Paint Quality

Just having a nosey round a red 500 demo yesterday and could'nt help noticing that the paint was chipped to hell. Big chips missing on both wheel arches, front wings & bonnet . How are you owners getting on?
I know it does happen, but my 1.2 black Panda at 35K is pretty chip free. My wife's 07 Corsa with 12k on the clock is completely free of chips ( and thats with a lot of motorway miles behind gritters etc ) .
Kind of puts me off an Abarth at £1400 + if the paint is going to fall off after a couple of weeks. I know you can smother it in venture shield, but that's just more money.

With the exception of a small chip on one of the red brake callipers, my red 500 Sport is still chip free on its bodywork, after 3 and a half months and 3000 miles of ownership. I've also done a fair bit of motorway driving.

Just ordered a 500.
When I was at my dealers I checked the paint on the used/demo models (black,red,silver and pale blue and they all appeared to be chip free, and some had done several thousand miles.
If you want to see crap paintwork go to a Honda dealer and see how bad the paint is on the Civic. I have had loads of different cars and my current Civic is without doubt the worst by far.
Can't wait for the 500.

That's good to hear. Maybe the demo was just a one off with a quality issue or perhaps not treated that well

apart from one chip on the bonnet and a light surface scratch on the tailgate mine still looks factory fresh a year old and with 4500 miles

and it is black, so would show imperfections easily

really impressed

Ive got a chip on front and a very light one on an A pillar in just 350 miles There is a red demo in Salisbury thats very badly chipped all over like the one you describe. In my past Fiat experiences they do chip easily.

Thats the one I looked at.

got serveral paint chips on

Now at 1800 miles and so far chip free, although I have to say mine has mostly done city driving...

6500 miles, one chip on bumper so pretty good. Bossa Nova white.

Looks like white is the colour to have, especially as it's the only colour that is'nt considered an option and does not incur an extra charge.

Woops got that wrong Jive blue is also free.

I've noticed quite a few threads about people paying to have their 500s chipped so they go faster. Does the damage to the paintwork alter the laminar airflow over the body, hence increasing the speed, and if so what is the problem?

LMAO, very funny!