I've only had my subie for a week and a half and it rained a couple of days. Well i washed the car dried it well but i still had these horrible spots on my hood well not too horrible but you could still see the blotches on the hood in the right light. Well normal waterspots will come off if you wash the car again or just get a damp towel and get them off, this spots were only on my hood. Has anyone else had a problem like this? I took the car back to the dealership today and they took care of it, I'm just hoping that the finish isn't defective or whatever.

Raymond

 

Yeah the same thing happend ony my MBP hood. I've learned to live with it, but have been thinking of getting it re-painted. I've tried everything to get it off but have just come to accept the crappy subaru paint. Oh well, I didn't get this car because of the paint....

Jason

 

i have a dime-size spot in the paint on the hood that came with the car. it's annoying but i've learned to live with it. each time i wash the car, i seem to discover more ****** in the paint. i think subaru paint finish is best viewed farther away

 

- always dry your car after washing

- try claybar to get the water spots out, if that doesn't work try polish or lastly clearcoat scrub

- dont wash with dish soap or any soap that will strip the wax off

- always make sure your car has a layer of wax

- subaru paint is cheap, thin and it sucks

- dont be an idiot like me and continue put continue putting off getting clear bra

that's all I can think of.

jason

 

i would suggest claybar also. but do not do it more than 10 times during the life of the paint or all of the clearcoat will come off. if claybar doesnt fix it, i would bring it back to the dealership

 

When I took it to the dealership they used the clay bar, it didn't do s**t. I always dry the car right after washing, I use Turtle Wax CarWash and yes the car has wax on it, it's brand new lol. All i can say whatever that stuff was on my hood was nasti. The dealership used compound on the hood to take it off. They were really nice about the whole situation.

Raymond

 

A clay bar will not strip the clear coat. It will only remove particles/contaminants that are on the surface. Just keep the area well lubricated as you work the bar along the finish.

Ray, I haven't had the problem on my WRX, but on other vehicles I usually have good success with a buffer and mild polish. Products such as Scratch X has helped in some instances where I've done it by hand.

- Kean

 

Claybar will remove paint and or clear coat. I don't know about the "10 times" thing, but it ill remove it. How do I know this for a fact? Claybar is often used to remove overspray, and I've done exactly that myself.

jason

 

i've used claybar on my paint quite a few times with no noticeable effect to the paint. i doubt that it will remove paint or clear coat.

www.autopia.org

if in doubt, confer with the auto detail experts...

db

 

Here's a good explanation of how a clay bar works:

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/inf-clay.html

 

Kean, you need to read closer when a website that promotes a product also sells it! Your link states:

Many clay products claim to contain no abrasives. This is stretching the truth. The reason many clay manufacturers claim their products don't contain an abrasive is because the general public thinks the word "abrasive" refers only to aggressive, paint removing materials. The fact is the abrasives in most automotive clay products are so fine that you will not see any reduction in paint gloss. After several uses, paint luster may even improve.

Realize that a better gloss comes from 2 things, either irregularities on a surface being filled in (as with a polymer sealant or wax), or irregularites being ground down, as with an abrasive. A clay bar polishes your finish with an abrasive as well as uses that abrasive to grab impurities.

What's missing is that while claybar removes impurities, impurities have bonded and/or corroded your finish. When the clay grabs an impurity it leaves a pit and often takes some top coat that the impurity was bonded to.

jason

 

wow that clay bar doesn't sound so great after all.

 

Heh ok, maybe I was too adamant. Claybar is GREAT! But its not a cleaner. You don't want to use it liberally nor often. Claybar is MUCH, MUCH safer than say a polish or (God forbid) a compound. A compound will remove your finish to the metal in no time. A polish leaves a great smooth feel but removes a considerable amount of finish in the process. Claybar is the best of all world for removing spots and impurites. Its the safest, does its job well and takes the least time and elbow grease. BUT, it does remove a a small bit of finish in one way or another. So I'd used it more often than say polish, but I would try hard to rub something out with a soft cloth before using it.

For example, some numbnut openned the door of her red honda onto my beautiful white WRX like a montha go. It didnt ding (thank God) but it left a trail of red marks of paint. I tried to rub it out with a wet cloth, didnt work. I tried a bit of cleaner wax, no go. Today I got out the clay and it came off with little work in about 10 seconds. The only time I really use claybar without trying something safer first is when a entire panel really needs its top layer (we're talking atomically here) stripped. When I'm done its like polished glass.

jason

 

I realize they are selling products Jason, but I also realize they are a good source of information.

From personal experience I can tell you that I've never had a problem with a clay bar damaging a car's finish (again.......when used properly). There simply isn't enough abrasive qualities to the clay (of good quality) to begin stripping away or polishing down the clearcoat given the amount of usage that's needed. It does an excellent job of lifting impurities from the surface without damaging the car's finish. No hard rubbing is necessary and it's quite effortless as long as you use plenty of lubricant.

I find that impurities eventually gather on my clearcoat every 6 months. In most cases I this is only on the top surfaces and always on the rear bumper/trunk area. I use a claybar on those spots followed by polish and a wax.

- Kean