Is it me or is everyone having issues with the paint

[C. Charles Hahn]

Originally Posted by 20valvewynn83

So i talked to my body shop friend last night about this issue

Mistake #1.... don't ask body shops about detailing.

and he told me (warned me) not to us this opti coat and said they use to use this after a paint and found after a few years it will jack up the paint making it flake off!

Your friend is uninformed, and it sounds like he doesn't know what this product actually is. I have NEVER heard a single report of OptiCoat causing delamination issues, and especially not on factory paint.

Opti-Coat has only been around since 2004-2005 and in the early years its distribution was highly controlled. Only qualified professional installers, and pretty much only detailers had it, so I HIGHLY doubt your friend's shop "used to use it."

Opti-Coat/Opti-Guard has proven itself to be a perfectly safe product about which you should have zero concerns of this sort whatsoever.

[encity5]

Originally Posted by RRnold

Maybe that's why there is a opti coat 2.0.

I believe opticoat 2.0 was made so installation was easier. so they could feel safer selling it to non professional detailers. The original version I believed cured really fast making it hard for to coat evenly. (so only pros were allowed to use it)

[RRnold]

Originally Posted by encity5

I believe opticoat 2.0 was made so installation was easier. so they could feel safer selling it to non professional detailers. The original version I believed cured really fast making it hard for to coat evenly. (so only pros were allowed to use it)

Yeah I was joking in my post.

[Jesse]

from my experience, subaru has never had the highest quality paint. most toyota products i have seen are a better quality after a few years of daily driving both brands

[encity5]

Originally Posted by RRnold

Yeah I was joking in my post.

ahh haha.

[rick]

Even if it was made by Subaru isnt there like a minimum quality standard check done by Toyota?!

[Pscylo]

If opti makes the paint flake, then it will be time for my custom paint I want~

[stalon320]

Great.. this is not something I want to hear.. So now after spending what will be like $26K for my car next year I will have to worry about the paint?? So how much will this opti-coat cost me? I doubt I will have the ability to do this stuff myself as I don't have all that time on my hands..lol.
Seriously though, what are some of the costs involved in these processes and will they help keep the paint ok and protect it from chips and scratches??

[rice_classic]

Now I'm feeling more and more like an S2000 owner again... The paint on that car was super thin, nicks/chips/scratches came easily.

Glad I set that appt for a clearbra.


What about that Strong Arm or Tough Stuff or whatever the heck it's called?

[reeves]

Originally Posted by Jesse

from my experience, subaru has never had the highest quality paint. most toyota products i have seen are a better quality after a few years of daily driving both brands

Even if it was made by Subaru isnt there like a minimum quality standard check done by Toyota?!

"Most" toyotas might be good, however... I bought a new Scion TC back in 2007, and the paint was terribly thin on that car.. There were tons of TC owners complaining of the same thing on the TC forums back then too. Not sure if the new Scion models still have this problem or not.

I guess Subaru + Scion = Cheap & Cheaper!

[Hamza7]

The paint of these cars are actually pretty soft but they have plenty of paint. Their on the high side at 140-160 microns. Clear bra's are great but for the same price of a complete front clear bra package you can get a excellent paint job. The only difference, clear bra's swirl up and fade and paint job will look better in say 6-8 years.

Just get the repaint done 3-4 years in.

[C. Charles Hahn]

Originally Posted by Hamza7

The paint of these cars are actually pretty soft but they have plenty of paint. Their on the high side at 140-160 microns. Clear bra's are great but for the same price of a complete front clear bra package you can get a excellent paint job. The only difference, clear bra's swirl up and fade and paint job will look better in say 6-8 years.

Just get the repaint done 3-4 years in.

I don't agree with that at all. First off, there are now self-healing clear bras that don't swirl up and, by all indications thus far, don't fade (XPEL Ultimate). Also it is often possible to correct a swirled clear bra.

Unless you're left with absolutely no choice but to have a vehicle refinished following a collision or other substantial damage, it's better to do what you can to retain the factory finish on a vehicle. I would much rather have a clear bra installed and replace it if it wears down or starts to look ratty down the road than simply leave the paint unprotected and have to refinish it in 3-4 years.

[Hamza7]

Originally Posted by C. Charles Hahn

I don't agree with that at all. First off, there are now self-healing clear bras that don't swirl up and, by all indications thus far, don't fade (XPEL Ultimate). Also it is often possible to correct a swirled clear bra.

Unless you're left with absolutely no choice but to have a vehicle refinished following a collision or other substantial damage, it's better to do what you can to retain the factory finish on a vehicle. I would much rather have a clear bra installed and replace it if it wears down or starts to look ratty down the road than simply leave the paint unprotected and have to refinish it in 3-4 years.

XPEL IS having a yellowing issue right now and it difficult to correct a swirled up clear bra. I've tried several time.

A another point is that rock chips can still get through clear bra. even Accumulator has had a problem with that.

When the factory finish is soo soft, why bother protecting it. A good repaint job that will more or less match the exact colour will cost you half as much as a clear bra job. A lot of paint shops, some that I endorse have a life time warranty JUST LIKE XPEL.

For a lot of people, these cars are daily drivers. Give them year and see if they still care about the one or two chips they had when they were new.

If you plan on doing a lease return or selling this in the near future, please get a clear bra it will save you some headache but for everyone else who plans on keeping this car for a while I STILL ENDORSE REPAINT OVER CLEAR BRA.

[C. Charles Hahn]

Originally Posted by Hamza7

XPEL IS having a yellowing issue right now and it difficult to correct a swirled up clear bra. I've tried several time.

Hmm... I haven't heard about that, but I'll take your word for it.

A another point is that rock chips can still get through clear bra. even Accumulator has had a problem with that.

When the factory finish is soo soft, why bother protecting it. A good repaint job that will more or less match the exact colour will cost you half as much as a clear bra job. A lot of paint shops, some that I endorse have a life time warranty JUST LIKE XPEL.

For a lot of people, these cars are daily drivers. Give them year and see if they still care about the one or two chips they had when they were new.

If you plan on doing a lease return or selling this in the near future, please get a clear bra it will save you some headache but for everyone else who plans on keeping this car for a while I STILL ENDORSE REPAINT OVER CLEAR BRA.

We'll have to agree to disagree on that point; I realize that there is no such thing as a perfect solution, but I prefer a different approach than you do.