[mentalrecon]

I currently own a black 2015 Accord. I am disappointed in the paint quality due to chips and swirls.

I am considering buying a 2016/17 Accord Coupe Touring in blue opal metallic. I am concerned that the paint will suffer from the same problems as my 15, though I've heard that metallic paints may hide swirl marks better than pearls.

Does anyone on this board own a blue opal metallic Accord? How does the paint look? Are my concerns warranted? My fall back colors are white and silver.

Thanks!

 

[RickBlaine]

You run any dark Honda- especially black, through the dealer car wash/swirl maker, and you should go to the penalty box and be by yourself for two minutes, and feel great shame.

Can you describe your car wash process?

 

[200366HFP]

As Rick said, touch car washes will give you all the swirls you could possibly imagine.

As for the chips, I (And a lot of other people) put a clear wrap on the nose. I will attest, it works preventing chips.

 

[mentalrecon]

You run any dark Honda- especially black, through the dealer car wash/swirl maker, and you should go to the penalty box and be by yourself for two minutes, and feel great shame.

Can you describe your car wash process?

Sure. I use the 2 bucket method to wash the car. Pre-soak with a foam cannon and then I use a microfiber wash mitt to gently clean the car (not in a circular motion). I wash from the top down, trying to rinse my wash mitt after every pass or two. Then I rinse the car off with my pressure washer and I use a half dozen microfiber towels along with some spray wax to dry it off.

The clear coat on the car is absurdly thin but the swirls aren't as bad as the chips. That's what really makes me angry.

When I buy my next car, I plan to drive from the dealer to the shop to have the front bumper, hood and side mirrors wrapped. My local shop offer Llumar clear. I have no experience with wraps.

I was curious to see how the blue opal paint holds up on the rest of the car. I want the blue but I might settle for white or silver given my experience with the black 2015.

 

[200366HFP]

The place I had my wrap put on, also fixed the two very noticeable chips I had when it was installed at ~2000 miles, for a small fee.

Instead of trading off a nearly new car for paint chips, spend a few bucks on it now, and have the chips repaired at the same time as the wrap installed. Just my .02

 

[Concordant]

I have that color in the Touring Coupe. I don't think the color seems to suffer the swirling of black.

Like others have suggested I would consider some sort of paint protection no matter the color. My concern, like others, was more of chips than swirls. The unprotected portions of my car do not have any swirling but I have never taken it to a car wash and did not allow the dealer to detail it either.

I do enjoy the color a lot except for the obvious showing of dirt but because it is unique among the coupes and of course not available in the sedan. The white was a consideration but didn't care for the unmatching interior colors.

 

[white3actual]

Suntek on the hood and front bumper, and ceramic coat the rest of the car. Here is a pretty good article on how to wash your car.


How To Properly Wash and Dry a Car | Ask a Pro Blog

 

[JDANKS]

Havent had any problems with swirls or whatnot..

 

[Alamut]

Your car is only a year old I don't know why you would want to waste your money on purchasing basically the same vehicle just different color because of some paint issues. I would save the money for the all new 2018 accord which will be released in less than a year from now. If it's really bothering you can patch up the problems they have a bunch of paint restoration kits out there.

 

[mentalrecon]

I have that color in the Touring Coupe. I don't think the color seems to suffer the swirling of black.

Like others have suggested I would consider some sort of paint protection no matter the color. My concern, like others, was more of chips than swirls. The unprotected portions of my car do not have any swirling but I have never taken it to a car wash and did not allow the dealer to detail it either.

I do enjoy the color a lot except for the obvious showing of dirt but because it is unique among the coupes and of course not available in the sedan. The white was a consideration but didn't care for the unmatching interior colors.

Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.

 

[mentalrecon]

Your car is only a year old I don't know why you would want to waste your money on purchasing basically the same vehicle just different color because of some paint issues. I would save the money for the all new 2018 accord which will be released in less than a year from now. If it's really bothering you can patch up the problems they have a bunch of paint restoration kits out there.

That's good advice but I am not buying a new car because of chips and swirls. There are plenty of less costly ways to rectify that situation.

I own a Sport sedan, which is basically an entry level model of the Accord with a couple of extras, to a Touring Coupe. I am buying now because 1) the Touring Coupe is a great car 2) it's the last model of this generation so problems will be minimal 3) it has plenty of features that I don't have 4) it might be the last of the V6 Accords given how many manufacturers are moving to 4 cylinder turbo engines.

Also, I don't buy the first model year of a new generation so I'd actually have to wait 2 years to buy a new car and I don't want to keep the Sport for that long.