LEAF paint....soooooo thin!

[kubel]

They have a few dealers here and there (Suzuki of Wichita had the best deals and ships free). I was actually going to buy either a SX4 or a Grand Vitara just before I decided to get the LEAF. The Grand Vitara is the only new compact SUV in the US that has real 4x4. The SX4 is the cheapest AWD in the US. But they have lousy paint and very few dealers nearby.

 

[Herm]

Sorry for not re-reading this whole thread.. has the paint chipping been correlated with the aluminum panels in the Leaf?.. is the hood aluminum?, is this just an issue for tailgating abusers?

 

[Nubo]

I've had a 2012 for over 6 months and haven't noted any paint damage or defects. Is it possible that they improved the paint process at some point?

 

[TomT]

No, it is the same. A coworker has a 2012 and he has the same paint problems and fragility as the 2011s... Just consider yourself lucky so far...

I've had a 2012 for over 6 months and haven't noted any paint damage or defects. Is it possible that they improved the paint process at some point?

 

[EatsShootsandLeafs]

Part of the reason I wanted a white car this time is because my other car and this one's predecessor are dark and that shows scratches a lot.

My other car is a late model Black Altima. And. Let. Me. Tell. You. Its paint is in ghastly shape. If you look at it wrong out of the corner of your eye a piece of steel wool will fly into picture and swirl around for a while to punish you. It's pathetic paint. I had another black car before this for many years and I swear (in the absence of a real scientific study I can only swear) its paint was much, much stronger.

I'm not kidding, if you simply walk by my Altima and happen to touch it with anything at all it's going to leave a long mark. The thing's paint is a complete disaster.

White cars hide scratches very well. However, they show rust well, too

 

[javan]

In three months of ownership we have already used the touch up paint we purchased at the Nissan dealer to cover up two dings/scratches in the paint of our cayenne red Leaf. One was on the hood (looked like rock damage), and one was on the passenger rear quarter panel (a long scratch). Both covered up fine. We live about 300 feet from the Pacific Ocean, so rust is a constant danger especially since our cars live outside. We own this car, and tend to keep vehicles for a long time.

 

[thankyouOB]

In three months of ownership we have already used the touch up paint we purchased at the Nissan dealer to cover up two dings/scratches in the paint of our cayenne red Leaf. One was on the hood (looked like rock damage), and one was on the passenger rear quarter panel (a long scratch). Both covered up fine. We live about 300 feet from the Pacific Ocean, so rust is a constant danger especially since our cars live outside. We own this car, and tend to keep vehicles for a long time.

egads, that is a remote spot.
how did you get your Leaf there from the dealer lot?

 

[Deleted member 6912]

I clayed my 2012 Cayenne Red SL recently. I wasted my time, there was nothing to smooth off, I was impressed. I've never had a new car so smooth. I got one coat of Zaino on it, need another 3 or so before winter gets here. Hopefully that will protect the paint some, but now I'm worried about scratches. Have to say that the Zaino really makes it shine.

 

[javan]

egads, that is a remote spot.
how did you get your Leaf there from the dealer lot?

32 miles from the dealer to home - no sweat! Jim

 

[mwalsh]

In three months of ownership we have already used the touch up paint we purchased at the Nissan dealer to cover up two dings/scratches in the paint of our cayenne red Leaf. One was on the hood (looked like rock damage), and one was on the passenger rear quarter panel (a long scratch). Both covered up fine. We live about 300 feet from the Pacific Ocean, so rust is a constant danger especially since our cars live outside. We own this car, and tend to keep vehicles for a long time.

Hood is aluminum, or at least it's skin is. No worries about rust there.

 

[javan]

Hood is aluminum, or at least it's skin is. No worries about rust there.

Thanks for the info, mwalsh. Relieves my mind a bit.

 

[mwalsh]

Hood is aluminum, or at least it's skin is. No worries about rust there.

Thanks for the info, mwalsh. Relieves my mind a bit.

