't have a regular bra on the front of my SSR and I was lucky in that I didn't have any rock chips in the first 2600 miles. But I'm sure that was going to change. As I drove my 350Z to the body shop (it was rear ended last weekend :banghead ) a rock hit the front driver's side fender and put a 1/2 inch scratch in the paint (first one). It would be an area of the car that is not typically covered by the clear bra material.

I believe the clear bra topic has been talked about a couple of times before on this site.

 

[dohyatt]

dont think of them as chips think of them as proud battle scars

 

[beer100]

dont think of them as chips think of them as proud battle scars

Kind of like notches on the beadpost. They show how much enjoyment you are getting from your SSR! arty

 

[dohyatt]

yea if they are in the garage you cant get full enjoyment a few chips just show you are out there having fun

 

[houtex]

Bra

I put an Expel invisible bra on the front of the hood, the grill and the lights after the first two small chips. Haven't ever regretted it. Also put it on the back of the mirrors, the front of the rear fenders and across the top of the tailgate (REALLY a good idea)....