Chipped paintwork and windows all over the car :( why?

[looking_to_buy]

Today was the day I decided to clean off all the salt that had accumulated on the on my car, and I'm distraught - I have this all over my car - front windows, back windows, side windows, and pretty much every single painted panel on the car (and the one black alloy wheel I could be arsed to wash before I realised that I genuinely did have a big problem) :(

I'm completely gutted - these bits are the worst of it, but what could have caused it?

Could the wind have caused this? I went up to Fort William for the weekend on the Friday of the big snow blizzards a few weekends ago, and there were a few bits (Rannock Moor etc) where high sided vehicles had been blown off the road - if the wind was that strong would it have caused this damage?

There was even these chips above and underneath the rear spoiler!?! :( :( :( :(

(Incidently, I don't park anywhere industrial....)

What are my chances of insurance being willing to fix / repair all of this? - especially as I have no specifics on where or when it happened and I'm guessing it could be expensive :(

[soundwerks]

I have similar issues - despite having my front bumper and bonnet and grille painted less than 2 months ago it is covered in stone chips again. Really really frustrating

[silver1011]

Any heavy hail?

[mannyo]

Are you absolutely sure they are chips, given the locations you mention and the fact they are white, it could be paint splatter from freshly painted white lines. Stone chips on the rear are so rare, especially as some are under the spoiler.

Try going over a small area with bug and tar remover, or a good polish and see if it lifts off.

[ed209]

I would try some tar remover on it and see if it takes it off.

[looking_to_buy]

Definite chips :( you can feel them dipping in with your finger nails. Just been and double checked to make sure I'm not going mad!

Back left and rear are noticibly worse than elsewhere but it's around all sides of the car. I've never seen anything like it :(

[looking_to_buy]

The only place that doesn't look too bad is the roof (apart from natural ones)

Thinking of taking if the garage tomorrow but don't know why or what I expect them to say. Wish u could see them in real life as photos are difficult to bring out the damage on this sort of thing

I just can't understand how it happens. I really look after the car, hand wash and polish wherever possible (weather permitting basically) and splashed out on the life shine too :(

[looking_to_buy]

Especially as there are chunks missing from every window and panel around the car. Doesn't make sense :(

[Stormchaser]

If you haven,t any on the roof other than normal ones do you think any gritting lorries have done this somewhere you have been?

It is a strange one this but definately noticeable.

Hope you sort it ok.

[Pete T]

Gutted for you :'( Must say, I also immediately thought gritter damage, have you driven past many over the winter, or do you park on a gritter route?

[looking_to_buy]

Thanks for the sympathy guys. I park on a modern business park at work, and I live in the sticks a bit (car is parked by side of house under car porch) so tend to work from home if the gritters are out. Think I've seen one on the motorways all winter! The only doubt I have is around what could have happened on the way or actually at Fort William. We were gonna climb Ben Nevis but 80mph gusts put us off!!

Do you think insurance is an option? What would I say :-/

Edited 7 April, 2013 by looking_to_buy

[Pete T]

Well you seem to be able to rule out the gritter theory there. From your pics it looks like a gravel rash as if small stones or the like have hit it with some considerable force. If you'd have been driving when that damage occurred I'd be very surprised if the noise would not have made it obvious.

I guess it's also possible that the car has some sort of defective 'soft' paintwork? EDIT: Scrub that paintwork theory, it wouldn't explain the marked glass.

Edited 7 April, 2013 by Pete T

[zacherynuk]

it takes lot to chip paintwork, let alone glass. the rear damage is weird.

my theory - 410 birdshot. you upset anybody recently?

[Vectensian]

I noticed that you said you park on a business park. The strange part about this, is that the glass is damaged as well. The only thing I have ever come across like this, is damage caused by showers of white hot sparks, such as someone using cutting equipment or an angle grinder in close proximity. That will damage the glass.

Can you think of anything that could have been going on close by your car when it's been parked in the business park?

