DavidZhu

So i plan on driving my C63 from San Francisco to LA in the next month or so and every one has been telling me that my car wil be filled with rock chips and since i have a black car i am going to be able to see every little rock chip. The body shop guy said they can spend and day and mask my car with tape so its protected while i drive but doing the tape thing twice and all the gas this LA trip is going to cost me over 400 bucks.

So my question is what kind of cover do they use whey they say paint tape? do they just get a roll of tape and tape everything or do they put like paper or some sort of different cover and just tape the edges.

and for anyone else that had to drive on the 5 freeway what did you guys do to protect your car?

esses

i've done the SF-LA drive several times while living in SF, and didn't notice any differences to any other long trip. The only real protection is to clear wrap your front end (polyurethane). that's a one-time process and costs appx 1K, depending on the film and coverage. any other tape won't make a meaningful difference.

SheryarYO

I've seen people use blue painters tape.

ddcha

+1 on the blue painter's tape. It looks ugly, but protects the paint well. at the end of my trip, a lot of the tape loosened up along the edges and my c63 looked like it had a blue beard. I wish I took pics.

Diabolis

Not sure if I am missing something - but why not get a 3M ClearBra? It's about $600 here in Canada, but it's permanent and does wonders for your paint.

chrisridebike8

Has anyone tried 3M paint defender spray? It looks like a clear plastidip. Seems pretty easy to use in the demo videos. That could be a cheap alternative and will give you some protection.

D.T.SFK

I just drove SF-LA-SF last month with my c63 without any paint protection, and I didn't notice any rock chips. I just make sure I don't drive too close to other car's rear ends.

ghiaguy

I agree with this; it's about being mindful to avoid following raised pickups and semis. I wouldn't consider an expensive nose wrap for this trip exclusively unless you are already on the fence about getting it done. Things happen though, I drive my Ghia pretty rarely and managed a rock in the windshield on my last outing..
Good luck

JM

LOL just clear bra it if you're scared of some chips.

Zeee_Q

You're probably gonna get some chips and yes they will show up more noticeably on a black car. A clear bra over the front of the car will help protect it from the rock chips but over long term, the paint will look different. The paint will fade at different rates and you will have a noticeable line where the clear bra stops unless you clear bra your whole car.

When I drove my BMW down from SF, I didn't notice any additional rock chips on the paint. Modern paint is pretty durable for the most part.

Don't follow other cars closely even if it means driving slower, AVOID driving behind big rigs and lifted trucks with tires that come out past the wheel well if at all possible.

Putting blue or any type of painters tape over the front bumper also works but it looks really ugly and attracts unwanted attention if you plan on going faster than the flow of traffic so cops spot you easier.

Honestly, just drive the car down, it will be fine. The car is going to get some wear and tear no matter what if you are using it. Just handwash the car using proper washing techniques, wax it regularly, and clean it after it rains, the car will look like new for a long time.

DavidZhu

so i was at target today and bought some masking tape and clear matte wrap. i plan on covering the hood, front bumper and the mirrors with it for the drive down to LA and taking it off and getting it washed/waxed right when i get home.

moosejaw

you dont need blues painters tape
go to uhaul and buy the movers wrap for $20
Wrap the front of your car, hood, mirrors and begining of the roof.
peels off in seconds...

Lasted me on a recent trip from Buffalo - Miami.

CoolBDPhenom03

Honestly, I get more rock chips driving around the Bay Area than and trips to SoCal. I've made the LA/SD trip at least 4 times in my car. In fact, I drove from Phoenix to SF the day I picked it up, no major chips. Just CHPs