Worried about new paint process?

[JimmyJames]

So I noticed at less than 1k miles I already had a nice little chip on the front of the car. And then to top it off I got a tiny little door ding and the paint is chipped there also. I’m talking about a very minor ding that should not have a chipped the paint. I’ve gotten many dings in my doors in the past on different vehicles including an 06 Chevy where I’ve had much worse without a single chip. Upon inspection of the chips you can feel that the coat of paint is super thin. Something I’d expect from a budget paint job…..
So this got me searching and I saw some other complaints here on the forum but I found this article from GM about the new cheapo… er I mean Eco friendly paint process being used on the Sonics. I was wondering if anyone else has had this same concern about the new paint process Chevy is using the Sonic to experiment on?


Chevy Sonic Gets Eco-Friendly Paint Job

I really think we all need to keep track of the issues us sonic owners have with chipping paint. Because if there’s no recall, I think there will definitely be cause for a class action suit with enough claims and support to have Chevy repaint our cars with quality paint. There’s plain evidence of the paint process being changed on our cars as a test platform which is causing sonic owners to suffer from subpar paint durability.



Either way, my car is getting an Xpel Ultimate clear bra put on today and having the chip in the front fixed. The bra will consist of entire front fascia, 24” up the hood and fenders, with a-pillars, mirrors, door handles, fogs, and now I added behind rear wheel wells for 750.00. So hopefully this will protect it pretty well for now, but I still have exposed doors. I already know the cost to wrap those will not be cheap, considering what the increase in cost would have been to get the full hood and front fenders wrapped. It’s not like I drive an exotic where I'm going to pay thousands to have the entire car wrapped, so I may just be screwed and have to be even more worried about anything even touching my paint causing a chip…..

Self Healing Paint Protection Film - XPEL ULTIMATE Paint Protection Film

 

[SouthFLSonic]

I have never owned a vehicle that had paint so fragile. My front end is destroyed from all the paint chips this car has. I even went as far to file a complaint for compensation with DOT because of rock chips from semis. Nothing ever came of it but I was mad as hell and had to vent to someone lol.

 

[JimmyJames]

Mileage?

I have never owned a vehicle that had paint so fragile. My front end is destroyed from all the paint chips this car has. I even went as far to file a complaint for compensation with DOT because of rock chips from semis. Nothing ever came of it but I was mad as hell and had to vent to someone lol.

How many miles do you have? Any Pics you can post up?

 

[Ms.DannyStone]

Yeah I had a paint chip the first week I owned my car.. now I have like 8 on my hood and I'm at 37k miles

 

[Spl]

My car's paint is super fragile. The hood as little chips in the paint ALL over it, have only got a chip or 2 on the side from an idiot passing cars on the shoulder...

 

[Crazzyboy]

I have never owned a vehicle that had paint so fragile. My front end is destroyed from all the paint chips this car has. I even went as far to file a complaint for compensation with DOT because of rock chips from semis. Nothing ever came of it but I was mad as hell and had to vent to someone lol.

Try owning a Toyota. I think overall auto paint is getting weaker due to enviromental concerns and cost cutting

 

[FedAgent]

I posted a thread about this exact issue. I have about 12 chips...within 300 miles of owning the car. It now has 2700 miles, and I have since added 6 or so chips. I bought touch up paint but still...this is pretty absurd..im almost at the point that I dont even drive the car in anything but dry, clear weather and when the majority of the road salt has been washed away

 

[Luv2xlr8]

I probably have over 50, and I'm not exaggerating. On my roof about 5, rear side doors right before the wheel well I got a couple and on the hood and bumper looks like spec of dirt but its chips.

Mind you, I have 82,000km and that's about 50/50 city/highway driving but I live in a big city (Toronto) so there are lots of big rigs and semi's on the road.

 

[juliusR]

Many people tend to avoid car paint because of excessive cost and the degree of prep-work involved. Moreover, it has to undergo a ton of testing before it can get put on a vehicle. Car paint screening contains exposing tones of paint to years of brutal climate conditions to see if it can stand up. Article source: Car Paint Test.

 

[davecerv]

Yup, paint is wack. I have three chips on my hatch door that I have no idea how they were created, doesn't make sense. Then I have two chips up front, and one by the right side of the windshield. All of these happened within the first three months of having it (about 4k miles). New quality paint job in the future for sure. I'll be ready.

 

[JimmyJames]

Agreed...

Try owning a Toyota. I think overall auto paint is getting weaker due to enviromental concerns and cost cutting

Im thinking your right. I spoke to my Dad and found out his Scion TC he bought new back in 07 had the same issues before he traded it in. Sounds like just about everyone gets a cheap paint job these days.

Doesn't seem too good for the environment when they don't make cars paint jobs to last requiring a repaint in 5-10 years.

However, I still think the new paint process is cause for blame on the Sonic. My wife's 06 Cobalt has some chips on the hood, but that's to be expected w/ 119k on it now. We have done nothing to maintain that paint and it is still in pretty good condition overall. Not to mention the multiple door dings that didn't result in any chips in the paint.

I'm starting to think my money probably would have been better spent on getting a paint shop to add a few more coats of clear first rather than the bra. Too late now though, the bra wasn't cheap. I've already discussed adding it to my doors now.

 

[ChrisJ]

So my question is it seem cheap cars from multiple brands have this same problem. Does a Caddy or a Vette have paint problems like this? How about a Acura TL or MDX?

My guess is a $40-60k car will have far better paint than a $16-18k one.

