paint FLAWLESS after 1 year of ownership with no garage!

[christion]

I've owned my car for over a year now and this picture is after I used chemical guys clay bar/super lube and chemical guys jet seal 109. No micro scratches at all. That's due to a lot of hard work and care. I live in a very dusty climate.

 

[RobbyS]

After a year, my BGM paint is flawless too. And I don't keep it in the garage. I wash it 2-3 times per week and detail it at least once per month.

I'm borderline OCD with keeping my car clean and looking perfect.

 

[christion]

After a year, my BGM paint is flawless too. And I don't keep it in the garage. I wash it 2-3 times per week and detail it at least once per month.

I'm borderline OCD with keeping my car clean and looking perfect.

That's a lot of washing! It looks good! I just try to wash and quick seal it once a week. I have to quick seal after every wash, because we have very hard water and I'll get water spots if I don't.

 

[Natesriv]

I wash about 1/week, and every morning wipe down with a soft microfiber towel. Not because I'm obsessed (I am), but our trees drop crap on it every day, and if I don't wipe down it'll start streaking and getting sticky...

I do want to get it Ming'd though.... It's not flawless, there's a few micro scratches from f'ups I did earlier...I've a polisher, but haven't really done the hard work of buffing them 100% out yet.

 

[Natesriv]

I've owned my car for over a year now and this picture is after I used chemical guys clay bar/super lube and chemical guys jet seal 109. No micro scratches at all. That's due to a lot of hard work and care. I live in a very dusty climate.

Post a better pic of the car amigo! Show it off!

 

[davecerv]

Lucky you! Mine rests in a garage at home and in the shade at work.
My sonic has little blemishes of course.
I wish I had that kind of patience and care/obsession with cleanness of the exterior!
However I do keep my interior clean at all times, that's different.

 

[Natesriv]

Lucky you! Mine rests in a garage at home and in the shade at work.
My sonic has little blemishes of course.
I wish I had that kind of patience and care/obsession with cleanness of the exterior!
However I do keep my interior clean at all times, that's different.

Honestly, there's no perfect paint...Once it's exposed to the world you'll get nicks, and things... It's more a battle of keeping up with them and holding age at bay!

If I had a lottery win, I'd buy 2 of each car of my dreams. 1 to drive like a bastard, and 1 in a warehouse, on jack stands, empty tank, engine full to the top with oil, no other fluids, shrink wrapped in plastic. Only to be opened 150 years after my passing...

Imagine in 2350 AD a like new Sonic LTZ being started up...

 

[davecerv]

Yep, I keep telling my self not to get a blue car again but a dark/royal blue color is just so nice.
Pretty deep thought there about the sonic in 150 years lol

 

[Natesriv]

True....but think about it.. ANY car today will be a rarity in 150-200 years...

You see a 1957 Chevy today and it's "Wow a '57!... but during that time period...they were they Corolla's of their day!

 

[davecerv]

This is true!

 

[christion]

I wash about 1/week, and every morning wipe down with a soft microfiber towel. Not because I'm obsessed (I am), but our trees drop crap on it every day, and if I don't wipe down it'll start streaking and getting sticky...

I do want to get it Ming'd though.... It's not flawless, there's a few micro scratches from f'ups I did earlier...I've a polisher, but haven't really done the hard work of buffing them 100% out yet.

Well I do have a couple of small, light scratches that I found after I bought it. Grr, lol. My trunk lid also started damaging my bumper, but luckily I adjusted the lid stops before the damage grew beyond anything that could be seen farther than a few inches away. You're right that no paint is perfect. It's pretty much impossible to not get at least light scratches in some places. My standard of perfect was compared to 99.9% of cars I see on the road, lol.

 

[Natesriv]

very true my friend!

 

[ChrisJ]

Hmm
Feeling out of place. I've owned my car since October 2012, driven 40,000 miles and have not washed it once.

It also gets sand blasted and chunks of rocks thrown at it about once a week thanks to dump trucks.

 

[christion]

Hmm
Feeling out of place. I've owned my car since October 2012, driven 40,000 miles and have not washed it once.

It also gets sand blasted and chunks of rocks thrown at it about once a week thanks to dump trucks.

Honestly I wish I could do that. It would be so much easier. I just can't seem to keep from keeping my paint in pristine condition. Sometimes I fantasize about getting a base model next time and not giving 2 poops about whether or not those flinging rocks are dinging my paint, or whether or not I'm going to get water spots if I have to wait a bit to clean it, or about the exterior at all, really. Taking my old car to the car wash, or hand washing it quickly and carelessly took so much less time, but I can't get over how nice perfect paint looks on a higher end model of a car. All I ever do is worry about my paint when I'm driving it. You're not missing out on much, lol.

 

[mowcowbell]

I'm OCD about my car as well. Door dings are my specialty. I carefully plan where I am going to park to minimize the chance some careless bozo whips their door open and puts a nice gash in the side of my ride.

My wife doesn't plan as well, her Charger is covered with door dings on both sides.

I hand wash my car every week, and the vehicle is garaged when I'm home. The car has never seen the inside of an automatic car wash, and the clear coat is free of micro scratches. Just wish the paint wasn't so easy to chip. Every few weeks, I find a new chip on the bumper/hood that needs some touch-up.