I'm sorry if this has been asked before - I didn't see anything in the search.

 

I have a dark blue '03 Outback Wagon. It's been on the road for a little over 3 years (I bought it brand new - left over.) It has about 60,000 miles.

 

I noticed last year that I had a few dings in the paint job on my hood. I assume from pebbles and whatnot kicking up on the road. After washing and waxing today I noticed the chips have more than doubled. The chips are between the size of the tip of a pencil - and the eraser.

 

Is this a common problem with Subaru paint jobs? Anyone have/heard of this problem?

 

I'm really upset. I've been taking such excellent care of my first brand new car.

Having sort of a similar problem with my '97. The paint on the bumpers is literally peeling off around the edges. There are also several spots like you have described, but I haven't noticed them getting bigger. I'm not very familiar on how painting a car works, but I would imagine that there are people out there that can do something about it.

Subaru makes things interesting by using a light colored primer under all paint colors. This is particularly a PITA when it comes to dark colors.

 

The front hood edge on these cars is very prone to chips. And since it is winter when everybody without mudguards is driving in front of you, you are a magnet for chips.

 

Unless the paint is simply flaking off which would be an indication of an adhesion problem that you could argue the dealer with, there isn't much you can do about this.

 

Repairing paint chips is tedious - and should be performed on chips that expose metal and invite rust. Otherwise you'll be better off with a hood repaint.

 

That being said, a 3M clear bra (paint protection film) would prevent this from happening - or if you can tolerate the removable vinyl bras or hood deflectors, then there you go.

Subaru paint sucks worse than 80s GM paint. It just stays on longer.:-\ Best bet is to leave that 2-3 second distance between you and the car in front. 5 seconds if its a truck. You're paint will thank you.