[Deyvy]

Took the car for a quick wash yesterday, was admiring how great it looked, like the day I picked it up, then noticed a small stone chip on the bonnet and another on the side bumper near the front fog light.

I know it's inevitable that it will happen eventually, but a month at least.

Anyone else got them yet on their new F30? And whats everyone's method to get it fixed? And is there anything you can do to minimise them?

[F30AM]

Originally Posted by Deyvy

Took the car for a quick wash yesterday, was admiring how great it looked, like the day I picked it up, then noticed a small stone chip on the bonnet and another on the side bumper near the front fog light.

I know it's inevitable that it will happen eventually, but a month at least.

Anyone else got them yet on their new F30? And whats everyone's method to get it fixed? And is there anything you can do to minimise them?

Don't drive in the UK on our unkempt roads, don't follow other vehicles too closely, clear vinyl wrap the car.

[Isow]

Originally Posted by Deyvy

Took the car for a quick wash yesterday, was admiring how great it looked, like the day I picked it up, then noticed a small stone chip on the bonnet and another on the side bumper near the front fog light.

I know it's inevitable that it will happen eventually, but a month at least.

Anyone else got them yet on their new F30? And whats everyone's method to get it fixed? And is there anything you can do to minimise them?

I think that BMWs paint is 'soft'.
My wife's Lexus, 5 years old has hardly any stone chips.

[F30AM]

Originally Posted by Isow

I think that BMWs paint is 'soft'.
My wife's Lexus, 5 years old has hardly any stone chips.

They are all much of a muchness being water based. Flat colours are the worst offenders.

[RichardM]

I had a Lexus from new for 3 years/60k miles and it was as bad as any other car I've had and covered in stone chips. Modern paints are all water based so are soft.

[ikonic]

Mine's looking fine at the moment to be honest.


If you think BMW's are bad, try Honda.

My old Civic Type R looked like it'd been blasted with a shotgun on the front bumper after a year on the motorways.

[Isow]

Originally Posted by ikonic

Mine's looking fine at the moment to be honest.


If you think BMW's are bad, try Honda.

My old Civic Type R looked like it'd been blasted with a shotgun on the front bumper after a year on the motorways.

My wife's Lexus is mostly driven on local roads, not motorways, maybe that's why it has so few stone chips.

[F30AM]

Originally Posted by ikonic

Mine's looking fine at the moment to be honest.


If you think BMW's are bad, try Honda.

My old Civic Type R looked like it'd been blasted with a shotgun on the front bumper after a year on the motorways.

I also had one of those in Red. It was dumped after a short while. Great engine, horrid everything else. It needed a bonnet + bumper re-spray within 3 months as it was completely peppered. Worst paint job ever and by some margin. Plus the ride was as hard as a corpse on Viagra!

[Doc943]

Auto car washes are harsh on paint. DIY and build up some layers of polish and sealant on the front. Touch up paint and more sealant. Also +1 for crappy British roads so leave plenty of room from the car in front.

[Deyvy]

Originally Posted by Doc943

Auto car washes are harsh on paint. DIY and build up some layers of polish and sealant on the front. Touch up paint and more sealant. Also +1 for crappy British roads so leave plenty of room from the car in front.

I would be suprised if many people go to auto washes anymore. Maybe not the same all over the country, but there's so many hand car washes now in Manchester. The better ones always seem to be very busy too.

Having a quick google, leaving more room from the car in front seems to be the thing to do. That is a bad habit I have is that I cruise at a speed I shouldnt really be at, my golf suffers from the same problem. I thought it was the golf with crappy paint.

Am pretty gutted.

[JOHNBMWM5]

Mine is "Chip free" with 1600 miles covered.

[Isow]

Originally Posted by Deyvy

Took the car for a quick wash yesterday, was admiring how great it looked, like the day I picked it up, then noticed a small stone chip on the bonnet and another on the side bumper near the front fog light.

I know it's inevitable that it will happen eventually, but a month at least.

Anyone else got them yet on their new F30? And whats everyone's method to get it fixed? And is there anything you can do to minimise them?

I've used 'Chipex' paint touch up system on a silver Toyota. Quite an acceptable result.
Available on the Internet. Look at the video on the web site.

[Doc943]

Have used Paint Doctor on line for my F30. Decent results if you dont look hard but perfect solution for large of many stone chips is a panel respray.

[JOHNBMWM5]

Originally Posted by Doc943

Also +1 for crappy British roads so leave plenty of room from the car in front.

Yes I do this, allow plenty of room between cars, however a big gap means many cars jumping into it

[F30Spartacus]

Yes, I had the same. Went to clean my car at the weekend and when I got to the bonnet, noticed 2 smallish stone chips on my white F30 msport. Covered 4,500 miles in the 2 months I've had it.