I have yet to purchase a WRX but today I found a local guy who has a rally blue 2002 with 24,000 miles. The car is pretty clean on the inside, only one dent on the hood from a rock, but the paint is what I can't believe.

The paint is chipped in places where you would not think it could chip, and we are not talking just a little, we are talking about a number of chips that you can't even count. Some of it is dirt and I hope to see it after a fresh wash to make sure.

My question is... Do different colors chip worse than others? It's pretty windy here in colorado so the chips had to come from sand/wind storms but my Jeep is a 1995 and been through many winters with no chipping except on the front.

The chipping is the worse on the drivers side. He said one summer at school they were doing construction on day near the parking lot and it got bad then.

Any ways do you think I should consider the car if I can get it for a really good deal? His pricing is starting at 16.5k and he could come down 1,000 off of that. I told him hey may find someone who is not as concerned with the paint and pay his price, but if not to give me a call.

I am thinking possibly get a really good deal on the car, extend the warranty, and then some time have the dirvers side doors and 1/4 panels repainted.

Any opinions... Sorry for the long read.

well my car is a MY01, 30k miles. i just washed and waxed it, couldnt believe all the chips on the hood, front bumper, and in places where there shouldnt be, like above the left front fender. i dont recall having many rocks hit me over the winter, a few did, but not that many.
anyway, the quality of the paint on subarus definatly seems second-rate to me.

edit:my car is sedona red

This is really unfortunate. I may have to re-consider getting a WRX let alone any subaru if this is true. I am not that anal about paint but there is no way I would be happy with my car in 5 years if it looked like the one I saw. And... selling it would be a nightmare with the paint that way. It was almost humorous to see how many there were. We are talking into the 1000's of tiny tiny specs almost over the entire car. Not so much on the top, or trunk but every where else.

It must be the wind storms we get here in Colorado with all the sand on the roads from winter... Possibly rally blue is a REALLY bad color for thickness...

At 10 feet the car looked good but I would have to get within a foot of the car on a daily basis. The car is soooo fun to drive though that may still be worth it.... but only if I get a new one and take great care of the paint.

Nope, all the colors chip

-Gagan

I dont know what they use in CO for roads and such, but I know when I lived in PA the salt trucks were really bad. Get too close to one of them and your paint would be toast.. anything like that there? could he always follow the plows to close?

ive had my impreza for about 6 years and the paint was starting to get really bad chippage and sundamage spots on the clear coat. the car in itself is a great running car. if your that conserned about the paint, than do what i did and just get it repainted with a better brand of paint. i wouldent throw down the car becauz the paint.

how much did it cost you for a paint job. Believe me, I don't want to put out the idea of a WRX because of the paint. The car is amazing to drive and just all out fun...

to have my car painted it costed me roughly around 5 hundred however if you want to get a really cheep one you can find places that will do it for 200 but its not top of the line perfection. however i say you get the rex. there hella sick and you will enjoy the car.

yup.....the paint sucks........it really pisses me off...mine is already chipping and scratching and it's only 8 weeks old......i've had my jeep TJ for almost 3 years now....i wheel that thing every weekend and i beat the snot out of it......and it still looks good!!! i think i might even try going to the dealer about the paint.....i found the wh9le lower portion of the car (where the door bends at the bottom, the last 6 inches of body work) has some serious orange peel going on!!! i feel that shouldn't be there!!! i really wanna call them but i heard that they don't like paint warrenty stuff. we'll see!!! later, riggs

Subaru paint, chips no more than any other paint, it may be a tad softer but a rock is going to chip no matter what paint it hits... perhaps slow it down and stop tailgating the caddilacs :D
as for rock chips on the sides of your car, they come from cars around you throwing rocks out OR you have been on dirt or gravel roads where your OWN tires are kicking the rocks up :)

P.S. my black WRX I just sold with 18k Miles had only a few rock chips and 0 scratches, please take care of your cars. its sad what people do to them :( your car is fast, its fun to go fast, I do it alot, but just dont tailgate people, ALSO dont goto car washes they destroy any paint on any car. period. wash it yourself with Good materials and a shammy, also to prevent little scratches keep a coat of wax on your car, this applies to any car in the world unless its painted with epoxy, so dont dog on scooby paint :P its just alittle softer than others

