[Campfire_Rick]

Guys:


I just got back from a hunting trip. Put 4000 miles on the 2003 DMax in about eight days.


Got around to washing the sucker today only to discover that my paint is ruined. I have literally hundreds, if not thousands, of small chips, both on the lower half of the truck behind the tires, as well as the hood where the bug deflector should go.


The bottom quarter of the truck is swiss cheese! I'm talking rock chips front to back!


I'm running 285 Revos, no lift. I sure wish I would have had mud flaps now!


There is not enough touch up paint in the world to get all these chips, and with so many, it would look like crap anyway.


Is this supposed to happen? I've done a lot of four-bying in my day, and I would expect some nicks after a long hunting trip, but this seems quite a bit excessive. I mean, if this is normal, and I repaint the truck, it will just hapen again next time. If don't paint, I'm well on my my to a bead blast finish. I'm talking hundreds and hundreds of rock chips here!


I'm seriously considering Line-X'ing the whole friggin bottom of the truck.


Am I the only one?


Very disappointed with 12,000 miles on the truck! Is this defective paint?


Rick

 

[tophog]

Yes, the same thing happened to me ... I was running 265's with the Husky mudflaps ...not lifted at the time. Drove about 40 miles on a gravel road (30-40 mph) ... next time I washed truck my rear quarter panels were chipped like hell ... I took one looked and thought WTF!?

I ended up spot painting the chips with touch-up paint which turned out ok ... I have since lifted the truck and have installed "real" mudflaps based on the rock-blasting experience. I don't see how one could drive anywhere off the pavement without mud flaps.


On edit: Note, this was with 3K miles on my beloved truck. I too have thought about LineXing the rear quarters ... actually have seen 2 trucks done this way and it looks pretty darn good. Also going to have the insides of my rear wheel wells LineX'd. Hell, may end up doing the whole truck ... no need to wash.

Edited by: tophog

 

[DMAX2DAMAX]

I put H2 rims & 315's and when I posted about them I got and heeded a warning about needing splash guards. I put on the Husky Splash guards and they work real good.


Since someone thought it appropriate to give the warning I submit you aren't alone! Nor are you the only one, unfortunately its too late for yours now.


Whatever happened to the clear rubberized stuff the General used to put on by the lower rear of the wheel wells? That stuff did pretty good preventing chips!

 

[Max Power]

Is your truck white? White seems to chip really bad.

 

[tophog]

Mine's white ... I wonder why GM doesn't treat the quarter panels with the special chip-resistent paint you see on most cars ... you know, kind of a thicker looking paint that has a ripple or cottage cheese look? Wait, I answered my own question ... to save $$$. Edited by: tophog

 

[Campfire_Rick]

Mine's red. I'm really bummed. Time for mudflaps for sure. Anybody have pictures of a Line-X'ed quarter?


I've already started with the touch-up paint, and it's looks like it's going to take days. And here I was all ready with the Zaino. Damn!


Rick

 

[2thdr]

Campfire Rick, There is hope

I have a friend who bought a used truck he had orange peel placed along sides on bottom it may be stick on but it matches the paint perfectly. It wasn't real expensive either I'll talk to him and get back to you.

 

[JRZ2500HD]

I had the same experiance with the last two trucks. Did I learn with this one, NO of course not. But what I was going to do was get the clear protective tape and put it on. I know cableas has it in a roll. Maybe i will get some now that I am thinking about it.

 

[ShumDit]

Getting ready for a 4000mile trip myself. I used cabelas 3M clear film for the rocker panels and behind the rear wheels. Of course I've 3M invinca shield on the hood.


When we would go elk hunting in CO, I drove a Toyota 4WD. At sealevel it had 40hp on the ground. Over 3000', who knows? but much less. Consequently to pass some turtles, I had to get right on their bumper to start the pass to keep the risk/exposure down. Knowing about the gravel, grit/sand effect on the paint, I put duct tape on the hood, rocker panels upwards over the lower doors and cut to open. Yes, it looked u g l y, got a lot of looks and comments from hunting friends ~ but, it out front, looking mint and almost 20yrs old. Good truck if traveling light and have all the time in the world.

