I think this damage is from bird poop. It couldn’t have been there for more than a fortnight since we went away on holiday. The paint is barely a millimeter thick, and it went right through to the body of the bonnet. Does this mean it needs a respray?
The paint seems surprisingly bad. The EV6 looks like a premium car at first, but when you see the paint quality, it feels more like it came from an economy brand.
Zion said:
The paint seems surprisingly bad. The EV6 looks like a premium car at first, but when you see the paint quality, it feels more like it came from an economy brand.
When I looked at the paint in the showroom, it felt more like plastic than actual paint. Is this the same stuff?
I’ve had bird crap damage other cars in just a few days, depending on what the birds have eaten.
My paint got messed up just weeks after buying my car. I live in the PNW, where we have lots of gravel trucks constantly on the road. Everyone’s paint ends up awful. It doesn’t matter how far you stay from other cars, especially when they spray sand on the roads in winter. Don’t even get me started on windshields. If I ever opened a business, it would definitely be a windshield repair shop.
@Kiran
Would a ceramic spray or coat prevent the chipping? I’m thinking about getting my car wrapped and wondering if a ceramic coat would help prevent damage.
Uma said:
@Kiran
Would a ceramic spray or coat prevent the chipping? I’m thinking about getting my car wrapped and wondering if a ceramic coat would help prevent damage.
I take really good care of my car and had it coated when it was new, but wrapping it would give better protection. I’ve seen a lot of people get clear protective films put on high-risk areas with good results. I think I’ll go for that next time.
Just some common car guy phrases:
- ‘They should have made it in manual.’
- ‘The stock [tire company] suck.’
- ‘This car has such thin paint.’
- ‘They should bring back analog gauges.’
- ‘Not enough bolstering.’
Bird poop will mess up any paint if it’s left to dry in the sun.
@Avery
You don’t really hear about thin paint on cars other than Hyundai/Kia.
Micah said:
@Avery
You don’t really hear about thin paint on cars other than Hyundai/Kia.
That’s not true. I hear it about whatever car is being talked about.
This looks like excessive damage from bird poop, even for bad paint.
To be honest, I’ve only picked up one stone chip in 3 years. The paint doesn’t seem any worse than my previous Lexus. Dried bird poop can damage any paint, as others have mentioned.
The paint these days is not as good as it used to be. Most car makers switched to water-based paint because of environmental concerns. Personally, I haven’t had any issues with my Yacht Blue EV6 GT. If you want to see bad paint, go check out a Tesla, especially the black paint. It’s the most fragile, poorly adhering paint I’ve ever seen.
Kia EV6 and EV9 paint seems to be super thin in general. We’ve got XPEL PPF on both, and it’s saved us from a lot of rock chips.
I’ve never had so much paint damage on a car before, not even on my old German cars. My Kia EV6 has scratches all over it already. It’s a shame because otherwise, it’s a great car.
Reese said:
I’ve never had so much paint damage on a car before, not even on my old German cars. My Kia EV6 has scratches all over it already. It’s a shame because otherwise, it’s a great car.
I had the same issue with my Tesla Model 3. I parked it in the sun, no rain, and got rust chips after I had it ceramic coated. The paint literally popped from the inside.
So it’s not just me. It seems likely the manufacturer’s specifications were met, so it’s probably out of warranty.
I’ll take it to a body shop. Do you think it can be repaired locally, or should I just respray the whole bonnet?
I had a 2022 Honda CR-V Hybrid in grey. I never had any issues with it in the 3 years I owned it – no scratches or stains. But after just 2 months with my 2024 EV6 GT Line in black, I’m already seeing scratches and stains. I thought it was just the black paint, but it seems like a lot of people are having the same problem with Kia.
I can confirm that Aora black paint is terrible. Kia dealers are using water-based paints that don’t hold up. I measured the paint thickness, and it’s the absolute minimum.