Simple enough to DIY. Just make sure its properly cleaned before the install.
To me it's just sad that we have to pay $1,200-$2,000 AFTER we buy a $40k truck to keep it from looking like a $10k truck in one year.
I am thinking about going with the rocker guards too. My lower bed was peppered badly. I used duplicolor bed liner spray, then duplicolor Oxford white to cover it. I then hit it with more coats of clear than I care to count and it actually turned out amazing. Even with RB20 boards, front flaps and a tendency to drive like an old man, my driver side is chipped pretty bad from this winter. The bed liner stayed, but the white and clear are gone. I am trying to find something to place on the lower corners, like the platisc rocker guards, but am not having much luck. I wish the aftermarket would take the armor pieces a step further and cover the lower bed since Ford wanted to save $5 per truck and not offer it like they do on the F-150.After reading reports of paint being easily damaged, I had my dealer install PPF prior to delivery.
PPF on full front end back to top of wheel wells, mirror caps, full lower sides, rockers, headlamps, fog lamps, A-pillars, door edges, door handle cups.
For more protection, I later added RokBlokz XL mud guards, Bushwacker sill/rocker Trail Armor, and side body moldings.
Most all of my chips are self inflicted because I have no patience and tailgate people. If I would relax and leave some distance between vehicles I am sure I wouldn't need film.
This is how I look at it. Except I skipped the film. The concept makes me think of old clear bras and gives me the heebie geebies.
I promise you, I do not self inflict mine. I drive like an old man and never tailgate. My driver side gets it way worse than my passenger side from oncoming traffic.
The guy that tints my windows tried to talk me into the PPF when he was doing my Lincoln and I just hemmed and hawed. Once the Ranger arrived and I took it to him for window tinting the PPF was a no brainer since my MKX was a mess of chips by that time.
I was not making an accusation that it was your fault, only that in my case PPF is worth every penny. Even if the paint that came on vehicles was not so "chip susceptible" I would still pay extra for it.
The paint is solvent based. I work as a paint mixer in a shop that paints body panels for all the manufactures.
Hardy: Is the current Ranger paint as an equal to those of the last decade or so? Why such a chip problem?
That's a question I cannot answer for you. I've only been in the automotive paints industry for about 2 years.
It's seam sealer ......normalDoes anyone else have marks like this? It was there when I bought the truck and appears to be a build up of paint. It runs the whole length of the seem on the right side beneath the rear window:
Nice!AVS deflector
