Rock chips in the side gills vicinity - Page 4 - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

sen10l · 03-29-2010, 05:41 PM

On another car I owned that wouldn't have gotten rock chips from the wheels (near impossible based on the design of the wheel well), I was getting a ton of chips on the side of the car. They were purely from stones kicked up from other cars. I can imagine that most of the chips on Camaros with the splash guards were actually from stones kicked up from other cars.

I think the true benefit of the splash guards is not the bit that sticks out at the bottom, but the part that sticks out at the sides. The stones that slip by in that triangular side gap (since the sides of the car go inward at the bottom) are the ones that hit the gills. I think that the stones that get kicked up on the bottom would hit the side sills and not the gills, judging by the trajectory angle.

topgun1 · 03-29-2010, 06:36 PM

I got 3M clear bra installed last weekend. I'm not all that thrilled with it. There are definitely air pockets and some creasing where it is not sticking along a couple edges on the front. The installer said it needs to be in the sun a while to get the moisture out and adhere properly, like 30 straight days. It would take months for me, since it stays in its cover during the week. but he said it's definitely possible I may end up with bubbles in a few areas, and have to use the old pin prick. You can definitely see the edge along the top portion of the side gills area. I had installed along the top of the front fascia, along the mirrors (which was the best application) and in the side gills area that follows the two lines that sweep back. They had to hand cut parts of it. There are two spots where they had a tiny cut in the film. Oh and there is a hair under one portion along the top of the front fascia. that's never going away :(

these guys came highly recommended in my area and the scary thing is they said it was probably their best job ever.
well, at least I won't have any more rock chips in the areas I have it installed on.

it'll be at Camaro5fest, so people can see what they think.

Darth_Emma · 03-29-2010, 07:29 PM

topgun1 they should come and redo the parts that don't look right. That's just wrong. My installer did a great job on mine. No bubbles.

There was one blemish in the film on the hood piece and he called 3M about it. 3M sent him a replacement roll of film and is paying his mileage and time to come out to replace the piece on my hood.

jvcaparo · 03-29-2010, 08:16 PM

I have 2K on my Camaro and I did not drive it in the winter. I have chips in the gill areas and I am not happy.
I would be interested in the 3M film.

topgun1 · 03-29-2010, 08:48 PM

The installer said to give it a month or two and to bring it back if I have any issues with it and they will take care of it. I may be back before then because I don't think the areas that are pulling away from the edges are supposed to do that.

revron · 03-30-2010, 06:11 AM

I'm must be lucky. I put the mud guards on a couple weeks after I got the car, I only have a few chips on the sides of the car.

Hicompression · 03-30-2010, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by topgun1

The installer said to give it a month or two and to bring it back if I have any issues with it and they will take care of it. I may be back before then because I don't think the areas that are pulling away from the edges are supposed to do that.

The hair is inexcusable. Especially if it's a pube...

RogueSS · 03-30-2010, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by topgun1

I got 3M clear bra installed last weekend. I'm not all that thrilled with it. There are definitely air pockets and some creasing where it is not sticking along a couple edges on the front. The installer said it needs to be in the sun a while to get the moisture out and adhere properly, like 30 straight days. It would take months for me, since it stays in its cover during the week. but he said it's definitely possible I may end up with bubbles in a few areas, and have to use the old pin prick. You can definitely see the edge along the top portion of the side gills area. I had installed along the top of the front fascia, along the mirrors (which was the best application) and in the side gills area that follows the two lines that sweep back. They had to hand cut parts of it. There are two spots where they had a tiny cut in the film. Oh and there is a hair under one portion along the top of the front fascia. that's never going away :(

these guys came highly recommended in my area and the scary thing is they said it was probably their best job ever.
well, at least I won't have any more rock chips in the areas I have it installed on.

it'll be at Camaro5fest, so people can see what they think.

I had my entire front bumper and fascia done, both mirrors, rocker panels and the gill area (It stops at the crease in the fender)....you can't tell ANY of it is there unless you know to look for it and are within 12" of the car.

