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Originally Posted by dj1
I took possession of my 59M 2001 S in July. I was surprised at the time how few touch up spots there were, especially on the lower front hood and bumper. Now after 3000 mi, and meticulous care, it looks like i've driven it another 60M mi. There are chips and dings galore. I'm pretty sure the hood was not repainted before I bought it, maybe the bumper was. How did the first owner do it? Please don't tell me it was a bib...I can't bear to hide this car.
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I'd bet that either the previous owner never drove the car on the highway or it had a bra. If you're not interested in changing your driving habits, you've got a couple of choices.
I've noticed that the factory paint jobs on these cars is pretty delicate, unfortunately. Sad, really, on my car for example, my color was a $1000+ dollar option and it's very easy to chip/scratch. If you find someone who will do a quality repaint on the bumper, it will last longer than the factory job. Find someone that will do 5+ coats of clear instead of 1 or 2. It'll cost more ($500 for the bumper, $1500 for the bumper, hood and parts of the fenders for my local guy) but it's definitely worth it. A good shop can remove some of the factory orange peel for a truly beautiful finish and it will last longer.
If you're not interested in the traditional black bra, you might consider a clear bra instead. This is true protection from stone chips with minimal visual impact.