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Subaru Should be Ashamed of The Paint Quality

50K views 43 replies 26 participants last post by  Skinston 
#1 ·
I don't imagine I'll win many new Subaru faithful friends with this post but it's how I feel.

Is all paint on new vehicles today as fragile as the paint on these Crosstreks?

I purchased a 2016 Limited Dark Metallic Grey last month. I like the car, and the color is gorgeous but I've taken just two longer day trips on Winter roads and the front of the car and hood is now chipped up from road sand kicked up from passing cars. You could barely even hear it hitting the car and it's not like sand particles are heavy.

I feel that given the outdoor, go anywhere image of these cars presented by Subaru that this is really unfortunate and unacceptable. Knowing what I know now, I would not purchase a Subaru again. Are my expectations too high?
 
#2 ·
From what I've read, the paint on newer vehicles are formulated for reduced environmental impact. Unfortunately, these newer paints have proven to be lacking in durability. Subaru's paint, sadly, has always been subpar in terms of durability. With an engine, driveline, and body that are engineered a bit different compared to most other cars, not everything on the vehicle is going to be absolutely perfect.

Simple solution is to use a hood deflector and/or apply film paint protectant on the most vulnerable parts of the body's paint. Also, if you drive your vehicle out on the road, it is inevitable that it will get chipped unless you keep your vehicle garaged and never drive it.
 
#43 ·
Thanks Hacksaw, just picked up some for my Dark Grey Metallic 2018. Just hit 90kmi, had it climb up 3 different mountains, ran through mid Atlantic to New England for late summer camping and mid blizzard snowboarding about 6 times. Also had a car wash company that doesn't believe in wasting the cost of a Pre-Rinse as well. Got a whole bunch of dings from all kinds or crap just small enough to notice and drive me crazy. Had me searching for forums and fixes since I knew I wasn't the only one.

I'll be sure to apply the fix AFTER the next 2 weekend of camping. It's where I got my first scratches down the side 4 months into ownership in the first place.
 
#4 ·
Shoddy paint is nothing new to Subaru. This is just one of the areas that you have to come to terms with as a Subie owner. Along with subpar interiors and materials. I instantly questioned my reasoning when I bought a black XV.

This is one of the sacrifices you make to have a real AWD drivetrain (non-FWD based) that still gets excellent fuel economy under $30K. Auto manufacturers just aren't going to budge from their bottom line if they don't have to and I imagine paint and plastics are #1 on the chopping block.

You can find Subaru factory touch up paint on Amazon. You'll need the paint code which is pretty easy to find online.
 
#32 · (Edited)
12 days into ownership [emoji13]

Chip above Driver side front turn signal!

View attachment 5485

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Wow... so disappointed. Only had this thing one month and already have a huge rock nick on my hood today. Even with the hood deflector. Guess I'm ordering Dr. ColorChip. :-( MotherF*&^%$&^!!!

I wonder how much it costs to bubble wrap my Crosstrek. /sarcasm.
 
#10 ·
I agree, any little scrape or scratch...

takes the paint right off. I've got a white 2014 Crosstrek that was beautiful when I bought it last year. Now there are several places on the rear bumper where, due to inconsiderate drivers where I street park for work, I've got black marks where the white paint is no longer. I've owned Ford, Chevy, Audi, BMW, Mitsubishi, Honda...and these types of scrapes would be scratches on the paint, not removal of the paint layer. It really sucks and I hate how my car looks now.
 
#11 ·
Carolyn, I know your feels. Black paint on the metal shows the rock chips like no other color, lol. I kinda feel lucky to have black, it's much harder to see the black plastic underneath when the paint gets scratched off the bumpers.

... but dayum does Black shine up nicely when cleaned.


Sent using severed fingers controlled by telepathic dolphins
 
#12 ·
The first thing I did after bringing the Crosstrek home was to put a good coat of wax on it. You want to do this not only because it makes the car look good but it also provides a sacrificial layer to protect the paint.

Case in point. A couple of weeks ago I took my Crosstrek on a 2000 mile roadtrip. During that trip it got damaged twice. The first was a pebble thrown off a semi in front of me, it hit hard. The second was a blown out tire that I ran over.

The pebble left two large chips in the front bumper, which would have happened with any vehicle IMO. A bottle of touchup paint from the dealership fixed it nicely.

Now the blown out tire left two large black scuffs on the rear, passenger side, door. They looked awful but rubbed right out with a little wax. :)

I'm a strong believer in waxing vehicles. Had the car not been waxed it may have taken a clay bar or buffer to get those scuffs off. Chipped paint sucks but is unfortunately part of driving and can happen anywhere.
 
