Same here. It looks like that portion of the body acts like a stop or shield for all the debris thrown back by the front wheels; at least for ES, w/o side skirts.

What should I do if my car is leased?

I don't want to charge me for that when I'll turn the car in after 3 years. I should probably let them know so they will have a record of the problem, just in case.

I would have installed mudguards on the front if I had owned the car, but since it's a lease ... never mind.

Added pictures after Turtle Waxed.

 

Got an update on my paint issue and first off i have to say im happily suprised by the service i got from my dealer. after all the horror stories we see about warranty issues.

so like Cam i had the trunk problem where it made a mark on the bumper. dealer cleaned it up and adjusted the latch no problem.

but more importantly i had a problem with my spoiler, the paint was flaking off and i was worried they would give me some excuses about how it wouldent be covered. The truth is i had no problems with at all they just had me come it, they looked at it and replaced the entire wing on the spot. the manager even told me after that his boss told him they should have repainted it. the manager got his boss to agree to just replace the wing instead with a new one even if it was more expensive.

this made me a happy camper :P ... and maybe there is hope for dealers yet

 

I say the manager at the dealer you went to had got some the night before and was feeling really generous towards you.

 

has anyone tried touch up paint on the 08 lancers poor paint? i have the same problem with mine and it really bothers me every time i wash my car...i am a little reserved about getting it repainted, simply because i think it will happen again but i hate having a brand new car with the sides all tore up from the poor paint job

 

I tried the paint stick on a couple of spots on mine. I really didn't like it. It only did a good job in one spot on the side sill cuz it covered the white plastic. Any where else, I just took off the paint from the paint stick using acetone. Still have the tiny little chips...but less noticeable than using that paint stick. If I had know, i wouldn't have bought the 10$ pos...

 

I just dropped of my car for an oil change and told them about crappy paint (scratches on roof, sandblasted'alike side skirts, chips and rust on them). They went to wash it and will take pictures to send them to Mitsu USA.
Lets wait and see if they do something....

 

have the same paint prob on the rear fenders by the wheels as well it sucks so no luck with warranty>?

 

someone pm'd me and said that their dealership was willing to cover the repair, i havent talked to my local dealer but its worth a shot

 

Ok. Here's my update.
I dropped the car at the dealer for 3 days. /Got free rental/
They have repainted all affected areas by the rear door, skirts and fenders.
They detailed the car completely, buffed out all other imperfections and offered to install 3M tape on those areas. I'm going for the tape this friday, they said fresh paintjob shouldnt be taped right away.

 

they're correct in the clear bra/3m tape statement. You should let fresh paint fully cure before applying it; minimum I would say is a week, but I'd personally wait 2 weeks to be on the safe side.

 

im planning on buying a beautiful 2009 rally red Lancer Es-Sport this wedensday... ive see that the paints come off easy.. so that makes me little more worried about the paints... im thinking about buying a black mudflaps from rallyarmor.com... but the bad thing is that they are not available yet for the 2008+ lancers... so i gotta waitt...

 

was a the dealership on saturday, all the paint issues are covered under warranty!!! sooo happy!!!