Car Paint Chipping and Damage: What To Do

Paint chipping and flaking becomes more common as vehicles age. Whether it’s the painted body of the vehicle, wheel coating, or the paint on the inside of the car, the paint will degrade over time. Even a very small chip or crack can expand over time if not addressed. So what can you do about this? 

Car paint damage is fixable and somewhat preventable. In this article, we’ll be talking about why paint chipping happens, what you can do to prevent it, and how to fix it. But first, you may be wondering: Does car paint chipping really matter that much?

Is Car Paint Chipping Bad?

Is paint chipping really that big of a deal? Paint chipping on a new car is bad, and many manufacturers include limited warranties against defects (but not environmental or external damage). 

Paint chipping, flaking or peeling on an older vehicle? It's bound to happen, especially if you don't do preventive maintenance (more on that below). 

Do you need to immediately fix paint chips on a car? 

It's smart to fix paint damage, whether on the body of the car or wheels, especially if you plan to keep the car for a long time. Paint chips can start small, but can expose bare metal that will corrode and rust over time. When paint chips expose bare metal, water and road chemicals may cause corrosion, which causes structural damage to your vehicle. It is much cheaper to repaint a car than it is to replace part of the vehicle. 

If you live in a high corrosion risk area, it's even more important to fix paint chips on your vehicle and wheels. High corrosion risk areas are snowy areas where road salt is used to make roads safer. Salt is highly corrosive. Likewise, coastal regions near oceans tend to be high corrosion risk areas, because of the salt in the air. 

How Does Car Paint Work?

Car and wheel paint do more than give your vehicle an interesting color. Paint protects metals and alloys. Most automotive paint processes include several layers: 

• Primer: Applied to the metal body of the vehicle to help “prime” the surface for a layer of paint, primer can also protect against rust and debris.

• Top coat: This material coat gives a car a metallic, matte, or pearlescent finish. The top coat also applies to the finish on vehicle wheels. 
• Clear coat/protective finish: This is the outermost, transparent layer that helps protect the paint from the elements, especially against scratching and UV rays. 

Vinyl wraps are another option — thin, adhesive-backed films that cover the vehicle’s paint. They can change the look without permanent paintwork, and some even add an extra layer of protection.

Neither painting nor vinyl wrapping is easy to DIY, so having your car painted or wrapped at a body shop is the most common solution. Having the whole car painted tends to cost much more than patching or painting a specific area. 

What Causes Vehicle Paint to Chip?

There are a lot of causes for paint chipping. Some are obvious, others less so:

• Rocks and debris impacting your vehicle
• Ice, snow and scraping tools
• Hail damage
• Road salt
• Tree branches and sticks
• Paint adhesion problems

Most chipping starts when something weakens or cracks the paint, esponsit bare metal to the elements. Over time, water, moisture, and dirt work their way under the surrounding paint. The paint will start to chip or flake away around that initial weak point, which could get worse when you wash the car, as washing can loosen surrounding paint. If you park outside or live in an area with freezing temperatures, the water will expand and contract as it heats and cools, which can speed up this process. 

Because of this, paint chipping is best addressed early on when you first notice a little damage. It’s much easier to patch or buff out a small scratch than repaint the entire hood of a vehicle. 

Can You Prevent Paint Damage?

Yes, you can prevent damage to vehicle paint. Here are a few tips to avoid peeling or chipping paint: 

• Avoid parking outside in uncovered areas for long periods of time
• Fix small scratches, dents, and chips before they grow to larger issues
• Minimize drdiving off-road or on loose terrains, such as gravel
• Regular waxing, every 3 to 4 months, depending on where you live 
• Paint protection film (ask your body shop about PPF) 
• Mud flaps, which prevent road debris
• Vehicle covers for long-term storage 

Mud flaps are smart ways to protect wheels and vehicles from road damage, especially on SUVs and light trucks that go off road.

Although clear coatings and protective finishes can make vehicles resistant to damage, they won’t prevent it entirely. Some wear and tear to your car’s paint is likely to happen over time. The best way to prevent it from becoming a larger issue is to have it repaired or patched early on. 

What About Car Wheel Paint?

Chipped wheel paint is harder to repair than body paint. Car wheels are very close to the road and will often bear the brunt of ice, rocks, road debris, and corrosive brake dust. Much like damage to the paint of your vehicle’s body, damage to your wheel finish can lead to corrosion and degradation of the underlying metal structure. 

Car wheel paint can be repaired, which involves sanding down the damaged area and applying multiple coats of primer and paint. But matching factory rim finishes can be tricky. If there’s damage to the paint of a wheel, it’s not as bad as damage to the body of your vehicle, as replacing a wheel is much less expensive than vehicle body work.

READ MORE >> What to do about damaged rims

If the wheel itself is cracked, bent or deeply damaged, we recommend replacing it rather than risk a failure while driving. Tire Agent can help you find the right rims and wheels in the correct size for your vehicle. Our wheel matching tool shows you the wheels that are guaranteed to match the size and trim package of your vehicle (as long as you provide the correct specs). We also provide fast, free shipping within the continental U.S., so you can get back on the road in no time!

Images

ID 8630819 | Maksim Toome | Dreamstime.com

ID 32724637 | Mike Clegg | Dreamstime.com

ID 350976498 | Car Mud Flaps | Dina Gayfullina | Dreamstime.com