Hi,

I'm just wondering if you guys also noticed the "thin" paint on our cars/suvs. Also how it reacts so easily to environmental contaminants. Like for example, insect poop (the yellow stuff) that I find in my outie always leaves a water-spot kind of mark whenever I clean it off. It's kind of annoying coz the reaction of the contaminant kind of leaves a bulging appearance mark. And yes, I do try to clean it off asap. But for the moments that I only see it after a day or two, thats what happens. I've owned and taken cared of various makes and models, like toyotas, bmws, and volkswagens, but Ive only noticed it on my outie.

Next is how the paint easily gets scratched. To make matters worse, I have a labrador black pearl color. Ill try to take pictures after I give it a wash.

Can you guys chime in on this?

 

I have a diamond white pearl 08 Outlander (bought new in June 08) and I'm happy with the paint. I hand wash the vehicle every 7 - 10 days and have used Meguiar's NXT 2.0 and now Meguiar's ultimate liquid wax on it every 2-3 months since I first bought it. Even in the bright Arizona sun I don't notice any swirl marks. I think the key to getting bird poop, smashed on bugs, etc off easily is to have a good coat of wax/sealant on the vehicle so they don't get ground into the paint.

We have very hard water here in Phoenix and I use the synthetic chamois you can buy at AutoZone for around $8-9 and it does a good job of drying without leaving water spots.

FWIW. Everything I've read on car care forums says that darker color cars show imperfections much more than lighter color cars.

 

On my 2010 Outlander GT I had a sprayless scratch removed and they "burned" the paint while buffing. They told me that this was the worst paint they had ever seen (too thin clear coat). I really think that it is vehicle specific because they said most Mitsu's aren't like that.

Guess I will have to re-paint it every few years or not drive around rocks.

 

I have a 2009 Outlander in Labrador Black Pearl and I HATE the swirl marks !!! but I wash it when I can.. does anyone do anything special to keep it nice? (those who have a the black outlanders)

 

Here is my experience with swirl marks:

You put them there yourself, by using a swirling motion when 1) you wash the vehicle, 2) you apply glaze / wax / spritzer / clay bar / whatever, and 3) you dry and / or buff the vehicle off with your towel of choice.

The solution that has worked on our car is to formulate a strategy from the day the vehicle is new. ONLY wash / wax / dry it using straight strokes. For example, from the front bumper to the rear bumper, ONLY use strokes that are parallel to a (imaginary) line going between the front and rear bumpers. Same thing on the sides. ONLY use strokes going from front to back to front.

The fine scratches in the paint are still there, but they are straight lines and do not show up as ugly swirl marks when the sun shines on your vehicle.

That movie that convinces you to swirl the s out of your paint with your left hand and wreck it some more by doing the same thing with your right hand should be banned (The Karate Kid).

If it is pre-wrecked, I think you need a random orbital polisher and some knowledge of rubbing compounds to try to fix it (or make it even worse).

So stop working so hard to swirl it up yourself !

If the paint on your vehicle is too thin from the factory, my condolences and best of luck.

Don

 

Mitsubishi Tarmac Black was notoriously bad 5-10 years ago.

However, swirl marks and other imperfections are all owner error.

You treat your car like a junker, it'll become one. The more you touch your paint, the worse it'll look. The longer it is exposed to UV, the shorter the life of the clear coat.

Your choice.

 

I do mine every 2 weeks or whenever possible. I use autoglym HD wax and Meg's Ultimate Detailer. Swirl marks are a PITA as well as water spots but with good pads and a random orbital buffer it can be remedied. I use the costco microfiber yellow towels and it works fine, its plenty and its handy. as for light scratches Ive come to use the quixx system and it works on fine to light scratches. For deeper dings it needs to be touched up and then leveled then use the quixx system.

 

I also have a LBP and its a pain to keep it clean. But once its clean and shiny its all worth it. I just use autoglym HD wax every 2-3 mos and clay every 6mos or spot clay whenever I feel imperfections. I also use that wax on my black gti mk6 and they both get the same fabulous shine.

 

Jay it sounds like you are doing everything you can to keep your Outlander looking good. Personally I think darker colors do have much more of a wow factor when waxed vs lighter colors. We chose the white color mostly because of the heat here in Phoenix and also because I did know from experience that white was less likely to show imperfections.

 

I have worked at a Mitsu dealer for 7 years. The paint is poor quality. We order very few black vehicles because of that very reason. I have a white 2009 Outlander and that paint is holding up very well. That is my third Mitsu and I made sure I bought the Paint Protection and put mud guards and hood protector on it right away. So far so good.