20 replies to this topic

[Husky44]

Ever wonder where all the rocks go that you hear pinging off your wheel wells?  I found them.  It appears that they collect somehow inside the rocker panel.


This is what I cleaned out of the back of one side.  That's from 2900 miles.  Alaska roads aren't the best, but they're not THAT bad.  And no, I never drove it on a gravel road.  

THIS is why I change my own oil, detail my own cars, etc.  You never know what you'll discover when you're crawling around underneath it.

Edited by Husky44, 08 December 2012 - 11:58 PM.

[Norton]

Husky44, on 08 December 2012 - 11:53 PM, said:

Ever wonder where all the rocks go that you hear pinging off your wheel wells?  I found them.  It appears that they collect somehow inside the rocker panel.
This is what I cleaned out of the back of one side.  That's from 2900 miles.  Alaska roads aren't the best, but they're not THAT bad.  And no, I never drove it on a gravel road.

WOW!

Husky44, on 08 December 2012 - 11:53 PM, said:

THIS is why I change my own oil, detail my own cars, etc.  You never know what you'll discover when you're crawling around underneath it.

+1!

[Snoopy49]

Husky44, on 08 December 2012 - 11:53 PM, said:

THIS is why I change my own oil, detail my own cars, etc.  You never know what you'll discover when you're crawling around underneath it.

No one cares more about your car than you do.

[bergenfelter]

That is why I installed the Jaeger Bros. front flaps on mine - those G2's are slightly wider than the stock front flaps - the Jaeger Bros. look perfectly stock.

[jskup1]

It's even worse in the rear diffuser.

[Husky44]

Found a bunch today wedged between the exhaust tips.

[2scmustangs]

when I put on my roush rocker panel splitters I FOUND THE SAME THING about two hand full of gravel . thats with 1800 miles on her and it was all from the back of the rocker panel near the back wheels  i never had it on a gravel road

[svt13]

The solution is to change the tires to something other than the goodyears. They are no good.

[ingram4868]

This could be an opportunity for someone to come up with a product that would keep out the junk.  If the rocks get in there so does the winter road salts.  Considering the millions of Mustangs out there this could be a big seller.

[jskup1]

svt13, on 10 December 2012 - 09:16 AM, said:

The solution is to change the tires to something other than the goodyears. They are no good.

My V6 with Pirelli's did the same thing.

[san6279]

Probably a stupid question, but...best way to remove the rocks?

[2010KonaBlueGT]

Husky44, on 08 December 2012 - 11:53 PM, said:

Ever wonder where all the rocks go that you hear pinging off your wheel wells?  I found them.  It appears that they collect somehow inside the rocker panel.

Yep, I found the same thing on my 2010 when I decided to go after the alignment of the rear stone guard/flaps. Not to the same extent you had but I'm pretty carefull about driving my car on a road that hadn't been swept (after it snows they put "sand" down then sweep it back up to reuse it).

It's pretty simple to get them out but first you have to realize they are in there!


Phill

[RickW]

Husky44, on 08 December 2012 - 11:53 PM, said:

Ever wonder where all the rocks go that you hear pinging off your wheel wells?  I found them.  It appears that they collect somehow inside the rocker panel.


This is what I cleaned out of the back of one side.  That's from 2900 miles.  Alaska roads aren't the best, but they're not THAT bad.  And no, I never drove it on a gravel road.  

THIS is why I change my own oil, detail my own cars, etc.  You never know what you'll discover when you're crawling around underneath it.

This is a big wake-up call.  Also, there is a similar thread on SVTP, on which a poster whose screen-name is "Snorman" posted pictures of his pock-marked rocker panels on his car -- which has only 1,300 miles.  It was bad, really bad, and I would be furious if this happened to my $60,000+ car.

I ordered the stone guards from Shelby.  I'm seriously considering the fullest clear paint protection I can get, too (Xpel, or something like that).  Would probably be a good investment, considering the cost of the car and where I live (New Mexico).

I wish I would have had something like that when I first moved here 11 years ago.  I was driving my Cobra on I-25 from Santa Fe to Albuquerque, and realized I was driving into a fairly strong headwind.  It wasn't fierce like a dust storm or a sand storm (which are pretty common around here, and which I would have had the good sense not to drive my car in), but it was just windy enough to blow unseen sand into the air and into my path.  I've got the results to prove it: You can't tell unless you're looking really close, but shining a Surefire flashlight onto the front of the car and the windshield reveals about 50 million little tiny chips that the blowing sand took out of the paint on every surface on the front of the car -- and the windshield.  Evidently, those unseen airborne sand and dust particles can and will wreak havoc on our cars' finishes -- at least here in the Desert Southwest.

