What Are the Causes of Paint Chips?

All vehicles suffer paint chips at some point, even though coating technology significantly prevents car paint damage. Hence, this guide provides information on the causes of paint chips and preventive measures.

Why Do Paints Chip?

Vehicle paints are more susceptible to chipping, particularly when struck by debris or rocks. Generally, vehicle paint exhibits good impact resistance and flexibility when in good shape. However, factors such as wear, age, and damage harden paint. Hardened paint detaches from the vehicle’s body panel and each other causing the paint to chip easily. It would help if you cared for your vehicle’s paint by preventing it from debris impacts to avoid chips.

Common Causes of Paint Chips

Below are common causes of vehicle paint chips:

Impacts

Vehicle paints sustain devastating impacts from substances such as road debris and gravel. These objects often affect your car’s paint as they are kicked up or dropped by vehicles moving at highway speeds. However, here are some steps to prevent paint chips caused by impacts:

• Slow down on roads with gravel to prevent kicking it up
• Maintain a safe distance from trucks moving gravel, precisely 200. ft or more. 
• Always keep your vehicle under a cover, be it a garage or car cover.

Accident

Collision often leaves behind severe damage even after repair. Whenever a vehicle’s metal panel bend, it causes the deterioration of its anti-corrosion layer. Hence, surface rust penetrates the underlying corrosion properties creating bubbles that separate the panel from the paint. Therefore, the paint chips and peel away easily. 

Poor Paint Application

“Crow’s feet” is similar to crazing. Crazing, however, occurs at random on the vehicle panel. It is a defect common in older cars with lacquer paint but occurs in modern paint due to a flawed painting process. The errors may occur while cleaning, painting, or curing the vehicle’s paint job.

Temperature Changes

The typical temperature range throughout the year is about 0-90ºF, with 15-20º as the daily average day-to-night temperature difference. The vehicle panel expands and contracts as the temperature varies, pulling and pushing the paint. Although there isn’t much remedy to prevent the aging that this process causes, not painting the vehicle correctly can worsen the damage.

Spectrum Collision is Irvine’s one-stop auto body shop for reliable collision repair. Our professionals offer reliable full auto body services. Visit our collision center in Irvine, CA, and let out expert technicians handle your vehicle’s new paint job. Experience the lifetime guarantee we offer over all our repair services. We look forward to getting your car in the proper working condition!