If you’re wondering why your (even new) car has a rough-looking paint job on the lower half, not to worry, it’s that way on purpose.

If you’ve ever taken a good look at your car’s paint, you may have noticed, to your dismay, what looks like a shoddy-looking paint job on the lower half of your vehicle’s doors and all along the entire side.

Seriously, check out your own car’s paint, near the very bottom of a door, it looks like this.

If you’re familiar with the term, it looks a lot like orange peel, a paint finish that looks dimpled or wavy, like the surface of an orange’s skin.

Here are several examples I’ve come across online.

Anybody else have texturing like this on the bottom of the doors?
byu/Interesting-Matter10 inNissanTitan

I even found it on our 2008 Toyota Corolla.

To most people, it looks like the OEM car factory did a bad paint job; this rough-looking paint somehow slipped past quality control.

I’ve got good news, it’s on purpose, functional, and you probably want to keep it that way.

It’s called Gravel Guard, Chip Guard, Body Schutz, and Rocker Guard

The answer to what it is comes courtesy of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists, who put out a quick yet thorough explanation of what that rough-looking paint is.

Check it out here.

The rough-looking paint is a protective coating put on at the factory, under the paint, to protect your rocker panel and valances against gravel, stones, and other hazards kicked up by your vehicle in everyday driving, from around town to on the highway.

As mentioned, in the industry, this protective coating goes by several names, including,

• Gravel Guard
• Chip Guard
• Body Schutz
• and Rocker Guard

Whatever it’s called, it all does the same job, protecting vulnerable automotive surfaces from anything kicked up.

Part of the paint system, the chip guard is sprayed to bare or primered metal. When rocks, gravel, and road debris hit the lower panels, the chip guard layer flexes and absorbs the impact. This prevents the outer paint and clear coat from cracking, chipping, or flaking.

And the rough or “orange peel” texture isn’t just cosmetic, it deflects small impacts and helps prevent direct hits on the paint.

Think of it like putting a soft rubber phone case under a hard plastic shell; the rubber doesn’t show, but it cushions impacts and helps keep the outer shell from cracking.

As mentioned by the SCRS folk, it’s not applied to just regular smegular vehicles; even high-end, six-figure Porsches have it, too.

Check out the chip guard on this 2017 Acura NSX. These aren’t cheap; they started at $156,000.

Now that you know about it, you won’t be able to not see it on vehicles in the wild.