How can I prevent stone chips on my new car?!

If you are buying a new "new" car, is there anything you can do from the start to protect the paintwork, especially the bonnet area where it seems to get hit with stones and gravel, etc, which cause marks, sometimes indents and eventually give rise to rust spots? It's happened with every car I've had.

Thanks,

Philip

Philip Donegan (Ballina)

Nov 2016 Filed under: paintwork

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Expert answer

Hi Philip,

There are some paint treatments and protective sprays that claim to be able to defend against stone chips etc, but to be honest most of them are snake oil at best. Really, there’s nothing you can do except take good care of your car and make sure you touch up and respray chips and scratches as they occur. 

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Advisor
@neilmbriscoe