[John Christiansen Jr.]

Currently I drive a 2013 Mazda CX-9 and one of the things that bugs the most about that car is the poor paint quality on that car. I mean if you look at the thing funny it develops a new scratch on it down to the metal. The paint on it is just really, really thin. So my question is how is the paint quality coming out of the SIA plant in Indiana. I know Subaru makers several cars there and was wondering on like the Outbacks and Imprezas, what is the paint like on them and what can we expect with the new Ascent?

 

[Burutoo]

It's the same as your Mazda. If you are concerned about chips and scratches def consider a clear bra/paint protection film. All/most new paint is water based and thinly applied to save costs and the environment so I have found paint chips very easily on newer cars but especially Japanese cars.

 

[Jimmy D]

It's the same as your Mazda. If you are concerned about chips and scratches def consider a clear bra/paint protection film. All/most new paint is water based and thinly applied to save costs and the environment so I have found paint chips very easily on newer cars but especially Japanese cars.

I have had a 2008 Forester, 2012 Outback 2015 Forester, 2016 Forester and 2017 Forester and never had a paint chip on any of them. If the paint used on the Ascent isn't something new, don't wory about it.

 

[Nemesis099]

I didn't think anything had changed since my '02 WRX. I plan on waxing it multiple times a year to try and protect the paint but I agree with Burutoo if you really want it protected you will need a bra of some sort.

 

[Burutoo]

I have had a 2008 Forester, 2012 Outback 2015 Forester, 2016 Forester and 2017 Forester and never had a paint chip on any of them. If the paint used on the Ascent isn't something new, don't wory about it.

you must have some pretty pristine (IE: non-winter) roads where you are or you dont put many miles on them? my 2015 wrx looked like it had gone through a sandblaster after 3 years of tough chicago salt-ridden winters and construction filled summers. I took my 2016 Miata on a 2000 mile roadtrip last year to the tail of the dragon and it has chips and road rash over the front end and oem front and side splitters. Looking back I should have gotten PPF on it also or covered it in painters tape or something.
Just like all things the region, weather and driving conditions play a role in how something like paint will hold up regardless of what vehicle but from my experience in my region I don't recall my older cars paint chipping as easily as my modern cars do.

 

[pilot1226]

Eh, the front of my 2011 Outback has a few chips from road debris. It happens. But, that's what my paint touch-up pen is for.

 

[Sparkland]

If you don't want to be kicking yourself a few years down the road, please get some kind of protection for the front area of the vehicle! It can be the proverbial clear bra, ceramic coating, or something else.

When I detail my vehicle (wash and wax on weekends), I want it to be blemish free. I understand the occasional rock will pierce the protective coating, but I don't want the hood of my brand new car looking, as previously described,"looking as if it had gone through a sandblaster."

The paint is susceptible to scratches and if you have a darker color you may see swirls from even using a microfiber towel to dry the vehicle after washing. Those swirls are pretty much unavoidable unless you are a professional detailer. I owned a beautiful Dark Cherry Pearl Honda Ridgeline and my sons both own Rally Blue Pearl WRX's. The paint on the WRX's is pretty much defect free except for the swirls. They avoid car washes with brushes and wash their cars at home.

Enjoy your vehicle now, but protect it so it still looks good five years down the road.

 

[John Christiansen Jr.]

Thanks for the info and all those that chimed into this post. Looking forward to our new Ascent when ever it comes and the blue looks like it is going to be awesome color in person so I want to do all I can to make sure it is taken care of. I live in Alaska so weather can be very harsh on a car's paint. Will be looking into a clear bra once the car is at our dealership up hear, something I did not do when my wife and I bought the CX-9 brand new in 2013.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

I have plenty of pics of my 2010 Subaru Outback on my wall and my FB Subaru Ambassador page. There are a few chips here and there, but the paint has held out well. I can share some photos of the few chips on the car.

BUT, keep in mind, I've got over 220,000 miles (not typo, yes, it's a 2010), and much of those miles have been pretty abusive, including a lot of ocean beach driving, driving through ocean tidal pools, "shoveling" snow with my front end, carrying around a LOT of lumbar on the roof, and general Metro NY driving and parking.