I have one small air bubble on the front fascia....but I know where it is and I have a hard time finding it. Shop did a great job. I'd take yours back...a good shop shouldn't have any problems with any of it.

topgun1 · 03-30-2010, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hicompression

The hair is inexcusable. Especially if it's a pube...

wow, that's gross, didn't think about that, but no, looks like an eyebrow or something. I have a feeling though that i may be taking this back anyway.

Russell James · 03-30-2010, 01:18 PM

Sure they could put clear protection on those areas at the plant. They chose not to. Look at a Silverado, there is a clear protection patch on the leading bulge of the rear fender. Look close at the bottom corner of the Camaro door opening. There is a tiny little excuse of a chip protection piece there.

They could have also used a design that didn't put the rear fender in the line of fire from the front tires. How many cars over how many decades have had that exact some problem? Come on designers, think about the real world for once. And the mountain of complaints from past models with the exact same lesson not learned. Awesome design on paper, in clay... in the real world tires throw rocks. Keep that awesome design and engineer in some factory installed paint protection and better integrated splash guards. You can put a big clear chip guard on a Silverado quarter panel in the assembly plant, but not the Camaro?

topgun1 · 04-06-2010, 11:16 PM

all good points. yes, only a small piece of paint protection at the lower corner of the door and behind the front wheel well on the rocker panel and in front of the rear wheel well on the rocker panel.

yes, great design on paper, but not functional for anyone who drives it. anyway, I took the car back to the 3M dealer on Monday and he is going to replace the top front fascia piece. It was creasing along the edges and getting dust under it. I was not happy, so they are doing it for no cost and they totally agreed that it needed to be replaced. hopefully, it's going to look much better than before (and will have no hair!). The guy is a big Camaro fan and I told him I wanted to get it done before Camaro5fest and he was going to make sure it was done the beginning of next week.

2SSmeCamaro · 04-06-2010, 11:20 PM

yep, chips everywhere.....I figured it would eventually happen....even the rims have scratches..I thought I had hit the curb, but NO...just a small scratch...

and every days driver cant stay perfect forever!!

jonnyb · 04-06-2010, 11:28 PM

Getting the clear bra put on tomorrow and it will include the gills. The amount of chips is driving me nuts and I only have 1600 on the car.

topgun1 · 04-09-2010, 05:58 PM

getting the whole top front fascia piece replaced for no charge on Monday, just in time for Camaro5Fest. Bugs are going to kill the car on the way down there and i'm sure there will be a good share of rocks flying up as well.

The installer made no argument about it and was embarrassed, said it was not the way it should be. he had it wrapped underneath the top fascia piece and it started creasing from that area and at the passenger side fender/bumper junction, got dirt and pollen underneath and would never stick again. I'll also get rid of that annoying little hair that was under the bra. This time they'll also cut the clear bra off along the front edge of the fascia and not try to wrap it underneath.

Still have some water pockets beneath the bra in the side gills, but are supposed to dry out and stick to the body in time.

03-29-2010, 05:41 PM	#43
sen10l Drives: In Transit Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: North Pole Posts: 334	On another car I owned that wouldn't have gotten rock chips from the wheels (near impossible based on the design of the wheel well), I was getting a ton of chips on the side of the car. They were purely from stones kicked up from other cars. I can imagine that most of the chips on Camaros with the splash guards were actually from stones kicked up from other cars. I think the true benefit of the splash guards is not the bit that sticks out at the bottom, but the part that sticks out at the sides. The stones that slip by in that triangular side gap (since the sides of the car go inward at the bottom) are the ones that hit the gills. I think that the stones that get kicked up on the bottom would hit the side sills and not the gills, judging by the trajectory angle. __________________