No problem. Also holds true for the door(skin)s and the charge port cover.

 

[cwerdna]

I didn't even know Suzuki was still selling cars in the U.S... The quality of all aspects of their vehicles was always suspect... Even Chevy finally dropped them.

The paint on both our Acura and particularly the BMW has done very well and proven to be quite robust and durable.

Suzuki has the worst paint of all automakers that sell in the US. Take a look at a used Suzuki some time. Ford seems to have done quite well recently. Can't really comment on any other brands.

That's going to end pretty soon...
American Suzuki Motors files chapter 11, will no longer sell cars in the United States:
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/05/american-suzuki-motors-files-chapter-11-will-no-longer-sell-car/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[sethr]

Last week I went to Ziebart's to have my Leaf given a pre-winter wax. (They go crazy with road salt where I live.) When I mentioned the thin paint of the Leaf, the manager said "let's see" and got out a paint thickness measuring device. I have never heard of one, and have no idea if it is reliably accurate. But... he put it on my Leaf and then on a Camaro parked nearby. The reading on the Camaro was THREE TIMES the reading on my Leaf. (And no, he didn't try to sell me anything extra. He just seemed genuinely curious.)

 

[mwalsh]

Last week I went to Ziebart's to have my Leaf given a pre-winter wax. (They go crazy with road salt where I live.) When I mentioned the thin paint of the Leaf, the manager said "let's see" and got out a paint thickness measuring device. I have never heard of one, and have no idea if it is reliably accurate. But... he put it on my Leaf and then on a Camaro parked nearby. The reading on the Camaro was THREE TIMES the reading on my Leaf. (And no, he didn't try to sell me anything extra. He just seemed genuinely curious.)

Doesn't surprise me in the least. But very glad to see it confirmed. I knew it wasn't my imagination!

 

[ELROY]

I wonder if the paint thickness gauges even work on aluminum skinned surfaces?

But yes, I just got my LEAF 10 days ago, and it already had 2 pretty good size paint chips on the drivers door. I didn't want to take the risk of them painting and matching the glacier white color, so I opted for them to give me a due bill for touch up paint.

 

[mwalsh]

I wonder if the paint thickness gauges even work on aluminum skinned surfaces?

Even if that's the case, there are plenty of non-aluminum surfaces to take a reading from - tailgate, front fenders, rear quarter panels, roof. Wonder if sethr remembers where the Ziebart guy took the reading?

 

[Herm]

Last week I went to Ziebart's to have my Leaf given a pre-winter wax. (They go crazy with road salt where I live.) When I mentioned the thin paint of the Leaf, the manager said "let's see" and got out a paint thickness measuring device. I have never heard of one, and have no idea if it is reliably accurate. But... he put it on my Leaf and then on a Camaro parked nearby. The reading on the Camaro was THREE TIMES the reading on my Leaf. (And no, he didn't try to sell me anything extra. He just seemed genuinely curious.)

The usual paint thickness meters dont work well on aluminum panels.. no idea what device the Ziebart guy used. Usually people are looking for thicker paint than usual, indicating a repaint job.

http://www.defelsko.com/applications/paintmeter/automotive-paint-meter.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The paint chipping issue could just be due to the aluminum hood.. I just think all you guys tailgate too much.

 

[sethr]

He measured on the roof of both vehicles.

 

[mcochris]

I applied Optimum Polymer Technologies' OptiCoat (OC) to my 2012 White. It was easy to apply, but requires a lot of prep work (strip & clay). Supposedly, you never have to wax your car after it's coated. I hope so, the less I touch my paint the longer it lasts. I can't vouch for how tough or long lasting OC is, but it beads and repels water really well, much better than uncoated paint. The few tree sap and other spots I've had came off very easily, I can tell the product is working. I also applied it to the wheels and they clean up very easily now. I also applied it to the soft shiny black plastic on the center console because that gets micro-scratched very easily. I think the product is working well there too, it even hid some of the existing scratches. OPT also make a non-permanent version called OptiSeal.