Agree completely. What a lot of people don't realize is that most paint (regardless of maker) comes from the same companies - PPG or Dupont. Car makers do not make their own paint. Every single car I've owned, I've always been told has "soft paint", but have never really noticed a problem. Besides, it usually has nothing to do with the maker, unless they're just not spraying as many layers of clearcoat. My friend owns a body shop and I can tell you that bad paint is not a trait specific to any one manufacturer (although you do occasionally see a bad run of cars - the 87 navy blue Mustangs, mid-90's purple Neons, and Chevy Corsicas and Berettas of just about any year and color are particularly bad). Anyway, if you wax it with a really good quality wax at least once a year, and wash any salt accumulation off if you live in an area that has snow, your paint should last at least 10 years.

I also agree with the other dude's comments about light colors. I had an aweful 95 Ford Probe that was (as best as I can describe it) MINT GREEN (ick!! Why did I ever buy that car?). The only good thing about it was that it always looked clean! My 02 satin silver Accord always looks relatively clean even when I let it go for a few weeks. On the flip side, my wife has a dark blue '03 Toyota Corolla that constantly looks dirty - sometimes even after an automatic car wash. Dark colors look great clean, but they sure do get dirty quick!!

 

One thing to realize about paint and how good it is or isn't is that metallic colors are much tougher due to the fact that they have a very thick clear coat because the paint is essentially a mixture of paint and flakes of metal. It creates a rough finish that needs a lot of clear to flow out smooth and cover the "hills and valleys". Non-metallics tend to show swirls and scratches more and is also much more succeptable to the effects of the enviornment, and thier clear coats are so minimal you can rub trhu them quite easily. This is why you'll often see red white or black cars who's finishes have quickly started to look like flat instead of glossy paint. It oxodizes and looks like chalk.

That said, i would be willing to bet that non-metallic colors account for a lot of the opinions you hear on a given brand. I wouldn't be suprised at all to hear a good portion of people dissing honda paint owned one that was one of the typically non-metallic colors, red white or black. I've had a few hondas, one of which was white and the rest silver. At the age of 7 years the white paint was so oxidized it would come off on the cloth i used to wax it. And the wax would sort of melt into the paint and create streaks that were all but impossible to remove. My 84' silver civic was the oldest honda i've had, driving it to almost 10 years old and at that point i could wax it and it would look like a new paint job ! It was like glass !

 

letting a new car, or any car sit for months without washing it is retarded. period. lazy ass people= why i have a car with shitty paint.

 

Thank you, Samson...glad there is at least ONE other person who gets it on this board. Why anyone would drop a chunk of change in excess of 20 G's on something and then act half-assed about taking care of it just makes no sense at all to me, but maybe I was just raised different... :eh:

 

Extraordinarily bad idea. Paint applied to a car after it rolls off the assembly line is never as good as a factory paint job because the car cannot be baked at as high a temp due to all the plastic and rubber parts that are on a finished car. Any attempt to duplicate a factory-quality paint job is gonna run you WAY more than $1000 at the end of the day... :nono:

 

Lets clear this up.
1)-I don't, let me repeat that, DON'T let my car go for months w/o cleaning it regularly. Yes, on occasion i do, and i have my reasons. And it never hurt any good paint job i've had in the least doing this on OCCASION. But the point is that here in L.A. a freshly cleaned car becomes totally coated with dirt within a few days. If you think it's "retarded" not to wash your car every few days, you'r probably under 25 and not jaded yet, have 10 times the energy than i do at my age, and aren't too *burdened* by common sense as is shown by the way you just decided that you me, my situation, and the shape the paint on my car is in. If you're so knowledgable, why is it the car i took the worse care of was so old and beat by the time i sold it i had to sell it to a junk jard for $100, yet the paint was xlnt. (1984 silver civic.)

2)- before you start thinking about calling people retarded, look in the mirror. You have a lot of growing up to do. The next time you see me reply to someones question in such an immature manner, call me on it ! You won't be "calling" any time soon. I come here for info, not to be insulted by a bunch of kids who know everything.

 

Wow - you took the words right out of my mouth. When you guys grow up, get married and have a kid, believe me, a clean car will be the least of your concerns...

It's not laziness as much as it is an economic reality. Between a full time job, a house and a kid, washing my car on more than a semi regular basis is just not in the cards.

 

Gee, guess my father who maintained a SPOTLESS two-car garage for the 17 years I lived at home was some sort of Superman then, since he had TWO kids, a house, and a company to run as CEO. Like I already said, guess I just wasn't raised lazy or full of excuses... :squint:

 

Don't be an ass.

Different people have different priorities. Maybe these guys coach little league or work longer hours than your dad. That doesn't mean that they're "lazy or full of excuses." The wax on his car is not the measure of a man.

 

Don't YOU be an ass...cause that's what you are when you ASSume so much. wned:

Where did you come up with all of that garbage about priorities and little league? He didn't mention any of those things, I merely went by what the guy actually SAID, not reading between the lines, or just inventing some nice little fiction in my head as you seem to have done. And as far as working longer hours, trust me, I seriously doubt he works any longer or harder than my father did. Finally, how long do some of you people think washing a car takes?? I washed mine this past Sunday and I think it took about 30-45 minutes (then I waxed it, and that of course took another couple hours). Sorry, but I'm not buying anyone's claim that they can't find a spare hour on a weekend to take care of one of the most expensive items that a person ever buys. That's just some tired b.s. :screwy: