Caring for our soft paint
 

I do my best to practice good methods when washing/maintaining the appearance of my cars. However, this is easily the first car I've owned where I can lightly knick the paint with my fingernail (no real force downward) while washing it and dig completely through the clear coat with my fingernail. Now, I know Nissan is known for soft paint and all that, but this seems a bit insane to me.

Anyway, I haven't had this car too terribly long (~6mo). I was wondering if you guys have learned some good methods to keep these delicately painted cars looking, at least, fairly good.

Additionally, are there any good ways to harden up the exterior a bit to protect leaves, dandelions and other soft objects from scratching the car in the future?

See Junkman2008's videos on paint care.

Thank you! I'll take a look and see if I can learn a bit

Fingernails are overrated. :D

I've had CQuartz ceramic coating on my Z for over a year and love it. Prep and application takes a lot of time but I think its worth the protection.

Have you noticed a tangible difference in the durability before and after? I have yet to meet anyone who actually had it on their car.

I can definitely tell that there is a difference. I don't get any micro swirls from using a California Car Duster, washing, or detailing. Also light scratches from door dings/etc are easily buffed out. I only know of a couple people in person who have it on their cars and they love it.

That's odd. There is a sticker on the underside of my hood that states hard clear coat.

Regardless, mine has 22PLE applied almost a year ago.

i think it just means 'hard' to take care...

Opticoat 2.0 on mine. No issues and water still beads like crazy.

Having some sort of additional protection beyond wax like a ceramic coating (CQuartz/Opticoat/etc) definitely makes a difference. I was so impressed that I even put CQuartz on my wife's Juke. The black paint on here Juke was easily blemished and I can really tell the difference in paint durability with the black color.

Sweet! I'll definitely be looking into a ceramic coating of some kind. My car sleeps outside, so I have a lot to contend with if I intend to keep it looking as good as possible.

It's an uphill battle. Best way to keep it looking new is diligence in washing, waxing & polishing. Used the two bucket method and make sure all your washing supplies are clean. Spend the money on a quality wax, polish and polishing equipment. A good wax or synthetic coating will help protect the paint from the elements, but it will do nothing to avoid swirls and scratches. Above all, don't let anything sit on the surface that shouldn't be these. Bird droppings, tree sap etc...destroys the paint. The only thing I can think of that would work is a clear wrap and it can get pretty expensive. A clear bra is good compromise since it's usually the part that gets chewed up the most from daily driving.

I decided to wrap my hole car with Xpel. It seems to be self healing when there are small scratches. I got black car so it was worse than any other color. I can easily left scratch on my car with a touch by my finger when my car is covered by dust.

That sounds real interesting, since I have had many problems with my paint... Like some others, it just seems to scratch itself....

Especially concern, since Nissan just repainted the roof, because of a paint defect under warranty..

I leave my car in the garage most of the time and just the air running over it causes micro marring and scratches hah...good luck!:)

Where did we come up with the "Nissan is known for soft paint".... Is this a factual statement?
My 2011 Black cherry Has 40k on it and it looks better than showroom, with exception to the usual rock chips and whatnot on the front bumper....

You would have had to have worked on a bunch of other cars to tell the difference between Nissan paint as compared to other manufacturers. The paint isn't actually softer, it's just that there is not as much there, especially when we're talking about clear coat. That makes it easier to correct but easier to chip also.

Agreed.. I actually did a short search on google, and basically all I came up with was people whining in forums and such about it being soft.. Nothing proven, just pissed off owners whos cars are scratched. Hell, I got road chips too, but so does my chevy, my Subaru, and my Ford, and every other car ive ever owned. I will say that the Z is the only one they really bother me on, though...lol
I was just curious as to where the statement originated, that's all.

Ha!

If you think Nissan paint is bad, don't buy a Subaru... worst paint ever!!

The clear-coat is insanely soft. I have a magnetic black 2015 and went through the clear with a fingernail while trying to get some debris off like I would normally do on other vehicles with no problem, here it's a problem. I'm a fanatic Junkman 2000 2-bucket wash guy here (that man is awesome in real life too), keep the car in mint condition, so it's not like I'm careless, it's just an incredibly soft finish--disappointing. Seriously disappointing when you ruin your own finish.

I'm gonna have to raise the BS flag on that one, Unless your nickname is wolverine....lol

Well still stand by that it scratches itself, soft / thin paint / not enough paint... it is just a pain.......

The paint on newer cars seems to be quite a bit softer and thinner than it was back in The Good Ole Days (1950s thru early-1970s). But I don't have any kind of scientific evidence to back that up - just the way it looks to me. I always assumed it was because of EPA regulations pertaining to paint fumes.

If you are going through the clearcoat or paint with your polishing, you're doing something wrong. See Junkman2008's paint care videos.

No kidding, when de-badging I found out the adhesive was better quality than the clear coat... Kidding on that, but did dig in, and was using tape, all plastic tools, 3M adhesive remover, and a Bosch digital heat gun. My fingernail is what did me in, and that's never happened before. I was fairly OCD on that event...still hold a grudge... LOL

You can believe it or not, there are some heavy-handed people out there, but this time it was actually a fingernail.

Would opticoat really preserve and protect our soft paint?

Without having used it on the Z yet, I'm going to say "yes."

The first thing is to wash the car.
Second, clay the clearcoat.
Third, use a mild cutting compound to remove the scratches put in while claying.
Fourth, polish.
Fifth, apply CQuartz (or Opticoat).
Sixth, wax.

The wax sheds water and dirt, and the less dirt there is to remove the better. Dirt is the abrasive that ruins the finish. The wax protects the CQuartz from being scrubbed off. CQuartz protects the clearcoat from being damaged by the abrasive dirt. The clearcoat protects the paint. Each soft layer we add is sacrificial, protecting the next.

None of that will protect against stone damage, nor keep the car from wadding up in a wreck. It extends the life of the finish by helping protect against micro-abrasion. Bug bodies will come off easier, and bird splat won't react with the clear coat until it has gotten past the other barriers. The slick finish will keep dust from sticking to a fair degree, and rinsing the car will pull the water off therefore drying the car. The work and expense is worth it if you value the finish.

I got one of the clear protective coatings that the dealerships apply (mine called the protector) After seeing this thread about soft paint, I went all over my car trying to push my fingernail into the paint & couldn't see anywhere it left a mark. I got this coating to help with the love bugs down here & it has been working great.