I'm looking at Aero package X's vs. non-Aero and a factor may be that these larger side skirts prevent the rock chips on the rear doors that seem to be occurring.

Does anyone have 8-10K miles with the Aero package and experienced no no paint chips to the rear doors and side skirts? The mudflap look shouldn't really be necessary to prevent known chips for such an expensive car, so side skirts would look a little better than that and hopefully solve the problem. Thanks.

 

I installed 3M Clear protection kit on the sides around 2k miles or so. I have aero package on the car as well. I will say the aero kit keeps most of the debris from flying onto the side of the car. However, I didn't purchase the car w/ package knowing it would help protect the sides as well. I got it because it looked better with it than w/o it. Oh, I have around 10k miles now on the car. no chips.

 

i have the SSS package and the side skirts keep alot of things off of the car

 

I personally don't have the aero kit because I don't like the way it looks, but I think it has pretty much been established that the aero kit is the best way to prevent paint chips.

Aero kit and clear bra are your best bet.

 

3k miles here, no problems

 

Lol...side skirts come with the aero kit not the SSS. You can get the SSS with the stock skirts.

I put on mudflaps and will be clear bra'ing the rear quarter panel in the problem areas just in case.

 

no chips or marks at all

 

You should try driving down here...its horrible.

 

trickytrick, how many miles do you have on your X with the Aero package? So you didn't add extra clear armour to the rear doors and you don't get any paint chipping at all? Thanks.

 

How are the roads by you? Are they covered in rocks? Different areas have different problems. I drove my car back from Florida to Illinois and noticed no potholes/rocks on the road until I got to southern Illinois. trickytrick lives in Chicago and the roads up there are a lot better than they are down here. A lot of problems are relative to where you live.

 

I'm in Northern California (East Bay) and plan to take the X on a lot of backroad driving, not offroad, but still I believe a lot of these roads (like Highway 46 near Red Bluff) will have a fair number of small rocks and debris. Normal city roads are probably okay. I was under the impression that the much larger and wider Aero side skirts were preventing the rear door/skirt paint chips that were showing up with just normal driving after merely hundreds of miles driven. I thought the paint chips were from the type of OEM paint used and due to the sticky front tires but I could be wrong.

 

6k, no chips with aero kit.

 

That is the main reason. The paint is not thick enough to withstand the rocks being thrown back from the tires. The thing is, you also have to watch for rocks flying at you from the front. Nothing other than a bra could protect you from that.



If you look at that pic, you can see how the side of the tire barely sticks out from the side of the car with the aero kit. However, at the point where the top of the side skirt meets the fender, there is about half an inch of space where the tire can still throw rocks back. When turning this brings up even more room for rocks to be thrown back. I decided to buy mud flaps as an extra precaution, and will still be putting a clear bra in the rear when I take it out of storage.

 

mitsubishi should have just gave us a good paint job to start off with in the first place..mines getting repainted a darker black next month...

 

aftershock141, are you planning on putting clear bra on the bottom of the rear doors and the side of the side skirts as well? Before you put on your mudflaps, did you notice any paint damage to the rear door/side skirt area? Looks like the Aero side skirts pretty much cover the front tire area. If people don't clear bra the front hood, then chips should be showing up there as well from the weak paint?