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Painted bumper taking a beating

wacopolumbo

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Has anyone experienced their painted bumpers getting nicked up really bad? My truck has 15K miles on it and my bumper has lots of chips/nicks in the paint. When I compare to to my buddies trucks (F150/Silverado) with painted bumpers and similar driving habits/locations, mine is much worse for the wear.

I’m just wondering if anyone else has noticed this?
 

PurpleRT

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Yep plenty of guys have complained. Your best bet is PPF to protect it but most don’t want to spend the money and rather just deal with the chips. It is what it is.. paint’s thin and the front take of lot of the beating.


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PurpleRT

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Smart man. Me too wasn’t my first rodeo w/ painted front ends.


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Mountain Whiskey

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I ordered the sport package so I knew it would get chipped up if left alone. I mean, it is painted steel, not very forgiving. I had PPF put on it in the first couple of days. It is doing great.
 

Biga

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I got PPF on mine a week after I bought it, learned my lesson on my last truck with a painted steel bumper.
 

wacopolumbo

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Looks like I will have to have it repainted at some point and have the PPF applied right after. Thanks for the tip. I had never used or heard of PPF. It’s just crazy how bad it is on my Ram compared to my friends trucks with painted bumpers. I wish I had done it right away. I suppose I will touch up until I decide to repaint.
 

Dewey

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Mine is chipped up a bit but to be expected from a painted bumper. Seems like I get behind dump trucks a lot lately. Too much road construction going on.

I’m not too worried about it. It’s a truck not a Lamborghini.
 

skyhawk42

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Mine is beat up as well. I just find it odd that no other surface on the front of the truck even has a single chip on it.
 

Darksteel165

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Mine is beat up as well. I just find it odd that no other surface on the front of the truck even has a single chip on it.
Same here. Only the bumper is chipped.
The rest of the front pieces have 0 damage on it.

I have around 30 chips currently on my truck and I just hit 10k miles. All on road and I generally don't drive behind cars\trucks.
That's not counting the 25 or so I already used touchup paint on.

I had xpel on my Silverado and that was good for around 1-2 years then I actually had a chip that went through the plastic. They claim they have warranties but no one ever honors it and makes you buy a new piece, which costs as much as a paint job.

I believe the bumper was around $400 for the plastic, not counting labor to re-install it.
I got mine at the dealership, and I made them apply it 3 times before I accepted the job as they wouldn't get the coverage lined up properly, so with my Ram I said screw it and went without PPE as getting it painted every few years will likely be cheaper.
 

PurpleRT

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Probably has something to do with the difference in material.. I’m not a scientist but I would think steel being harder then both plastic and aluminum on top of thin factory paint.. nicks are gonna be way harder on the paint. Compared to the lighter more flexible plastic/aluminum probably deflects it better.

Either way anytime I purchase or trade vehicles I always factor in two things that I’m going to take off whatever price I’m willing to pay.. tint/ppf. Knowing both are gonna need to be done immediately. Just the way it is especially since i despise chrome so only painted front ends for me.

Truth is most don’t wanna spend the money to do PPF but want their painted front ends to last which is asking the impossible out of DD. PPF isn’t guaranteed to stop it all either but will help.

Warranties cover the material yellowing etc prematurely. Not hey a rock made it through please replace for free doesn’t work that way lol. Let it get bad enough and simple pay and replacement or make a decision to do without it.


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Mountain Whiskey

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Linex the whole truck and be done with it. Never worry about chips and scratches again.
 

Darksteel165

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Truth is most don’t wanna spend the money to do PPF but want their painted front ends to last which is asking the impossible out of DD. PPF isn’t guaranteed to stop it all either but will help.
I wanted my painted front end to last for longer then the first month I owned my truck, yes.
No chips on my hood or anyone else just the bumper itself.
 

PurpleRT

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We all want that lol but it’s a mass produced factory vehicle. That’s asking a lot lol. Some manufactures have better quality then others.


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wegasque

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I'm not a fan of chrome, but I will say this issue is the main reason I didn't get the painted bumpers even though I prefer the look. I'm planning on keeping this for at least a decade and I figured it would be a btter choice in the long run.
 

Biga

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Mine is beat up as well. I just find it odd that no other surface on the front of the truck even has a single chip on it.
Painted steel will chip much easier then the other painted plastic parts as the plastic is softer and can more easily absorb the impact of a rock hit at rock at 70MPH. The Hood is high enough and not verticle so I believe that is why it holds up better.
 
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Mr.Grid

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I liked the plastic front fascia on my 2011 Ram Sport. Still looked perfect after 11 years when I traded for this new 2022 with painted bumpers.
 

Dewey

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Painted steel will chip much easier then the other painted plastic parts as the plastic is softer and can more easily absorb the impact of a rock hit at rock at 70MPH. The Hood is high enough and not verticle so I believe that is why it holds up better.
Exactly
 

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