I bought a 2015 M3 about two months ago. I have been having some major issues with rocks getting thrown off the tires and chipping the entire side of the car from the front wheel well lip, rocker panel, door edge, and rear quarter panel flare. The back tires are damaging the lip of the rear bumper wheel well. The damage is so bad that it is pitting the plastic on the rocker and rear bumper. The car only has 1,200 miles on it. At this rate the paint will be completely gone in several thousand miles.
The damage is clearly from the Michelin Pilot SS tires throwing gravel and sand against the car. Parked in my driveway the tires are covered with embedded gravel and sand. BMW does not offer mud flaps for the M3 and I really do not want to put them on anyway. The gravel has also eaten through the plastic paint protection on the rear quarter panel flare. No one else on the M3 forums seems to be encountering this and no one has any input.
I just sold my GT500 and it barely had a scratch on it. The GY tires on the Shelby had the same problem with kicking up rocks but never damaged the paint. My MDX which is also driven in the same conditions does not have a scratch on it.
Should I swap the tires out to something else? What performance tire would you go with that does not throw rocks like this? Also, any advice on what else I could do to protect the car? Any type of protective film is going to get trashed quickly.
The BMW dealer agreed that it is a problem and said that they are going to have a BMW rep look at it. I am pretty sure BMW will not do anything though and blame me. Even if they were to repaint the same problem would happen again.
Front rocker lip is the worst
Rear bumper lip
Rear fender flare above protective film
Door edge
The damage is clearly from the Michelin Pilot SS tires throwing gravel and sand against the car. Parked in my driveway the tires are covered with embedded gravel and sand. BMW does not offer mud flaps for the M3 and I really do not want to put them on anyway. The gravel has also eaten through the plastic paint protection on the rear quarter panel flare. No one else on the M3 forums seems to be encountering this and no one has any input.
I just sold my GT500 and it barely had a scratch on it. The GY tires on the Shelby had the same problem with kicking up rocks but never damaged the paint. My MDX which is also driven in the same conditions does not have a scratch on it.
Should I swap the tires out to something else? What performance tire would you go with that does not throw rocks like this? Also, any advice on what else I could do to protect the car? Any type of protective film is going to get trashed quickly.
The BMW dealer agreed that it is a problem and said that they are going to have a BMW rep look at it. I am pretty sure BMW will not do anything though and blame me. Even if they were to repaint the same problem would happen again.
Front rocker lip is the worst
Rear bumper lip
Rear fender flare above protective film
Door edge
