Do you have stone chips to the paint in front of the rear wheels?

[E53is]

p.s. this site and it's information along with all you guys helped a lot in explaining the situation to them

thanks to all and i am glad to be apart of this site as well

[chilliwilli]

Incredible...well, unless there's a fix implemented soon, my options have opened up again.

[Bora20]

Originally Posted by chilliwilli

Incredible...well, unless there's a fix implemented soon, my options have opened up again.

There is a fix...clear bra the area or don't drive it.

It will happen with ALL large wheeled vehicles where the tires stick out farther than the body. The is not a BMW problem, it is a physics problem.

If you can bend the laws of physics so that debris coming off the tires in a vertical forward motion can now come off in horizontal forward motion, you will have fixed the problem!

[chilliwilli]

Originally Posted by Bora20

There is a fix...clear bra the area or don't drive it.

It will happen with ALL large wheeled vehicles where the tires stick out farther than the body. The is not a BMW problem, it is a physics problem.

If you can bend the laws of physics so that debris coming off the tires in a vertical forward motion can now come off in horizontal forward motion, you will have fixed the problem!

"Or don't drive it" (?)...uuhhmmm, okay

If it's a physics problem then the buyer should not be responsible for the "fix". Engineers should've accounted for that during R&D! I have a couple vehicles with rather large wheels...the largest being 315/35/20 on my E53 4.6iS with 30mm spacers in the rear. Although they are not painted, there is zero damage to the rockers and fender flares.

[Bora20]

Originally Posted by chilliwilli

If it's a physics problem then the buyer should not be responsible for the "fix". Engineers should've accounted for that during R&D!

I am sure that they did and the Marketing team said..."if the wheels don't stick out past the body, it won't look aggressive, and people won't buy it".

Originally Posted by chilliwilli

I have a couple vehicles with rather large wheels...the largest being 315/35/20 on my E53 4.6iS with 30mm spacers in the rear.

The body is also lower in correlation to the centerline of the wheel. The lower the body, the less chance that the debris will have of coming into contact with it.

Originally Posted by chilliwilli

Although they are not painted, there is zero damage to the rockers and fender flares

Exactly, they are not painted. Sand will not show any damage to ABS plastic over the same amount of time. On paint though, the sand will eat it off.

I had the exactly same problem with my 2004 ML320 with the sport package and large painted lower fender flares. In one year of driving, the paint was all pitted and starting to wear through.

The only answer to this problem is to clear bra the area from the start. My 2000 E320 wagon even had this area covered from the factory as this was a know problem.

[chilliwilli]

Originally Posted by Bora20

The only answer to this problem is to clear bra the area from the start. My 2000 E320 wagon even had this area covered from the factory as this was a know problem.

Bingo...it should be on their dime. They can also design mud-flaps that looks nothing like their current design.

[chilliwilli]

Originally Posted by Bora20

...
The body is also lower in correlation to the centerline of the wheel. The lower the body, the less chance that the debris will have of coming into contact with it.

Not sure i understand what you're saying...the E70 M is lower than the E53 4.6iS. So then are you saying that the M should have less debris coming into contact with the body?

[998M]

Originally Posted by chilliwilli

Incredible...well, unless there's a fix implemented soon, my options have opened up again.

This is an incredible car/truck. Do not let this minor issue deter you from the experience. Buy it. Then have it trucked over to someone who can 3M the front, hood, fenders, rockers and rear fenders.

M

[LeMansX5]

Originally Posted by Bora20

There is a fix...clear bra the area or don't drive it.

Reading the entire thread, clear bra is only a fix for few months before its needs to be replaced again...And it has to be thicker than normal clear bra as the stones will go through the regular clear bra..

[Bora20]

Originally Posted by LeMansX5

Reading the entire thread, clear bra is only a fix for few months before its needs to be replaced again...And it has to be thicker than normal clear bra as the stones will go through the regular clear bra..

Yes, there is different grades of it available. The stuck on my old MB wagon was very thick, almost like the old Xpel headlight film thickness.