Why can't Honda get it right?

yeah its a mixed blessing that most of my subaru is repainted, at least i have better than factory paint now. truly the thinnest/crappiest paint ever. all of my hondas have been spectacular. i used to think my 01 gsr had better paint than the 05 tl, but the tl has really impressed me the more i look at it, its really pretty good. here in oregon anyways, i see 92 civics with no cc failure so maybe it is dependent upon the local environment?
 
I had a friend that had a black '90 Accord with 250,000 Texas un-garaged miles on it that showed no signs of CC failure when he got rid of it. He took good care of it though. I think that Honda may be slightly more susceptible to CC failure, but all of the cars I usually see (Honda or otherwise) with failed clearcoats look like they have never really been cared for in their lives.
 
Good point regarding how they are cared for...your "average" Honda owner is going to care for their paint like the average BMW owner. But in California (I've lived in both northern and southern) you see more Hondas with CC failer than any other car...by far.
 
:(



I was thinking of polishing my aunts Black 1998 Acura 1.6 EL, but after reading all this I am worried about going through the clear :scared:.



It is seriously swirled and never been cared for. Been awhile since I have looked at it... might not have clear coat problems now, but I would hate to be the root cause of it.
 
I have a black '93 Civic that I bought used a few years ago. When I bought it, it already had severe clearcoat failure (hood and top are gone). I think the car was reasonably well cared for. The paint on the sides and back that is still there looks pretty good when I glaze and wax it though.
 
RAG said:
Honda continues to produce paint that consistently fails (CC/BC of course). I suppose if must be because their clears are so thin...and soft. What ever the exact reason, Honda paint consistently fails prematurely. I'm now starting to see the previous generation Hondas with clear coat failure (I was sure they would have done something about this by now...but obviously they haven't). Too bad too, as I always like Hondas and have owned several...always sold long before CC failer though.
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I'm not sure about that. I bought an Accord hatchback right after college. Drove for

eight years and put 190K. The black paint was still in great condition when I traded in

for Bimmer. The Accord was very reliable and got back more than 30% of the purchase

price after 8 years.
 
Quickstrike...I think maybe you misunderstood us a bit. By not doing anything, there are more chances of complete CC failure. Every once in a while you need cleanse the CC by claying and polishing, removing various forms of contamination. Also, even if the paint is relatively thin, it isn't like you can't compound and polish it - it isn't THAT thin.
 
I own a 1995 Honda Civic and I live in Winnipeg and the weather here is pretty bad at times in winter (-30c) with salt and all that snow. Well, its been more than 10 years that I've owned this car and this is my only car since I bouth it, so as you can see I drive this car whole year round. Guess what, so far I have no paint problem like failed cc and no rust too. I had it rust proofed from the time I bought it and had it done again after 5 years plus the regular polish and wax job with pc. I guess its the maintenance thing. Just my 2 cents.
 
I've seen more GM vehicles with the paint sheeting off in chunks from the early 90's than I have clear coat failure on Honda automobiles. However, I do notice MANY older Hondas and Acuras all rusting around the rear wheel wells. Just my observations...
 
NT2SHBBY said:
until you factor in reliability.....Audi/Mercedes might have better paint, but thats to look good as it's being pushed down the street or parked in front of your house :lol
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:har:



WSUcommuter said:
I've seen more GM vehicles with the paint sheeting off in chunks from the early 90's than I have clear coat failure on Honda automobiles.
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Amen. My brother had a 1990 Chevy 1500 that was losing massive amounts of white paint at the time of sale. I see so many of those old GMs from those years with the same problem. I believe there was a known defect with paint/primer adhesion or something.



I personally have noticed most Honda clearcoat failure on this body style of Accord.



97.honda.accord.500.jpg




My brother in law and stepmother's cars both have horrid failure, and I see this gen of Accord all the time on the road with really sorry looking paint. I think something went wrong that year.
 
I see so many of those old GMs from those years with the same problem. I believe there was a known defect with paint/primer adhesion or something.
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If I recall correctly, there was a medium-base primer issue with many of their vehicle lines. As far as I know, colors such as gray, white, and some blues got hit the hardest because they are the chief victims of the medium-base primer. I could be wrong but I thought I read about a law settlement in the late 90's well after most people sold off their vehicles for this reason. :wall
 
I have had 4 Honda vehicles over the years and cannot say I have ever had an issue with their paint.



1996cbr1000.jpg




2760mywing1.jpg




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Each bike has had pretty soft paint so yes they do swirl easily. That can be a blessing and a curse. The Mustang also has soft paint. Looking at the positive side, soft paint is generally easy to correct defects.
 
My 1990 Accord was just begining clearcoat failure when I sold it in September '04. I bought it in 1995 and it was never garaged. I'd say it held up very well.
 
Scottwax said:
My 1990 Accord was just begining clearcoat failure when I sold it in September '04. I bought it in 1995 and it was never garaged. I'd say it held up very well.
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Either you have a time machine or I'm not reading that right.
 
Out of the bikes I have had over the years, I have had 4 Hondas and have never had a problem with the paint on any of them. I am not sure how their motorcycle paint differs from their automotive paints, if at all. The paint was soft, as it is on my Mustang but that does have its advantages. Defect correction is much easier on soft paint. Harder paint tends to chip easier. As long as you are carefull and use processes that minimize swirls to begin with, I would take a soft paint over a harder paint every time...



1996 Honda CBR1000F

1996cbr1000.jpg




1996 Goldwing Aspencade

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1997 Honda VFR750F (current bike and 2nd VFR)

80539843_1.jpg




The VFR has 32K miles on it and has been to Europe where the previous owner put most of those miles on it while he was stationed there. The paint does show some normal wear from 9 years of use but, overall the paint is still in excellent condition...
 
Love our Hondas, not happy with the paint. When my 1998 Accord, green, was totalled in Nov. 2003, the roof and trunk had already been repainted for failure of the clear. The Honda area rep paid most of the cost after a lot of effort on my part. At the time it got hit and totalled, the clear on the left rear qtr panel was failing. I bought this car used in 2000 in great shape, and though it is not garaged, I kept several layers of Z2 and Z5 on it at all times.



Now our 1998 Civic, a deep blue green color, is showing cc failure.



I've also got a 2003 Civic in white. Fingers crossed that the paint holds up.
 
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