03-29-2010, 06:36 PM	#44
topgun1 Drives: 10 SIM 2SS/RS LS3 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Winston-Salem, NC Posts: 1,939 View My Garage	I got 3M clear bra installed last weekend. I'm not all that thrilled with it. There are definitely air pockets and some creasing where it is not sticking along a couple edges on the front. The installer said it needs to be in the sun a while to get the moisture out and adhere properly, like 30 straight days. It would take months for me, since it stays in its cover during the week. but he said it's definitely possible I may end up with bubbles in a few areas, and have to use the old pin prick. You can definitely see the edge along the top portion of the side gills area. I had installed along the top of the front fascia, along the mirrors (which was the best application) and in the side gills area that follows the two lines that sweep back. They had to hand cut parts of it. There are two spots where they had a tiny cut in the film. Oh and there is a hair under one portion along the top of the front fascia. that's never going away :( these guys came highly recommended in my area and the scary thing is they said it was probably their best job ever. well, at least I won't have any more rock chips in the areas I have it installed on. it'll be at Camaro5fest, so people can see what they think. __________________ 5th Gen Camaros of the Carolinas SIM, 2SS/RS LS3 5/7/11 453.9 RWHP 427.5 RWTQ VMS Stage 2.5 Comp Cams kit, Cold Air Inductions intake, ADM race scoop, DT 1 3/4" headers, Solo cats, 3" Magnaflow catback, Pypes cutouts, HP tune, H&R SuperSport springs, Eibach sways/spacers, TexasSpeed UD pulley, LSR tensioner pulley, Barton shifter, skip shift eliminator, powder-coated calipers, R1 concept rotors, StopTech pads, Granatelli wires, Lloyds mats, tint, AAC afterburner taillamps, AAC scanner/sidemarkers, SRP pedals, custom engine cover, black bowties, Ridergraphix hood spears.... Last edited by topgun1; 03-29-2010 at 08:49 PM.

03-29-2010, 08:48 PM	#47
topgun1 Drives: 10 SIM 2SS/RS LS3 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Winston-Salem, NC Posts: 1,939 View My Garage	The installer said to give it a month or two and to bring it back if I have any issues with it and they will take care of it. I may be back before then because I don't think the areas that are pulling away from the edges are supposed to do that. __________________ 5th Gen Camaros of the Carolinas SIM, 2SS/RS LS3 5/7/11 453.9 RWHP 427.5 RWTQ VMS Stage 2.5 Comp Cams kit, Cold Air Inductions intake, ADM race scoop, DT 1 3/4" headers, Solo cats, 3" Magnaflow catback, Pypes cutouts, HP tune, H&R SuperSport springs, Eibach sways/spacers, TexasSpeed UD pulley, LSR tensioner pulley, Barton shifter, skip shift eliminator, powder-coated calipers, R1 concept rotors, StopTech pads, Granatelli wires, Lloyds mats, tint, AAC afterburner taillamps, AAC scanner/sidemarkers, SRP pedals, custom engine cover, black bowties, Ridergraphix hood spears....

03-30-2010, 06:11 AM	#48
revron Drives: camaro 2lt rs auto silver Join Date: May 2009 Location: Pahrump, NV Posts: 172	I'm must be lucky. I put the mud guards on a couple weeks after I got the car, I only have a few chips on the sides of the car. __________________ Ron

04-06-2010, 11:16 PM	#53
topgun1 Drives: 10 SIM 2SS/RS LS3 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Winston-Salem, NC Posts: 1,939 View My Garage	all good points. yes, only a small piece of paint protection at the lower corner of the door and behind the front wheel well on the rocker panel and in front of the rear wheel well on the rocker panel. yes, great design on paper, but not functional for anyone who drives it. anyway, I took the car back to the 3M dealer on Monday and he is going to replace the top front fascia piece. It was creasing along the edges and getting dust under it. I was not happy, so they are doing it for no cost and they totally agreed that it needed to be replaced. hopefully, it's going to look much better than before (and will have no hair!). The guy is a big Camaro fan and I told him I wanted to get it done before Camaro5fest and he was going to make sure it was done the beginning of next week. __________________ 5th Gen Camaros of the Carolinas SIM, 2SS/RS LS3 5/7/11 453.9 RWHP 427.5 RWTQ VMS Stage 2.5 Comp Cams kit, Cold Air Inductions intake, ADM race scoop, DT 1 3/4" headers, Solo cats, 3" Magnaflow catback, Pypes cutouts, HP tune, H&R SuperSport springs, Eibach sways/spacers, TexasSpeed UD pulley, LSR tensioner pulley, Barton shifter, skip shift eliminator, powder-coated calipers, R1 concept rotors, StopTech pads, Granatelli wires, Lloyds mats, tint, AAC afterburner taillamps, AAC scanner/sidemarkers, SRP pedals, custom engine cover, black bowties, Ridergraphix hood spears....

