I purchased my HCH-II on 8/22/06. I discovered on the 14th day of ownership that paint on the trunklid near the edges of the spoiler on both sides have been worn down. I mean there were 2 paint chips, one on each end of the spoiler, that were all the way through the primer.

I took the car back to the dealer for an inspection and the service manager immediately recommended painting the trunklid. At that point I wasn't happy about it, since the car is still too new to be painted, but agreed to have the problem fixed.

To make a long story short, they have painted my car the 4th time today. Every single time, the work was done superbly. However, after a few days of driving, the ripples will return. I am sorry I don't have pictures to show you what I am trying to describe. You have to look really carefully and it helps when the car is clean. My car is galaxy grey, so it was especially hard to see those scratches under the sun.

I have searched this forum to see if anyone has have the same issue, but found none.

Today, I saw another hybrid in a parking lot and went over to see the trunklid. The same problem is beginning to surface on that car also.

My theory is, that the spoiler is constantly being pushed by air running over it and therefore cuts into the paint. I am no engineer or aerodynamicist, so I can't prove nor confirm this.

Sorry for the long post. I am picking up my car tomorrow. I think my problem will come back. I already got American Honda involved in this, but they have no previous complaints about this yet.

Please. Check your trunklid around the spoiler. Near the edges. On the sides.

Can't wait to hear from you, fellow HCH-II owners!

Eric.

No paint chips but what you made me realize is that the spoiler is not completely flush with the trunk. It seems to be lifting in the center as there is a slight gap. Anyone else have this same situation?

bnsfengineer,

I'm glad you do not have the same problem, but keep an eye on it nonetheless. I don't even know if you should have it checked out by the dealership, I do not have the utmost confidence in them at this moment.

pls post pix of problem area when you can.

Note to Self: Stay out of assist!

I just checked my car. I have the same problem on both sides of the spoiler.

Now what?

When I pick up my car tomorrow, I will, once again, tell the service manager about this happening on other Civic Hybrids. That way, I hope they will check other hybrids as they come in for service.

I suggest owners who have this problem on their hybrids to call American Honda, so they will start working on a fix for this problem. When they receive enough complaints, they will have to do something about it.

I will take pictures of the repaired area tomorrow, since my car has just been through the paint booth the 4th time. I will try to contact other owners in my area, and see if I can get a picture of the problem area. Better yet, if shoebox303 can take a picture of his car problem area, that will be the fastest way to see it. However, I can imagine it won't be easy to take a picture that shows that problem well with magnetic pearl.

Thank you for listening.

Eric.

I noticed this some time ago. There appears to be some scratching/rubbing on either side of the spoiler at the sides on the trunk paint. IMO this is from flexing of the metal trunk vs the plastic spoiler. The flexing causes some rubbing that wears a bit of the paint. It doesn't seem to be a big deal on my car.

Just a tiny hint, but I try to avoid people slamming my trunk shut using the spoiler. Instead I use the license plate holder to close it gently. I have no signs of any damage.

This has actually been an issue with the current generation of HCH's. So much so that some dealerships have received notices about the lip spoiler issue - in part because they decided to overtighten the bolts inside the trunk lid and that has caused dimples to appear in the vertical surface of the lid (immediately below the spoiler). The service departments would overtighten the bolts because it appeared the spolier would vibrate and rub against the painted surface and cause visible damage.

One particular dealership I know has been placing a teflon gasket between the spoiler and the paint with some success. They claim that the spoiler is not structuraly sound to mate properly to the trunk lid. This in turn allows it to flex and erode the paint surface.

I am scheduled to undergo the same teflon gasket procedure at my next service appointment.

Cheers;

MSantos