Ten Years Later- Scratch Shield Feedback
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Ten Years Later- Scratch Shield Feedback
After more than ten years of ownership for our '09 Platinum Graphite G37xS sedan, it was a sunny December day that allowed me to compare how the paint has held up. With all the comments on Infiniti/Nissan paint, I had no problems with the scratch shield paint over the years. The elastic clear coat seemed to swallow up the small scratches and swirls that usually show up in the first five years. After that, it seemed the scratch shield paint hardened up and acted like a standard clear coat. It still looks good and with Blackfire polish and sealant, it shows well after a short cleanup.
I compared with four of my other vehicles that were also detailed today. First up was my '08 KC LWB Titan with K51 (smoke) paint. This has had some severe fading and flaking on the roof, A-pillars, fenders and roof of the truck that required repainting last year. It is now cured and looks good with Crystal Serum Light (CSL) coating, as it lives outside 24/7. Other vehicles getting a quick wash today included my two 350Zs, both in Redline (AX6) paint. Both have Blackfire sealant for maintenance, although the '03 (street) track model still has it's original paint, while the '06 (race) SCCA T3-spec car has had a complete respray. Both are either garaged or stored in an enclosed trailer, but there's noting like a high-speed sandblasting to age paint. Next up, our '07 Versa SL hatchback in white gets used extensively during the winter. It also gets CSL since it lives outside and needs all the help it can get. The Versa was one of the first Mexican-built Nissans off the Aquacalientes line and has surprisingly good paint over the years. But nothing has held up as well as the finish on the '09 G37xS sedan. IMHO, the Scratch Shield paint option that was used on-and-off in the '09-13 model years was worth it. I only wish Infiniti/Nissan had continued to develop and refine it since that time.
I compared with four of my other vehicles that were also detailed today. First up was my '08 KC LWB Titan with K51 (smoke) paint. This has had some severe fading and flaking on the roof, A-pillars, fenders and roof of the truck that required repainting last year. It is now cured and looks good with Crystal Serum Light (CSL) coating, as it lives outside 24/7. Other vehicles getting a quick wash today included my two 350Zs, both in Redline (AX6) paint. Both have Blackfire sealant for maintenance, although the '03 (street) track model still has it's original paint, while the '06 (race) SCCA T3-spec car has had a complete respray. Both are either garaged or stored in an enclosed trailer, but there's noting like a high-speed sandblasting to age paint. Next up, our '07 Versa SL hatchback in white gets used extensively during the winter. It also gets CSL since it lives outside and needs all the help it can get. The Versa was one of the first Mexican-built Nissans off the Aquacalientes line and has surprisingly good paint over the years. But nothing has held up as well as the finish on the '09 G37xS sedan. IMHO, the Scratch Shield paint option that was used on-and-off in the '09-13 model years was worth it. I only wish Infiniti/Nissan had continued to develop and refine it since that time.
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Wondering what other G owners think about scratch shield paint? It's no panacea, but it does seem to limit swirls and light scratches over the years. What do you '09 and '11-12 G owners think?
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Here it is, almost four years later and the SS Graphite Platinum paint on my '09 G37xS continues to hold up well. I've started using Turtle wax spray-on ceramic coating in addition to the Blackfire. I'm still amazed how good this paint continues to hold up, but also impressed with how good ownership of this model has been. I always thought Infiniti would progress to better and more advanced sedans. But after looking at the Q60 and other models from Acura, Lexus, Audi and Genesis, I still prefer my G. Build quality and particularly the SS paint are some of the qualities that keep me believing.
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Maybe I'm simply talking to myself, but the paint on this '09 G37xS continues to shine on. The temps here in Colorado are going subzero at this point in the season, and yes, the G stays garaged most of the time. But there's usually a time during each week that it, or my '03 350Z track model get out for some exercise. But the K51 scratch shield paint looks almost as good as the day it was purchased. Just returned from a 1000-mile trip across the midwest and all it needed was a quick dust off and check to look like the sleek, shiny sport sedan it is.
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After more than ten years of ownership for our '09 Platinum Graphite G37xS sedan, it was a sunny December day that allowed me to compare how the paint has held up. With all the comments on Infiniti/Nissan paint, I had no problems with the scratch shield paint over the years. The elastic clear coat seemed to swallow up the small scratches and swirls that usually show up in the first five years. After that, it seemed the scratch shield paint hardened up and acted like a standard clear coat. It still looks good and with Blackfire polish and sealant, it shows well after a short cleanup.
I compared with four of my other vehicles that were also detailed today. First up was my '08 KC LWB Titan with K51 (smoke) paint. This has had some severe fading and flaking on the roof, A-pillars, fenders and roof of the truck that required repainting last year. It is now cured and looks good with Crystal Serum Light (CSL) coating, as it lives outside 24/7. Other vehicles getting a quick wash today included my two 350Zs, both in Redline (AX6) paint. Both have Blackfire sealant for maintenance, although the '03 (street) track model still has it's original paint, while the '06 (race) SCCA T3-spec car has had a complete respray. Both are either garaged or stored in an enclosed trailer, but there's noting like a high-speed sandblasting to age paint. Next up, our '07 Versa SL hatchback in white gets used extensively during the winter. It also gets CSL since it lives outside and needs all the help it can get. The Versa was one of the first Mexican-built Nissans off the Aquacalientes line and has surprisingly good paint over the years. But nothing has held up as well as the finish on the '09 G37xS sedan. IMHO, the Scratch Shield paint option that was used on-and-off in the '09-13 model years was worth it. I only wish Infiniti/Nissan had continued to develop and refine it since that time.
