ALL cars get chipped glass and chipped (archive)

I've owned over 12 brand new cars, of almost every brand. Every one of them got paint chips and every one of them got little sand sized pits in the windshield.

Until recently, I also owned a 15 year old second car. Funny thing is, the chips and pits were less noticeable on it than my BMW. That's because there were enough of them that I was no longer concerned about them, so didn't really notice any more. But every single new one on my BMW is very obvious.

Do you still have access to your old car, or an equivalent car that is used and "perfect"? Go look at it objectively. Drive towards the sun. That perfect glass probably has 10,000 little sand and rock pits if the car has 50,000 miles on it. But you get used to them and they are no longer a concern when it's a used car.

Yes, there are some differences in how easy paint will chip. Some of it is due to the amount of exposed surface area and its angle to the road. Some of it is due to the paint. My E46 seems to be at least average in its chip resistance.

Glass chips are pretty much dependent on the angle of the glass and the aerodynamics of the front end. The glass itself is all pretty similar.

Another difference: a few people might be driving their BMW more aggresively than whatever they had before. If you follow closer, you will be subject to more road debris.

I've actually had people tell me their cars have no chips at, say, 20,000 miles. But when I examine it myself, they are all over the place. Some owners just become blind to them, I guess. As a sidenote, I've also listened to owners of some American cars tell about how their car has never been in the shop and has never had a problem. But then if I end up riding in it, I can pick up 10 defects within 1/2 mile. (Engine dies, brakes pull, howling noise from drivetrain, gas guage inoperative, etc.)

Now, if your hood is truly covered with paint chips after only a couple of months, something is either wrong with how or where you are driving, or there is a paint problem with your specific car. After that amount of time, you should have only a few chips, unless you are driving on graveled roads (common in the winter in some places). If you follow semi trucks, all bets are off.

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