i've had my S for about 2.7yrs now and what pisses me off the most is how bad the front bumper is 2.7yrs later. i don't drive close to the cars in front of me and i always have about 5-8 car length distance barring traffic but the frond end of the car attracts chips like no other car i've ever had.

the chips are not that bad and you can only see them when the sun shines directly at the bumper where you can see all the little tiny chip specs and if its not you cannot see any of the chips it from 3-5 feet away.

does other S owners have it as bad or is it just because i have berlina black where its easier to spot? but then again my last car was black and i never had this much spec chips.

chips: rock hitting the bumper and peeled off paint.
spec chips: tiny-tiny chips in bunches.

 

black is a notoriously bad color to maintain. scratches, swirls, chips, etc, they all show up easier than most other colors....

that said, your best bet to maintain your front bumper is to repaint it (maybe $150-$250 depending on shop/location), and get a 3m clear bra.

 

but do other berlinas have the same problems in terms of spec chips?

i was thinking of having it repainted and adding a clear guard but that's if i get really obsessed about it.

 

It's not that you are driving far away from other cars... it's because our car is soo low. Cars in front of you kicks up rocks and spit it back at your front bumper. I have a GPW and it has good amount of rock chips...

 

The paint and clear coat are also minimal (weight savings?) on all of the S2000s relative to other cars. Sad to say, but even Ford does a better job painting it's vehicles than does Honda.

 

Well, cheaper paint is a saving of 20lbs, which is one vtec sticker, or 5hps. You didn't get the memo?

 

I'd have to guess it's for cost savings. If Honda was worried about saving weight by using very thin paint they may as well tell you to take a dump before you drive the car.

 

Consider them battle wounds. I do my best to reduce wear-and-tear on my car but I know stuff happen. Yes the thin paint is probably for cost savings and there isn't much we can do about it. I think paint doesn't adhere as well to cars now due to stricter regulations on the composition of the paint, primer, clear coat etc.

 

if you daily drive it, chips are gonna happen no matter what.. invest on a clearbra ,next time you repaint it.

 

my front bumper is covered in micro chipping. Doesnt really bother me that much though. The big chips on the hood and fenders do. But I fill them each spring with touchup paint and buff them out. Can only tell if you're looking close.