Is anyone’s 4runner a magnet for rock chips?

[Hans Moleman]

I’ve had my 4runner 4 months and 2500 miles.

The front end is peppered with rock chips which makes it look like a 10 year old vehicle.

The bumper has 7 chips with one being a pencil eraser sized chip. The hood has 3 chips and the windshield is pitted with too many chips to count.

I should have paid for paint protection film but I guess it’s too late now.

 

[Pathfinder!]

I’ve had my 4runner 4 months and 2500 miles.

The front end is peppered with rock chips which makes it look like a 10 year old vehicle.

The bumper has 7 chips with one being an pencil eraser sized chip. The hood has 3 chips and the windshield is pitted with to many chips to count.

I should have paid for paint protection film but I guess it’s too late now.

Just go find a good trail and add some matching stripes down the side.

 

[AndrewTK]

Mine has covered just over 90,000 miles and has a few chips on the leading edge of the hood, but the bumper is in good shape still. The windshield was horrible though, and thankfully it developed a large crack last winter so I could justify replacing it. The factory glass was completely covered with small pits and was painful to look through when driving into the sun. On the bright side my wipers are lasting much longer on the new glass, I was going through 3 sets a year before I replaced the windshield.

 

[ChrisJHarney]

I got caught behind a rock quarry dump truck back when I had my S10, and man, all it took was about 30 seconds and I looked like someone had sand blasted the nose of my hood. Thank god that was a time when steel bumpers were still being produced, as all the damage was limited to the hood paint.

I've bought nose guards for all my vehicles since until my 4runner. I knew the first mod I was going to do would be the Socal desert pinstripes (adds 5 1/2 HP, woot!) soon after purchase, so I'm not even worried about the paint other than to make sure I keep it waxed to limit sun damage, which is way worse IMO than small chips.

I understand the safety reasons behind plastic bumpers, but man are they flimsy and cheap (yet so expensive).

 

[rsimi72]

I’ve had my 4runner 4 months and 2500 miles.

The front end is peppered with rock chips which makes it look like a 10 year old vehicle.

The bumper has 7 chips with one being an pencil eraser sized chip. The hood has 3 chips and the windshield is pitted with to many chips to count.

I should have paid for paint protection film but I guess it’s too late now.

Yes! I expected the bumper to take hits but my hood (almost dead center) and driver’s door have large paint chips. Normal paint protection film would not have prevented my two biggest chips. It’s not the most aerodynamic vehicle on the road.

 

[DreamsOfDirt]

Yes - I've got three chips so far. Considering having protective film put on the hood, front fenders, and potentially the roof (have a chip there now).

The shop I spoke with said not to paint the chips myself, just bring it in and they will match the pain and apply the immediately prior to putting on the protective film, which will make it less likely to have a raised bump from the paint repair. Basically, the film will compress the paint down.

 

[Hans Moleman]

I hate that dump trucks constantly spew rocks and dirt all over the freeway and cars in front kick them up and hit the vehicles behind.

What really pissed me off was when I was stuck behind a dump truck that was not covered and I was blasted with rocks and dirt. There was no where to move because of cars all around. I was fortunate the windshield didn’t break.

 

[J.F. Sebastian]

No expert here but I've owned a few cars and the paint (Super White) on my car seems unusually soft.

Some of the highway around here can, and will at certain times of year, completely ruin a paint job one time through if there's any other cars.

Seeing this thread is just more justification for clear bra full noses at least. It's why people pay $2K - 6 or 8K for varying degrees of protection that works like magic and lasts years with basic care.

 

[Kove32]

Hahahaha, I suppose it is worse in some areas, though!

 

[Ghostrider]

Yeah - really miss the steel bumpers on my 01 and the paint was much more resistant to crap like this. I have a bug guard on the front of the hood which helps but Toyota and I guess most manufacturers went to a softer paint and we pay the price

 

[jhguth]

my hood is covered with rock chips, it's worse than any other vehicle i've driven including trucks that are just as big and square or even bigger and squarer. i think it's just a combination of bad aerodynamics and really really soft and thin paint. I plan on cleaning up the chips to make sure there is no rust then wrapping the entire hood, I may make an insurance claim but that will depend on quotes i get to wrap the hood.

Dr ColorChip works well

 

[arehman11]

Mine had the paint protection film on it when I bought it. Have to say it's doing its job. The paint on this car is far better than the paint on my old Infiniti G37, it looked awful after 80k miles and even touchless carwashes would cause the paint to chip

 

[jwscott79]

I hate that dump trucks constantly spew rocks and dirt all over the freeway and cars in front kick them up and hit the vehicles behind.

What really pissed me off was when I was stuck behind a dump truck that was not covered and I was blasted with rocks and dirt. There was no where to move because of cars all around. I was fortunate the windshield didn’t break.

Not to be an *******, but I was in a similar situation just about 4 hours ago and there was no place to go on a 70 mph stretch of highway. There is no law that says you have to maintain highway speed behind a truck or any other vehicle that may be a safety hazard. Take your foot off the gas and patiently wait for an opening. FWIW, this morning I slowed down to 25 to stay clear of the uncovered truck, my paint is fine....

 

[Tuc4R]

3 fricken chips in 4 months. The paint on these things is paper thin. I got a quote yesterday for $500 just for the hood. You can repaint your hood for that amount.

 

[J.F. Sebastian]

3 fricken chips in 4 months. The paint on these things is paper thin. I got a quote yesterday for $500 just for the hood. You can repaint your hood for that amount.

...and it won't match.

 

[4runr4eva]

I’ve had my 4runner 4 months and 2500 miles.

The front end is peppered with rock chips which makes it look like a 10 year old vehicle.

The bumper has 7 chips with one being a pencil eraser sized chip. The hood has 3 chips and the windshield is pitted with too many chips to count.

I should have paid for paint protection film but I guess it’s too late now.

I had 40 miles on the ODO and I got hit by a huge rock kicked up by a Ford Superduty. Chipped my hood and cracked my windshield. I did install an AVS bug shield and it seems to help a little. My friend has an 2013 limited and it looks like it has been through a meteor shower. :wow:

 

[rumblefishAZ]

is there a proper procedure for attempting to repair rock chips your self.

i have a few on my hood I would like to fix. is it just a dab of touch up paint, let dry and buff. or is there more to it than that?

 

[tristero]

is there a proper procedure for attempting to repair rock chips your self.

i have a few on my hood I would like to fix. is it just a dab of touch up paint, let dry and buff. or is there more to it than that?

dr colorchip is your best bet. DO NOT USE the touch up pen you can buy at your local toyota parts.

 

[MAXISTYLES]

Lngka paint chip repair

is there a proper procedure for attempting to repair rock chips your self.

i have a few on my hood I would like to fix. is it just a dab of touch up paint, let dry and buff. or is there more to it than that?

Langka - Paint Chip Repair I have had very good results with Langka Paint Chip Repair Kit.

 

[J.F. Sebastian]

DO NOT USE the touch up pen you can buy at your local toyota parts.

I can second this unfortunately, they look nice and fancy but it's almost impossible to get a decent result.