Does anyone know if they improved the paint quality? I hate the cheap factory paint on our current imprezas. Swirls and chips all over...

This new to me about the paint. Is there a common problem with the quality? I took my 01 RS back to the dealer when i noticed swirls in the paint job after waxing it before winter. it cost me $100 and the swirls are reduced but not gone. The dealer body shop told me they were gonna do what they called glazing after they stripped the wax off. then they were gonna re wax it. The wax job was definatly better than what i did but like i said the swirls are still noticeable in the right sun light.

Or you could be like me and repaint the whole car with a GOOD paint and a decent amount of clear coat. Stock OEM paint SUCKS!! Agreed?

I am having problems with my paint job too. I just purchase my RS in March 2001 and got a tons of Swirls and chips due to the fact that I wash the car once a week. The paint job for the 2001 are no difference... This really depress me. Had the car for only one month and got swirls all over and 3 chips. Oh, and I didn't even take it off road either. I plan to get clear coated soon... Well, as soon as possible. Need the money fast to protect the car's paint job.~ http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/frown.gif -Aliasangel

[This message has been edited by AliasAngel (edited April 10, 2001).]

[This message has been edited by AliasAngel (edited April 10, 2001).]

At least the black paint still sucks! http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/frown.gif

I got swirls and all the shít..my car has a month now.. although i dont realy take care of it..

Would taking the car to a body shop and having a extra thick hard layer of clear coat put on it help? Also any idea as to how much this would run?

2001 BRP with swirlies

Yes, having clear coat help every inch of the vehicle. My brother's Honda is clear coated and it cost him about $299. If you have leather interior, one can purchase a protection spray for $199. This speicalize spray will protect the leather from UV, fades, and food etc. I would most definitely get the clear coat indeed. I highly highly suggest you do the same... Everytime I run my hands though his Honda... man, it is like touching liquid metal. Of course you must clean it at least once a week to keep it that way~ Man, I just hate this one layer paint job that subaru is doing..... even till now... and continues on this way.. -Aliasangel

We know the older Imprezas have crappy paint, but are there any others with WRX's that think the paint hasn't changed?

I posted on another thread ("Blaze Yellow") that got locked - dunno why - but the yellow WRX at my local dealer has the worst paint job I've seen on a new car in recent memory. It looks like it was sprayed on over a hammered metal finish. The dealer's still asking $1K over MSRP for the thing and will probably get it.

My Forester's black paint isn't quite so bad, but it's incredibly thin. The slate lower cladding is actually holding up better.

Ed

I asked my dealers "detail" guys, and they said something about subaru doesnt put hardener in the paint or something, cause of something..

I know, its not informative...but i think its in the right direction. http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/smile.gif

suby

I inquired about getting a clear coat added to my car and the body shop said no way. They said that the paint sucks so bad that they'd have to strip the car, repaint it and then clear coat it. Otherwise the clearcoat that they added wouldn't bond properly and would probably flake off... Simply put. The body shop talked me down...

[This message has been edited by Retsyn (edited April 11, 2001).]

Hey Retsyn, don't scare me... Because I really want to get my car coated. Just hearing what you said shock me and may change my decision. What are you going to do? Are you going to repaint your car first then get it coat? I had this in mind too.. but I ask the body shop about how much it would cost me to repaint my car.. they said it would cost me about $1,200 to $1,500. This means that it will cost me a total at least $1,600 or $1,700 to get a satisfielding paint job on my vehicle. That kind of money can be use for other useful updates you know? What is your take on it? What do all of you think... Would you repaint a band new car?(knowing the fact that the paint of your car is cover for 2 years limited warranty). Even though they said that the paint job is cover in the warranty... they can only give you touch up paint to repatch the chip areas... What kind of a paint warranty is that? http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/mad.gif

For the time being, I'm just EXTREMELY careful. I have a full front end cover and StonGard on the lights. When the chipping finally happens, I'll bite the bullet and get it stripped and painted. I think I'll do something funky when the time comes too like have them apply Mystique or Pearl coat to it as well. Till that day comes, I'll just be paranoid. What else can I do. 1,800.00 is a lot of coin for a problem that I don't have *yet*.

