Driving the freeway w/ my Si is killing the front of my car.

[ep pilot]

Well I live about 22 miles ea. way to work, taking the surface streets is not an option. What I have noticed in some six months of ownership, my Si has small rock chips all over the front bumper cover, the lower edge of the hood, the air conditioning condensor has warpped fins from rocks, stones and debris. And the rest of my car looks beautiful. I think the sharp rake in the hood design promotes rocks and pitting? I absolutely can't stand the way our car looks with a bra also. I think garbage trucks, gravel haulers and heavyduty equippment should be limited to one lane on the highways.

-Ryan

[IceD out N CALI]

i feel your pain brotha. i've had my ep for a while now and the chips on the front bumper are adding up:(

[StrangeShadow]

found one chip last time I washed her, had me doing my
wild ape $#@% dance around the car waving the water hose and swearing in four diff languages.:mad:

[RiceCzechs]

Some guys on One Lap covered the front end of their car in this clear adhesive-backed material (dried clear) that was designed to be sort of an invisible bra. Worked like charm, but I don't know how easy it was to take off. Those guys spent a good amount of time putting that sheeting on, getting the corners just right, getting out all of the air bubbles, etc. By the time they were done, you couldn't really tell it was on the car at all!

[SHAKEnBAKE]

Well, talking bout freeway debris, I think I got the winner here:
I was driving on I-10 westbound from Alhambra to Santa Monica, just before passing the Staples Center, a pick up truck in front of me dropped some kind of plastic panel, about the size of our mudguard. Being in quite heavy traffic, I couldn't swerve so I just cringe and brace for impact. It fucked up my right side marker, scratch the hell outta my bumper.
And guess what? That's not the last of it, later on that night, my Aircon did cool, I took it to the dealer. I don't know how, but the debris somehow broke into pieces, and some of it hit the condensor and made a hole in it. It cost me $600 bucks, and the fuckin' condensor was backordered(wassup with OEM Honda spare part for our cars?) I had to drive a whole month w/o AC, and here in SoCal, you really need it. This happened 3 months ago.
There's my 2 cents, thank for reading!:)

[chunky]

i've got 35,700 miles on my EP.

front has about 5 rock chips on it. I stopped counting on the bumper. but the front bumper is cheap urethane for a reason. . . .

anyhow, a little touch up paint skillfully applied and you're golden.

[StrangeShadow]

I was on the freeway heading home on an extremly windy night, when a tumbleweed the size of my ep appears on the road infront of me...the thing hits the front bumper...rolls across the hood and over the top of the car...I exited the freeway pulled over at the closes gas station to find that my hood looked like a s&m took a rake to it.
doesnt look like the scratches passed the clear coat plus most of them are gone after about 3 washes, hopefully some buffing will take the rest away.:D

[Acidburn]

Mine still looks sexy, thanks to the touch up paint from Honda!

[Type X]

www.google.com

search for INVISI GARD

or check ebay

they sell headlight protection
BUT they also have bumper sheets

we wrapped my friends S8 in it ;)

[HokieSi]

I've had my ep for 4 months and i've got lots of little rock chips. I'm not really worried anymore because this car will be my daily driver. So, i'm prepared (mentally) for the rock chips and door dings.

I'm saving up for a USED NSX :p

or

A fully built CRX race car

[EViLsneakyDUCK]

I've had my EP for 3-4 months and no chips or anything yet. All there is on my front bumper is dead bugs :) And I have already driven on multiple high ways such as I-95, I-4, 408, etc...

[tsa1]

i've had mine since august(8 months) and i've been lucky to not get any rock chips. Now bugs that another story my car is like a magnet for those things.

[I-4Si]

I used to drive 90 miles each way to work on my commute on I-4 between Tampa and Orlando. I've a few chips on mine. The thing I really hated was trucks full of sand in them. It was hell on the front of the car as well as the windshield. My fogs on my old EX coupe were completely hazed from being sandblasted on that drive. There was always sand inside the engine compartment. It was impossible to keep it cleaned. Not making the commute any longer because of a move, but I miss all that fun time in the Si. Jobless now, so I don't drive much anymore.

[Loudpedal]

You dudes need to install this 3M film to the fronts of your cars. It protects the leading edges of your hood and fenders (no bumper kits avail for the Si(R) yet). Won't yellow and you can hardly see it (much better than a bra--or a chiped front end).

Check it out below, just look for the kit for the 2003 Honda Civic SiR

http://www.chipguard.com/

[natesi]

I have the 3M "clear bra" covering my:
1--front bumper
2--about half the hood
3--front part of the fender (each side)
4--front of mirrors
5--headlights (coming soon--paid for them but the guy says they sent him the wrong headlight kit).
6--door edges
7--top part of rear bumper.

I've had the car 8 months and the only rock chip I have is just above the top of the wind shield.

Total cost for all the above: $640, with installation (a must)
Total cost for virtually no rock chips and piece of mind: Priceless.

There are some things money can't buy.... For everything else, there's my Visa.

he he...

[StrangeShadow]

...I think my mom has a visa...

