I think that's an unfair assessment. First, she purchased a "protection package" from the dealer...yea, its a scam. But nonetheless, she was taking it in to have it waxed, which is more than what a lot of car owners do. Yes, salt air environment is worst than clean air, but the paint issue is caused by inferior clearcoat quality and thickness, and thus sun damage not salt air. There are many cars in the area that she lives, and car paints are doing just fine...the issue is Honda, not owner abuse. The paint on my Fit was crap and I don't live near the beach, and my headlights are also having issues...I'm constantly having to clean then vs the other cars I have. Take your 2 cents and move on.

 

Let me answer for her...yes, it came with a guarantee. They guaranteed that if something bad happens with the paint that they do nothing to help and tell the owners "tough s&#t".

 

Why would a dealer put something on your paint that reduces the the life so that Honda is liable for repainting? Whether there is a protectant or not people need to be responsible for how the care for their 2nd most expensive purchase behind a house. I wash my car as much as I can and detail every 3 to 6mo.

 

The protection plan isnt something added to the car to protect for no wax etc. Again this is nothing new. Integra's/civic's with this same paint look exactly the same as yours. I'm sorry you think paint should look as good as new w/o waxing it at least one a year and washing once a week. Salt and other element sitting on the paint get "baked" in the paint and it starts breaking down the paint. It's simple science. Dont get mad. I'm trying to help. If the car gets treated the same as it was before you can expect the same thing to happen again in another year or two. I guess honda wouldn't cover the lights huh? The paint shop wouldn't even wetsand them while there?

 

FYI, my car gets rinsed off with a hose most every day, and gets washed now and then. Yes, I do live 3 blocks from the beach and do not have a garage or carport. I cannot control the Florida sun or sand. My dealership knew where I lived when I bought the car, and so they talked me into the Auto Butler service to protect against the SUN. If you check the Auto Butler website, they specifically state that it is a "sunscreen" that protects against UV rays, road grime, contaminants, acid rain, tree sap, and bird droppings. They also (as they state on their website) do not recommend waxing. And no, Honda (nor the dealership that graciously helped me out) did not buff my lights. But I am happy with what they did do at no cost, so I will probably just buy a tube of toothpaste and do the lights myself.

 

09 Blue Sensation here and suddenly in the past few days some white areas developed on the roof. Thought something got on it but it's the clear coat going bad. Not happy about it at all. Looks terrible.

 

many years ago thee was a problem with acid rain flaking paint on lots of cars, mostly GM.
first, do you live downwind (east of ) a coal fired power plant, likely the source of corrosion. don't know of a typical problem with fits everywhere so check potential source of corrosion.
good luck.
ps honda should cover the flaking. paint solutions against acid rain has been known for 20 years.

 

The paint on my 09 Taffeta White Fit Sport is fading on the hood and roof despite having had good care. I'm very disappointed about this and question the quality of the paint.

Sure am glad the wife keeps her red Civic SI inside.

 

Last year I noticed some small areas of discoloration on my roof.
Now about 50% of the clearcoat has flaked off -I visited my dealer today. They found additional areas at the edges of the roof outside of the rubber strip that were also beginning to fail.

They stated they had never seen this on a Fit before - but I find that hard to believe as I've personally observed at least 2 other Fits in the local area (in the same blue as mine) with the same problem - one was much WORSE with the 1/2 of the hood affected.

The dealer informed me that the paint warranty expires at 3 years and they would ask corporate if they were willing to help. They readily admitted to the Civic problem, which looks exactly the same.

When I googled this problem I only came across a few Fits with flaking clearcoat - and all of them were the same color as mine. Coincidence? Don't think so. Any other forum members having this problem, that haven't already posted to this thread? Would love to be able to aggregate some data to offer Honda, maybe we could get a paint warranty extension as they have done for Civics (though that took legal action I believe).

Thanks,
Sandy

 

Sandy, see post number 18. It's best to find a dealership that will fight for you..if possible. For the most part the Honda company is a stingy butt-hole of a company, so expect little from them, if you go at it alone. I won (well, sort of) because my dealership complained to Honda, fought on my behalf, and didn't want a Fit driving around looking like crap. Good luck....and my next car won't be a Honda.

 

sounds like Auto Butler should pay. On their site, they say they protect your car from anything outside of manufacturers defects.

