static808

Having a Nighthawk Black RL is a challenge. I am at the point of giving up on looking at the paint job. The hood has more chips then a cookie.

And the other challenge is the fine hairline scratches that show the undercoat. I think these scratches cannot be buffed out.

I am going to do the Zaino treatment in a few weeks. Overall, the car is great but when comparing to some other paint jobs (Mercedes, BMW), those paint jobs seem to hold up better.

Just a little frustrated. I have 16K miles and 1 year is in October...just very annoyed.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Well, it's a common thing on all cars now, pretty much regardless of price. You'll hear the same complaints from owners of 100,000+ supercars produced in the last few years. The problem is not one manufacturer or the other, but rather the new requirements for paint. Older paints used an oil-based solvent and, when dried, were much harder. Newer paints are required to use a water-based solvent, which results in the paint being not nearly as hard and not nearly as durable. Such is the trade-off for environmental protections.

bkw

How do you wash your car and have you considered a clear bra?

static808

I looked into a clear bra but for now, its probably a useless thing.

I usually wash the car by hand. Use the meguiers wash products. Also use a fine cotton cloths to dry and detail..

I am looking for a mobile paint touchup service in New Jersey. Looks like they have businesses in Southern California.

VeeralS05

just never put it through an automatic carwash.... those make alot of scratches... i know I did once or twice...or a few times

phile

I thought the RL's paint job was sand blasted and has something like 7 coats of paint?

GoHawks

The RL is hand sanded which allows a smooth look to the paint when it dries. Sanding has nothing to do with paint chips and durability.

Stone chips are inevitable and a clear bra is your only option.

Scott in Houston

My 911 Turbo and my E60 M5 are just as bad.
It's an enviro thing and it's water based paints and mentioned above.

Surprisingly, the best paints come from domestic cars in terms of toughness vs. swirls, etc. It's too bad those paint jobs are on POS cars.

The price point of the car doesn't change the quality of paint issues.

static808

Thanks everybody for the feedback. I guess its inevitable. A real shame especially with the RL and other nice cars like Scott in Houston's 911 and M5.

I found a local detail shop that will Zaino my RL for $150 with the clay bar and everything. I might do considering the starter kit is about $90. Any thoughts.

Scott in Houston

What I found that works best. 3M Hand Glaze followed by a good Carnuba. It hides all swirls very well and leaves a deep shine.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

Might be worth it to have a professional detailing done and then looking into a good detailing regimen that you can maintain on your own. Also, consider applying one of the many polymer sealants available to the paint. This should improve the situation a bit.

Check out the Wash & Wax section in the Off-Topic area and read up. Lots of pro detailers on the site with great info for you.

Benush

$150 is a decent price considering the time needed to do a good job and keeping the garage/shop dust free for the Zaino to set up is tough at home. I used the "home" kit on another car and it took almost 2 days in the garage and more work than this old fart wants to do. It sounds like you are getting the labor for about $70.

If you "do" have some body shop fix all the rock chips and then buff out the cracks and swirls then I recommend the ClearShield as a rock chip preventative. They have 2 templates for the RL. One is little more than a front cover, but the other one has every leading edge covered. I don't know how it would show up on the black paint but its fairly invisibile on the dark blue. I looked at 3Ms clear bra and one that is called CLEARBra (supposedly 50% thicker) and settled on the ClearShield.

The Acura paint stinks. I still have my 95 Integra GSR in Stealth Grey Pearl that looks like it was in a sand storm because the clearcoat is so worthless. I had one section repainted and another would start to show wear so i finally gave up.

Anyway, back to the Zaino... its great stuff and takes very little to keep it shiny, but it is labor intensive and needs a dust free environment for much of the application so I say splurge on the $70 labor and if you need to justify the cost, think about how much an Acura shop charges for an oil change/inspection.

Again, just my

Ben

jftjr

I wholeheartedly concur... $150 is cheap for a clay bar and paint sealant. Last time I got a hand wax at my local detail shop it was $90, and they didn't clay bar or polish -- that would have sent the price up into the $200's or more. (and no, it wasn't my RL... it was my girlfriend's car...)

So, I say, do it.... and you have someone to yell at if it isn't perfect, too.

static808

Thanks everybody for the feedback. I am going to setup the appointment for next week. Will provide information on the process and overall experience.

I will say is that the paint jobs on these RL's are amazing. They really stand out and are eyecatching. They really make the car.