I compared with four of my other vehicles that were also detailed today. First up was my '08 KC LWB Titan with K51 (smoke) paint. This has had some severe fading and flaking on the roof, A-pillars, fenders and roof of the truck that required repainting last year. It is now cured and looks good with Crystal Serum Light (CSL) coating, as it lives outside 24/7. Other vehicles getting a quick wash today included my two 350Zs, both in Redline (AX6) paint. Both have Blackfire sealant for maintenance, although the '03 (street) track model still has it's original paint, while the '06 (race) SCCA T3-spec car has had a complete respray. Both are either garaged or stored in an enclosed trailer, but there's noting like a high-speed sandblasting to age paint. Next up, our '07 Versa SL hatchback in white gets used extensively during the winter. It also gets CSL since it lives outside and needs all the help it can get. The Versa was one of the first Mexican-built Nissans off the Aquacalientes line and has surprisingly good paint over the years. But nothing has held up as well as the finish on the '09 G37xS sedan. IMHO, the Scratch Shield paint option that was used on-and-off in the '09-13 model years was worth it. I only wish Infiniti/Nissan had continued to develop and refine it since that time.
Wait did scratch shield come standard with sport trim models?I have athens blue and curious if I have it or not
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From: Aurora, CO
Thread Starter
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 741
Likes: 98
From: Aurora, CO
2025 feedback and after washing, claying and polishing my G36xS with scratchshield paint, I still think it helped create a great finish. Yes, I used Black Diamond sealant to protect the finish, but as the original owner, I'm amazed how good the OEM paint still looks after 16 years! I bet many of these cars are in the hands of second or third owners who have no idea about this innovation.
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After more than ten years of ownership for our '09 Platinum Graphite G37xS sedan, it was a sunny December day that allowed me to compare how the paint has held up. With all the comments on Infiniti/Nissan paint, I had no problems with the scratch shield paint over the years. The elastic clear coat seemed to swallow up the small scratches and swirls that usually show up in the first five years. After that, it seemed the scratch shield paint hardened up and acted like a standard clear coat. It still looks good and with Blackfire polish and sealant, it shows well after a short cleanup.
I compared with four of my other vehicles that were also detailed today. First up was my '08 KC LWB Titan with K51 (smoke) paint. This has had some severe fading and flaking on the roof, A-pillars, fenders and roof of the truck that required repainting last year. It is now cured and looks good with Crystal Serum Light (CSL) coating, as it lives outside 24/7. Other vehicles getting a quick wash today included my two 350Zs, both in Redline (AX6) paint. Both have Blackfire sealant for maintenance, although the '03 (street) track model still has it's original paint, while the '06 (race) SCCA T3-spec car has had a complete respray. Both are either garaged or stored in an enclosed trailer, but there's noting like a high-speed sandblasting to age paint. Next up, our '07 Versa SL hatchback in white gets used extensively during the winter. It also gets CSL since it lives outside and needs all the help it can get. The Versa was one of the first Mexican-built Nissans off the Aquacalientes line and has surprisingly good paint over the years. But nothing has held up as well as the finish on the '09 G37xS sedan. IMHO, the Scratch Shield paint option that was used on-and-off in the '09-13 model years was worth it. I only wish Infiniti/Nissan had continued to develop and refine it since that time.
I compared with four of my other vehicles that were also detailed today. First up was my '08 KC LWB Titan with K51 (smoke) paint. This has had some severe fading and flaking on the roof, A-pillars, fenders and roof of the truck that required repainting last year. It is now cured and looks good with Crystal Serum Light (CSL) coating, as it lives outside 24/7. Other vehicles getting a quick wash today included my two 350Zs, both in Redline (AX6) paint. Both have Blackfire sealant for maintenance, although the '03 (street) track model still has it's original paint, while the '06 (race) SCCA T3-spec car has had a complete respray. Both are either garaged or stored in an enclosed trailer, but there's noting like a high-speed sandblasting to age paint. Next up, our '07 Versa SL hatchback in white gets used extensively during the winter. It also gets CSL since it lives outside and needs all the help it can get. The Versa was one of the first Mexican-built Nissans off the Aquacalientes line and has surprisingly good paint over the years. But nothing has held up as well as the finish on the '09 G37xS sedan. IMHO, the Scratch Shield paint option that was used on-and-off in the '09-13 model years was worth it. I only wish Infiniti/Nissan had continued to develop and refine it since that time.
https://autogeekonline.net/threads/q...d-paint.35338/
My paint (assuming scratch shield) has held up well compared to the Hondas, Fords and Toyotas I've owned. I've always just attributed it to being a garage queen. The front fascia takes alot of abuse and I'm glad I covered it in PPF back in 2013. I see alot of Gs for sale today w/o PPF and the fascia is destroyed with rock chips.
I think it was marketed to me as "Self Healing" paint at the time. Been too long so I don't remember the details. All I can say is that, in my case, the paint has not held up at all. 17-years of beach sun and sand has taken a toll- especially on the roof- to the point the car will require repainting at some point.
Looking at other Nissan's and Honda's of similar years around here and many are in the same boat.
Is what it is.
Looking at other Nissan's and Honda's of similar years around here and many are in the same boat.
Is what it is.
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Mike S.
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Dec 28, 2011 02:21 AM