[racin4te]

dang I thought I was the only person with the rock chip problem,
no matter what kind of wax or scratch remover I use it still looks the same and I got my car in october and the frony end looks like i'v had it for at least a year

[Marcivi]

I've made about 3 trips through the Washington Cascades over the winter on I-90 and I have quite a few rock chips in the hood. I don't plan on doing anything about since I see a carbon fiber hood in my future. Fenders are fine still. Bumper will be after market some time down the road too. As for the wind shield....I have a surface chip in it, low on the passenger side. Don't think it will spread. As for bugs, just spray it down with Pam (test to make sure it don't mess up the finish first) and hose off the bugs after your trip. Shouldn't stick if you got the non-stick coating from the dealer though which I know some of us got. (the little bastards still stick though) Hope that helps.

-Jack

P.S. If you spray Pam on your car and it messes it up, don't blame me. I didn't hold a gun to your head and make you put it on your car. :angel:

[TravisEP3]

Originally posted by EViLsneakyDUCK
I've had my EP for 3-4 months and no chips or anything yet. All there is on my front bumper is dead bugs :) And I have already driven on multiple high ways such as I-95, I-4, 408, etc...

I hate hate hate I-4.

[02SiBlk]

I have dodged so much crap on the freeway that I've decided to do suspension upgrades before speed mods. I was trapped by traffic on the sides and a grandpa in front and couldn't see what was coming. My EP3 shredded a mattress doing about 60MPH. After checking it over and pulling all of the threads and foam from various spots under the car, I found no damage at all. There wasn't one scratch. The funny thing is that I braced for the impact, but didn't feel a thing.

[SiR Medic]

I was finally able to clean my car the other day after a long winter.

I could not BELIEVE the amount of chips and pits in the paint!:mad:

I drive 100km to work and 100km back about 3x a week. Those trips are done between 100-140km/hour (sometimes faster;))

As much as I love the car I really would have liked it if honda used a more durable paint.

Oh well, time to buy some touch up paint.:'(

[bioevolve]

Just get a second bumper and hood, use the old one for regular driving and the newer set for showing off.:D

[StrangeShadow]

I was trapped by traffic on the sides and a grandpa in front and couldn't see what was coming. My EP3 shredded a mattress doing about 60MPH. After checking it over and pulling all of the threads and foam from various spots under the car, I found no damage at all. There wasn't one scratch. The funny thing is that I braced for the impact, but didn't feel a thing.
lol:D grampa threw matress at you!!!:p

[02SiBlk]

At least Honda sells touch-up paint. If anyone knows how much it is, let me know.

As for getting a second bumper, I wish I had that kind of money sitting around. Driving stock is killing me. It should only be for another month. :)

[sonic imperial]

A couple months ago I went to Honda for a bottle of touch-up paint and the parts manager just gave me a bottle for free. Since then I've touched up a number of chips, but at least you can't tell there was ever a chip (just take your time and apply it right). I drive the freeway to work also and always get a chip or two every couple of months, the windshield chips irritate me the most. But it's a daily driver so I can't expect it to be perfect. Sometimes how you follow people and finding ways to avoid big trucks helps, although it's not always possible.

[cmk05]

Not that I condone this sort of behavior, but I've found that tailgaters can be warded off if you dip either your right or left tires into the shoulder and kick up some debris into their paint.

...just an FYI

[SiR Medic]

Originally posted by cmk05
Not that I condone this sort of behavior, but I've found that tailgaters can be warded off if you dip either your right or left tires into the shoulder and kick up some debris into their paint.

...just an FYI


:eek:

That sure sounds safe!:rolleyes:

[02SiBlk]

Yeah, and they wouldn't be the only ones getting hit. Yours and the car behind the offending party could get damaged.

[natesi]

Okay, don't take this too seriously, but I've always thought it would be kinda cool to throw a hand full of pennies out the sunroof when you're being tailgated on the freeway. That would be the ultimate!!!

= )



Muahahaaaaa!!!!!!

Muahahahahahaaaaa!!!!!!



Muahahahahahaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!

[ep pilot]

Man just got home from work today, it had rained pretty good over the last couple of days, I see what looks like a bug splattered all over the bonnet:o and go to clean it off......

Wrong!:mad: It's a 1/2 sized piece of gravel that has hit my car, broken up and scrathched the paint, after I had cleaned the surface, It looks worse. I know this is my daily driver, I know I have to drive the freeway, but I am just that anal. I guess I will just have the hood, fenders and front bumper cover painted all over again in three years. I just can't believe it. My car is still new, and looks about five years old allready. I refuse to use touch-up paint, as the color is never a match and it looks often worse than the scratch IMO.

-Ryan

[02SiBlk]

The only really good protection is a bra, but I don't like them.

[minimay7]

When I got my WRX in 2001, I used to commute from Torrance to Burbank CA everyday. It was like 70 miles commute coming and going combined. I had to go through the freeway named 110. And for some strange reason, there were so many trucks transfering dirt and rocks. My WRX was full of little scars in the front. It'n not like that now... I live in North Hollywood area. Road condition isn't that good. But, I have no problem with road debries with my EP.