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

 

The HCH II has an aluminum hood? I knew the Accord hybrid did/does. What about a clear bra like 3M offers?

 

Yes, those clear bras are the way to go, but they're quite expensive.
I'm considering it.
In my almost 6K miles, I've noticed a few nicks in my hood (near the front edge), too. I don't think any are to the metal, though.
A good hand wax job will be better than the car wash ones. I just used Meguiar's Gold Class on my Magnetic Pearl, and boy does it shine now. Very slick too. I plan on another coat this or next weekend. It's about the easiest paste wax to apply ever, and it buffs off easily too.

 

I had the clear bra put on my Mini S, it works nicely. No chips in the paints so far. I wish I had done this to my HCH I. It will be standard practise on any new vehicle.

 

I had a full nose bra on my previous car (I put 140k on it) and when sold it had no more than maybe 3 chips in the hood but they were probably from rocks that came down at a sharper angle after being kicked up by a car/truck in front of me. So far in the 14k that I've had the car (with a full bra on since about the first 1,000 miles) there are no chips in the hood. I do see a hole in the bra which prevented the hood from being chipped (the bra has a hole in the top leather section but it does not go through the white cotton lining and the hood is fine).

As with my last car - once the bra goes on it rarely comes off of the car. I don't really care what the hood/bumper looks like after 5 years of being under the bra as it is there to prevent most chips from occurring in the first place. The full bra also saves the bumper from those <2 mph parking lot bumps while a clear bra is usually only on the hood and doesn't cover the front bumper.

 

Could it be honda paint in general? Check on www.autopia.org. Those guys and gals are serious about car cleaning. I remember reading several threads on honda paint. You might be able to search over there on the topic.

 

I'm using a hood bra and it's doing a good job. It requires a quick removal for washes. IMO it'd be better for you than nothing.

 

Clear bra is the way to go if you want a bra without the bra look.... THOUGH it does cost an arm and a leg just for the bra itself. I have it on my car and it works EXCELLENT! Here's what i have:

http://www.xpel.com/products/configu...&submodel=2122

I have the EXTENDED COVERAGE which covers pretty much 80% of the hood and the entire bumper. I also have them on my headlights and side mirrors too.

good luck

 

Edwin,
Did you install this yourself?
I've heard that they are not for the timid (kind of like installing window tint).

And I've heard about the thinness of Honda paint before. Keep it waxed, for sure.

 

Steve,

No i did not install it myself. A shop installed it for me. Theres a 5 year warranty w/the bra against bubbling, discoloring etc. One of the main reasons why i had a shop install it for me is because if they mess up, THEY will have to fix it on their cost, even if it means starting all over. If I mess up, i would probably be SOL (sh*t out of luck) and would to buy a whole new clear bra costing me more money.