Rick

[san6279]

Rick, Xpel Ultimate clear bra highly recommended.

[Farmer-Ted]

san6279, on 11 December 2012 - 03:40 PM, said:

Probably a stupid question, but...best way to remove the rocks?

Garden hose.  I flush out those areas every time I was the car.  Some will get stuck but scraping them out of every crevice can do more damage than good.

Edited by Farmer-Ted, 13 December 2012 - 02:43 PM.

[san6279]

Farmer-Ted, thanks for the info. Will use water only...

[Husky44]

RickW, on 12 December 2012 - 09:27 PM, said:

This is a big wake-up call.  Also, there is a similar thread on SVTP, on which a poster whose screen-name is "Snorman" posted pictures of his pock-marked rocker panels on his car -- which has only 1,300 miles.  It was bad, really bad, and I would be furious if this happened to my $60,000+ car.

I ordered the stone guards from Shelby.  I'm seriously considering the fullest clear paint protection I can get, too (Xpel, or something like that).  Would probably be a good investment, considering the cost of the car and where I live (New Mexico).

I wish I would have had something like that when I first moved here 11 years ago.  I was driving my Cobra on I-25 from Santa Fe to Albuquerque, and realized I was driving into a fairly strong headwind.  It wasn't fierce like a dust storm or a sand storm (which are pretty common around here, and which I would have had the good sense not to drive my car in), but it was just windy enough to blow unseen sand into the air and into my path.  I've got the results to prove it: You can't tell unless you're looking really close, but shining a Surefire flashlight onto the front of the car and the windshield reveals about 50 million little tiny chips that the blowing sand took out of the paint on every surface on the front of the car -- and the windshield.  Evidently, those unseen airborne sand and dust particles can and will wreak havoc on our cars' finishes -- at least here in the Desert Southwest.

Rick

FWIW, I saw Snorman's pcs.  My car has no damage at all like that in 2900 miles of AK roads. So all of that gravel you see from my car got there without any damage to my paint. Not sure what damaged his car, but I would hazard a guess that we're dealing with two different issues...

[JT93]

san6279, on 11 December 2012 - 03:40 PM, said:

Probably a stupid question, but...best way to remove the rocks?

Depending on where they are I use either a garden hose as stated above or compressed air.

[RickW]

san6279, on 13 December 2012 - 12:40 PM, said:

Rick, Xpel Ultimate clear bra highly recommended.

Thanks.  From their Web site, the only installer here in Albuquerque is a Mercedes Benz dealer.  Might be expensive, but I assume they would do good work.  I'll give them a call as my delivery date gets closer.

[RickW]

Husky44, on 13 December 2012 - 06:52 PM, said:

FWIW, I saw Snorman's pcs.  My car has no damage at all like that in 2900 miles of AK roads. So all of that gravel you see from my car got there without any damage to my paint. Not sure what damaged his car, but I would hazard a guess that we're dealing with two different issues...

Yeah, I thought it kinda strange, too.  If it's like that on the rocker panels, one wonders what the rest of the car looks like on close inspection.  And one wonders what caused it.

I still would like to get some added protection for the paint, though, considering the cost of the car.

I tend to digress, but at my job in my company vehicle (currently, a 2010 Dodge Caravan), I do a lot of highway driving here in New Mexico, about 36,000 miles a year.  I tend to go through at least one windshield a year.  I don't tailgate the gravel trucks; I don't tailgate anyone, but the flying rocks do seem to find me.  Case in point: I was driving to the airport in Durango, Colorado, to pick up a director of sales for an important meeting.  In the passenger seat, I had the vice president of my company.  It's a two-lane road to the airport.  I wasn't doing anything wrong, just driving normal, when an 18-wheel gravel truck in the oncoming lane threw up a golf-ball size rock into my windshield as we passed.  BAM!  Scared the hell out both of us!  

The point is, well, I don't know what the hell the point is. . . .  Okay, windshields are replaceable.  Factory paint jobs?  Not so much, but it might be a good investment to do what one can to protect them.  The fact that stuff happens that is completely out of our control -- and what can we do to prevent it?  That's a question, to quote Dear Leader, that is "Above my pay grade."