paint garbage??
 

I am just not happy with this paint. I have an 09 with 8k miles on it. Tonight i spent 3 hours waxing and detailing my car for the 2nd time this year since i brought her out of hybernation. I just notice swirls and scratches all over it. The paint seems to scratch and chip so easily. Is this just me or is this paint and clear coat just total garbage. I have an svt countour thats a 2000 and i dont have as many swirl marks in it. wtf?

That is one thing that is known on the Z poor paint, It's something your going to have to live with, Or hit up a paint booth and get ready to drop $5,000 - $10,000 easy. And to fix your scratches and swirls watch this,http://www.the370z.com/detailing-was...ge-videos.html and http://www.the370z.com/detailing-was...-zs-paint.html The Junkman knows all. GL:tiphat:

Welcome to THE WORST paint quality in the industry :tiphat:

This

I also have a 13 year old Ford that has better paint than my old 09 370. That's just the way it is.

To keep myself sane I focus on making my Z look good from 10 feet away. If you spend too much time looking at the paint up close you will just be disappointed.

Most people dont know how to do paint correction correctly then blame the industry! I have a Black Z and its flawless after my 2 days of correction.

washing and drying techniques (and using proper gear) make a huge difference.

The clear is soft, but it's manageable. Swirls will be noticeable on darker colors no matter what. I find that you can greatly reduce swirls by using the correct washing techniques and proper paint correction. Seeing as you only spent 3 hours waxing & detailing, I'm gonna assume you're not really using true polishing techniques. Wax is a protectant and the only way to "remove" swirls or scratched is to polish with a rotary or dual action polisher. I can get it perfect or near perfect but I usually spend about two days detailing....same with most cars that need paint correction. If you're using cheap-o microfiber clothes from Walmart or Autozone, you're probably doing more damage. Those things are trash.

Agreed. The two bucket method along with a grit guard will do wonders for keeping the paint free of swirls.

To the op- don't expect a good wash and wax to ever fix your swirls. Certain products, including waxes, have "fillers" that try to fill in those gaps and give you a more uniform paint surface and therefore a better "shine".

The issue is that these fillers are temporary and will end up coming off in a short amount of time and you'll be back at square one.

The only way to fix this is through "paint correction" via use of a dual-action polisher (the aforementioned PC7424XP is a good starting point) along with some pads and compounds. This will *very* lightly "sand down" the clear and eliminate the swirls, setting you up for a paint surface that looks great even before you add product.

Unfortunately for Nissan owners, the clear coat on most all their paints is very soft, which means it can be damaged very easily. I've had a poor quality, brand new microfiber towel leave streaks in the clear, which may not happen on paints with harder clear coats.

Junkman's videos are a great resource to learn about what swirls are and how they can be fixed- check them out and subscribe to his channel. :)

100% true. I will be honest and say the paint seems to chip a little easier then other non Nissan cars I or my family has owned but other then that my paint it perfect except for a few minor scratches or swirls that I have yet to get rid of.

Bottom line is just you have to be extra careful with this car. Other clears are MUCH more forgiving. With the Nissan if you forget to do a double bucket wash or wash your new MF towels multiple times before use... you're asking for a world of hurt.

Oh and you should always carry some cleaner and towels with you. Bird sh!t MUST be removed ASAP otherwise it eats through the clear in no time.

yep. keep disposable gloves, soft paper towels, and polymer based QD in your trunk.

sure the paper towel could haze your finish if you're not careful, but 10000X better than the crap etching your paint permanently.

after your done with the clean up, ball up the towel in your palm, and peel off the glove and flip it over to cover the towel. then tie it like a balloon. then you wont touch the crap at all and just toss it.

hmmm.....sounds like you're either familiar with the medical field or possibly a cleaner/murderer who's done this before.

You should see the front of my Z. It has white dots all over it from rock chips. I sure wish I had done a clear bra. No matter what anyone says this paint chips flippin easy. Right after I bought the car I took a road trip from Vegas to Albuquerque and by the time I got back I couldn't believe the way the front of my car looked. I even tried to get it warrantied as it had less than 1,500 miles. Now it just looks like there is white paint splattered all over the front of my car. Oh well I knew about it before I bought the Z and didn't get the clear bra which was a mistake.


Edit:
Mine is a Gun Metal 2011 sport.

Sounds like a good time to buy Dr. Color Chip.