 

[neverenuf]

Same thing happened to me before I put the GM mud flaps on. They look mighty small with the 285's I got now, but do a ok job. I have thousands of chips, with many on the front of the factory rear fender flares. I have pewter paint and the chips, at 100 miles, helped me get over the new truck thing.

 

[mojet58]

Do a Google search for Scothcal - a 3M protective product. Not sure if it was the same product but I saw a welded aluminum boat with that sort of product over the top of another plastic sheet which had the color. The clear looked very thick and durable.

 

[LARSONEM]

My 2003 2500HD doesn't look too bad with 9K miles on it. There is an occasional chip behind the rear wheels. But my 2001 Tahoe with 34K miles on it really shows the chips behind the rear wheels. You would think GM could put some stoneproof plastic paint down there or something.Edited by: LARSONEM

 

[bowtiebob]

After hearing these stories, I have decided I really need some sort of flap or splash guard. I had planned to run without because I like the look, but want to keep my paint protected too. What do you guys recommend for flaps/guards?? Are there any that I do not require drilling?? Thanks for the help.


Bob

 

[tophog]

I think you basically have 2 options ... the molded type like the OEM and Husky mudflaps or the flat, semi-truck type that come in variable sizes/lengths. IMO the molded look the best as far as looks go ...


I had the Husky flaps on my truck for a few months but my rear quarters still took a beating on a gravel road therefore I would not say they provide "complete" coverage...just my experience, mileage may vary.


I have since installed the semi-truck type with weights they do indeed provide complete protection ...and look pretty good to boot. I too would rather not have any flaps, but for me there came a point where severe rock ships made me sacrafice the look for protection.

 

[bowtiebob]

tophog,

Sharp looking truck you've got there....

How do those flaps mount on?? I notice you have a molded one up front in atleast some of the pictures. Do the nerfs help with front protection?? I like the looks of the Kaydencos but think they might look a little large on a truck that was on stock tires. We'll see. It would be nice to have a large flap like that to keep wash jobs lasting longer as well.


Bob

 

[conradv]

Here's my flaps:

They'll block any rocks...

 

[tophog]

The KayDenco (Duraflaps) are very heavy-duty flaps. They made out of some plastic composite, somewhat stiff and at least 3/8" think. They're also textured on the inside to reduce water spray, etc. I'm very happy with them. They do require drilling some holes but only about 2 per fender well if you use the existing holes. They will also make whatever size you want. Mine are custom made as I have a 4" lift so they made some a little longer then standard, you can also get them wider, narrower, etc.

 

[04forme]

I have a Black 04, The first 3000 miles I noticed alot of Rock Chips on the Rockers,I then Installed the OEM Mud guards front and rearand Added running boards Like Tophog,Chips have not been any worse except by the rear bumper where the rocks still manage to sling up past the flaps,I also have 285 Revos I dont think they help the prob any.

 

[HossKartrite]

On my truck I noticed some fairly large chips peeling of the front lip of the box. I've never had one peel there before, so I complained to the dealer. They checked the paint thickness in that area and are repairing the spots under warranty. I'm not sure what the spec is for paint thickness, but apparently not all trucks meet it.


Hoss

 

[captainmal]

Campfire-Rick,


Funny you set up a topic about paint chips just as I was going to include that issue in a short update not about my new truck.


My Duramax was a mess of chips (white) from the word "go". I always had to use white touch-up paint after every tow and just expected that as a normal situation.


Just returned from a 6,000 mile tow through Western hell of winds, sandstorms, dust, ice and snow. Washed the truck off and stood there in shock. 10,000 miles in under a month and no chips. I am going to write that as it shocks me to see absolutly perfect paint on my new truck. My last three GM's could never come close to the paint quality of my new Dodge.