Brittle Bonnet Paint

[Ginge 35Edition]

To be honest I never had the issue on my Edi and Bev's cab is fine. Perhaps my bros GTi is just one of those things?

[TheCarMadDad]

I too think there has been a lot of issues with paint since the switch from solvent based paints to water based. The water based ones just don't seem as good. I had a friend who took his BMW back to the dealer on a paintwork warranty claim. He had, what can only be described, as orange peel starting to show almost like a bubbling and discerning differences in the paintwork. Anyhow, they rejected his claim and the service dept. even said 'It's due to the new water based paint and was a side effect so wasn't covered'

Bring back solvent based paints I say! (although that won't happen in the great(!) EU!!!!!! :/

[gazmondo35]

I have just spent half the day detailing my red gti, & I cannot get that deep shine I got with my red mk5 gti, it's one area I wish vw wouldn't skimp On.

[p3asa]

That's now at least 7 years they have been making water based paints.
I think its definitely down to the way we drive. My neighbour hasn't a blemish on her 2 year old  Golf.
With my Audi I made a choice of changing my motorway habits and noticed a massive difference compared to my old Mk6 that looked like it had been pebble dashed at the front

[KyleB]

With my Audi I made a choice of changing my motorway habits and noticed a massive difference compared to my old Mk6 that looked like it had been pebble dashed at the front

What do you do because my front is majorly pebble dashed.

[monkeyhanger]

Motorway habits? If we're talking about maintaining a bigger distance from the car in front, there's always someone wanting to fill that gap. Only driving behind cars fitted with mudflaps?

[CraigW]

Avoiding stone chips is purely down to luck. You could sit 100 yards behind a car and still get hit. You can get hit by flying debris from cars coming in the opposite direction. All it takes is for the car in front to sway onto the hard shoulder and they collect loads of sh!t and it's thrown back on your car - happened to me a few times and it's a sinking feeling when you hear the bang bang bang on the front of the car. You want to stop the driver in front and punch him   

Basically you can be the most careful driver in the world but on a particular day you can be sh!t out of luck

[p3asa]

Basically you can be the most careful driver in the world but on a particular day you can be sh!t out of luck

I agree with that Craig but since I've changed my style of driving on the motorway I've only got a handful of stone chips in 18 months. Like I said at this stage on the Golf I literally had hundreds.
I reckon its all down to just giving more room between you and the car in front. Just enough so not everyone is squeezing in between you and them.

If there is no car in front I've found cars come flying in front of you so what I do is slightly accelerate if I see them coming up and then take my foot off the pedal so if they are pulling in they are usually well ahead of me.

Not ideal but its helped by a massive amount. Whereas with the Golf I was always keen to get past everyone.

[Snoopy]

Yeah I posted in that thread, but it doesn't really tell me if anyone has challenged it yet?

Who you going to the challenge? It's not an issue for the dealership and VW sure aren't going to listen. We, being forum members and car enthusiasts, make up a tiny % of VW owners and the average owner of cars is not going to bother their shirt about a few marks on the paintwork cause they just want a car to get them from A to B.

Sorry pal but it's a lost cause

Sad to say but I agree with you.
Imo we are in a 'rent a car' culture most owners dont care as they are simply renting the  car by paying a month fee and  just want it to get from A to B. Then they change cars every couple years so dont care about long term care of 'their' car or anyone elses.
The dealers and manufacturers are geared up for this so if they can save money by making paint thin or cutting corners elsewere and it will last the term of rental they will do it. Its accountants running the world of risk/claims v cost.