Soft paint

[neil_f]

Car has only done 33k miles and already showing a lot of stone chips on front bumper and edge of bonnet. Is this a common issue ? Glad I didn't buy a black one now as it would show it up even worse!

[Chappers.]

You should try driving a BMW if you want to experience stone chips - I've never known a car like it for picking them up.

[Chrispy]

I found that - it chips easily. My old 13 year old BMW was the best for that/ The paint was like rubber - really thick. Not like the watercolours they use these days. :(

[Octy0GG]

I'm assuming that modern cars wil be painted with water based paints rather than paint using petrochemical solvents - Better for the environment but are they really as good?

Remember reading (Think in a recent Practical Classics feature) that it is no longer possible to replicate original factory finish of Mercedes W123 with modern paints and processes at any cost.

Edited 25 October, 2012 by Octy0GG

[neil_f]

I had the previous Leon cupra r and it was really bad for stone chips as well though the silver disguised it better. The blue of the Octavia really highlights it against the white primer.

[alkip]

Really soft paint which marrs easily even with a good detailing routine but also one which chips easily.

[Sarge]

Yeh, been a bit disappointed with how easily the paint seems to chip/ mark but silver does help mask it! Can't say whether it's an Octy issue because although it does seem worse than previous volvos they weren't as new.

Sarge.

[ChrisRs]

Its not soft paint at all

VAG paint is classed as Medium/Hard

BMW is classed as hard

Mercedes..very hard

Japanese..Mazda, Subaru etc..- Soft

Honda..Very soft

[alkip]

Its not soft paint at all

VAG paint is classed as Medium/Hard

BMW is classed as hard

Mercedes..very hard

Japanese..Mazda, Subaru etc..- Soft

Honda..Very soft

It's not as cut and dried as that, the paint on my last Subaru was hard as nails in fact one of the hardest paints I've ever come across, the Subaru I had before that was soft.

[ChrisRs]

It pretty much is according to Pro Detailers' comments

But there may be an occasional difference, though Ive not heard of one personally until your post today

I saw a 10 reg Subaru WRX being professionally polished earlier this year @ Magic Detail (Altricham)

Never seen a paint correct so easily using only a finishing polish and medium cut foam pad via a DA

What year was yours?

Ive struggled to correct a couple of swirls on my Octavia using a medium grade polish and MF Pad...

It simply wasnt happening...So I upped the polish to a harder cut (Scholl S3 Gold) and it corrected

[FUBAR]

10300 miles from new and I have now officially got 2 stone chips :( well 1 proper stone chip on bumper and 1 only into lacquer on bonnet. Thats with a lot of rural driving and approx 1500 miles of fresh tar&chippings surfaces. It bugs me but sometimes there is nothing you can do when some moron on poor surfaces takes the urine! Could have used venture shield on front but didn't.

[alkip]

It pretty much is according to Pro Detailers' comments

But there may be an occasional difference, though Ive not heard of one personally until your post today

I saw a 10 reg Subaru WRX being professionally polished earlier this year @ Magic Detail (Altricham)

Never seen a paint correct so easily using only a finishing polish and medium cut foam pad via a DA

What year was yours?

Ive struggled to correct a couple of swirls on my Octavia using a medium grade polish and MF Pad...

It simply wasnt happening...So I upped the polish to a harder cut (Scholl S3 Gold) and it corrected

Pro-detailers that I know treat every car individually and even though I'm quite well in to my detailing I've always had a pro carry out the first detail and then I keep it tip top. My comment is based on the findings of Tony from Cherished Car Care when he did both my Subaru's, admittedly you can set out thinking 'it's Japanese it'll be soft' or 'it's German it'll be hard' but it's not always the case.

Mine's a 2011.

[Chrispy]

Does soft or hard paint make it more prone to chipping? I remember being taught that hard = brittle, and cars of old (talking BMW's of early 90's here) had soft but thick and rubbery paints. Unlike the wafer thin current ones.

[Aspman]

They do chip but paint is very thin on modern cars, the robots can do the bare minimum. A car repairer told me about this and said they all have trouble matching paint now because it's so thin on cars now and a human can't match it.

[ChrisRs]

For a general guide ONLY

(As you rightly say, variations exist)

http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/pdfs/painthardness.pdf

[Chrispy]

They do chip but paint is very thin on modern cars, the robots can do the bare minimum. A car repairer told me about this and said they all have trouble matching paint now because it's so thin on cars now and a human can't match it.

That tallies with what I saw when endlessly touching up the Octy. The red coat was really really thin over the grey primer.

I remember reading once that a certain Merc decades ago had 70kg of paint on it.....now that's a paint job.

[Octy0GG]

Does soft or hard paint make it more prone to chipping? I remember being taught that hard = brittle, and cars of old (talking BMW's of early 90's here) had soft but thick and rubbery paints. Unlike the wafer thin current ones.

Agreed - Soft paint will definetley scratch easily but would not neccessarily be prone to chip.

The chipping must have a lot to do with how well the paint adheers, surface preperation, primer and undercoat will all influence this, as might galvanising.

[meta55b]

Bring back 2k paint.

[neil_f]

.

Edited 26 October, 2012 by neil_f

[neil_f]

10300 miles from new and I have now officially got 2 stone chips :( well 1 proper stone chip on bumper and 1 only into lacquer on bonnet. Thats with a lot of rural driving and approx 1500 miles of fresh tar&chippings surfaces. It bugs me but sometimes there is nothing you can do when some moron on poor surfaces takes the urine! Could have used venture shield on front but didn't.

Only two chips.....think I must have about 200.!Might eventually get it repainted and then use some sort of paint protection

[FUBAR]

Only two chips.....think I must have about 200.!Might eventually get it repainted and then use some sort of paint protection

Venture Shield was my intention when I had car on order but I didn't have time to get it done after I collected it so I never bothered. I have been very very lucky with stone chips so far car has been driven in 7 different countries with different types of road surfaces and in different driving cultures lots of little things can make a difference, but I only got my chips in the summer on a very very off the beaten track mini touring holiday in the Republic of Ireland many of the places I went were more suited to a Yeti tbh and I paid the price!

[virusman26]

Luck has a lt to do with it too......my 59 vRS had its windscreen written off and a huge stone chip in the bonnet after like 1500 miles! Don't forget that paint and manufacturing costs have gone up in recent years, meaning paint is spread thinner on body panels to reduce cost prices etc....the less paint you use per car the more GP you make per sale