Paint Care

[AlecEiffel]

Hey all,

Is the Seat paint (in my case zenith grey) particularly soft and very thin?

I seem to pick up chips and scratches very very easily, much easier than on previous cars. They seem to go down to the primer yet aren't deep as such (can barely feel them). I'm filling in stone chips as best as I can (in one case I've had to kurust and prime also) but I'm not too sure how to deal with the light scratches.

I don't have access to a hose/pressure washer so have been taking the car to my friendly neighbourhood hand car wash, and using the garage jet wash sometimes so I do realise that this could be where a lot come from.

Whats the best way to deal with the light scratches?? I've never bothered with previous cars too much on this front, happily running them through car washes and filling bad chips, but I want to try to keep my Leon in good nick. Do the various metallic T-Cut type options work considering scratches are down to the primer??

Bit rubbish on this, sorry!

 

[Top Dog]

I can't really help you on how to keep your car from not getting stone chips, but i do agree the paint is very thin. My K1's candy white and it has stone chips all around the front bumper even though i take care in keeping my distance from other cars etc.

 

[Mr Cellotape]

I can't really help you on how to keep your car from not getting stone chips, but i do agree the paint is very thin. My K1's candy white and it has stone chips all around the front bumper even though i take care in keeping my distance from other cars etc.

+1 The front of mine was a mess of stone chips when I sold it at 40K miles.

 

[kazand]

+1. The FR has 28k on clock, Mazda 114k, guess which has the most chips? yup the Leon.

 

[vincent5525]

I cant help you with the stone chips. I have 17k on the clock and have at least 10 stone chips on the bonnet/front bumper, 3 down to the primer. But the scratches are almost certainly from your local "we drop and dont care about our sponges" car washes. You know the saying...."If you want something doing....Get a bucket and do it yourself" or something like that.

 

[Nath.]

I know of a Golf in zenith grey that has been taken back by VW and the car replaced due to thin paint that chipped very very easy. VW tested the paint and it was found to be way under the minimum thickness.

I can maybe get details and pass them to you if you want to know more.

 

[AlecEiffel]

I can maybe get details and pass them to you if you want to know more.

Many thanks for the offer, but I'm the second owner and the car is a few years old so the manufacturer won't give a darn about it

But the scratches are almost certainly from your local "we drop and dont care about our sponges" car washes. You know the saying...."If you want something doing....Get a bucket and do it yourself" or something like that.

My brother in law just picked up a V reg mk 4 Golf GTi with 80K on the clock - not a scratch on it. Apparently the previous owner never let anyone touch it cleaning wise - he noticed when the dealer gave it a clean once after a service (which he instructed them not to do) and balled them out for it!

Guess I'll deal with the big chips best as I can with the kit and try a metallic t-cut one day for the scratches

Thanks all for the input.

 

[G.P]

+1. The FR has 28k on clock, Mazda 114k, guess which has the most chips? yup the Leon.

My Subaru used to chip when you looked at it, the Leon seems better, but newer paint seems to chip to easy compaired to the 90's paint's. .

 

[AlecEiffel]

The wife's Mazda 3 has done 45K and not a chip in sight. Maybe the previous owner was a pro at filling them......

 

[kazand]

My Subaru used to chip when you looked at it, the Leon seems better, but newer paint seems to chip to easy compaired to the 90's paint's. .

Mazda's a 59 plate, Leon a 10....

 

[Harhay]

I cant help you with the stone chips. I have 17k on the clock and have at least 10 stone chips on the bonnet/front bumper, 3 down to the primer. But the scratches are almost certainly from your local "we drop and dont care about our sponges" car washes. You know the saying...."If you want something doing....Get a bucket and do it yourself" or something like that.

+1 ...regarding the hand wash places, also some use washing up liquid in their wash buckets to keep costs down...

so invest in wash mit, bucket and a good car wash product this will stop more swirls and waxes being removed...

 

[G.P]

so invest in wash mit,

Is that your wash mit in your avatar???

 

[bzoow]

I am no bodywork expert but after my Polo GT was covered in chips from a daily M25 commute I invested in stone chip protection wrap on the front of my 2010 Track Gray FR and it has worked a treat over the last 20k miles. Scratches round door handles etc I have removed with Meguiars Scratch X2 which works great. The guy who did my stone chip wrap advised against commercial car cleaners as they use TFR - traffic film remover - to spray the car first. It's an aggressive cleaner that can flatten and dull paint over time. I have no proof of this as I always hand wash my cars. Also always advised to use a different, cleaner sponge/mitt to rinse and not the same one as you clean with.

 

[Darron1823]

There's lots of factors involved with stone chips, primer colour, colour, how much clear coat was used?, daily commutes and that there's more cars on the road now which kicks up even more crap from our very shady road network.
I would put it down nowadays mainly to the state of our roads, I painted my car and with in a year had to repaint my bonnet due to stone chips.

 

[cheungy]

My TFSI Sport 06 (Black Magic) Paint is not great at all bird etching is terrible!

 

[marty_34]

much as i love driving my leon, have to say that quality of the paintwork is worst ive experience on any car, my daily commute has been the same 15 miles for the past 6 years, had a vauxhall astra and prior to that a toyota celica which both didnt chip a quarter of the amount my leon has in 6 months

think ill be painting my bonnet and adding a clear film wrap before long

 

[Harhay]

Is that your wash mit in your avatar???

Very Good!!!