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Samba blasted

I've had a new Fiat 500 from May 2008. It is a Cha Cha Cha Azure Blue colour and I have problems with very little black and orange marks, like pinpricks, on all the panels except the roof and the bonnet. They started soon after we got the car and the garage removed them by rubbing down the paintwork with a very fine abrasive stone and then polished the paint. They started coming back a few months afterwards and now cover quite a lot of the bodywork. The garage says it is fall out, nothing to do with the paint or corrosion from underneath, and a good polish with remove the marks. Being such a light colour makes it more noticeable. They have had one other car with this problem. If you run your fingernail along the paint you can feel the marks. I use Autoglym shampoo and polish, and it has always been hand washed. I haven't found anyone else at work who has this problem. Whilst I recognise that pollution can travel long distances, I don't live or work near heavy industry. Recently I noticed the filler cap cover looks a slightly darker shade than the paintwork and the bottom corners of the doorframe never look clean. Other than this problem the car is brilliant as you often say in your column - always a good read. Do you think pollution is the likely cause and the garage suggestion is a good idea? I'm worried it will just return again. Hope you can help.

Asked on 23 May 2009 by

Answered by Honest John
When I got mine, in April 2008, I immediately treated it with the garage kit Autoglym Lifeshine, and, after that, polished it a few times and re-treated with Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection. After something nasty dropped on it from a great height and smashed the sunroof, I have kept it covered a lot of the time, with some padding over the roof. The paint finish on mine (Bossa Nova White) is faultless. Really exceptionally good. And has stayed that way. So I guess the answer is Extra Gloss Protection, or a car cover, or both. Remember, all solid paint these days is water based, so is much more vulnerable than solvent based paint was.
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