[looking_to_buy]

That was my immediate thought. Like some nearby grinding or something causing chips to hit the car. I thought maybe this would be possible as a one off (down one side of the car) but the sheer fact it is everywhere seems to rule out an accidental one off, and I can think of nothing regular that would occur either. I've worked in the building for a good 5 years or so and had a mk2 before this (pre-facelift) from new and never seen anything like it in my 16 years of claim free motoring.

Even at my house, the side of the car with the main damage is protected by human intervention of accidental shrapnel

The business park is very much a suit and tie environment so can't be anything there :( (and I can see my car from the window)

[Sarge]

Some of the grit that goes down up here (I stay near Fort William) is pretty big stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if your chips are from being struck by it blowing around/ thrown up by other vehicles in the strong winds. It's been so dry up here for weeks now that the grit isn't getting washed off the roads and there's lots of it building up. My vRS is pretty plastered with chips which are from the rocks they put on the A82 and A86 to keep the ice at bay.

Sarge.

[Guest]

I recently had to do a course in Poole. On the way back to Glasgow I came across at least 10 gritters on the motorway, that is not including the ones I managed to avoid. I also had a wee jaunt up over Skye and Inverness.

Last weekend I was able to do a deep clean on the Scout (1 x AG SRP and 2 x Bilt Hamber Finis Wax). It was only then I was able to see the extent of the damage that had been inflicted on the car. I have chips on the windscreen running into double figures. As for the chips on the front of the car, I nearly cried. At least two are going to require a SmartRepair.

It's not just the gritters you have to be aware of. I don't know if they are using a differnt type of grit, or whether they are combining it with different things, but it definitely appears to me that the grit 'clumps' so that it is not just a little bit that hits you, but a large mass.

Yours in empathy,

Fin

[looking_to_buy]

Cheers guys - although i've not really seen a gritter this winter, the grit suggestions does really make the most sense for the type of damage we're talking (being flicked up from other cars etc)

I genuinely expected there to be a much heavier impact on the front of the car for that though.... not the sides and the rear

I've been out and checked the wing mirrors this morning and they're the only bit of the car that seem untouched

Going to try and nip to a bodyshop later today to see if they can make sense of it!

Baffled

Edited 8 April, 2013 by looking_to_buy

[Grizzle]

were do you stop though?? you could be forever painting the car.

Just enjoy driving it.

[rwbaldwin]

I've seen a 'mystery' like this before. In that case the owner eventually tracked the problem down to a flat roof about 100m away from where she parked at work. The wind was picking up the tiny chippings and firing them at her car.

[looking_to_buy]

were do you stop though??

conversely, where do I start? at what point is the damage enough to warranty a repair? Ordinarily an odd dent or scratch I wouldn't bother with (drove my last 'from new' car around for 3 years with a dent in the front bumper that occurred on a station car park 2 weeks after I bought it), but whatever this is will seriously impact resale... I know what you mean that "it could just happen again" though but the pics shown are all around the car and over all the windows... it's hard to enjoy the drive when you know you're driving something that's been battered :(

I've seen a 'mystery' like this before. In that case the owner eventually tracked the problem down to a flat roof about 100m away from where she parked at work. The wind was picking up the tiny chippings and firing them at her car.

that's an interesting thought, and something I will definitely keep an eye on! Edited 8 April, 2013 by looking_to_buy

[ruffday]

Modern water based paint tends to chip really easy compared to the quality paints of some years ago.

[looking_to_buy]

Modern water based paint tends to chip really easy compared to the quality paints of some years ago.

is that the same for windows?

took it a few places tonight - general consensus was the same from all of them in that it is unnatural and to a degree where it impacts value due to how obvious it is - also, as it's clearly noticable on the windows all around, it rules out any paint defects... a few suggestions were given to the causes that are equally as viable as some of those above, but I still can't put a time and date to where it specifically would have occurred

had fully comp car insurance for 15 years and never made a claim... looks like tomorrow i may have to put a dent in that (protected) record :( oh well - will keep the thread updated

[zei20t]

really sorry to see your car in that condition.

however on a slightly different topic, that colour is AWESOME!!

[Dr Zoidberg]

If its that bad all over I know I'd want it sorting. Good luck