I drive a fair amount of my total miles each week on the highway (say 200-300 of the 400 or so I drive weekly) where I know I'm subjecting my HCHII to road hazards like flying debris. So far, in 9,000 odd miles, I've accumulated several nicks in the paint on the hood, down to the metal. I'm not happy about it, and it seems to be more than I accumulated in 3 years in my Beetle convertible, although I don't know how much of it is due to the squarer profile of the Civic.

I went to the dealer today, who is ordering the touch-up paint at no cost to me (thanks, Crown Honda of Durham, NC!). We discussed the option of putting on a bra, but then he said it would act as a compounder/grinder on the paint surface whenever it rained. He then reminded me it's an aluminum hood, so at least I don't have to worry about rust.

I do the car washed and waxed (spray on wax from automatic car wash) each week, but it looks like I'll be repairing chips at a much more frequent rate than in my previous cars.

What have been others' experience with their metal finishes on their HCHIIs, and do any of you have any suggestions on how to preserve the finish of my "baby?"

Thanks.

Aneil

Aneil Mishra, Ph.D.
http://www.totaltrust.wordpress.com