Gravel found up under brand new 2019 GT - how?

[GTP]

I picked up my new 2019 GT the same day that the car was delivered. It had 3 miles on the odo. They didn't wash it or unwrap anything, per my request.

Strange thing is that I noticed gravel on top of the splitter and sitting inside the lower grille honeycomb. Once I got it home and started doing the simple/easy mods, I noticed more gravel coming out from underneath. This photo shows what I got by banging up against the rear valence with my hand.



The salesman said they were seeing that on other new cars, and that they store them in a gravel lot. (I tend to not believe car salesmen.) However, I have seen that lot with my own eyes, and it is paved. Even if the car was driven over to gravel lot for transporter loading, the car shouldn't pick up gravel underneath. It doesn't just jump 8" up off the ground.

WTH?

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[Adf020]

I have had my car for some time now, it's an 18. I have removed the belly pan on numerous occasions and some small rocks and gravel fall out. It isn't impossible for it to have happened. Maybe it want due to the driving of your car, but maybe another car kicked up some gravel into your car. Maybe look for rock chips on the front and see.

 

[IceAge]

Don’t feel to bad check out how bad the Tesla collects debris.

 

[Sivi70980]

After 1k miles and then mods and oil change after break in, I had lots of bugs and other debris falling from my belly pan as well

 

[PJR202]

When my 16 was new, the Perelli's picked up rocks like fly paper. It was ridiculous. I even ended up with one stuck between my rear rotor and shroud. I thought a wheel bearing had puked.

 

[GTP]

Thanks for the quick participation.
But guys, my point is how did all the gravel get there after only 3 miles??

 

[Sivi70980]

Thanks for the quick participation.
But guys, my point is how did all the gravel get there after only 3 miles??

A true mystery that I'm now also curious to find an answer to. I got nothing, sorry.

 

[StangTime]

Maybe it happened on the transport carrier to the dealer? If the car was down low on the carrier and the truck drove over some fresh patch work, then it's likely the trucks wheels or draft picked up some and tossed it onto the car. That would be my theory.

 

[Jay-rod427]

Gravel lot sticking to new sticky tires, and then the tires don't have to spin very fast at all to sling up.

 

[Adf020]

I agree with StangTime, like I was saying. It was likely not from your car being operated, but another car shot some gravel into your car.

 

[PJR202]

Thanks for the quick participation.
But guys, my point is how did all the gravel get there after only 3 miles??

Like..pretty much, literally, every small rock I ran over was picked up and redistributed by my tires. That could be flung up, down, hitting the ground and bouncing back up into the undercarriage components, etc. Depending on where it was stored and driven (and I believe they're driven out of the factory and parked. I think.), three miles could have included a lot of rocks. It was shocking, but they did settle down after six months or so.

 

[Cobra Jet]

You haven’t shaken the back bumper yet have you?

The aerodynamics of the vehicle and design of the rear bumper cover + rear valance picks up TONS of road debris, pebbles, stones and dirt more than a Cateplillar front loader can scoop in a single swing...

Go ahead, give that rear bumper cover some good shaking, see what falls out, you’ll be amazed... especially if the vehicle is daily driven... get under the rear valance and bounce it up and down a few times, or bang on it, then post the pics.... LOL.

 

[Vegas5OH]

I sold cars for ford, these cars dont come off the truck spotlessly clean at the dealer. They get loaded off and on trains at rail yards prob on gravel, on and off trucks, often get damaged in transport before they even show up at the dealer. If you just have a little gravel in there and no damage consider yourself lucky. Most of the time the damage is repaired and dirt and grime cleaned before they hit the lot.

 

[Tseg]

Does doing donuts in the rail yard add a lot of miles on the odometer? I don't think so.

 

[Mustangpursuit]

I have lots of pebbles collected in the belly pan dips in front of the wheels, I can see them by looking down from top of the engine bay.

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