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Old 04-26-2019, 12:35 PM   #1
user15
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Default 2015+ WRX/STI rock chip prone areas

Aside from the front end what are the high rock chip prone spots on the cars. I'm going to be doing paint protection film on those areas as I'm tired of getting dings.
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Old 04-26-2019, 03:40 PM   #2
WRXnick16
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The front bumper, hood & A pillars were the worst spots on my '16 WRX. When I purchased my '19 STI, I took it straight to have PPF applied. The most popular package is the "full frontal" which typically includes the front bumper, hood, headlights, fenders, A pillars, 10-12" of the front of the roof, side rocker panels & mirrors.

Unfortunately, the PPF couldn't stop a rock from hitting my windshield and cracking it on the 3rd day of owning the car.
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Old 05-16-2019, 09:36 AM   #3
maxthegrear105
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MIRRORS, my mirrors are constantly getting rock chips and or bugs stuck to them and Subaru has some pretty thin paint so I would for sure protect them
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Old 05-16-2019, 09:47 AM   #4
Mahend21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WRXnick16 View Post
The front bumper, hood & A pillars were the worst spots on my '16 WRX. When I purchased my '19 STI, I took it straight to have PPF applied. The most popular package is the "full frontal" which typically includes the front bumper, hood, headlights, fenders, A pillars, 10-12" of the front of the roof, side rocker panels & mirrors.

Unfortunately, the PPF couldn't stop a rock from hitting my windshield and cracking it on the 3rd day of owning the car.
+1
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Old 05-27-2019, 03:25 AM   #5
aashour
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the entire car... rock chips everywhere after 10k miles. very thin and soft paint
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Old 05-28-2019, 08:46 AM   #6
DieselDorf
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Majority of mine (75%) are on the front hood.

I have quite a few on the roof just above the windshield, some on the a pillars and some on the fenders just behind the front wheel.

I will get the occasional one on the leading edge of the rear and front doors and the sill just behind the rear doors but those are really small and less common.
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Old 05-28-2019, 05:42 PM   #7
TurboWagon-Chris
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I guess I never really understood the PPF. Doesn’t it just get all messed up from the rocks and look like crap anyway? So you save the paint, but do you ever peel off the ppf to enjoy the paint? Does it make the sun fade the paint differently so you see a line when you remove it?
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Old 05-28-2019, 05:48 PM   #8
anarekist
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good quality ppf is clear and does nothing to hinder the paint's appearance. they are somewhat self healing too.
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Old 05-28-2019, 06:46 PM   #9
TurboWagon-Chris
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Quote:
Originally Posted by anarekist View Post
good quality ppf is clear and does nothing to hinder the paint's appearance. they are somewhat self healing too.
Self Healing?! Like the T-1000?

Last edited by TurboWagon-Chris; 05-28-2019 at 06:50 PM. Reason: Correcting terminator reference
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Old 05-28-2019, 07:38 PM   #10
oichan
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The self-healing is heat activated... so a little different from the Terminator.

I run cleabra on all my cars. Even though they are self-healing it is a wear item so usually on my daily driver I replace it every 3 years. I do my own clearbra install so it's really cheap. Like $175 for the front bumper and 4-5 hours of my time.

One of the benefits of clearbra besides preventing rock chips is not having to have to worry about bug guts eating through your paint after a drive on a warm summer day.
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Old 06-01-2019, 11:20 PM   #11
zxyphyr
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I don't know if its normal to get PPF on doors, but aside from the front bumper, it seems like door dings happen more often than not
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Old 06-10-2019, 03:33 PM   #12
cali916sti
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I would do the whole front end and definitely include the mirrors somehow rocks get to those quite easily
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Old 07-13-2019, 10:01 PM   #13
lsWRX
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16k 18' WRX miles and I cant believe the amount of rock chips on the hood, roof, and fenders. My 07 3 series with 240k on it had less chips in it then this car lol. What were some of you paying to have the clear film installed on the entire front end?
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Old 07-17-2019, 08:06 AM   #14
CtStig
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Don't make the mistake I made and do the front half of the hood. Of course a rock found the portion just behind where the film ended. The 3M film is self healing and comes with a warranty that covers the unlikely event of a rock penetrating the film and causing damage. Shop around, as I got huge variations in price between installers. It turned out that the local installer who's regarded as top for quality of installs and experience was the cheapest for me, just under 2k for entire hood, fenders, A pillars, front of roof, front and back doors and front of rear quarter panels. I did the front bumper and rocker panels myself.
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Old 09-07-2019, 07:10 PM   #15
SlooBaru
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I just found several rock chips on my front bumper and hood. Only 5k miles. I should of applied PPF when I got the car, but was too anxious to get the modding done first.

I got touch up paint hoping to "fix" the issue for now.
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Old 09-29-2019, 01:19 PM   #16
jwass
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+1 for side mirrors. The full hood is a good idea too if you're willing to spend the extra $$$
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Old 10-05-2019, 09:03 PM   #17
connv1
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I had a 2014 and 2017, and on both, the front end was always the worst. I don't recall ever having chips anywhere else, actually, however I did go through 4 windshields on the 14.
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