 

[JimmyJames]

So my question is it seem cheap cars from multiple brands have this same problem. Does a Caddy or a Vette have paint problems like this? How about a Acura TL or MDX?

My guess is a $40-60k car will have far better paint than a $16-18k one.

I have a friend that always has either a new Acura, Infinity, ect.... and He was just telling me he thinks that the paint jobs as a whole are lower quality these days.

 

[laborsmith]

Many owners of the C7 Stingray are posting paint issue concerns on the Corvette forums.

Part of the Bowling Green renovation to ready the plant for the C7 was an updated paint area.


Laborsmith

 

[Jndc1492]

Sonic is bad car

So I noticed at less than 1k miles I already had a nice little chip on the front of the car. And then to top it off I got a tiny little door ding and the paint is chipped there also. I’m talking about a very minor ding that should not have a chipped the paint. I’ve gotten many dings in my doors in the past on different vehicles including an 06 Chevy where I’ve had much worse without a single chip. Upon inspection of the chips you can feel that the coat of paint is super thin. Something I’d expect from a budget paint job…..
So this got me searching and I saw some other complaints here on the forum but I found this article from GM about the new cheapo… er I mean Eco friendly paint process being used on the Sonics. I was wondering if anyone else has had this same concern about the new paint process Chevy is using the Sonic to experiment on?


Chevy Sonic Gets Eco-Friendly Paint Job

I really think we all need to keep track of the issues us sonic owners have with chipping paint. Because if there’s no recall, I think there will definitely be cause for a class action suit with enough claims and support to have Chevy repaint our cars with quality paint. There’s plain evidence of the paint process being changed on our cars as a test platform which is causing sonic owners to suffer from subpar paint durability.



Either way, my car is getting an Xpel Ultimate clear bra put on today and having the chip in the front fixed. The bra will consist of entire front fascia, 24” up the hood and fenders, with a-pillars, mirrors, door handles, fogs, and now I added behind rear wheel wells for 750.00. So hopefully this will protect it pretty well for now, but I still have exposed doors. I already know the cost to wrap those will not be cheap, considering what the increase in cost would have been to get the full hood and front fenders wrapped. It’s not like I drive an exotic where I'm going to pay thousands to have the entire car wrapped, so I may just be screwed and have to be even more worried about anything even touching my paint causing a chip…..

Self Healing Paint Protection Film - XPEL ULTIMATE Paint Protection Film

I am at the dealer now at 1 and half months after puchasing my 2013 sonic. It has around 30 at least nicks on the front and tons more on sides of car behind back doors on both sides. My dealership tells me this is because of my driving they said "you must be driving on non high way roads." Well no actually most have been high way roads in my less then 2 months I've had this piece of crap. So I have been arguing with the dealership over this should be a factory defect they disagree of course. I have been very careful and I can hear little pieces of anything hit my car and the pain chips. I am very unhappy. Now as I leave the dealership yesterday for my one time a year free oil change! mind you I got paper in mail telling me I got free life time oil changes they say" no 1 per year means life time here". So already unhappy about paint and lies of free lifetime oil changes my check engine light comes on with my car losing power going up hills, feeling like its in low gear even in regular drive. I wish I never bought this hunk of crap. I will never buy gm again! Please let me know if anyone else has these problems. I have been careful and taken care of this car in my whole months and half since driving it off the lot yet left with these unfair-issues!!!

 

[xsonicLTZx]

I noticed on my last sonic I had a LTZ IOM, the car had 15k miles on it, im generally stuck in traffic, I had about 12 chips on the hood, one I know of on the pillar I heard when a rock hit it and expected to see one, was to be expected...all the other ones should not of been there, as I honestly cant recall anything ever bouncing off the hood nor did I ever follow behind any trucks. I was really surprised by the amount of chips it had...now on my RS I have not seen anything as of yet...I keep thinking about getting that invis bra put on.

 

[Gio]

If the chips per mile ratio continues I'll need a paint job after one year.

 

[danieH]

Here's my tips:

First, you should find a large, clean area to do the car painting. Next, wash the car. Anything that can be removed from the car (headlights, tail lights, mirrors, trim, etc.) should be removed. Sanding is the next step. If there are spots where the old paint has chipped off, hit it with the spray primer. A well-sanded surface ensures that paint will go on evenly. Apply painter’s tape and mask off the windows and other areas you don’t want painted. Article source: Car Paint Testing.

 

[Italianjoe1]

Paint on cars has gotten a lot thinner as regulations on the auto manufacturers get more strict and they find new ways to get the costs down. All paint is sprayed by robots, so the coats are very thin and precisely even, using just the absolute minimum to cover the base colors, some times that's not even enough. My yellow cobalt was different shades of yellow on the bumpers, because the plastic material is not the same color before painting.

Yes Corvettes and expensive cars have paint issues, although on higher end luxury cars the paint is often 2-3x as thick as what you would find on an economy car like a Sonic.

 

[rodslinger]

I think the biggest factor to these paint issues is the environment, where and how you drive.

My wife has a long commute but it is at relatively low speeds and on clean roads. Our 2013 Sonic is at about 20k miles and the front still looks brand new. The whole car still looks new. It is garaged at home and she parks in a covered garage at work too.

She drove our Mazda5 primarily before that and the front of it looked flawless until I took over primary duties on it. Now after nearly 50k highway miles blasting all over the southeast at 75+ MPH (Florida, Georgia, Carolinas, Virginias, Tennessee, Bama, Kentucky, Mississippi and LA) the front can definitely use a re-coat.