Q. Can I still wax my vehicle?

A. After having the Premier Paint Protection II applied to your vehicle, there is no need to wax. However waxing your vehicle will not harm the paint protection or void your warranty. We also recommend regularly washing your vehicle using a soft cloth carwash.

From their website text, this "protection" sounds like just a form of sealant. it is not a wax at all. If you followed their direction that wax is not needed whatsover, you really was not putting any protection on the clear coat. With my noobish experience detailing, detailers highly recommend following a sealant with a wax at all times. Hence if you haven't been really waxing your car, your clear coat will fail regardless of this sealant.

 

For those of you with flaking clear coat on the roof (2009, blue), would you mind sharing your date of mfg info (should be on the label in the door jamb)? I would like to see if I can demonstrate a pattern - I took my Fit to the dealer to complain of the same roof problem. It now extends to the very top of the rear quarter panels as well - (the very top edge of the quarter panel, bordering the roof is showing wear-off as well - the paint shop mgr actually found that - I wasn't aware of it). They estimate that to correct everything (tear it down and repaint the roof AND the rear quarter panels) will run $2100 and Honda is willing to cover all but $700. In my mind if they are willing to pay anything, it's an admission that they have some liability in this.

Thanks,
Sandy

 

Sandy, I don't think it's an issue of when it was manufactured, but rather just poor clearcoat material and thickness. My 2009 was manufactured in the early production year (Oct 2008). I went to several paint shops and got prices under $1,000. In the end, Honda repainted the roof, hood, and upper door rails...and I think I had to pay around $200 or maybe $300. Nonetheless, the problem is the lack of quality associated with the clearcoat...and my next vehicle won't be a Honda.

 

My '09 Blue Sensation paint looks absolutely terrible on the roof and hood. The car looks like a piece of junk compared to just about every other '09 car on the road. I'm sure the resale value will take a hit. Thanks Honda.

 

Blue was the color that gave up in the 80's and 90's on all the Chevy and Ford cars and trucks.. Blue is very sensitive to UV according to a buddy of mine that does restorations, says its the easiest paint to sand off a car.. Anecdotal but makes me wonder..

 

Paint measurements with my PTG show my Fit is very lean on paint & clear. Some readings are as low as 60 microns up to 80 or 90...

On other manufacturers (ford, gm, etc..) you should see anywhere between 112 to 180 microns.

That, plus Honda has very soft clear coat... So horizontal panels (like the roof) will take a beating.

After the roof is fixed, my suggestion is wait the required 90 days for the paint to cure, then apply a nano-glass ceramic coating (i.e. CQuartz UK, Optimum Opti-Coat, etc...) It will apply a layer of strong protection (better than wax or sealant) and last up to 2 years.

However, with that said, post factory paint will be much higher in microns (could be as high as 200 - 300) because a human will be spraying vs. a robot, but will still be soft because baking temps won't be as high as factory.

 

i never ran into the issue on my 10. i did at one point have the roof vinyled black then i just decided to have it painted professionally and i have had no regrets.

 

My 2007 Fit, manuf'd in mid-late 2006, Milano red, is having paint fading problems, but only on metal panels. The bumper covers, door handles, mirrors and other painted plastic bits are all holding up very well. Anybody have an explanation. When purchased a plastic film was applied over the front part of the hood to protect it from stones. It also prevented paint fading so now the hood is half pink and half red. I thought the pink could be buffed out so I wasn't concerned. I tried buffing last week and guess what, no luck. The clear coat is very thin so I didn't force the issue. The buffer made white mud, not pink mud so I did not get aggressive.
I am in Canada, long dark cold winters, sandy/salty winter roads.
The uneven fading is what enrages me. If the entire car was the same I would not be upset.
Any and all comments would be appreciated

 

All the metal pannels have gone pink. I have no clearcoat on the car so it isnt pealing . Its almost like the paint is moving away from itsself. At some point I will need a whole new repaint of malono red. Very noticeable difference between when the car was new vs now. I heard that hondas paint was eco friendly /water based so it could adhere better on plastic pannels that are black by nature unpainted then the aluminum ones which feel like they laid the paint on unprimed surface or simply didnt do enough coats. Something to be said about marine enamel. I like the fade look it makes me feel like im repping for the world a truth about quality from honda.

 

Hood paint peeling
Roof paint peeling.
I am having the same problem with my 2010 Blue Fit. I took to my local dealer and they took pictures and never went any further. I am willing to take my car to the space coast if they can fix it. Any advice?