I love GM cars, more specifically Pontiac. My GP is the second Pontiac I've owned. My family has owned GM cars since they were able to drive. My parents had GM cars in their families since they were kids.

Lately I've been getting extremely fed up with the quality control of their cars lately ... more specifically, the paint. Every single GM car that has been owned by a member of my family suffers from paint chips. My old Bonneville had them. My GTP is full of them. I just touched up a lot, and more show up every week. My Mom'* brand new GP GXP has a couple of chips on the hood already. My brother'* 06 GTO which is only a few months old already has chips, amongst many other paint flaws. Some areas of his car have spots where the paint has been runny, like somebody half-assed the paint-job. My bro'* old 97 Grand Am suffered from chips as well.

Now, I do travel the highways a lot going across the state, so I know chips are inevitable, especially on Michigan roads. However, nobody else in my family travels the freeways long distances. They certainly don't tailgate or drive down dirt roads either. I don't understand why these cars chip so easily. I even put a Car Bra on the front end of the GTP when taking long trips, yet that only seems to help a little bit.

When I look at other cars around the area of different brands, their paint is fine. Maybe a couple chips here and there, but overall they are great. Even the older cars I've seen look fine. Why is it that GM paint suffers all the time?

Do they try to cut costs by putting less coats on? Do they go cheap on the primer or clearcoat? I don't know, but it'* more than aggrivating, especially on the very expensive GTO and GXP sitting in the driveway. For the price paid, you'd think they would get a decent paint job.

I polish, wax, wash, etc. I take care of my car and help out with the others. All that work seems to go down the drain everytime I find a new flaw in the paint.

Maybe it'* just the way things are around this area ... or maybe it'* just crappy paint. I don't know, but it is irritating.

End Rant.

its the roads dude, happens to everyone at some point

rocks don't discriminate car makes

I just see more GM vehicles chipped up than other brands...

x2

i see the same thing around in Upsate NY. fords may rust more, but GMS fade and chip more

my car (90k) and my parents car (73k) have less than a handful of chips on them. they're both 98'* but theirs is actually rusting pretty bad now. my WJ is a 99 with 69k and it has quite a few chips on the lower bumper, mostly on the driver side. discrimination, i think not

Although I've never really thought about it before, I do kinda agree with Sol here. It does seem that GM cars, at least the newer ones, chip easier than other makes. I know of cars that have the **** beat out of them, never washed or waxed, drive down dirt roads often, tailgate, etc..., and yet they still don't have a horrible amount of paint chips like you would expect.

Yet, if you look at the front of the GTP it has chips on it. This car is washed and waxed VERY regularly, it doesn't see dirt roads, tailgaiting doesn't happen, and it doesn't really get a huge amount of freeway miles in either. Yet, as much as that car is taken care of, at only 35k miles, the front end does look pretty beat compared to some Toyotas and stuff like that of the same year that have twice as many or more miles.

Well, overall I'm throughly disgusted with the quality control issues AND poor engineering. Therefore, my wife and I are in the process of buying a 2004 Honda Civic. I have nothing to loose at this point. We've tried A LOT of GM products and a handful of Ford. Time to change it up and see what the Japanese really have to offer.

I hate to say this but It'* inevitable. My buddy just got a brand new Mustang GT from the factory last week. Less than 100 miles and he has 2 rock chips on the front. It happens, I got a ton with 186k+ miles on my bonnie....

Huh, I'm not experiencing those kind of things, I DO have road rash, I've done some illegal things plus tailgating behind a semi. I only have maybe 5 rocks chips over the two years I've owned it. Trust me, I know you all are obessed with your car, you'll know where every scratch, etc is.

I'll have to keep an eye on that