Very thin paint on Passats?

[TD Einspritzer]

After only 700 miles i have found the first small chip on my hood. Looked at it very closely and the primer is visible. First thought it was a dirt spot until further investigation. It looks that the paint is applied very very thin.
Have a few paint chips on my Jeep as well but they look more like Volcanic craters compared to the one on the Passat.
Anyone with a similar experience?

 

[MichaelSNU]

I noticed what appeared to be a small mark on the front passenger side the hood of my car the other day. I have had the car for almost two weeks. I will take a closer look at it and let you know what it is. Perhaps if the paint is "thin" we should be considering buying a protective coating.

 

[TD Einspritzer]

I am actually thinking of getting the 3M protection film for the hood which helps to protect it. The only negative issue is that after a few years once you remove it you can tell see where the protection was. The paint is still shiny compared to the other part which was unprotected. A friend of mine just recently removed it from this white car and he always waxed this cars every 6 months.

 

[VeeDubTDI]

Got a rock chip on the A pillar yesterday coming back from Ohio.

Jason wants to have the whole car detailed and buffed and Opticoated or whatever it is.

 

[TD Einspritzer]

Got a rock chip on the A pillar yesterday coming back from Ohio.

Jason wants to have the whole car detailed and buffed and Opticoated or whatever it is.

I am sure you guys were quite ticked off when you saw that. Happened to my wifes Mazda 3 last month as well. Bought the car in February and it left a dent in the A pillar too.
Did you have a chance to see if the paint was somewhat thick on the A pillar?
I know for sure it is very thin on the hood.

 

[VeeDubTDI]

Yeah I heard it when we were going through a construction zone... looked at it this morning when I left for work. They can't stay perfect forever!

The paint on the A pillar didn't look particularly thick. The rock scratched down to the primer - perhaps all the way to the metal.

 

[IXLR8]

I suspect the paint is thin on the Passat. I thought I read in some of the Passat propaganda that VW was more environmentally friendly as they had found a way to do the paint job with only one coat of paint. Maybe it was paint and primer in one sort of thing. After the beating the paint on the nose of my Golf took, I am definitely looking at for a paint protection film. I am just trying to figure out which one, and then find a good installer.

 

[VeeDubTDI]

After inspecting our rock scratch some more, it did not go all the way down to the metal. It took off some clear coat and a bit of paint in one part of the scratch. It should buff out without much hassle.

I definitely recommend some sort of paint protection.

 

[DaMidget]

The paint process does not include any primer. The bare metal goes through a process called ecoat and is then painted. The vehicle does receive multiple paint coats. Next time I'm in the paint shop, I'll ask how many coatings

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-E_lV31qbo&t=5m38s

 

[unixb0y]

Which Passat colour matches the ecoat best?

 

[JackMars]

So far after 6 months I have accumulated 6 paint chips and 1 crack on the front widshield. If I keep this car for 6 years it will look like moon with craters on top of more craters. Yeah, the paint really sucks on Passat.

 

[MichaelSNU]

OK, this thread has convinced me to get some type of paint protection.

1. What types/brands are out there?

2. I have a feeling this is a stupid questions, but here goes anyway. Do you need to wax the area that is covered by the paint protection?

 

[TD Einspritzer]

OK, this thread has convinced me to get some type of paint protection.

1. What types/brands are out there?

2. I have a feeling this is a stupid questions, but here goes anyway. Do you need to wax the area that is covered by the paint protection?

Hi Michael,
here we go:

1) The most brands are most likely the below ones:

http://www.xpel.com/ or http://www.getclearbra.com/

I am thinking about buying a kit and doing it myself. Not sure as of yet as it looks quite easy on youtube but you have to be very careful with any dust or lints which might get underneath it.

2) There is no need to was that area which is covered by the film.

I am still debating if I should get a clear bra or not. Once you remove the bra in a few years you will be able to see the difference between the protected area and the one which was abused by the sun - not matter how often you wax your car.