_just baught a 02 blue with 12k miles for 17k its flawless!_

it's A LOT SOFTER than other paints!!!! like i said..i've had a jeep for some time now and the paint is holding up great.....i've had the WRX for 2 months and the paint sucks!!!! plain and simple....i don't mean to thrash your post but everyone else is having problems with their paint......i'm jealous that you made out OK!!!



on another note.........what is that SH*T about that pinky wrote.......is this a Impreza BB or a porn board????????

the post that pinky made, i think he is from the porn site that it linked to and is just spamming to get the site some traffic. he posted in like 20 other threads.

If you guys want to stop the rocks from chipping anymore or again then get a clear bra for the front end. It is nearly invisible an will take care of your problems.

Just thank god you dont live in South Dakota in the winter they use Pea GRAVEL for the snow. OUCH!!!

http://www.rockblocker.com/images/paint/wrx02.jpg

This was done a couple of weeks ago. If interested in gettting one let me know.

can u briefly explain what a "clear bra" is? is that like a clear coat of wax or something thats just there....like the clear coat on nail polish type of thing? thanks

hey guys, I've read alot about cheap paint, but nothing about paint protection. I own a '03 silver WRX sedan, purchased 11/02. My paint is perfect! no scratchs, no chips. This is what I did/do to protect my paint. 1] Purchased car from local dealer[Irvine Subaru]. Told owner I wanted WRX that had not been driven, still had shipping material on car. 2] Checked -Out car for any scratches, dings, paint irregularities or swirls . 3] Told owner I did not want their "complimentary" wash. I'll do it at home, thanks. 4] I wash the car routinely, at least every two weeks. Lots of water, small amont of soap, and dry with "water sprite", an inexpensive synthetic chamouis. 5] Wax once a month with a good quality PURE carnuba wax. That's it! NEVER take it to a carwash, they'll scatch and swirl your paint. There are lots of rex's in So. Cal. and I've come to two conclusions: 1] Suby does'nt use high quality paint. The colors fade quickly if not maintained. 2] The rex owners I've talked to, do almost nothing to maintain the exteriors of their cars. In acouple of years I'll do a custom re-paint. Untill then, I intend to follow the above regimen. Sincerely, Collins. PS. I use professional detailing products, purchased from a local wholesale detailing outlet. Alot better, and way cheaper. If anyone wants details on products, feel free to PM me. Later.

can u briefly explain what a "clear bra" is?

AzN121184,

No problem. What you are looking at is clear urethane film that is very spongy and flexible product that is about a two sheets of paper thick. The product is made by 3M. What it does is take the place of the old traditional black bras of the past that did nothing, but damage your paint with scratching and sun fade.

This product is guaranteed to not yellow, crack or fade for as long as you own the car. The paint will fade together evenly. NO matter how much wax you use the paint will fade over long periods of time. It has a clear coat finish to match the gloss of your car. The kits are designed to cover the high ipact areas of the car> hood, bumper, mirrors, fenders and hood scoop.

Just of it this way when you are tailgating grandma or rallying on thos gravel roads behind someone and you are hearing rocks, pebbles and whatever is flying up and hitting your paint. You will know you are safe when you get out and nothing happened.

I wouldnt leave home without. I drive various vehicles in various conditions and I would never be without ever again.

If you have any more questions let me know. This is getting long.

oh i see, cool man, thanks a lot for the explanation. However i would like to know the cost of this, is this done in a local shop? or do you just purchase a kit and do it yourself type things? just wondering, thanks a lot again, i really appreciate it

oh i see, cool man, thanks a lot for the explanation. However i would like to know the cost of this, is this done in a local shop? or do you just purchase a kit and do it yourself type things? just wondering, thanks a lot again, i really appreciate it

The price depends on the car and what you are looking to get covered. If you have an 02-03 WRX body style the full kit is $168-

picture here

http://www.rockblocker.com/images/paint/3551_280.gif

the new '04 is $266- for the full kit

picture here

http://www.rockblocker.com/images/WRX/3599_280.gif


I would not recommend installing this yourself. It is not real easy and takes a lot of patience and understadning of the material. There has been people who have installed it. Like tinters or graphics guys.

