Paint quality
 

So when i was getting my fr-s opticoated, a meter was used to check the thickness of the paint at various points. At some points it was in the 130-150 range which seems normal but it was pointed out that the front end of the hood into the front bumper went as low as 80 microns. The car had never been polished or compounded or anything before this. Has anyone else checked theirs out?

subarus and most japanese cars are known for thin paint. I've had several rock chips on the hood, fender and front bumper not counting the pitting that's been happening when stones are hitting the bumper.

Get a clear bra if you can afford it.

either get paint protection film or repaint later.
since my friend owns bodyshop, i am just gonna get repaint later.

Out of curiosity: What is your line of reasoning that equates the 80 microns (3 thouandths of an inch) with poor quality? As long as the clearcoat is UV resistant enough to last the journey, you are good to go.

If the paint is going to be chipped by a rock. I can't see where another 3 thou is going to make any difference.

Tell that to a mosquito hitting your bumper at 100+mph(combined speed).

LOL - worried about mosquito + car = friendly meet?
Here down under we worry about kangaroo + car = friendly meet.:lol:

I was actually thinking the massive difference in thickness might be contributing to the noticeable difference in color in the bumper. When it was completely clean under the lights, it was easily seen that the paint fades into a much lighter shade towards the front of the hood into the bumper where the paint is thinner

one of the most common problems, especially with Subaru, has terrible paint. I'm definitely investing in a clear bra.

Then you DO have a paint issue that may or may not be related to total paint thickness. Recall that the car has a color coat and a base coat. The color coat might be too thin. With al the other teething issues the Twins have, I would not be surprised if the paint robots are still learning their trade.

Does the dealer see the issue when you bring it up to them?

I'm going to point it out when i schedule it for service. That along with the damn window squeaking and freezing :mad0259: When it was in for detailing/opticoat, he pointed out how much different the front end looked as well as the side fender pieces (where the 86 pistons are) and how scattered the thickness of the paint was. He tried to avoid doing too much work on the front end just in case the clear was at a critical point. When i bring it in for service, i'm going to make sure it's nice and lean and make them look at it in direct lighting, whether it's out in the sun or whatever and see if they'll do anything about it.

Alan, I was pointing out that a rock(or a Kangaroo) would still mess up your front end regardless of paint thickness. But insects and sand and other tiny objects most likely will penetrate thin paint at half the thickness of the other areas whereas it most likely wouldn't cause damage if it were the proper thickness.

the Paint thickness testers are sketchey at best. I have ran countless Gage R&R tests on every tester I can get my hands on and my conclusion is thickness testers cannot be trusted. If you truly want to know the thickness of the paint you have to cut a cross section and measure it under a microscope.

That being said I have been able to find a paint defect on the front right portion of my hood. It can only be seen if the light is perfect. It looks like small dents in the clear coat. The dealiership has commited to paint it, i am just not sure when

I'm not surprised by the thickness of the paint...it's a Japanese car...people always talk about how they're so much more economical to buy yet never consider where the money is saved. It's especially true of Asian cars but recently American car companies have started to do it too to meet MPG standards...they pay engineers to look at things like door handles to literallly redesign them as cheap and flimsy as possible but still meet the functional needs. When people go to test drive a car they're careful (they don't own it and don't want to be billed for the car) sure maybe they give it a little gas to test accelartion/braking/shifting but they don't yank on the door handles, slam the trunk and doors, shake the seats, lean on the center console, etc. etc. I like to do all that BEFORE I test the drivability...because if pieces are going to fall off/break you can have the most economical engine but it's still a POS. By comparison to the Focus and Genesis our car is fairly well built. *2 cents*

I get a chuckle out of the "poor paint talk" on our cars. I'm approaching 7000 mile and I have yet to get a single blimish on the front of my car. My 02' Miata had 38000 miles when I traded it in and the front in looked like it had been thru a sand-blaster. (Perhaps a slight exageration!)