GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Looking at my car the other day, I noticed what seemed to be bug spatter spots on the hood, and around the area in front of the sunroof. I took my fingernail and tried to scratch it off.. But it looks like the bug splats have eaten into the paint! Can it do this? They're all over the place on the hood... and are probably 4 or 5 around the sunroof. The car will be 2 years old in June.. And this summer I washed it constantly.. no bugs in the winter obviously.. Anyone else experience this..?

Do a search, that is typical Vibe and Toyota Paint...

Bugs chipping the paint - No...The Vibe was washed shortly after this pic and were no chips.Gravel from winter roads on the other hand have caused many knicks on the front of mine but fortunatly, no chips in the windshield!!!

Its really not like chips.. It looks like it has just dissolved into the paint. Some spots its silver and some are black/silver.

http://www.ehow.com/how_560115....htmlAnd get out the detailing clay!http://www.autopia-carcare.com/inf-clay.html

I just jointed because my red vibe has the same mess on the hood...all of a sudden...tons of white specks of paint loss....did you get any resolution?

Nope, besides getting the bugs off with a dryer sheet and water. Most of the "dissolved" looking paint is above the windshield but before the sunroof. I've noticed my friends 07 Altima has tons of white specs all over the black paint. Not sure what that is.

Has anyone got any resolution of the paint issues with the dealer. I bough my Vibe used, so I am probably sunk, but he paint is not good...thin, scratches easily and splotches of white all over the hood.

The bugs didn't cause any damage but all the rocks from the winter highway driving I do has really done a number to the bumper!Pics coming soon.

It may also be bird poop. I try to wax regularly and wash off the poop as soon as I see them...

Quote, originally posted by janetsally »Has anyone got any resolution of the paint issues with the dealer. I bough my Vibe used, so I am probably sunk, but he paint is not good...thin, scratches easily and splotches of white all over the hood.Have you tried using a clay bar? It's amazing what a clay bar will remove from your paint.Quote, originally posted by 09vGT »Nope, besides getting the bugs off with a dryer sheet and water. Most of the "dissolved" looking paint is above the windshield but before the sunroof.Ethan, have you tried using a clay bar?

I was wondering about noxious bird poo myself. Seems that after I wash off the poo I sometimes see a dull spot the same size and shape as the splat. It looks dull and feels like the paint has been dissolved. I have never heard of clay bar techniques til i came here, i will have to look into it.

Quote, originally posted by CAMOGIRL »I was wondering about noxious bird poo myself. Seems that after I wash off the poo I sometimes see a dull spot the same size and shape as the splat. It looks dull and feels like the paint has been dissolved. I have never heard of clay bar techniques til i came here, i will have to look into it.I personally use the Mother's California Gold Clay Bar System twice a year (once in the spring and once in the fall) on both our Vibes. It is absolutely amazing. It will remove all sorts of oxidation, tree sap, paint overspray, etc. The best part is it's very easy to use. It takes a while, but the end result is well worth it. I even use it on the windows, headlights and taillights.

I was not talking about bird poo...just the paint is thin, and there are tons of pinpoint spots with no paint.

Have a look at the leading edge of the hood... The paint on the plastic bumper held up much better then the metal hood although the bumper's taken a real beating from rocks.

Attached files

Here's a close up. License plate is off to show what 2 winters of highway driving can do...

Attached files

That's pretty bad Ryan The 09 Navy Blue Vibe GT we just picked up yesterday has seen some serious stone chips also. Even a windshield chip which I didn't see during inspection because it was raining that day (never look at a car during rainy weather). But the bright side is they fixed it to where it is barely noticeable Lots of scratches everywhere, some pretty deep, and debris from kids (a young family was likely the previous owner). I too am going to have to look into this clay bar system and do a thorough exterior cleaning. It's been 25+ years since I did any serious detailing and back then it was DuPont products. "Rain Dance" was the wax of choice at that time. Need suggestions on what's good NOW, today ...............

My front bumper is terrible- chips and nicks galore, from bugs, gravel, rocks, salt, etc. I just say that my car is "going through puberty" because its "face" is so pockmarked. And yes, I do a full claybar/polish/wax twice a year (with the products my husband likes to use for his car), and a car wash usually every two weeks. But this paint is terrible and just looking at it will make it chip.

Quote, originally posted by tpollauf »The 09 Navy Blue Vibe GT we just picked up yesterday has seen some serious stone chips also. Even a windshield chip which I didn't see during inspection because it was raining that day (never look at a car during rainy weather). But the bright side is they fixed it to where it is barely noticeable Lots of scratches everywhere, some pretty deep, and debris from kids (a young family was likely the previous owner). I too am going to have to look into this clay bar system and do a thorough exterior cleaning. It's been 25+ years since I did any serious detailing and back then it was DuPont products. "Rain Dance" was the wax of choice at that time. Need suggestions on what's good NOW, today ............... Sorry to hear about all the marks and all on the newest family member Tim . Unfortunately most people don't care about their vehicles like we do . I personally use all Mother's products (except for Stoner's Invisible Glass glass cleaner and Meguiar's Endurance tire gel). I do the clay bar once in the spring and once in the fall. I even use it on the windows, headlights and taillights. It works great and is really easy to use, it just takes some time.Quote, originally posted by ponta2147 »My front bumper is terrible- chips and nicks galore, from bugs, gravel, rocks, salt, etc. I just say that my car is "going through puberty" because its "face" is so pockmarked. And yes, I do a full claybar/polish/wax twice a year (with the products my husband likes to use for his car), and a car wash usually every two weeks. But this paint is terrible and just looking at it will make it chip.I too have quite a few chips on my front bumper cover. One pretty good sized one from the winter of 2009-2010 where something obviously flew up and took a chunk of paint with it. I also have a chip/dent in the hood near the driver's side headlight where a rock flew up and hit the hood. My front bumper cover has a bunch of little black spots all over it and more appear every so often . It looks like I didn't really get anymore this past winter, but we shall see when I give it a proper washing soon .This paint is pretty bad. The Liquid Platinum Metallic shows the black chips really bad, whereas my mom's Steel Blue Metallic doesn't really show anything, although she now has a new painted front bumper cover so we'll see how that compares to mine in the long run .

I'll put a plug in here for InvisiShield and 3M type clear shields. I have no chips or marks of any kind on the nose or hood of my car.As for the roof ahead of the moon roof, I guess I owe that to living in Oregon. I did get two tiny hits on my hood because I didn't get it fully covered by the InvisiShield.