JL wrangler fender chip issues

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ReeceV87

New member
Anyone here experiment with painting your fenders with a more robust coating? I have the stock painted fenders and the rear especially are covered in chip marks from rocks. Which I get it it, it’s a Jeep that I actually use off-road. But still the chip marks don’t look great. I drive down a dirt road for 45 minutes to get to a hunting property and it is not kind to my fenders lol. I was considering painting them with a bed liner type material or buying a pair of the OEM plastic fenders. It looks like Eddie on the channel switched from painted fenders to the some type of plastic fender on his JL. Anyone have any suggestions?
 
The black fenders will get beat up too but at least, they don't look too bad even if they are. You can replace the clear vinyl from time to time but that's kind of a pain and not perfect. The best thing you can do is to make sure your tires are tucked under the fenders. It's not perfect but it helps a LOT. That or install some front mud flaps. Anything outside of that... there really isn't much you can do to help out or well anyway.
 
wayoflife said:
The black fenders will get beat up too but at least, they don't look too bad even if they are. You can replace the clear vinyl from time to time but that's kind of a pain and not perfect. The best thing you can do is to make sure your tires are tucked under the fenders. It's not perfect but it helps a LOT. That or install some front mud flaps. Anything outside of that... there really isn't much you can do to help out or well anyway.
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Also the hinges on the back doors will get beat up too. I know our brand new JLU fenders took some hits when I took a "short" cut between 395 and Susanville...haha.
 
jesse3638 said:
Also the hinges on the back doors will get beat up too. I know our brand new JLU fenders took some hits when I took a "short" cut between 395 and Susanville...haha.
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LOL - that is for damn sure! I always buy touch up paint just for that.
 
wayoflife said:
The black fenders will get beat up too but at least, they don't look too bad even if they are. You can replace the clear vinyl from time to time but that's kind of a pain and not perfect. The best thing you can do is to make sure your tires are tucked under the fenders. It's not perfect but it helps a LOT. That or install some front mud flaps. Anything outside of that... there really isn't much you can do to help out or well anyway.
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Yeah I have 37s on Nitto Trail grapplers and they stick out for sure. What wheel offset do you use to try and keep them more tucked? I’m probably going to go with the black plastic on that recommendation. Thanks for the advice
 
ReeceV87 said:
Yeah I have 37s on Nitto Trail grapplers and they stick out for sure. What wheel offset do you use to try and keep them more tucked? I’m probably going to go with the black plastic on that recommendation. Thanks for the advice
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The more back spacing you have, the better or at least, for preventing chips like this. 6.25" is factory and most aftermarket wheels come in at 3.5". If you can find something closer to 5", you should still have enough clearance to prevent rubbing. Another thing that helps is to have rocker guards that stick out past the body. Ever since we installed EVO Bomber rocker guards on our JL and JT, we found that helped a LOT too.
 
wayoflife said:
The more back spacing you have, the better or at least, for preventing chips like this. 6.25" is factory and most aftermarket wheels come in at 3.5". If you can find something closer to 5", you should still have enough clearance to prevent rubbing. Another thing that helps is to have rocker guards that stick out past the body. Ever since we installed EVO Bomber rocker guards on our JL and JT, we found that helped a lot too.
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Not sure what the backspacing of the factory beadlock capable wheels is, but even with the added fender flairs jeep added with them the KO2's stick out about an inch past them and sent plenty of rocks into the rear fender and hinges. I plan on installing some bomber rockers as well so hopefully that'll help some.
 
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jesse3638 said:
Also the hinges on the back doors will get beat up too. I know our brand new JLU fenders took some hits when I took a "short" cut between 395 and Susanville...haha.
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I have no such problem with my Wrangler JL, but the painted fenders have taken a few hits.
 
My new nemesis fenders have taken a lot of hits and little chips since installing them. When I get them fixed up, I'm going to get them clear wrapped. Not sure what brand, but some quality shit. That self-healing type should make a difference. You also get the occasional back seat occupant that drags their asses across them while caked with mud. :eek:
 
jesse3638 said:
Also the hinges on the back doors will get beat up too. I know our brand new JLU fenders took some hits when I took a "short" cut between 395 and Susanville...haha.
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I cut some 3M clear PPF and put it on the front of the rear hinges.... KInda silly but the JL is new and I'm pretty OCD about preventing unnecessary damage, if I can.

3M dimensions
4@ 1 3/4" X 3/4" for the top half
4@ 1 3/8" X 3/4" for the bottom
 
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