This is the condition a 9 month old camaro looks after 20k 90% highway miles

[myold88]

Originally Posted by Vroom_vroom

Red gets bird poo more frequently. I thought I was losing it until I discovered it is the most popular color to poo on for birds?

I always heard it was Blue cars birds poo on because they think that
they are over water- Either way, red or blue, it's stupid- lol.

[Evil-Bee-NH]

3 yrs. of bird shit, sand, salt and highway gators havent been kind to my car but it's almost 88k aswell and i drive it like i stole it.

[Dfault]

Originally Posted by Comrando

What is wrong with the seat? I can't see it.

The loop that holds the belt is falling off because the belt cut the stitching and it also has cut into the seat.

[shrinkdoc]

My car is black. 2011 with 43k miles of all kinds of driving conditions, just a few door dings but the paint is still shiny, On the interior just my drivers side floor mat is worn out and clutch pedal rubber pad is wearing down.

[AmericanMuscle33]

I've got some small spots on my door creases as well. I hate that they're so noticeable.

[High Magnitude]

I might be in like having the small scratches on my car; they're like battle scars. I'm tough on it but my car always pulls through.

[Norm Peterson]

Originally Posted by Destructo09

Welcome to a car that gets driven, lol. No big deal really, unless of course you want a garage queen.

I autoX mine and hit cones pretty frequently, they usually will leave some marks but I don't care, I bought the car to have fun in, not leave it sitting all lonely in a garage.

Cars can always be re-painted, it's useless if you don't drive it.

This ↑↑↑ . If I was that afraid to drive it - any car - I wouldn't have bought it in the first place. Can't afford to be spending registration and insurance premium money on a car that mostly just gets old sitting still. For me anyway, the fun is in the driving.

It's potentially worse at track days where the bugs are committing suicide into a 125 mph object and dust/sand/clumps of other peoples' rubber come flying back at you from time to time.

Call it part of the price of having fun, and not being OCD about everything about your car does make it easier to deal with a few blemishes from time to time.




Norm

[enzia35]

Originally Posted by Vroom_vroom

Red gets bird poo more frequently. I thought I was losing it until I discovered it is the most popular color to poo on for birds?

Oh god, this. I was parked out in the open, no light posts, no trees. Birds still crapped on it!!!

[Camaro Dude]

Originally Posted by Norm Peterson

This ↑↑↑ . If I was that afraid to drive it - any car - I wouldn't have bought it in the first place. Can't afford to be spending registration and insurance premium money on a car that mostly just gets old sitting still. For me anyway, the fun is in the driving.

It's potentially worse at track days where the bugs are committing suicide into a 125 mph object and dust/sand/clumps of other peoples' rubber come flying back at you from time to time.

Call it part of the price of having fun, and not being OCD about everything about your car does make it easier to deal with a few blemishes from time to time.




Norm

True, but a new paint job now and days is what now..3-$5 g's?
Then there is resale $. Of course for some, none of that matters, each to their own right?

Not sure what the huge fuss is here with everyone. For way under one G note, invisible protection can be had to cover all key areas. Done.

I found a banging deal after the fact, and had my Oracle mirrors re-done for $30. I mean, seriously now..let's not be cheap skates, lol.

The friggin' film works and it's cheap if you shop around. Competition in the auto parts world is fierce.

[TJ91]

This is a totally self made theory, but I remember when I got my car in 2009, the paint was a bit softer (easier to chip) In the first year I had picked up quite a bit of chips. But Ever since those initial ones, I haven't gotten much. I daily drive my car and have had it for 6 seasons now and the paint looks great. I think it just takes some time to cure, but once it has cured it seems to be more durable than when you first get it.

Could be totally wrong but just what I have noticed.
I dd my car and drive it through all kinds of conditions except snow.

[Norm Peterson]

Originally Posted by Camaro Dude

True, but a new paint job now and days is what now..3-$5 g's?
Then there is resale $. Of course for some, none of that matters, each to their own right?

I'll have to take your word for it on paint job cost, without really knowing what kind of quality you have in mind for that kind of money. For a 7 y/o car that gets tracked, 50 feet at 50 mph is probably more than good enough. Anywhere near $3k, let alone higher up, would be a complete waste on a track toy, even just a part-time one like mine.

I honestly can't remember of paying any attention to resale value. Ever. Not when car shopping, not when brand-new, not at any time during the ownership of any car (and we tend to keep our cars for longer than most folks do).

