In the "Things you wish Infiniti would add or change" thread, lots of comments about the poor paint quality (mainly, chips easily I guess).

Have any of you tried aftermarket paint protection and/or the clear bra film coatings? How have they worked out?

This thread from a detailing forum seems to say the protective coatings are a waste:
Dedicated thread just for questions about so-called paint protection plans/products - Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online

 

I think the clear bra films actually do work, thought I've never bought one for any of my cars. I do know a lot of Z and G owners have plenty of chips.

 

Infiniti uses different kind of paint for 08,09,10,11. I assume the durability of these paint are different.

I had my 2011 G coupe for about 2 months now, been through bunch of rain, drove through dirt/rocks roads, and washed the car bunch of times myself.
So far not even a Single Mark of wear on my car. The paint is perfect just like when the car was in the showroom. No chip, no scratch, not even any swirl. They definitely improved on the quality.

 

all car companies are going to waterbourne/waterbased paints. the days of durable paints are in the past.

 

I hope they've improved their paint, it's been the worst of any car I've owned, and as far as the waterbased and low VOC paint processes, it does indeed make it harder to have a quality paint job, but it can be done. Hyundai paint durability is far better than Infiniti, and the German makes are also much more durable. I just don't think Nissan puts much effort into improving their paint processes to keep up w/ the current requirements.
Smashhell, if you owned an OB G I'd feel better about what you're saying, your white G may be masking the true paint issues I've had w/ these cars (my 07 was Blue Slate, and my 09 is OB). Any other 2011 owners especially w/ OB Gs I'd be interested in how your paint is holding up.

 

Yes, whenever I see a new sonata or most German cars, I am definitely impressed by the paint. They seem deeper and shinier and I know MB finishes look great with little care. My 2007 G35 coupe took a lot of effort to keep looking new.

Just got the 2011 sedan so obviously it looks good now, but it still has a certain quality that doesn't look quite right. Maybe it's the smoothness of the finish? or the depth of the clearcoat?

 

The bumper area on our ivory white 2003 G35 suffered from rock chips. I was religious about getting the touch-up paint out and keeping the front looking clean. I only recall touching up one small nick on the hood, the rest were confined to the front end. I lived with the chipping and didn't let it bother me. If it's true that Infiniti has improved their paint, that's great! If not, I'll just keep up the standard routine with touch-ups on the 2010. I've had to do this with every car and truck I've owned, no mater what the make, so no big deal.

Not a real clear closeup of the front end, but you can see with a little care, the 2003 doesn't look all that bad after eight years on the road with several front ding touch-ups.

 

Mines pretty bad too, it shows really bad on OBs.

 

I got a bra on my OB's front/side fenders/full hood/mirrors/trunk lip.. wish I did the day I bought it. Lesson learned.

The paint is indeed fragile but speaking to the dealership parts guy he said that with black it's pretty typical on almost every brand. IMO the counter to this is just to learn how to detail your car and be able to fix the paint easily, whatever happens. So far it has been a great way to learn detailing for me.

 

I have a clear bra on my G. It has done a great job.

I have two regrets, I did not get it before I drive it off the lot and I did not get the whole hood covered.

 

Bought a OB sedan in October 2009 - so mine is 15 months old. I think I have two small paint chips in it. No swirls. I keep after it with a Porter Cable 7424XP about once every 4 months or so. It does have some water spots on the hood that I'm not going to try to get out cause I think they are down under the clear coat - and they aren't very noticeable so it's not a huge deal to me. Other than that it looks as good as the day I drove it off the lot. I live in Tampa. Our roads are decent - no salt trucks and not too much on the way of potholes - which probably helps. Having said all of that I'm not saying that the paint is top notch but I think it will be intersesting to see how the self healing paint holds up over the years. Maybe it will prove out to be a positive attribute of the paint.

 

My OB has 600miles on it and already has a chip in the hood.

 

I believe its "recovery" properties wear off after 2 years....

 

I had a navy 2003 and a black 2007 Audi A6's. I'm really into detailing and very careful with avoiding swirl marks. I had some I couldn't avoid on the A6's but the G had more in 6 months than the Audi's in 3 years. I use Klasse All-in-One and sealant and layer 3 coats of P21S carnuaba every 6 months. Cars look spectacular but in the sun the G is showing swirl marks. I also never wipe in circles so the swirls will only appear if the light hits them in the one wrong direction as opposed to any direction if you have circular swirls.

 

Waxing my OB 2011 G37X with about 200 miles on it today and already found a tiny chip in the hood. Tiny, but it is bugging me.