Rock Chips - Lower Rear Doors

[pnwlc250]

There have been a few threads about the purpose of the small section of factory applied PPF on the lower portion of the rear doors just ahead of the plastic molding on the rear wheel arches. Obviously the factory applied PPF is to prevent rock chips in this area as it is slightly flared and therefore potentially exposed to rocks and debris while driving. I removed these factory applied sections of PPF as I had the entire vehicle wrapped in XPEL Ultimate Fusion PPF (https://www.xpel.com/products/ultimate-fusion). I have been extremely pleased with the performance of this product in the first 10,000 miles of ownership.

Today after having the detail shop that installed the PPF perform their monthly hand wash of the vehicle, I was extremely surprised at the number of abrasions in this area of the rear door. There were also several nicks in the lower leading edges of the plastic trim surrounding the rear wheel arches. The PPF definitely is doing its job and protecting the paint, but I’m still very surprised at how many rock strikes are occurring in this area. I have a 2024 First Edition so it is equipped with rock sliders as opposed to traditional running boards, which probably provide less protection from debris being kicked up by the front tires.

Are others here noticing the same amount of “damage” in this area of your Land Cruisers? Is the factory applied PPF in this area protecting your paint relatively well? For those that don’t have the factory applied or aftermarket PPF in this area, are you experiencing paint chips? Just curious to know what others in the forum are seeing.

Thanks!

 

[SD_Driver]

Do you have mud flaps installed? Those will always help reduce this damage, as will typical running boards as you mentioned.

 

[pnwlc250]

Do you have mud flaps installed? Those will always help reduce this damage, as will typical running boards as you mentioned.

I have the OEM First Edition mud-flaps installed from the factory and am running BFG KO3s in the OEM size 265/70 R18 124S RWL on the 18” OEM wheels. I would hate to see what the doors would look like without the mud-flaps or with a wheel-tire combination with poke. Curious to see what others are experiencing.

 

[gxsandiego]

What kind of roads are you driving on? There is a lot of protection without the mud flaps. I do not have mud flaps on my gx and no PPF other than the front tic and i do a fair amount of off-roading in sandy and rocky terrain and I cannot find any chips on my paint. Can you post a picture?

 

[pnwlc250]

I’m driving on a combination of interstate highways, state highways, paved county roads, with some occasional gravel and broken pavement roads. I haven’t had much opportunity to take it off road as I got the vehicle before the winter season. Pictures are attached.

 

[Nuke]

What kind of roads are you driving on? There is a lot of protection without the mud flaps. I do not have mud flaps on my gx and no PPF other than the front tic and i do a fair amount of off-roading in sandy and rocky terrain and I cannot find any chips on my paint. Can you post a picture?

Possibly a function of speed. Commuted to work at "warp speed" on (somewhat)graded desert roads in VW beetles, and the rocks literally destroyed the rear of the fenders, and shock absorber hangers. Later, used a '90 LC, and definitely suffered a lot of paint chips.

 

[pnwlc250]

I’m wondering how this portion of the car would look with XPEL Armor PPF, which is essentially a 23mil film equivalent of a spray-on bed liner?

https://www.xpel.com/products/armor

While I’m not too concerned about it in the grand scheme of the universe, after several years there could be quite a bit of damage so I’d like to avoid it wherever possible.

 

[gxsandiego]

I’m riding on 285/75R17’s. I only have two small chips on the mid section of the back doors and as I mentioned no mud flaps. I also had the ceramic coating applied when I bought the truck. I wonder if that makes a difference

 

[Hiker42]

Here's big benefit of the factory running boards: they do a great job of deflecting debris. I drove a 16 mile gravel road a few weeks ago. I winced every time I heard a loud ping of a flying rock hitting the car. I eventually pulled over to inspect the damage and found not a single paint chip!