What are your thoughts on normal wear and tear / environmental paint damage?

[JimJa]

Living in Wyoming the rule of thumb is.."A windshield a year." Had mine two weeks before a chip in the black part of the upper windshield ran before I noticed it. I would have repaired but it wasn't readily seen up there. Hopefully a repair would have stopped the run. The crack ran right through the auto wipers and lane keeping areas before branching out to the PAX side. Because of that I'll insist on an OEM. The wipers work "weird" now.

I have noticed on all my Fords ('17 Escape, '18 RS, '19 Ranger) the paint is thin and seems to chip easily. so sooner rather than later I'll have a Clear Bra installed on the Ranger and RS. Too late for the Escape. Do you think it's due to the popularity of water based paint and government standards for emissions?

But...dings and chips are a part of life. Yeah we don't like them but it happens and it's not the end of the world. Other things are much more important.

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[RedlandRanger]

Living in Wyoming the rule of thumb is.."A windshield a year." Had mine two weeks before a chip in the black part of the upper windshield ran before I noticed it. I would have repaired but it wasn't readily seen up there. Hopefully a repair would have stopped the run. The crack ran right through the auto wipers and lane keeping areas before branching out to the PAX side. Because of that I'll insist on an OEM. The wipers work "weird" now.

I have noticed on all my Fords ('17 Escape, '18 RS, '19 Ranger) the paint is thin and seems to chip easily. so sooner rather than later I'll have a Clear Bra installed on the Ranger and RS. Too late for the Escape. Do you think it's due to the popularity of water based paint and government standards for emissions?

But...dings and chips are a part of life. Yeah we don't like them but it happens and it's not the end of the world. Other things are much more important.

Are they using the water based paints on the Ranger? I had a friend who worked in a body shop and he was pretty impressed with the water based finishes. The only drawback is they take longer to dry. May be part of the cause of some of the crap in the paint.

 

[treimche]

It sucks having a brand new vehicle that gets chipped/scratched/dented. Luckily there are ways to prevent and fix all of it. Paintless dent repair guys are awesome at what they do, and can fix a lot of stuff fairly cheap. If you're really worried about scratches and rock chips, get paint protection installed. It's not cheap, but ultimately it saves your OEM paint. There are many brands out there, but stick with something like Xpel, Llumar, or 3M. Another great option is a spray on paint protection called Autoflex.

 

[NVHoonigan]

Clear bra on the front and bed liner in the back. I park out in the weeds wherever I go because other people don't care about your truck but ultimately I bought it to be driven and do what trucks do. You are gonna end up with some wear and tear but definitely want to enjoy it as like new for as long as I can!

 

[Msfitoy]

Environmental damages comes with vehicles running on the ground...trucks are no less immune because they sit higher. But I avoid parking lot damages at all cost as that's something I can control by taking extra steps literally or parking next to a wide handicapped space. I also try and keep a good distance from cars in front of me as to avoid sudden 2x4s being ejected in my face. Stay away from semis. I have two other cars with over 100k each and neither has door dents...front ends are pitted and can't be helped

 

[DBaz]

I used to chase paint chips but now have XPEL on everything I drive.

Doesn't cost much more than the insurance deductible for a broken LED headlight assembly.

 

[Mick Carlson]

Nothing lasts forever.
Cars are a tool.
If you use them they wear.
If you do not drive them they rot away.
House's are the same.
Everything wants to revert back to what it was.
Steel wants to be iron oxide.
Glass wants to be sand.
Live your life, help others, believe in God.

Great advice.

 

[EcoRanger]

I want my truck to look good but I'm not OCD about it.

 

[DrizzyDrake]

Old thread, but I don't mind scratches from branches offroad or scratches in the bed, but I care about rust; rock chips; and damage.

 

[1911tex]

Rare freeze in Texas made icy driving on sandy roads standard...after 7 days passing, being passed, behind dump trucks, etc., I expected getting sandblasted...guess what...not a single chip! Paint shines like new...Black, I love it!

 

[Dereku]

Well a hit and run on day 3 broke my truck in for me. According to my son it was awesome because my truck is so strong it destroyed the other car. Technically another car was hit and slid into me so I didn't take the whole impact. $20 later on offer up it was fixed. Plus it came with a black lower valence that I later sold for $20.

All in all it's a vehicle, I take care of it, touch up chips and wet sand them smooth, but you can't stop it.

 

[Jedadiah]

But I avoid parking lot damages at all cost as that's something I can control by taking extra steps literally or parking next to a wide handicapped space.

I do this too, but my first dent was me opening my super-long SuperCab door into a cart return. Parked there because it gives extra space on the other side of the truck. I checked a text message, didn't think and now...any other chips don't hurt as much.

 

[9zero1790]

i think it depends how hard i try to keep the car / truck looking new. ive had some cars and truck i was wacko about and they looked great until some uncontrollable even damaged them for me... but when i had beat up farm trucks and didnt care seemed like nothing ever damaged it. my new ranger being black gets damaged from a slight breeze.

 

[Motorpsychology]

I do this too, but my first dent was me opening my super-long SuperCab door into a cart return.

I 've done that with my former Escape. The other thing is pulling up next to a gas pump far enough to avoid opening the door into the bollard protecting the pumps. I did it once, but no damage. Now Make sure to drive up past.

 

[WNCblueridge]

Living in Wyoming the rule of thumb is.."A windshield a year." Had mine two weeks before a chip in the black part of the upper windshield ran before I noticed it. I would have repaired but it wasn't readily seen up there. Hopefully a repair would have stopped the run. The crack ran right through the auto wipers and lane keeping areas before branching out to the PAX side. Because of that I'll insist on an OEM. The wipers work "weird" now.

I have noticed on all my Fords ('17 Escape, '18 RS, '19 Ranger) the paint is thin and seems to chip easily. so sooner rather than later I'll have a Clear Bra installed on the Ranger and RS. Too late for the Escape. Do you think it's due to the popularity of water based paint and government standards for emissions?

But...dings and chips are a part of life. Yeah we don't like them but it happens and it's not the end of the world. Other things are much more important.

While waxing near the underside of rocker panel I noticed all the chips. Truck is only 10 months old and have yet to take it off-road. I suspect many of these were there from day 1 but failed to see them until I was up close with my glasses on. Def gotta get this fixed but doubt Ford will accept responsibility since so much time has passed. Looking for quality touch up kits today for Oxford White

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