Just hit 9000 miles, paint chips everywhere :(

[AlpaChino]

No PPF, but I did ceramic coat it at 4000 miles. Roughly 50% of my miles are interstate driving. Now that I'm up to 9000 miles I'm seeing paint chips on the hood, "A" pillars, even before the flare out on the rear passenger side door.

What's my best course of action if I plan on owning this for the next 5-10 years? Should I get the paint chip kit and fill each one in as I go, or take it to a paint shop for fixes, or take it to a ppf shop and be prepared to drop 3-4k? Does PPF guarantee no paint chipping?

As a side note I don't remember my F-150 picking up nearly as many paint chips as this car, although I am very meticulous in taking care of the mme, maybe I'm just noticing more... I don't know.

The pillar:

Hood:

Door:

 

[MachEGTPilot]

Not sure there is anything you can do on Indiana roads!!!!

 

[connoisseurr]

Fill the chips then PPF the entire front clip, mirrors, headlights, and pillars. Ask your PPF shop to do the chip repair so it's done how they prefer, prior to PPF install.

I've seen some shops who install PPF, and then inject paint through the PPF with a micro-needle.

 

[benk016]

This is the reason I ended up getting PPF on my FE. And why I'm getting it on my GT asap. I got to about 4000 miles on the FE and was seeing some chipping on the front and new it would be looking sand blasted If I didn't do something. To me, it was definitely worth the cost.

 

[blue92lx]

This is the reason I ended up getting PPF on my FE. And why I'm getting it on my GT asap. I got to about 4000 miles on the FE and was seeing some chipping on the front and new it would be looking sand blasted If I didn't do something. To me, it was definitely worth the cost.

Especially with the GT I was thinking the front end of most EV's is like a big flat billboard for rocks. The GT has that clear coated grill that seems like it would be super hard to fix any chips since you can't just get a touch up paint for it.

 

[GoosePond08]

I feel your pain, almost at 10k miles here. I'm very meticulous with paint/car care as well and this is the worst paint quality i've ever experienced in a vehicle. Also the most expensive paint option I've paid, which I thought would help over time.

 

[theRealDevo]

For those that installed PPF, did you go with the front coverage or full car coverage?

 

[connoisseurr]

For those that installed PPF, did you go with the front coverage or full car coverage?

I recommend entire front clip + A pillars + mirrors + headlights at a minimum. For those who have painted roofs, get the roof done as well.

 

[Kabish]

I have 4,000 on mine and also have a bunch of paint chips, noticed them months ago... I also came from an F150, while it did have a few chips, it was no where near the amount that the MME has. I sold it with 35,000 (bought it with 7miles) miles on it and had done multiple cross state trips over the 4 years I owned it.

I've been thinking about wrapping my car, but just have not came to the decision to do it yet. Such a big investment for 4 maybe 6 years of use.. Then again, I'll probably sell the car in 4 years anyways lol

 

[Mach-Tony]

Honestly, I would just use touch-up paint and be done with it. PPF is cool and all, also pretty expensive, but your money will never be there for resale or trade-in. It's personal preference, really, but just don't expect any payback in the future. Also, trade-ins and sales don't take those small chips into account.

 

[benk016]

For those that installed PPF, did you go with the front coverage or full car coverage?

My PPF install is full front bumper, full hood, full front fenders, A,B,C pillars, mirrors, and rocker panels.

 

[0CO2]

Sorry you are seeing this - until now I thought it was just my MME FE that was a chip magnet. My car looked worse than this within the first 500 miles on the clock. The MME has the most fragile paint job of any car or truck I've ever owned. There was also a missing approx 1" long line of paint on the leading edge of the passenger door. On nearly every drive I seem to pick up another chip. I've tried touch-up, but it only seems to make things worse in terms of appearance, so I'm starting to ask around at paint shops for a re-do, then I'll install a film.

The windshield is even worse. After my first small (200 mile) road trip it looked like the outer surface of the windshield was sandpapered, plus nearly every drive I pick up another little chip in the glass.

Is this a production/material's flaw? Did Ford use a thinner paint and clearcoat layer to reduce weight? What's the deal?

I would like to make a warranty claim since this isn't normal or close to industry standard. How common is this problem?

 

[OldBlueMME]

I recommend entire front clip + A pillars + mirrors + headlights at a minimum. For those who have painted roofs, get the roof done as well.

I done the whole front clip, mirrors and headlights. Back bumper lip, door jams and also the A pillars.

 

[RedDeath1337]

I have 9,500 on My Star White here in Oregon, and I have chips all over the front. I probably should have done PPF in hindsight, but I haven't in the past and it wasn't a big deal. Pretty sad, but oh well.

 

[mkhuffman]

My Expedition did have less damage compared to the cars I have owned because, like a F150, it is much higher off the pavement. Rocks sometimes bounce up high, but most of that debris stays closer to the ground after getting kicked up by other vehicles.

My PPF install is full front bumper, full hood, full front fenders, A,B,C pillars, mirrors, and rocker panels.

Very interested to hear how your PPF wears over time, as I have never tried it and I am skeptical it can prevent the damage I have seen on my cars. The small stuff maybe, but bigger chips? Post some updates after you have several thousand highway miles!

Sponsored