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Model specific boards => Golf mk5 => Topic started by: hotrod on 29 March 2008, 20:34

Title: Stone chips on lower door edges... help please!
Post by: hotrod on 29 March 2008, 20:34
Hi guys,

Just washed my Candy White ED30 and noticed a couple of stone chips (looks like) on the lower edges of both the driver & passengers doors. They’re both down to the grey primer, about 3mm in length. Around 2ft from the front wheel arches, about a third of the way along the very bottom of the door (3-door). What is a little strange is that they’re roughly in the same position on both doors (give or take an inch or so).

There are no visible marks on any of the other front, side or rear valances/sills... they’re mint!

The car’s only 3-weeks old and I am very precious with it at the moment, so careful opening of doors, no food, no scraping feet over the sills, watching where you park, etc. You know what I mean.

Could you please do me a favour? Would you check your cars and let me know if anyone has paint chipped off the lower doors... I guess GTI’s, ED30’s and R32’s would have the same bodykit set-up.

Had the 4-Mo for years and never experienced this... although it did have mudflaps. Maybe the ED30 needs spats/mudflaps/clear vinyl (I’d prefer not to as it spoils the lines)?

Curious, yet bloody annoying!

Your thoughts please.

Thanks... Hotrod

 :sad:
Title: Re: Stone chips on lower door edges... help please!
Post by: MikeGTI on 29 March 2008, 20:40
Gutted for you mate, though it seems a bit too much of a coincidence that there in identical places on each side...
Title: Re: Stone chips on lower door edges... help please!
Post by: mr magoo on 29 March 2008, 20:41
Bit dark out there now Steve but I'll check tomorrow.

Agree on mudflaps - practical but spoils the lines - a bit like woolly knickers  :rolleyes: - can you get them colour-coded though?
Title: Re: Stone chips on lower door edges... help please!
Post by: 182_blue on 29 March 2008, 20:47
not noticed it on mine, you got a touch up ?, got myself one the other day, less than a fiver from VW
Title: Re: Stone chips on lower door edges... help please!
Post by: Phil mcavity on 29 March 2008, 20:57
yes, get a touch up pen, got one free when i received my new GTi, the laquer pen is spot on.Although spotted my 1st dam door ding :sick: :sick:, what is it with people that just fling their doors open, and have no regard for other peoples possesions. if i  found out who done it, id piss on them and their family :angry:
Title: Re: Stone chips on lower door edges... help please!
Post by: hotrod on 29 March 2008, 21:00
Thanks for the prompt replies guys,

Thankfully they’re not that visible, rough to the touch though.
I guess with some careful touch-up, they should be fine. I will order the paint stick on Monday.

I just wondered whether anyone else has suffered, as 2 chips is not great in 3-weeks... what will it be like in 6-years??

Cheers buddies... Hotrod
Title: Re: Stone chips on lower door edges... help please!
Post by: 182_blue on 29 March 2008, 21:04
Thanks for the prompt replies guys,

Thankfully they’re not that visible, rough to the touch though.
I guess with some careful touch-up, they should be fine. I will order the paint stick on Monday.

I just wondered whether anyone else has suffered, as 2 chips is not great in 3-weeks... what will it be like in 6-years??

Cheers buddies... Hotrod

perhaps try paintshield or something similar, that will solve your problems but wont be cheap
Title: Re: Stone chips on lower door edges... help please!
Post by: MikeGTI on 29 March 2008, 21:04
Well my silver cars 2.5 years old and has just a couple of minor chips on the bonnet, nothing on the sides.

Might be worth getting the depth of paint measured to make sure its been applied thick enough.

Is there a possibility these marks were there prior to you collecting the car? Perhaps they occured in transit.
Title: Re: Stone chips on lower door edges... help please!
Post by: hotrod on 29 March 2008, 21:06
yes, get a touch up pen, got one free when i received my new GTi, the laquer pen is spot on.Although spotted my 1st dam door ding :sick: :sick:, what is it with people that just fling their doors open, and have no regard for other peoples possesions. if i  found out who done it, id piss on them and their family :angry:

Sorry to hear that Phil...

...there are some right old Numpties out there... park in the furthest part of the empty car park and when you return a Sh!t heap is parked right on top of you... car park still empty.! It must be some kind of herding instinct!!!

We must remain vigilant... Hotrod
Title: Re: Stone chips on lower door edges... help please!
Post by: hotrod on 29 March 2008, 21:11

Is there a possibility these marks were there prior to you collecting the car? Perhaps they occured in transit.

Hi Mike... we spent a couple of hours going over the car on collection and I’m 99.99% positive they weren’t there.
Title: Re: Stone chips on lower door edges... help please!
Post by: JonnyG on 29 March 2008, 21:11
Mine are fine, and I've not had any chips in that area in over two years of GTI ownership.

