Celica Forums General Discussion General Hood Damage anyone?nicks and and paint chips on the lower

Do you guys get a lot of nicks and paint chipping on the lower end of your hoods? it seems like i have quite a lot much to my dismay. I think is because all the freeway driving.

welcome to the club.

^

im part of it too... i wish they had a bra but one that was clear

I have the same problem but there is no way around it..just try and maintain them.

i was on this merge lane on the freeway and i couldnt get over adn there was this dump truck in front of me, that shit was launchign rocks at my car i was crying and driving at the same time. shit was horrible

welcome to the real world...i think the only people that have them are people that dont drive there cars and set in a garage under a cover...

I have a friend in the tinting business who says they have a 4 mill transparent covering that goes for like 180 bucks installed. He says its the same stuff as Mercedes puts on their cars. My friend didn't have any details but said 3M makes it. Looked up 3M and here is the link to their site. http://products3.3m.com/catalog/us/en001...ler/output_html [products3.3m.com] The page doesn't give you any details but it is a start. Good luck!

Here's a better link to spec page...http://multimedia.mmm.com/mws/mediawebserver.dyn?hhhhhhR59twhBLihVLihhhmNcTc3rr16-

a clear bra, hell yeah -

I think it has a lot to do with how steep of angle our hood sits at. Stuff doesn't just hit the grill like it would on a sedan... it gets thrown up onto the paint

^^ i was thinkin the same thing. Yeah my mom bought a new X3 and it has the clear bra. Looks alright.

Just curious... is Carbon Fiber any more durable than the stock hood? If I was sure it wouldn't get chipped, I'd just go ahead and get one.

To everyone who looks at this post there is a great solution. It's called a 3M clear bra. It's a extremely tough 8 mil thick clear vinyl. It's similiar to vinyl(2 mil) that everyone puts on there car except it's a lot thicker. It was originally developed for use on airplanes & military vehicles. Recently the automotive industry has been implementing it more & more. It's a yellowing-resistant adhesive film that is virtually invisible after it's applied. I have a 24" high roll of this material. If anyone is interested in protecting there vehicles paint please contact me for more info, directions, questions & pricing. See pics below of this material actually on my own vehicle. It's been on for 8 months & not one chip, bug or abrasion.

02

03

04- For info PM me please. I will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

^^^
hmmm, not bad...

As you can see from a distnce of about 4 feet or more you can't even tell that it's there. Most people I have to point it out because they never see it.

i have one of those bra things on the tip of my hood on my WRX...
it's the same color as the car and you can't see it...only up close..
i don't like it though, but won't have to worry after i get Carbon Fiber hood

it looks good, and ive herd good things about that stuff

hmmmm interesting...ill have to check it out

problem is though if you already got chips and dings then your gonna just cover them up with that transparent film and they would still be visible, unless you get the hood repainted first. How much would that cost? If its expensive id rather just get the Carbon Fiber hood.

looks like i am going to have to invest in a clear 3M bra now, nice pics sunburstcelica

i get the same shit, maybe after i get a body kit and repaint the car, ill get that m3 clear bra

The best time to get a 3M clear bra is when your car is brand new or has just been painted. However, painted surface must be cured @ least 45 days or more before applying. Unfortunately anyone who already has chips is out of luck. If anyone gets there hood or bumper repainted I highly suggest this product. Last a minimum of 5 years & can be easily removed with a heat gun but won't come off during normal use & driving.

Here is some more pics.

More pics

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wow...i love that clear bra...sunburstcelica

not that i can see anything

whats the price and where can you get it??

I'd get it right away but unfortunately the damage is already done... oh well, gives me an excuse to get a Carbon Fiber hood -

...i am going to get it first thing...that will be my first mod

I had a ton of little rock chips that were visible from a good distance back. I found some touch up paint at autozone, they actually had the toyota super white. It has a brush and a pen. It worked wonders, I have to stick my nose into the hood to find where I filled them in. And the best part was it only cost me 5 bucks.

uep, its always a problem with the way our car is designed. my gf's dad is going to repaint the front end for me for only the cost of paint. be careful with the front stock bumper, if you get a paint chip on that hand wash your car from that moment on... if you use a pressure washer/car wash the high pressure has a tendency to peal the paint of.

If the damage is already done click here.
To prevent click here.

Durability isn't the purpose of Carbon Fiber. You won't get chippeds ... you'll get crackeds

anytime I drive a long distance, I cover my nose/hood partial with blue 3M Painters tape.

Looks like rice, but after 4 years my car only had 2 stone chips.

Since I got the front end repainted, now it's mint again and I am going to keep doing the tape thing when I drive more than 200 miles

i hav a lot of that...especially after driving behind an 18 wheeler truck carrying rocks and pebbles without a cover. I drove fast tryin to get in front of it but couldnt. So i was stuck behind it for bout 3 mins. When i got to work i looked at my hood and theres a lot of chips. Damn i should have gotten that trucks plates...

you say it wount come off driving but with a heat gun...well lets say its sitting in the heat...and its very hot...n then all the sudden it starts to rain...what im trying to ask is...will it ever get water under it? n start molding or anything nasty like that...or does it stay tight to the paint and nothing gets in or out?

If it's installed properly none of the things you described will happen. When applied 1/8" must be left around all panels. This prevents anything from getting under the material. Avoid using a pressure washer up close to the edges beacause lifting may ocuur. Other than this it's permanent until you WANT it to come off. Hope this answers your question.

im also a member of chipped up front end club

yeh my bumper and lower hood areas are gettin pretty bad