I'd like to see some pics of this damage, or for that matter Hillsdale's HHR to begin with.

Saying that the paints are water based is kind of a misnomer. The paints are introduced into the paint system via a water carrier, but the paint is sprayed onto the car via superbell, which spins most of the water out. The rest is evaporated during the curing process in the oven. Modern automotive paints have more in common with powdercoating than the old laquer systems which were NOWHERE NEAR the same quality in terms of durability and consistency.

GM also does not offer a "paint protection warranty". These are typically scams foisted on the unsuspecting new car buyers by the shady dealerships.

The paint problems suffered by ALL of the auto manufacturers in the early '90s was due to a defect in an additive to the basecoats that were manufactured by PPG. ALL of the affected vehicles were offered repaints by every manufacturer and this was subsidized by PPG. None of the paints involved were modern water-borne superbell paints.

 

These pics only show the driver's side but you can get an idea of what the rest of the front looks like.............and this is w/ less than 5,000 miles......

 

Those look like normal rock chips. That is not a defect. That is just driving. Kinda like the one that bounced off my hood this past weekend and hit my windshield.

But hey, this happends when driving. No feather did that.

 

Then how come my wife's Infiniti w/ 100K miles doesn't have any chips in the front?

 

Do you think this applies to the running board issue as well? I'm still pissed over that...

its just about enough to make me walk away from GM, just because I feel like I'm being taken advantage of. But that's another rant.

 

Probably the same reason my 2 month old HHR has to get a new windshield cause a big rock nailed me and my wifes '03 Mazda does not. Luck of the draw (or rock in this case).

 

There is not a road I've driven the HHR on that the Infiniti has not been driven on 100 times over. Just coincidence that the HHR is the only one of the two to have rock chips all over the front end?

 

Can't answer that. I also have three marks on the drivers side of mine where a rock bounced down the boards. My wife's still does not even have the tinest door ding or chip. And it's dark green. But the photo you showed, shows a rock chip (or something). That was an impact. It is not a "defect". Sucks, I know.

 

LOOK.......I know it's a rock chip, and could live with it.........IF there was only one. But when you can't take your ride on the highway, wondering how many more "chips" am I going to come home with today, you got to believe that there's something in the paint, or in this case the lack thereof!

 

I can identify with this from solman's side. I have driven the same roads in Tucson for over 10 years now. And NEVER got a rock chip in ANY of my cars! THAT is a feat in and of itself in AZ. My HHR has a small chip in the windshield and a couple chips in the paint on the front end. You cannot avoid this. And it does boil down to luck. Maybe your wife doesn't follow other cars as close as you do. Or the infiniti has a differently angled bumper. Angles can play into this by allowing rocks to "glance off" with minimal damage. The HHR is no rolling razor able to cut throught the air with grace and finesse. Its a smoothed out rolling brick muscling it's way and throwing conventional aerodynamics out the window. It's one thing we just have to deal with.