Mysterious Paint Damage

[SpicyDuckSushiHut]

I was hoping somebody could help me out. I noticed today that I have all these little specs/scratches all around my Mustang. They can be felt and it appears as if the paint is completely gone in some areas. They did not get any better when washing the car.

I wash the car maybe every 2 weeks with a touchless car wash and the P&S Bead Maker as a drying agent. I always make sure my microfiber towels are washed and free of debris so I hope it's not from that

Has anyone else experienced something similar and have any idea of what this is or how they are caused? Thanks!

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[2fordsal]

If that is on the lower panels of the car those are tiny rock chips, in my opinion.

 

[SH!FT]

Damn that sucks.

Doesn't look like the wash did it. The scratches look slightly horizontal which makes me think you were driving into what caused the scratches. Did you get stuck behind a dusty tractor trailer or construction vehicle?? I wouldn't expect to see much on the trunk or back bumper if this is the case.

I've seen landscapers cause similar damage to parked cars with weed eaters and mowers.

 

[SpicyDuckSushiHut]

Damn that sucks.

Doesn't look like the wash did it. The scratches look slightly horizontal which make me think you were driving into what caused scratches. Did you get stuck behind a dusty tractor trailer or construction vehicle?? I wouldn't expect to see much on the trunk or back bumper if this is the case.


I've seen landscapers cause similar damage to parked cars with weed eaters and mowers.

I have gotten stuck behind those type of vehicles occasionally, I am just shocked that it would cause that much damage. On the alternative, there are landscapers at my complex that leafblow the carports when cars are parked in them. Wondering if this happened to me :(

Any idea how to fix this?

 

[SpicyDuckSushiHut]

If that is on the lower panels of the car those are tiny rock chips, in my opinion.

It's on the front lower intakes and low along both doors

 

[MAGS1]

I have gotten stuck behind those type of vehicles occasionally, I am just shocked that it would cause that much damage. On the alternative, there are landscapers at my complex that leafblow the carports when cars are parked in them. Wondering if this happened to me :(

Any idea how to fix this?

Wouldn’t be surprised if it’s from the landscapers blowing stuff around unfortunately. You can try polishing them out but if they’re deep enough that you can feel them, you might just have to either live with it or get it repainted. Sucks to see that, if it’s the landscapers, just another case of people not giving a $hit about other peoples things.

 

[SH!FT]

I have gotten stuck behind those type of vehicles occasionally, I am just shocked that it would cause that much damage. On the alternative, there are landscapers at my complex that leafblow the carports when cars are parked in them. Wondering if this happened to me :(

Any idea how to fix this?

I'd bring it to a pro and see what they'd recommend/charge before attempting any DIY.

Yeah fine gravel falling from a dump bed is nasty stuff. The wind/road noise with the convertible down probably masked the sound of it pinging off of your paint.

 

[dbtgt]

It's on the front lower intakes and low along both doors

This is why a lot of people install PPF on their cars. Looks like road rash to me.
Ford's paint is really thin and won't take much abuse at speed in traffic IMO.

 

[Oakley]

my car came wiht 6mil of paint all over it. if yours has never been cut and buffed you could have that done. these cars have a lot of orange peel from the factory because the clearcoat is so thick imo.

learn to be more cognizant of debris and vehicles likely to chunk it or stop caring so much and enjoy the car.

 

[SpicyDuckSushiHut]

I'd bring it to a pro and see what they'd recommend/charge before attempting any DIY.

Yeah fine gravel falling from a dump bed is nasty stuff. The wind/road noise with the convertible down probably masked the sound of it pinging off of your paint.

Haven't drove with the convertible not down in probably 5 months. Perks of AZ "Winters".

 

[SpicyDuckSushiHut]

my car came wiht 6mil of paint all over it. if yours has never been cut and buffed you could have that done. these cars have a lot of orange peel from the factory because the clearcoat is so thick imo.

learn to be more cognizant of debris and vehicles likely to chunk it or stop caring so much and enjoy the car.

Good to know, I haven't had it cut or buffed yet!

 

[SH!FT]

Wouldn’t be surprised if it’s from the landscapers blowing stuff around unfortunately. You can try polishing them out but if they’re deep enough that you can feel them, you might just have to either live with it or get it repainted. Sucks to see that, if it’s the landscapers, just another case of people not giving a $hit about other peoples things.

I'm super cognizant of where and how I park mainly because I did "landscaping" for part of a summer as a teen. I definitely damaged some property and felt bad.

I'm sure this was an extreme case. These guys closed up shop shortly after I quit:
The boss/owner was an a$$hole that took on way more than he was equipped for. Waiting for cars to move wasn't an option. I got left behind for lunch once on my first week because I didn't make it back to the truck in time.

A complex we did had a gravel path that was lined with bay windows. Instead of laying weed prevention, we were told to maintain the path with the weed eaters. Anyone wanna guess how my last day on the job ended?

 

[kluke15]

looks like rock chips to me from road debris. same issues on my car. paint on these is stupid thin.

 

[DFB5.0]

Zooming in on the pics, sadly they appear to be rock chips.

I would probably rule out the leaf blower theory, most blowers are not that powerful to lift several pieces of rock at once and then fire them into your paint. A line trimmer on the other hand can do this with ease (ask me how I know this).

Diagnosing these issues over the internet can be hard, so I would be trying a couple of things to rule in or out my rock chips.

If you can catch your fingernail in these spots, then it's very likely to be rock chips.

If the spots feel raised, sitting on top of the paint, then it could be paint overspray or similar. (Had this happen last week, likely line marking paint).

I would first start by treating a small area with a clay bar, if you are lucky, this will lift the spots from the paint.

If that doesn't work, then try a small area with a polish. This of course won't remove rock chips, but it can refine the surrounding areas to disguise some of the visible damage.

Otherwise, the spots can be touched up using a syringe, toothpick or artists brush............very time consuming though. Having the areas repainted will be ultimate fix though.

 

[cerbomark]

That s excessive if it s rock chips (which it looks like), I would try and pick one or two off with your nail because it looks like dried concrete. Maybe you got splashed following a truck dripping something. Looks like you got a million miles on her.

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