Ang89

Ok -- Am I the only one here who's barely had her car for a month and now has rock chips on her front bumper??

I normally drive 80-90mph on the fwy, but ever since I purchased my new 3IS, I haven't gone over 75mph, and I surely pump my brakes and stay hundreds of feet away when I see a big rig, tanker, dump truck, etc.

Is it the way the 3IS is shaped that's making it so vulnerable to rock chips? PS, I just got my car clear bra'd and the bubbles over the repaired chips are KILLING me.

Just would like to hear your stories, and see what possible options there are if I decided to remove the clear bra and professionally fix the chips (the dealer just put touch up paint on them--I own the 3IS in Ultra White).

SW17LS

The clear bra is a must on these cars, its not just the IS and its not just Lexus actually. Modern EPA friendly paints aren't as tough as older paints.

Short of repainting the panels, I don't think you can ever make paint chips touched up look great. I have a couple under my clear bra because I didn't originally get one either until about 1,500 miles...you get used to them.

waxy

I have so many paint chips I started to name them all.

Chip
Chippy
Chipper
Chipperific

WiLz

I scheduled a clear bra install appointment before even closing the deal on the car to ensure the soonest install possible, but still had to go 1 week without clear bra. During that week, the car was only driven 3 or 4 times, being as careful as possible and keeping huge distances - but there were still 2 small chips by the time the clear bra was put on

Antnie2418

the windshield glass is just as weak as the paint as well. It is very annoying.

hoosier1

I'll second on the windshield and paint being soft, but those of us in colder climates, this winter has resulted in record amounts of potholes and road surface damage. Roads have been neglected in many parts of the US for decades, and we are now driving on gravel roads in many cases.

CobraGSF

iTrader: (2)

ang89 I feel your pain. had my white fsport for 2 weeks before I got my first few rockchips. needless to say ill be getting a clear bra very soon. if you do get a clear bra, make sure that you know what kind of clear bra you are getting. since our cars are white. the 3M clear bra may yellow over time with sun exposure. it will be more visible on our cars. The Xpel clear bra is supposedly self healing, meaning you will not see any blemishes on it. its a little more expensive but ultimately your choice. depends of your buying or leasing too I guess. I bought.

UncleSpud

A clear bra is a must on these cars. You might also consider this: https://www.drcolorchip.com/

From what I've read, the colorchips aren't perfect, but they work better than touch-up paint.

CobraGSF

iTrader: (2)

I purchased the dr colorchip for my car as well. ill admit its not a perfect match but is definetly foolproof in getting rid of the chips. looks much better

jaznraz

iTrader: (1)

My Dr Colorchip came in the mail yesterday and an Xpel clear bra is going on within the next few weeks. I had chips after two weeks and it looks terrible on silver because the bumper is black plastic.

I've used Dr Colorchip on my past Subaru and it works pretty damn well. Not getting a clear bra on my Subaru was the biggest mistake ever, not going to let that happen to the Lexus.

Ang89

I'm just so sad -- It's immature to think that my car can stay perfect together, but sheesh! Let it happen after a yr, now 2 weeks lol. I did get my car clear bra'd last week. I actually got it done for free by the same company that didn't install one of my wheels right.

I didn't go into the story, but the summary was that 2 lug nuts fell off the first week I had the car, and this whole time, it was in my garage, so no one could have tried to steal it. As this was a life threatening situation, the company agreed to do a free clear bra install.

I don't know which kind it is -- I'm thinking Xpel, because he said if I put it out in the sun, the little bubbles will disappear. Plus, I get a lifetime warranty on it.

autoarmour

Hey guys I'm a clear bra installer in the san diego area. I get to work on many high end vehicles in the area and I find xpel to be the best film out on the market, not to mention a 10 year warranty is hard to beat. I service Porsche of San Diego and here is a full front end covered in xpel.

zabone

iTrader: (2)

This is just my opinion.

I love cars. I like to maintain them and detail them. But I'm not searching for perfection on a daily driver.

Wrapping a Porsche up in paint protect film is a great idea since most people don't use them as daily drivers.

However a daily driver is gonna get bumper marks, scratches, and rock chips.

I will wear the chips as battle scars because my car isn't meant to be a show car.

This is how I will treat my 3is but I'm sure some of you treat yours better.

But I'd rather accept the average of POS and perfection rather than losing sleep over things that will happen no matter what you do.

istasy

Well said

SW17LS

Thats just the point. PPF allows you to use your vehicle every day and not worry about things like chips and scuffs. That whole Porsche is not covered. just the front clip...