Do all Forester XT's have these ugly paint defects ?

it's quite easy, Chester... if the Silver XT you have has similar defects, note the VIN, and refuse delivery of that particular vehicle.

Is this a known problem with Silver? Just wondering cause this weekend I was waxing my WRX (silver) and noticed some *strange* paint. Can you fill us in ???

Thanks

Mark

I think this defect is caused by a small gap between two pieces of metal that join underneath the paint.

If the gap is a little larger than it should be or if the surface of the two pieces are not perfectly aligned then the paint can crack along this gap resulting in what looks like a deep scratch mark.

they are not paint defects. they are remnants of the adhesive used to hold on the protective plastic/paper guards to prevent damage during delivery.

rub them with a bit of wax and you will see they disappear. i had them on my black 03 rex wagon.

jm2c ken

Ken is right. I had the same thing on my '04 XT in Java Black. I freaked when I saw it but the dealer used wax and wiped it off. No harm done.

That's we thought it was on my '02 WRX until the dealer's detail guy agreed it was definitely a scratch into the paint totally across the roofline just behind the upper windshield gasket...not a raised ridge that could be polished out. Guessing it was a cut in paint from when protective covering was taken off.

They sent it to a local paint shop to be taken care of...looks fine 20K sunny AZ miles later. Now I couldn't say the same about the rock- chipped bumper cover, hood, fenders, doors, etc...

Brent.

same here on black forester, it shows up more after it gets dirty, the adhesive attracts dirt, polished it all off I thought but still seeing a little here and there, hehe I panicked too.

L1

Ken Gilbert wrote:

And my brand new 04 OBW LLBean has these same lines just aft of the rear moonroof. The are perfectly straight and go accross the roof. Dealer says it's glue lines, thought they look like scratches to me. He seemed like, "Oh yeah, another one with the glue lines." It's there today for a trailer hitch, differential protector and (a full) re-detailing to remove the lines. I'll let you know what happens...

I also noticed the chips on the hood of my WRX. I thought maybe it's because the low hood line and it's easier to get rock hits than my wifes Forester. However, I'm starting to wonder if the paint Subaru uses is crap. Oh well, guess I have to live with it.

I got by bonnet re-sprayed, but i had to write a letter to subaru australia head office requesting it. It got done at a professional spray-painter, so i'm not expecting the flaking to re-appear (fingers crossed)

Just accept it as Subaru thin & brittle paint. FWIW, My '93 SE-R with

85K+ miles has almost no chips when compared to my '02 WRX (only noticeable chips on the SE-R are along the hood leading edge). 'Tis especially annoying in a local where replacing the windshield every other year is a simple fact of life. Guess I should start setting aside a repaint fund...

Brent.

Got the car back from the shop. The lines are gone. No trace of any defect. I don't know if they were glue lines or scratches, but the car looks perfect now, except that red really shows the dust! I had a tan car before, and it never looked dirty (tan is the same color as dirt, I guess).

Thanks for all the responses. Now I just have to wait for the dealer to call me when they have a silver or white one.

Hi Guys, I work for GM Holdens here in Australia in a Process control group in the Paint Shop. Firstly i agree that the thin plastic adhesive type of covers used when exporting will leave some gum marks. If the Paint is enamel (which most factorys are) and metallic, it has both a basecoat and a clear coat. If small scratches appear in the clearcoat , it can be finessed out by fine rubbing with a fine grit paper and buffed to smooth over the clear. Most small defects can be finessed out. KC

Holden worker , Subaru owner.