[mikebert]

I am told my Magnetite Grey Metallic Ascent Touring should be arriving in the next couple of weeks. My question for everyone is, what would you recommend I have done to the interior and exterior as soon as I take possession?

FYI: I live in Michigan and do not have a garage. Have maple trees and birds that like to decorate my care at times.

I'm considering Ceramic Pro for the paint. Anyone who has had this done, would you recommend the 5 year or lifetime application? What about any protection on the windshield? Does this cause problems for the cameras?

Any interior treatment suggestions?

This is the most expensive car I have ever purchased and plan on keeping it for a long time.

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[MAGNUMB]

I am told my Magnetite Grey Metallic Ascent Touring should be arriving in the next couple of weeks. My question for everyone is, what would you recommend I have done to the interior and exterior as soon as I take possession?

FYI: I live in Michigan and do not have a garage. Have maple trees and birds that like to decorate my care at times.

I'm considering Ceramic Pro for the paint. Anyone who has had this done, would you recommend the 5 year or lifetime application? What about any protection on the windshield? Does this cause problems for the cameras?

Any interior treatment suggestions?

This is the most expensive car I have ever purchased and plan on keeping it for a long time.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Ceramic would be best for bird droppings if you don't tend to clean your car very often although doesn't not prevent water spots as well as a good sealant like Jescar every 4-5 months. I enjoy cleaning my car, so i use Jescar or Wolfgang 3.0 Sealant and Collinite #845 wax for an eye popping shine.

As far as windows I use Opti-Seal or Ultima Paint Guard Plus . Easy to apply and can last months. I also use this on the interior trim, but sometimes i break out 303 to protect interior and headlights from fading...both are good. Opti-Seal/Ultima also works well on wheels and make cleaning them a lot easier.

For maintenance I use a waterless car wash like Ultima wash plus in a Solo 418 Pressure sprayer mixed with distilled water and a plush microfiber. Can clean my car in under 5min and looks great. It's it's really dirty i'll do the 2 bucket wash system with the meguiars pink soap and use opti-seal as a drying agent.

Every year or 2 i'll break out iron-x and spray down the whole car and wash that off and then move to a Griots synthetic clay. That gives you glass smooth paint ready for polish or sealant/wax.

 

[Carl Abrams]

I'm considering Ceramic Pro for the paint. Anyone who has had this done, would you recommend the 5 year or lifetime application? What about any protection on the windshield? Does this cause problems for the cameras?

Any interior treatment suggestions?

We have had good success down here with ceramic coatings. Makes it easier to clean.

Do NOT coat the windshield with anything. Sorry - we know people have done so, but it COULD cause the eyesight system to not work properly.

Interior, if it's leather, just clean it with saddle soap every few months and put leather treatment on it, like you would a good pair of boots.

 

[MAGNUMB]

We have had good success down here with ceramic coatings. Makes it easier to clean.

Do NOT coat the windshield with anything. Sorry - we know people have done so, but it COULD cause the eyesight system to not work properly.

Interior, if it's leather, just clean it with saddle soap every few months and put leather treatment on it, like you would a good pair of boots.

The leather is actual vinyl coated, so best bet is to use something 303 or just clean with warm water and soap every so often.

 

[Jason]

We have had good success down here with ceramic coatings. Makes it easier to clean.

Do NOT coat the windshield with anything. Sorry - we know people have done so, but it COULD cause the eyesight system to not work properly.

Interior, if it's leather, just clean it with saddle soap every few months and put leather treatment on it, like you would a good pair of boots.

The leather is actual vinyl coated, so best bet is to use something 303 or just clean with warm water and soap every so often.

Do you know who you are talking to?

 

[zulater]

Do you know who you are talking to?

Have you read his posts?

 

[MAGNUMB]

Do you know who you are talking to?

No, But vinyl coated leather can't be penetrated easily so why use saddle soap? For a Bentley or other high end car saddle soap helps to prevent leather for drying out, for this type of leather it seems like a waste.
and if Subaru designed the eye sight system where rainx or opi-seal will affect it then that sucks, i'd be afraid to take it threw a car wash or ice/snow storm.

 

[MAGNUMB]

Have you read his posts?

I don't typically look at screen names when looking at posts. I probably have just don't know it. If he was the president of Subaru doesn't mean i can't give an opinion:smile:

 

[norway]

No, But vinyl coated leather can't be penetrated easily so why use saddle soap? For a Bentley or other high end car saddle soap helps to prevent leather for drying out, for this type of leather it seems like a waste.
and if Subaru designed the eye sight system where rainx or opi-seal will affect it then that sucks, i'd be afraid to take it threw a car wash or ice/snow storm.

Most cameras see more than visible light, if even by just a little (video cameras typically use an IR cut filter that has to be toggled for night vision mode, for example), but most coatings are meant to be visibly transparent for humans but can and do block other wave lengths. So Subaru calibrates for the windshield and what works the best to perform the job, which is a very complicated and impressive job. That is why they want to avoid reflections from items on the dash or windshield as well. Putting coatings on the windshield could affect how it performs. It isn't so much designing it poorly, it is they can't test and guarantee every type of coating people would use and how it would affect the system in all the different light conditions.

 

[Gueromeister]

The leather is actual vinyl coated, so best bet is to use something 303 or just clean with warm water and soap every so often.