About StonGard. Are they any good at all? What about when you wash your car. Does it get in the way? Would the water runs in between the StonGard and the paint? Also, then the time comes to get a new paint job... how can you remove the StonGard? Thank Retsyn. http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smilies/wink.gif

Stongard is AWESOME. It's a thick adhesive film that you stick directly to the lights (the material is pre cut to fit) sorta like tint. I got hit after the big storm up here and got smashed into a snow bank, the lights were all in perfect shape, the bulbs just had to be changed because the force of the impact ruined all the filaments in the bulbs themselves. Anyhow sand, rocks and road debris all bounce harmlessly off the stuff. And if it starts to get looking nappy, just peel it off clean the lenses and apply a new set of film!

The top of the car from the middle of the doors on up looks ok on my WRBlue sedan. But man, if you take a closer look at the 4-6" just above the side skirts, that's some ugly-ass stuff. It's all orange-peeled and sorta lumpy. You have to get close to see it but a BMW paintjob this ain't. And I already have one small deep chip down to the primer (picking up a bottle of touch-up from the dealer this afternoon). Still, a little Xpel on the hood and a good waxing will probably be all I'll invest at this time. Go fast bits first, then repaint after high speed air friction has worn off the clearcoat.

The new subaru WRX blaze yellow paint is REALLY cheap. I am very dissapointed in the poor quality of the paint. I think I will pay to have it completly re-painted

CALLED THE LOCAL SUBARU DEALER ABOUT IT. I AM TO BRING IT IN FOR A LOOK OVER??? HE SAYS TO ME ON THE PHONE "MAYBE IT WAS PAINTED ON A FRIDAY." I WANT IT FIXED. WE SPENT TOOOO MUCH MONEY FOR BIG WHITE SCRATHES TO APPEAR OUT OF NO WERE. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN??? :confused:

Good luck. Paint is generally not covered at all, I'd be surprised if they did anything for you. But do post what ends up happening during your visit.

good luck on this one...subaru's paint quality has to be the WORST out there, i bought my car used July 30th 2001 w/ 5800 miles on it, only 1 scratch in the car, no chips...i take it that day to michigan for my grandmothers funeral and the leading edge of my hood looks like it went thru a sandblaster(now remember i DO Not follow people, i either drop way back or pass, usually pass) so i go to the dealership and they pretty much tell me since it's road debris i'm SOL and that i am lucky it didn't break any of the lights....so at this point i am just like ***?? so i get a bottle of touch up paint, buy a bug and stone deflector and also get the 3m adhesive light covers(which by the way kick ARSE)...so it costs me $150 to protect my hood and lights from being destroyed....but hey at least hte quality of the fenders they use now have increased...not the tin can things on my car...what weak metal.

jeremy

the paint sucks on all models! I'm getting my car repainted when I'm done with the body. I was thinking Midnight Blue with metal flake and a nice thick clearcoat, just like my father's 64 Corvette Stingray. That color really brings out the cars' natural lines. Like father like son I guess:D

Subaru has shiddy paint on all of the imprezas, GC8 and newer. I think you should just wait until the paint gets so bad you can't take it and then repaint it. A good paint job is $1500-2500, and that's a lot of jing to be throwing down.

"We know the older Imprezas have crappy paint, but are there any others with WRX's that think the paint hasn't changed?"

I have a WRX - paint sucks. It had a ~2mm chip in the hood before 100 miles (I don't tail gate). Now @ 18K, the hood looks polka dotted with paint chips. I wish I would have chosen the silver one now so that the chips would blend into the color of the paint better. I've thought about Stonguard, but I got so many chips so quickly (particularly in the hood, maybe because it's aluminum?) that I figured the heck with it. I'll just get another paint job in 4 years if I want to keep the car.
The paint on my '89 BMW looked better in 2001 than the paint on my '02 WRX looks right now. However, I would not go back to the Bimmer for a variety of reasons, I still love my *mostly* blue snowmobile commute attacker!

My family just got a new 2005 Legacy this year.
Last week, some car scraped the left side of our back bumper.
The bumper remained in tack, no cracks or dents.
However, the paint in that area is cracked and flaking off.

Is poor Subaru paint quality a standard feature on all models? :mad:
I just don't understand why the bumper is fine but the paint is flaking off. :mad:

Oh well, maybe I will get it repainted Kandy Blue.