[Enilder]

I just went downstairs and I don't have this problem at all. But, judging by the gap size, it's not surprising that you have something stuck between the parts. I have couple mm gap as well and most likely, I will run into the same problem.

My only suggestion is to stop off-roading.

(Having difficulty figure out what I am seeing for the first picture)

 

[reguy]

I'm not sure this issue is limited to off-road use. What about those who live in colder climates where roads are sanded and salted in the winter? Small debris even accumulates periodically on warm/dry roads. Is the necessary step to open the hood periodically to look for and remove any debris that may have accumulated?

 

[MDJAK]

Okay, now that I see the photos, I completely concur with @gir it has nothing to do with the headlights. It's just the body design. Every car has creases, folds, slits, you name it, where body parts come together. I've had rocks hit the bumper, the hood, you name it. Not much one can do about it except grin and bear it, or install that plastic film everywhere to the tune of thousands.


I always open the hood when I detail my car. It's the easy way to get to and clean the front edge of the front doors.


I'm going to look more closely at that edge and see if any rocks are caught. If so, I'll carefully clear them out. I don't think one will even see any damage they may cause, but if it's that bothersome, I would think a strip of weatherseal on the inner portion would take care of it.

 

[MDJAK]

I just went downstairs and I don't have this problem at all.

So glad to see you are feeling better and able to go downstairs without problem.

 

[mataa]

I'm not actually off-roading. Short sections of the roads I must travel are gravel / dirt and surface sealed asphalt using hot mix binder and small scale gravel, which is causing the major problem. Even in town on city streets the issue will occur, but less quickly.

The first pic is of a piece of small gravel stuck / embedded into the paint on the underside of the edge of the hood.

 

[Enilder]

So glad to see you are feeling better and able to go downstairs without problem.

I was tired but didn't mind checking out my baby. >

I'm not actually off-roading. Short sections of the roads I must travel are gravel / dirt and surface sealed asphalt using hot mix binder and small scale gravel, which is causing the major problem. Even in town on city streets the issue will occur, but less quickly.

The first pic is of a piece of small gravel stuck / embedded into the paint on the underside of the edge of the hood.

I was joking about off-roading. I can totally see how this can happen. I try my best to avoid it...Nothing much you can do about it. I'd say just carry a toothpick and pick them off after driving.

 

[Zeus993]

Can't see the pics...

 

[NETX]

Can't see the pics...

and I thought it was just me, still not showing up here.

 

[mataa]

see this post for the pics

Porsche Macan Forum - View Single Post - Poor design of the hood / bumper interface?

 

[mataa]

I was tired but didn't mind checking out my baby. >



I was joking about off-roading. I can totally see how this can happen. I try my best to avoid it...Nothing much you can do about it. I'd say just carry a toothpick and pick them off after driving.

If the gravel is removable with a toothpick, it will likely be small enough to shake itself out. But the right sized bits get trapped between the 2 painted surfaces and can not be extracted without damaging paint further. The hood must be pulled open a bit or completely opened to extract those. This is not the same issue as hitting road debris front on. I agree that that is not avoidable or preventable. But a design of a high end vehicle, from a highly respected automotive engineering company, that lets tires throw abrasive debris in between 2 painted parts where they sandblast the interior hood paint and get trapped and damage the paint on the fascia and hood is a very, very different matter.

Also, I can drive one 2-mile section of road and see the problem 8 times out of 10. I have had to stop the car each time I travel that roadway and check the car for trapped gravel. It seems, to me, to be a bizarre and ridiculous inconvenience to have to do this to protect the paint on the car.

While I'm at it, I also notice that driving on any dusty roadway for even short distances accumulates an amazing amount of dust on the rear of the vehicle, including the rear window, which can get so layered with dust as to render visibility through it down to virtually zero. See photos. There is something about the aerodynamics of the Macan that is REALLY different from my 540i and my 996 which never did that over 15 years of driving, much on the very same roads.