Does the “vinyl” coating crack or flake off of the leather as it ages or is exposed to sunlight?
I know nothing about this subject....but want my “ leather” to last a long time.....I have 6 grandkids from ages 2 to 12...:tango_face_surprise

 

[MAGNUMB]

Does the “vinyl” coating crack or flake off of the leather as it ages or is exposed to sunlight?
I know nothing about this subject....but want my “ leather” to last a long time.....I have 6 grandkids from ages 2 to 12...:tango_face_surprise

I think most front windows have 30SPF or better these days, so sunlight damage isn't as much of a concern, but i still use 303 to protect the dash and seats from any UV that might come in. Sunshade might also be helpful if planning on keeping car 10plus years.

If anything i think the best bet is just to keep seats clean so you avoid abrading them from the dirt you could grind in. I use warm water and microfiber to keep them clean and if really dirty i'll use warm water, soap and a small amount of APC like Simple Green and soft brush then wipe off with microfiber. I apply 303 protectant every 4 months or so and this stuff works wonders. My bass boats have vinyl seats and lots of plastics/rubber. Usually my bass boats seats/rubber bits start to fade after a few years of baking in the sun but my 05 boat seats still look new. This stuff also adds a bit of slickness to seats which also helps from wear and tear. I now keep my boats longer because of this stuff. I also apply to my dark colored front door on my house, since it bakes in the sun and don't want to paint it every few years.

 

[Cfargione]

if Subaru designed the eye sight system where rainx or opi-seal will affect it then that sucks, i'd be afraid to take it threw a car wash or ice/snow storm.

My salesman actually recommended disabling the collision braking system if you're going through a car wash, and I've had the eyesight system in our Outback disable itself in bad rain storms and snow storms. It's designed to turn itself off if it can't see well so it doesn't malfunction.

 

[leky411]

No, But vinyl coated leather can't be penetrated easily so why use saddle soap? For a Bentley or other high end car saddle soap helps to prevent leather for drying out, for this type of leather it seems like a waste.
and if Subaru designed the eye sight system where rainx or opi-seal will affect it then that sucks, i'd be afraid to take it threw a car wash or ice/snow storm.

The problem with the sealers is that they are refractive. They cause light to prism a bit as a result. RainX under certain light makes the windshield look rainbow-ish. Eyesight is a stereocam, so that could mess with the optics.

What happens when eyesight cant identify objects it turns off. In heavy rain//fog/snow it is going to disable itself. So RainX will probably cause eyesight to disable. Nothing more.

 

[Carl Abrams]

The problem with the sealers is that they are refractive. They cause light to prism a bit as a result. RainX under certain light makes the windshield look rainbow-ish. Eyesight is a stereocam, so that could mess with the optics.

What happens when eyesight cant identify objects it turns off. In heavy rain//fog/snow it is going to disable itself. So RainX will probably cause eyesight to disable. Nothing more.

Not exactly just this.

What can happen is that RainX and other coatings can make it so that Eyesight fails to recognize a situation where it SHOULD have worked, but it hasn't actually disabled itself. Or it can make it have a false positive. The other thing that happens is that at highway speed, rain will pool / pond at the top of the windshield and block the camera, thus disabling it.

 

[Carl Abrams]

My salesman actually recommended disabling the collision braking system if you're going through a car wash, and I've had the eyesight system in our Outback disable itself in bad rain storms and snow storms. It's designed to turn itself off if it can't see well so it doesn't malfunction.

Page 30 in the Eyesight Owners Manual.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Rain-X is the problem - not Subaru

if Subaru designed the eye sight system where rainx or opi-seal will affect it then that sucks, i'd be afraid to take it threw a car wash or ice/snow storm.

Subaru isn't at fault for Rain-X causing definite glare and starring affecting image acquisition. Nor can they control what's in Rain-X or other coatings.

Heck, every time I go through a car wash, I need to strip all the wax and Rain-X crap off my windshield, because, though it may make rain bead, it does negatively affect night view.

This is actually an ongoing two decade long complaint about Rain-X.
(and some other coatings)

 

[MAGNUMB]

That's crazy. Never encountered that, although i know if didn't really buff it off it would leave a haze on the windshield. That stuff is hard to buff off.

I started using opti-seal awhile back as i read rainx causes wipers to break down faster and opti-seal also works good for rims and paint. Never heard or had issue with night time glare with rainx.
I also stop using the specialized wiper fluid and silicone wipers only as that fluid is know to dry out or damage the rubber used in the blades and silicone blades last alot longer.

I guess another thing to consider is when using rainx or something similar you might not have to runs the wipers at full speed and therefore eyesight would not be disabled?? Or is eyesight never good to have on when raining hard even though you can see the road.

 

[Freddo80]

First thing I did was make an appointment with a reputable window tint shop. I'm in the Bay Area and got it done real good!


35% all around. I left the front windshield alone. The technician said that Subaru can throw codes and they required you to sign a waiver. I figured it's not worth the hassle and they were honest about not pushing services that don't benefit you.


Golden State Auto Glass, San Jose, Calif.

 

[Leon Braginski]

I live in Seattle, where it rains pretty much from Oct until Spring.

While I never used RainX on Eyesight enable cars (we have two), I used it on 2005 Outback & 2008 Sienna quite a lot.

I never noticed any side effects, other then water will will form spheres (due to water's surface tension) and these spheres would just move up the windshield. When I did apply RainX, until treatment wears off I did not even need to use wipers that often. Water beads would just fly up the window.

I would speculate (without trying) that above behavior would affect water sensing wiper, since it may change how light is reflected by optical sensor (per https://auto.howstuffworks.com/wiper4.htm explanation how sensor works)

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Here's the Rain-X sprayed on a couple days ago at the car wash. The wipers smear it, causing the issues I mentioned above, and it leaves a nasty coating on the wiper as well.