Not sure what the huge fuss is here with everyone. For way under one G note, invisible protection can be had to cover all key areas. Done.

I found a banging deal after the fact, and had my Oracle mirrors re-done for $30. I mean, seriously now..let's not be cheap skates, lol.

The friggin' film works and it's cheap if you shop around. Competition in the auto parts world is fierce.

If this stuff isn't DIY-able, I probably wouldn't have been interested in it. If it was, but tricky to get right, I still wouldn't be.

One of these days I'll get to whatever insect suicides are on it now, and I'll probably find a few pebble chips to deal with while I'm at it.


Norm

[Camaro Dude]

Originally Posted by Norm Peterson

I'll have to take your word for it on paint job cost, without really knowing what kind of quality you have in mind for that kind of money. For a 7 y/o car that gets tracked, 50 feet at 50 mph is probably more than good enough. Anywhere near $3k, let alone higher up, would be a complete waste on a track toy, even just a part-time one like mine.

$3000 range, you are looking at a very good paint job for the average Joe, that they will be happy with. For the pickier types, don't expect them to take all of the trim off, tape, take special care with door jambs, inside skeleton, etc. The job will be quite good nonetheless if it's a reputable shop. For $5000+, you are going into quality top notch zone territory. I'm going with a local pricing, yours may vary

Yes, I can see where you are coming from. Your car is a "Go-car" not a "Show-car". In that case, yes it most likely would be a complete waste of money to repaint for that kind of 4 digitry $$$$, or any kind of aesthetic care at all, if I was really to sound more brash about it .

The demographic on here is diverse, meaning some users on here fall more into the Show-car types, whilst many on here I'm sure play both sides, go-car and show-car. I'm sure they try to find some sort of equilibrium, and wish their rides to be a jack of all trades if you will, alas, master at none? lol

But my point really was....

Originally Posted by Norm Peterson

If this stuff isn't DIY-able, I probably wouldn't have been interested in it. If it was, but tricky to get right, I still wouldn't be.

.....that even though your ride is a go-car, and now quite clear why you diss the product period, I must bring to light (for the other Show-car dudes who might be reading this), that these proffessional dudes who install the film, now come to your door, meaning mobile service. The pricing(well at least here) is no different than going to the actual shop. NO downtime, no headaches, and doesn't break the bank. Unlike having a car re-painted, which means pay to rent a car for a bout a week downtime, on top of everything else, and then the risk of a lousy job, like too much orange peel, etc etc, headaches, etc..little things like that, that I never want to go through that ever again .

It takes no effort at all and doesn't cost that much (if you shop around that is) to have this installed.

Originally Posted by Norm Peterson

I honestly can't remember of paying any attention to resale value. Ever. Not when car shopping, not when brand-new, not at any time during the ownership of any car (and we tend to keep our cars for longer than most folks do)...............................................

............One of these days I'll get to whatever insect suicides are on it now, and I'll probably find a few pebble chips to deal with while I'm at it.

Me neither actually. I too keep my cars quite a while, usually a 10 year cycle on average, and I truly expect this one to go the distance.

One of my oldest toys was a black (replica) Alpina C2 2.7 E30 BMW, (I was the 2nd owner), that I had for close to 20 years. I personally logged 400000km on that puppy, some of it track, most of it highway, as I lived in the boonies(sticks) back then. It had the original factory paint and no offence, makes your Mustang look in terms of care. Why? Because I used that nifty helicopter blade protection film back when it was offered to the general public, essentially not mainstream at all back then.

Originally Posted by Norm Peterson

One of these days I'll get to whatever insect suicides are on it now, and I'll probably find a few pebble chips to deal with while I'm at it.

Looking at your pic above, I'd estimate $300 minimum best case scenario to fully repair the bumper cover, then I'm sure there is the forward section of both fenders and the leading edge of the hood, which really amounts to a complete front end job ; )

I know you don't care, but just sayin'.

[roorback]

The new enviro-safe paint ends up looking like that on most cars that are driven these days so don't sweat it. The clear bra I've seen is expensive, so if someone can get you a fair price after you repaint then go for it. I haven't seen any reasonable pricing but I haven't looked in about a year.

[oldfriend]

Originally Posted by Dfault

Haha, it seems to be working. However I still want to know where to find the clear film to protect the car!

Look it up on google
3M film , all kind a different materials for different applications