So, short version is, even with a LOT of miles and abusive driving, my paint still looks very good.

 

[Gueromeister]

If you don't want to be kicking yourself a few years down the road, please get some kind of protection for the front area of the vehicle! It can be the proverbial clear bra, ceramic coating, or something else.

When I detail my vehicle (wash and wax on weekends), I want it to be blemish free. I understand the occasional rock will pierce the protective coating, but I don't want the hood of my brand new car looking, as previously described,"looking as if it had gone through a sandblaster."

The paint is susceptible to scratches and if you have a darker color you may see swirls from even using a microfiber towel to dry the vehicle after washing. Those swirls are pretty much unavoidable unless you are a professional detailer. I owned a beautiful Dark Cherry Pearl Honda Ridgeline and my sons both own Rally Blue Pearl WRX's. The paint on the WRX's is pretty much defect free except for the swirls. They avoid car washes with brushes and wash their cars at home.

Enjoy your vehicle now, but protect it so it still looks good five years down the road.

What is a “ ceramic coating” ? Do you apply it yourself and is there a brand that is recommended? Anything else to know about it?

 

[Robert.Mauro]

What is a “ ceramic coating” ? Do you apply it yourself and is there a brand that is recommended? Anything else to know about it?

$1,500-$2,000 for a good one, and no, I wouldn't apply it myself. Opti-Coat Pro, C.Quartz, and Ceramic Pro are the three big ones.

 

[Carl Abrams]

Eyesight is standard - so watch what you do

I live in Alaska so weather can be very harsh on a car's paint. Will be looking into a clear bra once the car is at our dealership up hear, something I did not do when my wife and I bought the CX-9 brand new in 2013.

Note that, unless something has changed within the last couple of years from the Subaru engineers - nothing with a line can be put on the hood. So if you're going to do a clear bra, you'll need to do the whole hood, not just a partial bra.

Minor detail - ALL of the Ascents have Eyesight. And while it's entirely possible that it might not do anything, it's also possible that it COULD. We had this discussion with the engineers years ago. It's like when you go through a pull-through carwash. You turn your collision avoidance system off for one simple reason. It might not trigger when the brush comes down, but it MIGHT and then your car slams the brakes on in the middle of the car wash - which I think we'd all agree could be a bad thing.

Same reason you don't put Rain-X on the windshield. It makes the water bead up and run up - which then tends to pool at the top of the windshield and could block the cameras.

 

[Gueromeister]

$1,500-$2,000 for a good one, and no, I wouldn't apply it myself. Opti-Coat Pro, C.Quartz, and Ceramic Pro are the three big ones.

Have you found it to be worthwhile to have the coating applied to your car?

 

[meyeracer06]

Also keep in mind you can purchase and apply many ceramic coatings (including C. Quartz, etc.) by yourself, if you feel you are competent enough to follow the instructions for the product. These are more difficult to apply than typical waxes and sealants (hence why professional detailers become licensed to use the popular brands and charge up to $2k for application), but it is an option.

There are many more "diy" type ceramic coatings that have hit the market in recent years that offer good protection from environmental effects / swirls, etc while being easier to apply. That being said, non of these will prevent rock chips, as this is what paint protection film (3M, Xpel, etc.) would be used for.

One resource:
Autogeek.net Ceramic Coatings

You can also spend a few minutes on a detailing forum such as autogeekonline.net and and learn a lot about ceramic coatings and other ways you can keep your paint in great condition.

 

[Burutoo]

Ive never personally used one of the ceramic coatings but I've seen the results and it is awesome. Due to cost reasons I chose the PPF instead and highly recommend it. I went with XPEL on my WRX after some research and finding a trusted installer but there are several options available. Also it is my understanding that these 2 products are not mutually exclusive- you can do ceramic coating, PPF, or both.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Have you found it to be worthwhile to have the coating applied to your car?

I will let you know. :grin:

I really want to do it with my Ascent, just because I photograph the heck out of my current Subie, and expect the Ascent will be no different.

