Paint rant

[Xmetal]

Just picked up my BBP a couple of days ago. Love the car so far, but just noticed that the inside of the doors don't get clear coated? Is everyone seeing the same on their cars? I understand that most manufacturers don't clear coat the engine bay, but this is the first car that I've seen that don't have the inside of the doors clear coated - this is major cost cutting IMHO Is this a new trend with Honda? I haven't owned a Honda since my 1994 Accord some 30+ years ago...man...am I old

Since I have a paint depth gauge, I decided to do some measurements on the paint just for kicks. This revealed another cost cutting surprise. I got readings between 2-4 mils. Most panels are around 2 mils, which is super thin! As a comparison, my wife's Audi S3 got readings between 8-10 mils. Both of our BMWs also have readings between 8-10 mils. I guessed I now understand why people are complaining about their CTR's paint gets chips and ding up so easily? I wasn't going to ceramic coat the car, but now am really rethinking that maybe I should?

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[madbikes]

You are correct. The paint on the FL5 is very thin. Getting PPF will be far more effective than Ceramic Coating to prevent chips.

If you are ok with getting PPF, I'd recommend at least the full front, which saved me twice.

 

[Chilly613]

I don't think I've ever seen Honda clear coat the engine bay, I've usually only seen that on higher end cars. The inside door jams usually has clear coat. Not sure if I'd compare an Audi's paint to Honda, Honda paint has never really been that great especially compared to a more luxury brand like Audi.

Ceramic coating will not protect from chips, its to make the surface more hydrophobic to help repel water and dirt and make it easier to clean your car. PPF would be the way to go if you want to protect the paint from chips.

 

[Xmetal]

I don't think I've ever seen Honda clear coat the engine bay, I've usually only seen that on higher end cars. The inside door jams usually has clear coat. Not sure if I'd compare an Audi's paint to Honda, Honda paint has never really been that great especially compared to a more luxury brand like Audi.

Ceramic coating will not protect from chips, its to make the surface more hydrophobic to help repel water and dirt and make it easier to clean your car. PPF would be the way to go if you want to protect the paint from chips.

Thank for the input on PPF, much appreciated

Honda used to clear coat their engine bay...if you're old enough to remember. My 1994 Accord has everything clear coated including the engine bay. Same with my Dad's Civic and brother's 1998 Accord...so it was done in the past. Most manufacturers don't do it these days as mentioned in my original post...so this part, I understand. But my gripe is with the inside of the doors! If you open the door and look at any painted part that isn't cover by the door panel, it matte. I've never seen any manufacturers not clear coating the inside of the doors until the CTR... thus my rant.

I understand that I can't compare "most" Hondas to a "Luxury" brand like Audi or BMW, but the CTR cost more than the Audi that I was referencing! I mean, the Audi S3 you can buy off the lot today is the same if not less than what you would pay for the CTR! Maybe my expectation was a bit high? I sure wasn't expecting the paint to be 8-10 mils thick like the Germans, but I was expecting at least 4 mils throughout the car, which I thought was industry standard?

Overall, I'm in love with the car other than the paint.

 

[qingcong]

Just picked up my BBP a couple of days ago. Love the car so far, but just noticed that the inside of the doors don't get clear coated? Is everyone seeing the same on their cars? I understand that most manufacturers don't clear coat the engine bay, but this is the first car that I've seen that don't have the inside of the doors clear coated - this is major cost cutting IMHO Is this a new trend with Honda? I haven't owned a Honda since my 1994 Accord some 30+ years ago...man...am I old

Since I have a paint depth gauge, I decided to do some measurements on the paint just for kicks. This revealed another cost cutting surprise. I got readings between 2-4 mils. Most panels are around 2 mils, which is super thin! As a comparison, my wife's Audi S3 got readings between 8-10 mils. Both of our BMWs also have readings between 8-10 mils. I guessed I now understand why people are complaining about their CTR's paint gets chips and ding up so easily? I wasn't going to ceramic coat the car, but now am really rethinking that maybe I should?

Upvoted for having actual data to support the "thin paint" claim.

 

[Xmetal]

Here are two readings from two different spots on the roof.

 

[Xmetal]

For reference, here's a reading on the S3's roof panel

 

[chopsuey34]

Here are two readings from two different spots on the roof.

Wow, good to know how thin Civic paint really is.

 

[AZCWTypeR]

I've owned several German cars and yes the paint looked great, but increased thickness doesn't mean more durable. I found the rock chips harder to fill in, because the paint was much thicker.
Years of painting experience tells me the thinner coats to get full coverage are better than thicker coats. I'm not using abrasives on my cars, so no danger of wearing through the finish.

 

[Chilly613]

Thank for the input on PPF, much appreciated

Honda used to clear coat their engine bay...if you're old enough to remember. My 1994 Accord has everything clear coated including the engine bay. Same with my Dad's Civic and brother's 1998 Accord...so it was done in the past. Most manufacturers don't do it these days as mentioned in my original post...so this part, I understand. But my gripe is with the inside of the doors! If you open the door and look at any painted part that isn't cover by the door panel, it matte. I've never seen any manufacturers not clear coating the inside of the doors until the CTR... thus my rant.

I understand that I can't compare "most" Hondas to a "Luxury" brand like Audi or BMW, but the CTR cost more than the Audi that I was referencing! I mean, the Audi S3 you can buy off the lot today is the same if not less than what you would pay for the CTR! Maybe my expectation was a bit high? I sure wasn't expecting the paint to be 8-10 mils thick like the Germans, but I was expecting at least 4 mils throughout the car, which I thought was industry standard?

Overall, I'm in love with the car other than the paint.

I used to have a 93 Civic Hatchback, engine bay definitely did not have a clear coat, but the door jams were cleared. I also had a 2007 Civic that was the same as well as my current Sport Touring. The back side of the door though is matte, the rest has a clear, but the clear and paint for sure was always on the thinner side just like you have shown with your depth gauge. I don't know what to tell you with yours though, that really sucks that they didn't get those parts that should normally have had a clear coat.

 

[Xmetal]

I've owned several German cars and yes the paint looked great, but increased thickness doesn't mean more durable. I found the rock chips harder to fill in, because the paint was much thicker.
Years of painting experience tells me the thinner coats to get full coverage are better than thicker coats. I'm not using abrasives on my cars, so no danger of wearing through the finish.

I don't mind having thin base coats as long as coverages are good. I'm just worried about the thin top/clear coat, which is where most of the protection comes from.

 

[cryptolime]

just don't look on the underside of the door near the hinge. there's a thin spot with primer or bare metal. i went over it with touch up paint. at least on the passenger side front door.

 

[TheReverend]

I'm sure Honda will claim it as a weight saving / performance enhancing feature.

 

[Xmetal]

I'm sure Honda will claim it as a weight saving / performance enhancing feature.

I'm sure that's how they got it under 3,200 lbs

 

[cryptolime]

I'm sure Honda will claim it as a weight saving / performance enhancing feature.

seems like the missing paint is where they clamped the door for painting

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