#13 ·
AUGHH! Found ANOTHER chip! This is my second Subaru with the same issue; **** PAINT! No amount of wax will keep **** paint from chipping. And that's what we're dealing with. Subaru knows this too. Have rec'd acknowledgements from Subaru Corp., saying that they are looking into new paint formulas.

Has anyone seen the latest Subaru commercial showing a kid learning to drive, and hitting the inside of the garage when backing out? And then, some child and its father throwing a big toy plane in the air that hits that Forester? I was laughing my arse off because in the real world? That would have left some chips and scratches for sure!!
LOVE my car....HATE its paint!!
 
#14 ·
I think part of the paint fragility has to do with color. I have the Dark Metallic Gray and while it is beautiful, if you even fart on this paint, it will chip.

I've read that all manufacturers have issues with this but I really don't see any reason for it. We now have cars that drive themselves. Can it be so difficult to paint a vehicle so that it doesn't chip as easily?
 
#16 ·
FYI to anyone who is relying on touch-up paint to fix your front fascia - I was told by my local Subaru dealer veteran parts manager not to bother with buying the touch up paint for any of the plastic pieces of the car, as it will flake off with temperature changes, any sort of flexing of the plastic, or pretty much if a mosquito farts within 10 feet of your car, the touch up paint will come right off. He said it does work really well for any metal pieces though.
 
#20 ·
Yep, what everybody else has said, DGM here and it sucks. That and interior gets permanent marks so freakin' easily it is ridiculous. I traded in a 2006 CRV that was in better shape with 137K than the XV with 25K. I have an 07 Avalanche with 100K and it is in better shape, too. My first and last Subaru.
 
#21 · (Edited)
YIKES....that's a pretty harsh rebuke! I'm on my 2nd Subaru, and in another 1.5-2 yrs, I'll trade her in for my 3rd. Yes the sh*t paint is FREAKING ANNOYING AS HELL! (I don't understand your interior issues. I throw my mountain bikes, dogs, etc in there all of the time. No bigger/worse issues than the other vehicles we own.)
What's GREAT about a Subaru far outweighs its negatives. It's absolutely one of the most versatile vehicles out there. We also have a 2015 Escalade, and a 2014 Nissan Frontier. Both of these are no where near as good in bad Winter weather. You would think the Caddy Escalade would have been fine. Nope. Kept getting stuck in snow and mud. When I would take out one of our Subarus? NEVER got stuck. As a matter of fact I look for roads and hills that look non-passable for fun. :)
So if you solely bought your Subaru based on looks alone, then you're right. This should be your last Subaru. But there so many better things to a Subaru than just its appearance!
Listen, I'm a HUGELY critical/judgemental person. I call people and products out for their sh*t all of the time. But give your Subaru a chance!! You may be pleasantly surprised! Good luck!
-Keith
 
#24 ·
Three years into owning our XV and I've noticed that behind all the door handles are tons of scratches from our finger nails. Really? The paint on my 2001 outback has fared better...and that includes 4+ years of not garaging it (in Oklahoma and then Germany).

I swear I just look at the XV and it scratches.
 
#33 ·
Yeah same here. Got a nice chip in the front bumper after week 2. What bugs me more is that i get metal shavings stuck in the clearcoat all the time and those begin to rust. So i have rusted brown specks all over my white paint. I always carry around a clay bar for this unfortunate reason.


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#34 ·
Hi Keith!

I just bought 2018 Crosstrek and has exact same problem in Calgary. Dealer says its not my problem and I had to take it to Subaru Canada.

I have been Toyota and Honda owner and this is my first Subie and my morale is down but little bit hope as I read your review. I was thinking I did wrong decision reading lots of positive reviews from outdoor enthusiasts.

Hopefully everything goes smooth except paint!
 
#36 ·
Sorry but the paint complaint seems a little biased. I have a dark gray 17 and it is no worse for ware than my wife's 13 Honda CR-V paint wise and I take mine off-pavement and on the beach and she never does. So I am not buying Subaru paint is any worse than other brands, for sure not Honda.

As for snow - I won't get into that debate other than to say our last 7 inches of snow I had to help a F150 4WD and Grand Cherokee 4WD and I had no problems at all. That said I do run with a 2" lift and fat 235 Golander ATs on 16" wheels.
 
#37 ·
^^
Don't think it's biased about the paint when there have been too many of the same complaints about it. I actually contacted Subaru in 2017 (or maybe 2016) and they acknowledged the issue with their paint and claimed there were looking into it. I also had this same issue with my previous Subaru
I just found this on Youtube with the same issue on the 2018 :(
https://youtu.be/_2utcvpRCzI

-Keith
 
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