Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 09:05:53 -0400 From: "KeithG" <noonenopsamhlink.net> Subject: Re: Saab paint quality
Much supposition follows: Metallic paints are not as robust in general. They suffer from premature clear coat yellow or peel. The reason is that the pigments in other types of paint contribute to general paint strength. In looking for a used car, I prefer solid colors non metallic for this reason. Silver is probably the weakest paint period. The Sikkens paint that Saab used (I do not know if they are still using it) is high quality paint in general. My in-laws live in Denver and the fronts of cars get 'sandblasted' there as well. The dealers apply what We call 'Helicopter tape' (it was designed to protect military helicopter composite blades, 3M makes it and I do not know the trade name) to the front of the hood and painted portions of the bumper/fascia. It is clear and protects the paint and allows all of it to fade similarly. Highly recommended. I would suggest spending a weekend and touching up these areas and applying a 2" piece across the front of the hood and other pieces on the fascia. Hope this is helpful, KeithG "Peter Thompson" <pt229nopsamone.net> wrote in message news:97336956.0204220121.2e047d76nopsaming.google.com... > "Josh" <joshRemoveThisToMailMegrantnopsam.ca> wrote in message news:<R3Iw8.75501$de1.3603449nopsam3.calgary.shaw.ca>... > > I've had my 2001 9-3 for 13 months now, and it's got 31,000 km on it, most > > of it highway. I live in Calgary, Alberta (Canada), and we've had a cold > > and snowy winter. We also don't use sand or salt on the roads, we use > > finely crushed rock. Now, I'd expect to see a few dings after all that > > driving, but I've got literally hundreds of tiny chips all over the car, > > showing up as black spots on my otherwise silver car. > > > > Is this typical of factory Saab paint? The owner's manual (and my dealer) > > said not to wax it for 12 months, so I didn't. > > I had a 2000 model 9-3 SE also in silver and I suffered the same > problem. The paint chips were particularly bad on the front of the > bonnet (hood). When I raised the matter with a Saab dealer I was told > that it was not covered by warranty as it was normal 'wear and tear'. > I think this is rubbish - I have compared the 9-3 to other makes of > cars of similar colour and age and there were nowhere near the same > number of chips. I think Saab have a problem with this particular > paint but can hide behind the 'wear and tear' thing. > > As a possibly meaningless comparison my 1985 900 w/ 171000 miles on > the clock has far fewer stone chips than the 9-3. > > best, > > Pete