 

[MDJAK]

Many hatchbacks seem to create a vortex of air up and all over the rear. That's been discussed here that the rear gets very dirty, kind of like a magnet.

As far as engineering that you are speaking of, with the creases being susceptible to gravel thrown by the tires which you deem unacceptable, we are for ya, not against ya.

Trouble is, nothing is perfect. There will always be small compromises due to engineering reality, aesthetics or what have you.

This may seem like a poor segue, but think of the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger, where o-rings got cold, brittle, allowed hot gas to pass through resulting in catastrophic failure and 7 deaths. Look at the brilliant minds that initially designed that and the billions of dollars that went into it.

Sorry, but what you are describing is a minor inconvenience that as I stated above can easily be cured with a small strip of rubber strategically placed, or weather stripping which they've placed under the hood to stop squeaks in some Macans.

 

[mataa]

See photos of the rear windshield after 15 miles of very slow speed (5 to 20 mph) not particularly dusty (it was a shaded forest service road on the way to the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC) gravel road driving and about 7 miles of pavement driving at 50 mph. The aerodynamics of this vehicle deposit dirt there in a way I am not used to. And it does not come off driving at speed unless you drive really fast for a long while. Even then the rear of the car remains filthy. More then normal.

 

[MDJAK]

No one is disputing that. Many CUVs of similar shape suffer the same ignominy.

Thing is if you look for fault you will find it anywhere.

As @grim told me, go out, enjoy a sunset, have a good meal, take a drive and concentrate on the positive.

 

[mataa]

Thanks for your point of view. I am not generally unrealistic and realize that in life, almost everything has tradeoffs. This one is not particularly attractive. The clamshell hood design seems to be more of a monument Porsche built to honor themselves with the attendant disadvantage that my paint will depart from the vehicle early in its life. I would much rather have had a traditional hood seam and front quarter panel design without the gravel-in-the-paint problem. So it goes. PCNA now knows about this as does my dealer who has opened up a formal engineering issue with PCNA. We'll see if they can come up with a simple solution. Lest there be any doubt, this vehicle is quite amazing in many, many ways. I do not want to diminish that and I want to hope that a good solution will be found that does not void my warranty. It seems to be within the realm of possibility. Doesn't it?

 

[jjm]

And it does not come off driving at speed unless you drive really fast for a long while. QUOTE]
Well, there ya go. Problem solved....>


Yes, it's a hatch-thing. My previous hatch got dirty too, but not quite so much.
Probably the little spoiler thing creates a vortex.

 

[PygmyOctopus]

See photos of the rear windshield after 15 miles of very slow speed (5 to 20 mph) not particularly dusty (it was a shaded forest service road on the way to the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC) gravel road driving and about 7 miles of pavement driving at 50 mph. The aerodynamics of this vehicle deposit dirt there in a way I am not used to. And it does not come off driving at speed unless you drive really fast for a long while. Even then the rear of the car remains filthy. More then normal.

Aerodynamics is the reason. The cut-off rear of a station wagon, hatchback or SUV, creates an area of negative pressure which facilitates dirt deposition.

This is why sedans (such as your 540i) don't typically have wipers on their rear screens, whereas your Macan does. A 911 sort of sits in the middle. No getting around this it's a shape thing.

That said the Macan does seem to be the number one best performing dirt magnet in its class

 

[Houdini7]

I can't wait until mataa realizes that only one of his rear fog lights actually works...

 

[Jerry]

@mataa... We all know that nothing in this world is perfect! If this problem is confirmed as a "design flaw" or simply a one-in-a-million anomaly, I'm confident that Porsche will make it right with a cost-free solution.

As others have recommended, best to focus on the positive, and know that a car is just a machine that will eventually deteriorate, and shouldn't define your life!!

 

[ElevenTigers]

You can adjust the gap by turning to rubber screw on the side of the headlight.

 

[Spielzeug]

If the rear dust-collector really bothers you, carry a little diluted Optimum No-Rinse (ONR) and a few microfiber towels in the space around the spare -- problem solved!