I have had my Fit since March 31 and it has more tiny scratches in the paint than any car I have ever had... seem like any time anything touches it (sand on the road, brush at a car wash, small branches brushing past it), it leaves a scratch (which on my Blue Sensation is a little white line and very obvious up close)...

honestly, I expected better from Honda, my last car, a 93 civic, didn't show scratches this bad!!

I thought I remembered a thread about this before, but I didn't find it in the first couple pages of a search, so I thought I would ask if anyone else has this problem? If so, what's the difference in the Fit's paint as opposed to any other car out there? Maybe it's just mine...

 

i know how you feel. my car doesnt have one area without a scratch.. ive given up caring lol

 

At this rate, by the time I want to sell the car I am going to have to get it repainted to get anything out of it

 

Thats why I'm done with dark colored cars as my daily driver. White or light greys for me on DD's from now on. My two previous DD cars were a Royal Crown Soda can Blue 96 Ford Ranger (my first car and I loved that little 2.3 4 banger) and a Black 03' Mustang GT and I was frustrated everytime I washed either of them. Just a PITA.

I have a 96 Mustang Cobra that is black that sits parked in the garage and 90% of the time its covered with a car cover!

 

yea i have a BSP also n i feel the same way but i LOVE THE COLOR!!!

 

Taffeta White FTW, too bad I have rock chips... need to get some touch up paint.

 

My SSM hides its scratches pretty well, although I heard covering them up is a pain.

 

Have you taken a close look at the interior???

Lift up the back seats and take a look at where the carpet ends. It looks very cheaply assembled, but that's what you paid for :P

 

The one downside of a Honda Fit is the paint. It will swirl like the dickens no matter what you do. Don't run it through a hand wash place! I wash using a two bucket system, grit guard, lambs wool hand mit, start with tires and rim using miscellaneous rag, then wash from the top to the bottom. Only wash a small panel of the car before the mit gets dipped in clean clear water I show my Fit in local car shows and it means doing a extensive job to get rid of the swirls. Megs Swirl X becomes your best friend. I had a black Cavalier RS wagon and sold it after 3 years and not any swirls on that car at all when it was traded in.

Cat :x

 

MCHOFFA:
Ok first off... your really need to learn how to take care of a car.
I'm a car detailer on the side so please take some simple advice.
Please follow these steps to stop scratches from any vehicle....

1) "brush at a car wash it leaves a scratch (which on my Blue Sensation is a little white line and very obvious up close)"
You do know those brushes are used by everyone and their mother. This includes trucks with mud caked on them & People who haven't cleaned their wheels in years with brake dust then use the brush to scrub the wheels...etc. These brushes have thousands of contaminants (rocks, sand, mud, whatever) in them that will scratch your car. DO NOT ...I repeat DO NOT use these brushes at the car wash any where near your fit. You only have yourself to blame for any scratches that occur after using those.

2) "small branches brushing past it" Why in the h*ll are you letting anything rub across your paint? I beg of you please avoid if possible. Just don't let anything like bushes, branches, etc rub against the car. Any car with the thickest paint will scratch in these instances trust me. This is a clear coat issue not a paint. Some cars have harder clear than others but all will scratch if something like this rubs across it....this is not a Honda/Fit problem only.

3) Please read this....
Proper Car Washing
This is the basic steps to properly wash your car and avoid scratches on your car when washing.

http://www.autopia-carcare.com/how-to.html
This is a general guide to take care of your car in whole...

Luckily/Hopefully if you find good detailer more in likely he/she will be able to take most of those scratches out for you (if only in the clearcoat)

I owned a 01 Night Hawk Black Pearl Acura CL-S before the Fit. That car was a scratch nightmare if not properly taken care of..but using proper washing techniques and clay baring and polishing (with a dual action polisher) my CL-S paint looked just as good as the day I bought it.

Here is some examples of some scratches I have been able to get out (This was what happened to my parents car that parked next to a bush) Big no no..
Luckily I gave their car some TLC while they were on vacation.

Before


After

 

yeah the car wash thing is my fault for sure... i have never had a new car, and never had a problem on my old cars before... like I said my old 93 civic (not quite BSP but dark blue) didnt show scratches this easily...

the branches thing... I live in the mountains... lots of roads with small branches sticking out into the road... it's hit small branches or hit an oncoming car... hmmm, which should I choose?

I will not go to the car wash again, getting the stuff to clean my car at home from now on, and not cheap stuff either... I think my next car will be a lighter color for sure.. I love this color, but I can see every bug, every scratch, every smudge...

 

Yea, that was originally the color I was going to get but read a lot of posts on this forum which helped change my mind and I know from experience greys and silvers typically hide better. So ended up with the SSM and am happy to have made that choice.

And to 'Committobefit08'..how exactly did you get that scratch out? It looks like it's right through the clearcoat!
I have a smaller one than that from when the neighbors sister fell against the car and scratched it with her key.
Thanks

 

you should slit her throat

i know i would

just dun tell anyone!

 

Look at the trim color. Is this the same car?

 

Im so tired of reading these threads about people complaining about Honda paint because they have no idea how to take care of their car. It is possible to own a Honda Fit without inducing swirls or scratches. If it scratches easily, it also removes easily.

Very good info committobefit. Heres another great link Car Wash Guide, Car Wash how to - easy steps to shampoo and dry your vehicle using paint-safe mitts and towels, plus sponges, the Grit Guard and

Honda paint is just as good as any other paint. People just half ass theyre washing techniques and them blame the "cheap" quality of the paint.

 

Luckily it wasn't through the clear...or I wouldn't have been able to get it out.
I used a three step polishing process.
Of course washed/clay bar (to remove contaminants in the paint)/ Then used Optimum poli seal three times to light polish the area with my dual action polisher (Portal Cable). First with a harsher pad (orange) then twice with a softer pad (green) to buff out any polishing swirls left by the orange pad. 32 oz. Optimum Poli-Seal
Then treated the car with Optimum Opti-seal to protect the paint. Optimum Opti-Seal Free Bonus!


Goodguy-Fly:
yes this is the same car. Trim looks different because the second pic I already treated the trim (thus the darker shinier trim). It a Ford Taurus.
Here is the link to all the before and after pics...

FORD TAURUS pictures from cars photos on webshots

 

Exactly!
thanks for the link. I was looking for that one but couldn't find it.

 

Hey, it's just a car !! If you do use the coin operated "do it yourself" car wash just make it a point to (1st thing) take the spray wand and pressure blast any dirt/gravel off the brush and then go about your business of washing your car.

 

i try to be careful with my paint especially when i wash, but with people smashing their shopping carts, snow shovels, cars themselves into my car, it has its scratches. but i got SSM and white so both easy to take care... not as rewarding after a full detail though.

 

that brush (including auto soft cloth) and improper drying technique is result of most swirls.

ive done a test where i take boar's hair brush and pass it over dark colored paint.
wet or dry, it hazes the surface. this is with a 500w halogen lamp. then i take a
lower wattage blue hue LED lamp and the swirl is even more visible.

ive gotten better results using Griot's SprayOn CarWash.