DBJoe996

I just rolled over 146K miles. I have a few stone chips here and there. I'm not going to do anything about it because I consider it patina. The car has seen some miles, with plenty more to go.

Mike Murphy

If it’s just a few large chips, touch ups can work. They are often free or no-cost by a shop that is your shop of choice.

Rock chips only bother me when the base primer or paint layer is a wildly different color than the other paint color, which makes them stand out from any distance. My rock chips look white on a black car, So a touch up on that is desperately needed.

Many paint guys can touch up a heck of a lot better than I could. It’s not perfect, but it sometimes looks almost perfect.

For me, I don’t expect a perfect car on a 21-yr-old 996 that’s a daily driver. If I had a lower mileage, more rare/special car, I’d do a PPF.

Billup

It's just a few here and there, the front lower bumper definitely needs some TLC however.

I don't drive it often (once a week ~40 miles to keep components / fluids moving) and want to get rid of the light imperfections and keep it that way. Overall the paint is in great shape, I just can't help but notice the small things everyone else looks past.

islaTurbine

BudgetPlan1

I've been watching his testing w/ great interest (kinda a coating-junkie here), very intriguing. While I certainly admire the time, effort and expense that went into this oft-cited test, it's my opinion that unless they strap that hood to a car and drive it around, it only tells part of the story with regards to a coatings (or any LSP's) performance, a good starting point if you will. In my climate, merely sitting outside (maintained or not) has very little effect on coating longevity when dealing with quality products. Driving, especially on freeways in the winter, is an absolute LSP killer. To wit:

We have 2 daily driver cars with considerably different usage patterns; both protected with same set of products/coatings:

1. At 3 years, 17k miles, Car 1 was still performing (w/ regards to coating) at about 85% 'as applied'

2. At 2 years, 42k miles, Car 2 was in need of re-polishing and re-coating.

1. Car 1 is about 5500 miles a year, no freeway, sits outside from April thru November but only really driven daily November thru April, short trips, no freeway.

2. Car 2 is year round daily driver, generally garaged 50% of the time, 25k miles a year, 95% freeway.

Both are in NE Ohio.

Same protection, varying usage far different likely outcomes. Freeway use, especially during winter, is very, very hard on a vehicles finish. Road salt, brine, chemical de-icers, road grime ain't good for anything regarding a cars finish. Merely sitting outside in the elements has little effect on (this particular coating) coating degradation.

Point being for me, no claims listed on a box or static test can capture the totality of a quality coating w/ regards to its performance over the long-haul. Longevity (with solid performance) is the ultimate YMMV scenario. And in NE Ohio, longevity based merely on the passage of time is a poor barometer of coating performance. Heck, I can take a 6-month 'coating-lite' product like Gyeon CanCoat, plop it on a car that only goes out in nice weather 3 months of the year and it'll last for years.

Perhaps it's different in a nuclear climate like Phoenix, AZ which apparently just kills paint on horizontal surfaces like hoods and roofs. In that situation, perhaps merely sitting static is *the* killer of LSP's.

I guess at the end of the day, there is no single barometer that will determine a 'best' coating/wax/sealant aside from giving it a try in your climate, on your car with your maintenance (or is often the case for me, lack of maintenance) and your vehicle usage patterns. Fascinating stuff...

motoo344

I still think its a good test though, gives you a rough idea of what to expect. There are a lot of variables that are hard to replicate on just one hood. I've had 2 years coatings last close to 3 years but also fail under 2 because they weren't properly maintained. Surfaces will still need to be decontaminated, its not like a coating just magically prevents any and all dirt from sticking. I see guys that wash there car once a month, bring it to me and its great and then people that show up two years later never having washed their car and it looks like nothings on it.

BudgetPlan1

It's a great test, no denying that. I've got blown-up images so my old eyeballs can see the marking when looking at it on my phone :lol:

I wonder how much climate plays a role in LSP degradation? While merely sitting out in the weather here in NE Ohio seems to have little effect on a coating, a coating aficionado in Arizona mentioned he often sees quite the opposite...his cars that sit stationary for the most part degrade quicker than cars that they drive a lot. I'm all for any kinda testing like this that I can read about...the only thing I really know about coatings is that there's a lot more that I DON'T know that that which I do. And that's half the fun.

motoo344

I think climate plays a roll in it. My S3 has Cquartz, it gets driven about 6000 miles a year on average but it lives outside, under trees and our property holds a lot of moisture, even with the coating it stills needs a little extra work not nearly the same amount if it was uncoated. My 911 has Opti-Coat Pro+ on it but lives inside and every wash is just a panel spritz with Optimum No Rinse and a damp towel. I know the creator of Opti-Coat worked on creating modern day clear coats and those last differently based on climate, stored inside or outside. Apparently they actually have a half life, after a certain amount of years they lose X amount of their UV blocking abilities. Moral of the story, coated, uncoated you should still maintain them properly, coating will just make it easier to do so.