Paint chips on hood - would an air dam help?

scoobysnax · **Posted:** Thu Dec 20, 2007 2:52 pm

I just noticed some very small paint chips on my hood in the very front air right above the grill and even further back on the flatter sections in the middle. I don’t think I had them when I bought it (this June) but recently I have driven in the snow/slush and some of that rock salt does get kicked up. Is this an issue on our Liberty’s (bad air flow) or did I just have bad luck? Do those plastic air dams work? (Sorry if that's not what they're called :oops:

tommudd · **Posted:** Thu Dec 20, 2007 3:19 pm

Any vehicle you drive will get chips/nicks on the front end , grill/bumper/ hood from rocks, gravel, salt etc. Part of driving down the roads. Its not that Libertys have bad air flow its any vehicle!
They do work some for the front of the hood and will even to a point keep some bugs etc off the windshield but in the end you still will need to touch up places anyways as it doesnt cover the whole front end. I have used them on some vehicles and others I havent, to me with a painted bumper/grill going to have to paint anyways some day so will do it all.

MiniDevil · **Posted:** Thu Dec 20, 2007 5:04 pm

Probably just bad luck like me.

When i bought my libby it had a huge crack in windshield from stealership (it was a night buy so i didnt see). They finally replaced it free of charge after i complained enough (They had they audacity to claim it wasnt there when i bought it but when i looked at the original vehicle lookover paper from when they accepted it as a tradein they had a note about the crack).

So anyway 2 days later on highway about three gumball shaped rocks were launched into my windshield. Man was I pissed. Don't know what to tell you. :oops:

scoobysnax · **Posted:** Thu Dec 20, 2007 5:05 pm

I realize all cars are going to get chips on the grill and leading edge of the hood. I’ve never had a car that also get them on the flat section of the hood. To me that’s pretty odd.

tommudd · **Posted:** Thu Dec 20, 2007 5:17 pm

if you watch stuff drops off trucks bounces on the road and then up into the air coming back down , on my 98 Ford NASCAR Edition truck I had one dent on it and it was right in the middle of the roof of the cab, I saw the rock coming down and it sounded like someone shot through th cab when it hit! Sometimes they are hard to see them even coming but we all get them.

MiniDevil · **Posted:** Thu Dec 20, 2007 5:22 pm

tommudd wrote:

if you watch stuff drops off trucks bounces on the road and then up into the air coming back down

Seen that. It's the 'Oh $&*(!!!!' watching that evil pebble seem to float in the air for a few seconds as it bears down on you. While you are locked in your lane and cant move :/

DryBones · **Posted:** Thu Dec 20, 2007 5:29 pm

you could always put one of those T-bra's on it. Of course others here might warn you about the paint getting rubbed off by that! :lol:

myjeepwalks · **Posted:** Thu Dec 20, 2007 5:43 pm

If you ask me the liberty is pretty good at taking road debris. I've had rocks bounce off my windshield, luckily no cracks. I hit a road gator (shredded tractor trailer tire) with nothing but a scuff mark on my bumper. Ran over a mattress, a pallet and hit a wooden box in the road with no damage. My last car was a a magnet for road debris. 2 bumpers, 1 fender, 1 wheel, 2 tires. All from doo doo either falling off trucks or getting kicked into my lane with nothing to do but run it over.

tommudd · **Posted:** Thu Dec 20, 2007 6:37 pm

All kinds of things falling off trucks out there, like the 4 speed Munice tranny I hit one time with my 69 Bronco............at least it did not bounce up on the hood! :wink:

Tom

Cacher123 · **Posted:** Thu Dec 20, 2007 7:09 pm

I once hit a dead deer on a motorcycle (it was dark). Also, a hubcap that spun off a car and sliced my sidepanel in half, 2 mufflers, a milk crate, and had to slalom around a truckload of furniture falling off a truck with a cop behind me who saw the whole thing.... Don't even ask me about the time I decided to kick an orange construction zone cone only to find out it was covering a foot long pipe which was sticking out of the ground!

Friend of mine hit a BATHTUB on a full dresser! :shock:

Weegie5 · **Posted:** Thu Dec 20, 2007 10:58 pm

I got the 3M clear bra. A lot of tint shops install them. Mine covers the front grille and the leading 9 or 10" of the hood. It cost a couple hundred bucks, but I didn't want craters all over the front of my new Jeep. It's held up great for over two years now.

Sometime down the line I'll probably end up getting the grille and (at least part of the) hood Line-X'd. The KJ is black anyway.

snowsport · **Joined:** Tue Oct 18, 2005 11:52 pm **Posts:** 1211

I almost hit an eagle with my KJ the other day.....
Rock chips are a maintenance thing with my Jeep. I always have a tube of touch-up paint for those. Most of the chips just bounce off without chipping the paint, but there are 5 or 6 spots on the front of the Jeep that I've touched up. Not too bad, really, for a 5 year-old vehicle. The surprising thing is how tough the paint is on the ARB. That bumper has taken a few good shots from rocks and so far no chipping....knock on wood.

scoobysnax · **Posted:** Fri Dec 21, 2007 1:30 pm

I guess I’ll just get some touch up paint.

myjeepwalks · **Posted:** Sat Dec 22, 2007 2:27 am

Quote:

Friend of mine hit a BATHTUB on a full dresser! Shocked

that had to suck!! you'd think the moron that was hauling the bathtub would of noticed it fell out the back of his truck.

SavageUrge · **Posted:** Sat Dec 22, 2007 5:11 pm

Wow, after listening to you guys, I feel pretty lucky. I put a wind deflector on the Jeep shortly after I purchased it, and to this day, I haven't a single chip, scratch or blemish on the hood. I guess they really do work! My only real complaint about the deflector, however, is that when I use my windshield squirters at high speeds, it dissipates into fine droplets rather than a nice solid spray pattern. It still works, just not as effectively. I guess Ill take that over damage on the hood

Rush345 · **Posted:** Sun Dec 23, 2007 3:54 am

I seem to recall seeing that Dupli-color has the equilivant of 3-M's clear BRA, Check with EASTON Company they seem to have better products. Yes the Vinyl Bra with a soft cotton backing works well , But they can mare you paint finish. I recently used Dupli-Colors Anodized products I was dissapointed with it's adhesion propertys. Took 2 try's to get the finished effect I desired, I would use a real spray application rather then a rattle can to do it again. But I finally acheived the desired finish I wished. I have done some better work but I'll wait till I fave the funds to do a better job Valve covers engine ect. ect. Till then i will live with my finished Jeep.
:twisted:

Paint chips on hood - would an air dam help?

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