Are your chips right on the bottom edge ?    If so, do you think they could have been caused by the dealer opening the doors when the car was on some sort of inspection ramp, and they just caught the bottom edges on something sharp?.   It just seems too much of a coincidence that they are in similar postions on both sides  :undecided:
Title: Re: Stone chips on lower door edges... help please!
Post by: hotrod on 29 March 2008, 21:25
Hi JonnyG... very good point.

At handover we inspected the car in the showroom for 2hrs, it was pouring down outside, and found a very small swirl mark in the paintwork. It was immediately taken up to the VAG bodyshop for a buff. The salesman waited while it was done (15 mins) and then returned with it.

I didn’t inspect the whole car again, we just inspected the affected area... it was perfect. It’s possible that the marks were done in the bodyshop... it’s very difficult to be sure. As you know picking up a new motor can be quite exciting/stressful! The weather was also dreadful – strong winds and lashing rain.

I thought I’d check with my forum buddies first before chatting to the dealership.

Good advice... thanks
Title: Re: Stone chips on lower door edges... help please!
Post by: hotrod on 29 March 2008, 21:28

Are your chips right on the bottom edge ?  

Yes they are.
Title: Re: Stone chips on lower door edges... help please!
Post by: TagnuT on 29 March 2008, 21:30
None here. My car just seems to collect tar spots along the sides and on the rear bumper and tail gate.

Get the dealer to check if the car has "soft" paint. Years ago I had a brand new Polo and it collected a rash of pint chips on the bonnet.

VW came out and inpected it, found that the paint was soft. They did this by pushing a HB pencil into the paint  :shocked: :shocked:

(if the pencil point didn't mark the paint it was ok)

They did respray it under the warrenty.
Title: Re: Stone chips on lower door edges... help please!
Post by: hotrod on 29 March 2008, 21:38
None here. My car just seems to collect tar spots along the sides and on the rear bumper and tail gate.

Get the dealer to check if the car has "soft" paint. Years ago I had a brand new Polo and it collected a rash of pint chips on the bonnet.

VW came out and inpected it, found that the paint was soft. They did this by pushing a HB pencil into the paint  :shocked: :shocked:

(if the pencil point didn't mark the paint it was ok)

They did respray it under the warrenty.


Cheers TagnuT... I’m making a list for Monday!
Title: Re: Stone chips on lower door edges... help please!
Post by: 182_blue on 29 March 2008, 21:39
soft paint  can chip less than hard paint tbh, it may be thin paint, or you could just be fussy and nobody else notices like you do
Title: Re: Stone chips on lower door edges... help please!
Post by: hotrod on 29 March 2008, 22:45
They say a problem shared... and all that...

...I’ve been thinking hard over the last hour about these marks, and have been quizzing my wife about when we inspected the car at the dealer handover. We both gave the car a critical look, but couldn’t be 100% certain that the marks weren’t already there.

I then had a brainwave. We both took our hi-res cameras to capture the magic on the day... and lo-and-behold... the marks are on the images (very subtle). So the damage was dealer inflicted!!!

Now I am a perfectionist, so I will need to get them looked at. However I am very relieved that it’s not a dodgy paintwork issue... just a Sloppy Joe in the service bay not taking care.

I’ll get the dealer to sort it out asap, they’ve been terrific so far!

Thanks so much guys... mystery solved... Hotrod :smiley:
Title: Re: Stone chips on lower door edges... help please!
Post by: TeddyKGB on 30 March 2008, 02:02
Although spotted my 1st dam door ding :sick: :sick:, what is it with people that just fling their doors open, and have no regard for other peoples possesions. if i  found out who done it, id piss on them and their family :angry:

Don't get me started on this :angry: :angry: :angry:

*boils piss*
Title: Re: Stone chips on lower door edges... help please!
Post by: RedRobin on 11 April 2008, 15:27
....I saw Mark at the bodyshop this morning - He mentioned you were coming in - Hopefully the dealer is being cooperative! Tell me if you have any problems with them!! :smiley:
Title: Re: Stone chips on lower door edges... help please!
Post by: hotrod on 12 April 2008, 19:07
....I saw Mark at the bodyshop this morning - He mentioned you were coming in - Hopefully the dealer is being cooperative! Tell me if you have any problems with them!! :smiley:

Hi Robin,

Mark sorted out the marks for me... not perfect but certainly liveable (only I know they’re there)... nice, helpful guy!
Also had a funny squeak under the engine, so Dan popped it on the lift and we had a look underneath... just a pipe pulling very slightly on a metal shield, a quick adjustment... job done.

Wife had her MR2 in at the Toyota dealership next door and they also did a sterling job at a very reasonable price. Good job Loders!

Take care... Hotrod