I don't have an Evo X, but I've lurked around here for a while, and now that I may finally be getting one, my biggest concern is the paint. Beyond the "default" answer/solution (get a clear bra), is there anyone here that hasn't had any problems with the paint? And by this I mean, normal wear and tear like any other paint?

 

No real issues here...normal wear & tear like any other car I've owned.

 

i will be shocked if somebody with the stock paint says they dont have any problems with it.

i have an 08 bought brand new with 12k miles and drive like a grandma. i wash whenever weather allows me to. after 4 years i was able to wax it for the first time and lo and behold my front bumpers have them as well. the two sides directly underneath the front headlights.

before i thought it was just the 2 rear doors that were bad but i guess its really all over.

 

same. I have a chip on my front bumper, but i'm positive it just from rocks on the freeway and people cutting me off and what not.

 

Yup, same here, rock chips can't be avoided no matter what brand of car you have. I had a clear bra put on my IX but didn't bother on my X.

 

I just think it may be a 50/50 thing. There may be just as many Evo drivers on the road that don't visit the forums, just as there are those that visit the forums, so I guess some have a real big issues, while others don't.

 

What type of "real big issues" are you referring to? I've yet to see a X just have the paint fall off, clear coat fade, etc. Any issues like that would be covered under warranty, and over the life of the car, like anything else, the better you take care of it the longer it will last. Frequent washing and waxing goes a long way in preserving the paint. The biggest paint issues I've seen on Evos is the wing clear coat fade on the 2003 Evo VIII, and many of those were covered under warranty. Due to the known fragility of the carbon fiber wing I took extra care to frequently wax the blade on my IX and never had any issues with it.

 

I think overall paint quality is better than cars from the mid-late 90's, however paint quality in the opinion of "older drivers" is worse. This is all do to the chemicals being used in paint getting banned from use and then the availability of new compounds.

So someone that had a car back in the 70 to early 80s might point out how their paint always looked better than today, but we should all be glad it's better paint than the 90's Dodge and Ford vehicles had.

 

You're exactly correct. Lead-free paint is not as durable, but it's come a long way in the past two decades.

 

Well, that may be a bit extreme compared to what I was thinking. I was referring more to the rock chips. Although they are ultimately impossible to avoid, the Evo X seems to have real poor paint quality, and thus, tends to get a lot of rock chips. My realy concern is whether its just like any other car on the road, or does the evo really have poor paint quality.

 

Just like any other car on the road. The expensive luxury brands may be better, but Mitsu paint is comparable to the other "regular" brands.

 

You'd be surprised, my last three BMW's had crappy (and I mean terrible) paint. I had a 135i that had no less than 8 rock chips a week into owning (200 miles or so) when the clear bra installer came to work on the car.

 

My X is 2 years old this month, currently has 8000 miles on it, and I have around 8 rock chips around the front hood/fenders. I even have one on the driver's side passenger door by the damn window. WTF?

The paint pen from is "ok", however I wish I had a bit more flexibility in how I apply the touchup paint (tiny brush perhaps). But whatever...I'm not overly concerned with it. Having a 8/12 month old will do that to you.

On the other hand, I think the quality of paint on my wife's 2009 CRV is much better. Granted, it's a suv, but the 'quality' difference, imo, is undeniable. That truck takes a beating, is a dd, and swirls aside (my wife is lazy with her car and I'm not waxing it for her) the paint shows very little, if any, damage from rocks.

 

I've got a few nicks and dings

 

I'm chip free thus far 3800 miles