Paint/PPF Questions

[gsxrex]

I had two questions on paint quality and paint armor that hopefully some owners can answer to now that they've put a fair number of miles on them.

1. For those that didn't get paint armor, how is the front holding up? Is the paint quality decent? I know the past few years paints have become more soft, so they chip easier than they used to.
2. Has anybody seen chips near the wheels, specifically on the lower rear doors? Depending on how far the wheels stick out from the edge of the door/fender, sometimes you can get chips there as well. My STi has a bunch of chips there from the stock BBS wheels.

It would also be good to note how many of your miles are freeway miles.

For me, I plan on getting the front fully done with aftermarket paint armor (bumper cover, full hood, fenders, mirrors). I had all that done on my STi (except with a half hood), and it has been beneficial over the years. I'm trying to figure out if it's really necessary to get the lower doors and sills done. Unfortunately, I don't like the line on the hood of my STi, so if I end up getting the lower doors done, I'll want to get a full door piece, which is going to drive my paint armor price up significantly. I'm also thinking of doing the top of the rear bumper cover, so that my kids won't mar the surface getting in and out of the jump seats.

I'm a field apps engineer, so my day is spent commuting and visiting customer sites all over the Bay Area, and it's almost all freeway miles. I understand firsthand the importance of protecting the front with my driving profile. I'm just not convinced how important protecting the lower doors would be.

Thanks in advance for all the input.

 

[mark]

I have had my S for 3 weeks (~550miles) and I just got a full paint armor wrap put on aftermarket - unfortunately they pointed out 2 small chips on the bottom of the drivers side doors already - no happy about it. I drive almost exclusively freeway also. The paint must be quite soft. I would seriously consider getting at least the bottom of the doors done.

 

[dsmith2189]

protect the doors from door dings. my old black car has so many scrapes and rubs from other cars opening their doors into mine. Also my parking spot has a pipe that limits how far I can open my door. I have to be careful every time I open my car door. My old black car was smaller and never got near the pipe.

 

[shokunin]

protect the doors from door dings. my old black car has so many scrapes and rubs from other cars opening their doors into mine. Also my parking spot has a pipe that limits how far I can open my door. I have to be careful every time I open my car door. My old black car was smaller and never got near the pipe.

I had my lower doors done as well, since the S has a hard line in the sheet metal across the lower part, it's very hard to see or tell that it's there, even when it's dirty. The line in the door creates a hard shadow making it hard to see. I have blue, so YMMV if you get a lighter color.

I also did the full rear bumper since I ordered the jump seats (still on due bill). When I did the initial paint correction before getting the PPF installed I noticed that paint was soft and easily scratched.