rock chips on side of car???

[codewarrior73]

Hi there. I'm a newbie posting here. I'd just like to ask if anyone has an idea what could cause dot-sized chips on the left side of a car... this is my first car, 2005 Volvo S40... so I don't know if it is just my car that has these... I've had it for two summers but this summer I notice a lot of small dots more on the left side of the vehicle. Is this normal?

[Supa Dexta]

Either your own wheels kicking it up, wind kicking it up in a parking lot you park in mostly, or a car doing doughnuts spraying you with rocks.

[codewarrior73]

You mean rocks? Perhaps my own wheels if they're a bit far to the side? I do have brand new tires. The little dots are not so low, they are mostly above the trim of the door on the side. Follow up question, is it possible to have a body shop repaint just this area/side? Can these be fixed?

[JAYMEZ]

I have the same thing on one of my cars.. It happened when I changed my tires.. Its freaking annoying and is only one side!

[nobb]

Do you drive on gravel alot? My work truck which is driven heavily in the oilfield (at 80kph+ on gravel roads) has tons of tiny rock chips even high up on the body.

[codewarrior73]

and what about paint repair only one 1 panel/side.. is this possible?

reply to previous posters:

yeah, it is annoying... wow... bmw m3/porsche... you have very nice cars...

i like cars a lot but i can only afford what i have that's why i try to take care of it... :)

i don't drive in gravel much... but i think it may also be when the car beside me on the parking lot backs up or goes into his slot. that would explain why the chips are situated where they are. that theory is quite plausible.

[vtec4life]

could likely be other drivers on the road kicking up rocks....? dumptrucks are the worst you can hear the sand hitting your car aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh:(

[jaylo]

Here are some things to consider:

-Aftermarket wheels usually have a different offset compared to OEM wheels. I know for a fact that my aftermarket wheels sticks way further outward than my OEM wheels, thus I have lots of rock chips below the door

-My small theory that the alignment could be off

-OEM or wider mudflaps really help a lot

-Usually, all the crap on the road is on the right curb, during winter, passenger side door will take a beating on those loose rocks/sands

-Construction sites all over the place that throws loose rocks and sands especially after a rainstorm

[infected]

I have rock chipc on my side windows as well... pretty sure it is from passed oncoming traffic.