My wife has an '04 Milano Red TSX that had some parking lot dings and scapes on the doors. I recently took it in to a bodyshop to get a quote on how much it would cost to fix them. The slaesrep commented that the paint on the horizontal surfaces (hood, trunk) were noticebly more faded than the vertical ones. The car has only 50k km and we intend to keep it for a while longer.

Is this type of fading normal?

 

Red is one of the quickest colors to fade. And if a car is kept outside and sits in the sun a lot any color is susceptible.

 

im keeping my car til it dies i love it..i would consider getting it repainted if you plan to keep it for a long time..your issue is not that uncommon for the red tsx's out there i see it all the time on this website and another tsx website...depending on how much they will charge you and depending on how much longer you keep the car you need to balance those two on a scale and decide what you think is the right thing to do

 

I't a tough call on repainting as a good bodyshop gave me an informal quote of $4000 (Canadian) for a complete repaint. Will have to see what the wifey says.

 

Also helps if you keep it well protected with some good wax (see the wash & wax forum located in Off Topic).

 

$4000 is a lot...then it really depends on how long you plan on keeping it..im saying if you dont keep it for at least another 5-7 years dont do it

 

I would start with a good coat of wax, you might be surprised with the results.

 

try a detail shop=

 

My Red TSX is also fading... Does the faded area need to be stripped to the metal, or can it be scuffed up and paint over it.
I talked to one body shop, and they said the car needed to be stripped right down to the metal.

I also took it to a detail shop to have it buffed... no luck.