If you want more info go to the site and check it out.

Is there any one color that shows the rock chips less than others if/when they do happen?

not red, sedona red shows them very well, especially on the front bumper

I just ordered my 04 WRX and the paint quality is also a concern, but I didn't let it stop me from buying the car. I'm heavily considering a paint protection kit such as RockBlocker, StonGard, X-Pel, etc. I'll be moving to Wisconsin when my car arrives so once I find out some info on how well these systems work in the cold, I'll make my decision.

Is there any one color that shows the rock chips less than others if/when they do happen?

The best color for Not showing rock chips is Silver. The reason is the primer is gray underneath so they tend to gel in with the paint unless you are close.

Black, blue and red all show rock chips pretty bad. I would judge what color car to buy on how much do rock chips show through. Get the color you want otherwise you might not be totallt happy in the long run.:p

there is a clear film that is aoplied like window tint that help against rocks and chips. One name is called stongard. Also j riggs the orange peel your our discribing at bottomo f doors is on my car too they said it is like that for better protection down low on door the paint is thicker and stops against rust and stuff.

the orange peel your our discribing at bottomo f doors is on my car too they said it is like that for better protection down low on door the paint is thicker and stops against rust and stuff.


That paint down on the rocker panels is a rubberized paint that has a flex agent in it to help prevent getting the sides all chewed up from those FATTY tires hanging out and chucking things on the side:D

A lot of the car manufacturers have been using this type of paint for years on cars and some trucks.

I think the paint on the wrx is really cheap. I have a red wrx and there are chips everywhere. There's even a chip on one of the doors. I understand if you get a few chips but there is way to much. I had a honda accord for about 6years and I didn't get that many chips.

I garage my MY02 wrx and has only 3200 miles on it. It is garaged and car covered to keep the dust down since i dont drive her alot. I use a company vehicle during the week so working construction doesnt leave much time to drive her. Well any ways i have a few on the hood and one or two near the front head lights. I bought this stuff called langka for removing the blot on touch up paint. It works ok but the color match is a lil off or something on the silver. Even when i dab a lil clear coat on it. Yes the paint is more ***ile than other cars. I clean bugs off the car with bug remover as soon as i get home and shammy it off and then cover it up. Part is the ****ty paint, part is driving characteristics, where u live in the country, and lastly car care.

My car has minimal chips due to lack of driving, garaged year round and i clean it all the time. I agree the paint should be better but with the rest of the car the paint is a trade off. Try the stongard it seems to work. I am thinking down the road if i get the chips professionally fixed ill get the hood and grill and lights done with it .

Originally posted by ruacop2
The price depends on the car and what you are looking to get covered. If you have an 02-03 WRX body style the full kit is $168-

picture here

http://www.rockblocker.com/images/paint/3551_280.gif

the new '04 is $266- for the full kit

picture here

http://www.rockblocker.com/images/WRX/3599_280.gif


If you want more info go to the site and check it out.

Can you re-post the link for the full kit image? I'm getting a 404 error. Cheers.

Originally posted by Ibizan
Can you re-post the link for the full kit image? I'm getting a 404 error. Cheers.



i can get to the website, but i can't seem to find the page to actually purchase this kit....can someone help me out?

Originally posted by AzN121184
i can get to the website, but i can't seem to find the page to actually purchase this kit....can someone help me out? I was wondering the same thing when your post arrived. I was looking for information about a warranty. If you find either one, can you let me know? :)

Hey guys let me help you out.

I havent added the '04 kit to the shopping cart yet, working on that. I fyou want one you can email and I will get you one.

The warranty is for the product. It will not crack, fade or yellow for life!!!

The picture for the '04

http://www.rockblocker.com/images/WRX/3599_280.gif

The pictiure for the 02-03

http://www.rockblocker.com/images/paint/3551_280.gif

Hopefully this helps. We are working as fast as we can to get everything up on the site