03-29-2010, 07:29 PM	#45
Darth_Emma Psssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhh! Drives: under contruction Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Marysville, Ohio Posts: 12,996 View My Garage	topgun1 they should come and redo the parts that don't look right. That's just wrong. My installer did a great job on mine. No bubbles. There was one blemish in the film on the hood piece and he called 3M about it. 3M sent him a replacement roll of film and is paying his mileage and time to come out to replace the piece on my hood.

03-29-2010, 08:16 PM	#46
jvcaparo Drives: 2010 Camaro, 1969 General Lee Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Covington Twp PA Posts: 23 View My Garage	I have 2K on my Camaro and I did not drive it in the winter. I have chips in the gill areas and I am not happy. I would be interested in the 3M film.

03-30-2010, 01:18 PM	#52
Russell James Drives: '15 SS 1LE, '69 Z28 drag car Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Mich Posts: 4,482	Sure they could put clear protection on those areas at the plant. They chose not to. Look at a Silverado, there is a clear protection patch on the leading bulge of the rear fender. Look close at the bottom corner of the Camaro door opening. There is a tiny little excuse of a chip protection piece there. They could have also used a design that didn't put the rear fender in the line of fire from the front tires. How many cars over how many decades have had that exact some problem? Come on designers, think about the real world for once. And the mountain of complaints from past models with the exact same lesson not learned. Awesome design on paper, in clay... in the real world tires throw rocks. Keep that awesome design and engineer in some factory installed paint protection and better integrated splash guards. You can put a big clear chip guard on a Silverado quarter panel in the assembly plant, but not the Camaro?

04-06-2010, 11:20 PM	#54
2SSmeCamaro Delete this account Drives: Delete this account Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: LA Posts: 226	yep, chips everywhere.....I figured it would eventually happen....even the rims have scratches..I thought I had hit the curb, but NO...just a small scratch... and every days driver cant stay perfect forever!!

04-06-2010, 11:28 PM	#55
jonnyb Drives: IBM 2SS/RS Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Elko, NV Posts: 392	Getting the clear bra put on tomorrow and it will include the gills. The amount of chips is driving me nuts and I only have 1600 on the car. __________________ Searching for traction!

04-09-2010, 05:58 PM	#56
topgun1 Drives: 10 SIM 2SS/RS LS3 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Winston-Salem, NC Posts: 1,939 View My Garage	getting the whole top front fascia piece replaced for no charge on Monday, just in time for Camaro5Fest. Bugs are going to kill the car on the way down there and i'm sure there will be a good share of rocks flying up as well. The installer made no argument about it and was embarrassed, said it was not the way it should be. he had it wrapped underneath the top fascia piece and it started creasing from that area and at the passenger side fender/bumper junction, got dirt and pollen underneath and would never stick again. I'll also get rid of that annoying little hair that was under the bra. This time they'll also cut the clear bra off along the front edge of the fascia and not try to wrap it underneath. Still have some water pockets beneath the bra in the side gills, but are supposed to dry out and stick to the body in time. __________________ 5th Gen Camaros of the Carolinas SIM, 2SS/RS LS3 5/7/11 453.9 RWHP 427.5 RWTQ VMS Stage 2.5 Comp Cams kit, Cold Air Inductions intake, ADM race scoop, DT 1 3/4" headers, Solo cats, 3" Magnaflow catback, Pypes cutouts, HP tune, H&R SuperSport springs, Eibach sways/spacers, TexasSpeed UD pulley, LSR tensioner pulley, Barton shifter, skip shift eliminator, powder-coated calipers, R1 concept rotors, StopTech pads, Granatelli wires, Lloyds mats, tint, AAC afterburner taillamps, AAC scanner/sidemarkers, SRP pedals, custom engine cover, black bowties, Ridergraphix hood spears.... Last edited by topgun1; 04-09-2010 at 06:41 PM.

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