But, the Eyesight manual shows that the Ascent definitely sees not just the hood, but also the windshield (top to bottom) and even the tiniest bit of the dash. So, the ridiculous amount of reflectivity may be an issue as Carl indicated earlier.

 

[husker_soze]

Note that, unless something has changed within the last couple of years from the Subaru engineers - nothing with a line can be put on the hood. So if you're going to do a clear bra, you'll need to do the whole hood, not just a partial bra.

Minor detail - ALL of the Ascents have Eyesight. And while it's entirely possible that it might not do anything, it's also possible that it COULD. We had this discussion with the engineers years ago. It's like when you go through a pull-through carwash. You turn your collision avoidance system off for one simple reason. It might not trigger when the brush comes down, but it MIGHT and then your car slams the brakes on in the middle of the car wash - which I think we'd all agree could be a bad thing.

Same reason you don't put Rain-X on the windshield. It makes the water bead up and run up - which then tends to pool at the top of the windshield and could block the cameras.

Thanks for the interesting tidbit about the CAS :tango_face_surprise ... It will definitely be a learning curve for me with all these tech/gizmos on cars now when/if we get the Ascent :nerd:.

A little off topic, but 14+ years ago...I was happy as a clam when got our Pilot that had a multi-disc changer! That's a grand total of 7 (SEVEN!!!) CD's I can insert on the console. :devil:

 

[Dandy]

Note that, unless something has changed within the last couple of years from the Subaru engineers - nothing with a line can be put on the hood. So if you're going to do a clear bra, you'll need to do the whole hood, not just a partial bra.

Minor detail - ALL of the Ascents have Eyesight. And while it's entirely possible that it might not do anything, it's also possible that it COULD. We had this discussion with the engineers years ago. It's like when you go through a pull-through carwash. You turn your collision avoidance system off for one simple reason. It might not trigger when the brush comes down, but it MIGHT and then your car slams the brakes on in the middle of the car wash - which I think we'd all agree could be a bad thing.

Same reason you don't put Rain-X on the windshield. It makes the water bead up and run up - which then tends to pool at the top of the windshield and could block the cameras.

Carl, my wife has a 2017 OB with Eyesight. We have clear bra on it. We had the hood done only part way up. I am attaching a picture so that you can see where the line is. I do know that the shop that applied this stated it was a newer, thin material from Avery that applies better than the 3M product. It sounds as if the 3M product is thicker. This has worked well on her 17 OB and on my 15 Ford Flex. We had the front bumper done, the grill, the hood.

Maybe we got lucky, but we have had no issues over the nearly past 2 years with this on her hood.

 

[Rgashton]

I live in Alaska so weather can be very harsh on a car's paint. Will be looking into a clear bra once the car is at our dealership up hear, something I did not do when my wife and I bought the CX-9 brand new in 2013.

Note that, unless something has changed within the last couple of years from the Subaru engineers - nothing with a line can be put on the hood. So if you're going to do a clear bra, you'll need to do the whole hood, not just a partial bra.

Minor detail - ALL of the Ascents have Eyesight. And while it's entirely possible that it might not do anything, it's also possible that it COULD. We had this discussion with the engineers years ago. It's like when you go through a pull-through carwash. You turn your collision avoidance system off for one simple reason. It might not trigger when the brush comes down, but it MIGHT and then your car slams the brakes on in the middle of the car wash - which I think we'd all agree could be a bad thing.

Same reason you don't put Rain-X on the windshield. It makes the water bead up and run up - which then tends to pool at the top of the windshield and could block the cameras.

This slightly concerns me. We use rain-x windshield washer fluid and it helps to make the rain bead up and run off the windshield. We also use dash cams.

What do people do that use dash cams, radar detectors, toll road transponders, or GPS/phone mounts on the windshield?? Seems overly sensitive if you can't have anything on or near the windshield. We live out in the sticks, will the car slam on the brakes when/if it sees a big dragonfly heading toward the windshield? Lol.

Hopefully they've designed the eyesight system better to be able to function with these accessories nowadays.

 

[pilot1226]

I’m pretty sure the field of coverage for the wipers cleans off the areas in front of the lenses.