[E^vol]

Hey guys and gals, as you know, my wife and I will be buying a Foz soon and I was wondering if the type of paint makes a difference long term? By that I mean that Subaru currently offers 2 paint types, Metallic and Pearl. I'm starting to like the "Camellia Red Pearl" but I've heard that Metallic paint resists fading better than other paint types.

Is this true? And regardless, how are Subaru paint jobs in general?

P.S. Reason I ask is that I currently have an '04 Nissan Sentra SE-R in red and my friends say that I drive a pink car. Nissan paint sucks!!!

 

[4str]

My Acura suffered a clear coat failure, and I washed it regularly and waxed it at least 2x per year.

It was a metallic paint. Sometimes, you just get unlucky.

 

[rusty jake 11]

I traded my 2001 Outback in Dec. '09. I religously waxed my car twice a year(spring/fall), and she didn't look like a 9 year old car. The dealership said it was one of the cleanest trade they'd seen in a while. Just take care of your paint job, and it should look good for a long time.

 

[Lovesubaru]

All you need to take care of the paint for long run

Porter Cable 7424XP with 10 Lake Country Pads

2 buckets with grit guards

NXT wash

Meguiars SwirlX

Meguiars Ultimate Compound

Meguiars 105

Meguiars 205

NXT wax

ColorX

Clay Bars

20 microfiber towels

Result is priceless...:bling::bling::bling:

 

[E^vol]

So no one really knows if there is a difference between the two types of paint?

 

[ddavidv]

Yes, someone does. :biggrin:

There is no difference in longevity. They are all clear coat paints, so offer the same UV protection. Thickness of the application more than anything determines the durability as it does wear and break down over time. Keeping it out of the weather or covered will do far more than waxing to preserve a good finish. When you wax, you are always removing a small layer of paint (clear) so are slowly minimizing the thickness. Wether or not the wax you are applying replaces that layer or improves upon it is open to debate.

Prior to the clear coat days it was a vastly different story, and wax was the protective layer instead of the clear.

A 'pearl' color (if it truly is...they can call colors whatever they want; it doesn't make them so) would actually be a 3 stage paint. In a simplistic way, it's a transparent color over a base to give added depth to a finish. It really doesn't change anything other than making color matches a bigger PITA in most cases if you need to repair it. Oh, and of course it costs way more to fix.

 

[tmgoethe]

A simple wax or sealant should not remove any finish, but we usually have to use something to clean the finish before waxing if we want it to look nice. That will remove finish as will the one step cleaner wax products. Which product you use determines how much finish goes away.

It is fairly common to have to be somewhat aggressive on a new car, alas, as they often get coated with protectants that are hard to get off or they get covered with pollutants while on the dealer lot. Often the dealer has done that before delivery, but mine didn't and I had to clay it and use a fairly strong cleaner to get it all off.

Take a look at the Autopia forum for a lot of information as well as the links here on finish care. Places like Autogeek and Classic Motoring Accessories also have a lot of information on the products they sell.