I've read in several posts that there was a major change in the formulation of automotive paints in the last few years, being responsible for the easy chipping that we see not just on the G, but many late model cars.
I'm seriously think of the 3M clearbra, I think invincashield (or something like that) has a kit that looks fairly easy to self-install. Dealer wants $695... I won't give in to their greed.
Only had my G 3 weeks now, so chipping isn't yet evident. You know what? I'm gonna order it right now, at least the hood kit. Let you know how it goes.
Berman, the only way to get rid of chips is to hide them, either touch up paint, or repaint. However, if you repaint, your trade-in value takes a huge hit! If trading-in is in your future, either leave the chips alone, or use touch up paint.
I just got window tint on my 2003.5 G35 sedan with the Aero/Prem/Sport and there is a precision cut out about 4" by 2" in the back window where the 3rd tail light would be. But since the spoiler has an integrated tail light, this spot is just open. I asked the tint company and they said that the computer system precuts the tint that way and that they can not get back there since the unit is right up against the window.
Has anyone else had this issue come up. It is fairly minor, but it does kind of bug me.
Thanks so much for the insight. I have to investigate this as well. I just cringe when I see these chips. I probably need to do something soon to before I get any more. Let me know how it goes. I probably will have to have someone do this for me as I just am not that skilled with automotive endeavors (LOL!).
Chinee I had the Xpel kit put on my G35s in Houston a couple of months ago. One installer quoted $700 and the other quoted $395. Guess which one I went with. The install was not an easy one and the installer had to do the hood twice to get it to fit correctly.
My G was two months old at time of the install and was already starting to accumulate quite a few chips in the bumper cover. If I had it to do over I would have had the kit installed during my first week of ownership.
I bought my G35 Sport Coupe a couple of weeks ago. On the way home, I decided to see what the car could do. I didn't officially redline it but got it to around 6000 rpms. After getting home, I read the owners manual and found out that I shouldn't go above 4000 for the first 1200 miles.
Does anyone know if I could have possibly done some sort of damage to the engine by hitting 6000 rpms while still in the break in period?
I would hope that an engine could withstand being tested like this at least once without having any long term consequences but am not sure.
For those of you who have the invisi bra. Is it real noticeable, does it do the job, and I was concerned about the lines showing? Any insight would be greatly appreiciate.
I agree with redz06. Have the clear bra installed as soon as you buy the car if possible. I am on my second G35 sedan (traded my 5AT purchased 4/02 for a 6MT in 7/03) and I did not put a clear bra on the first one. After driving it for 15 months and 26,000 miles small and medium-sized rock chips and pock marks were VERY noticeable all over the front end. I had the clear bra installed on the 6MT before delivery and after 6 weeks and 2600 miles the front end looks perfect. Yes, it is somewhat noticeable and the lines are visible if you look very closely, but I am more than happy to sacrifice these issues to keep the front end of the car spotless. An added bonus is that bug spatter and road tar come off much more easily at wash time. I heartily recommend them!
I have the 3M clear bra on my Black G35 sedan. You can't see it unless you are right up on the car. The clear bra's seem to be less noticable on darker colored vehicles. Either way, get it, it's much better than those black bra's that scratch you're beauty.
My 3M clear bra was $599.00. Included the hood, bumper, fender corners, back of side mirrors, and inside the door handles to protect from ring scratches. It was an extra 100 bucks for the 40mil headlight covers. BTW, go to this link and look at the 4th picture, the one w/ the "you can see the clouds" as a description. You cannot see my bra in that or the 6th picture. You can see it a little in the 1st picture.
Hello all, I just got my G35 Coupe this week and worry about the painted titanium finish panels inside. I do not think they will hold up under normal use. Have any of you taken any steps to protect these panels and if so with what? By the way does anyone know of a Clear Bra dealer in South Florida? Thanks for the help.
i have owned my g35 since last july and i am on my 4th cd changer. each time the problem has been that cd-r's get jammed in the changer. i know that it say's in the owners manual that they "may" jam the changer but you can't read the owners manual till after you own the car and the salesperson never mentioned it. all i own is cd-r's. i buy all my music off the web and burn them myself. how can such a technologicly advanced car NOT PLAY THESES THINGS!!! i have have been round and round with infiniti and they have basiclly told "to bad, it's in the manual". in the last 8 yrs i have owned 2 Q45's and a QX4, this will be the last infiniti i own because of their lack of concern for the problem and their failure to address it. if i sound pissed it's because of the way the regional manager addressed the problem (did nothing) and after countless telephone calls and 3 registered letters the home office in CA has not responded.
I have a G35 sedan with 15.6K miles on it. It's in the dealer for the 15K service. The service rep called me yesterday and said that both rear-wheel brake disks were cracked - that I must have been driving it with the emergency brake on. When I told him that "no, I don't drive my car with the emergency brake on", he said that maybe the brake wasn't totally disengaging when it was released and yet the indicator light was not turning off. Well, I told him if that was the case, it wasn't my fault and that the repair needed to be fixed under warranty. He told me it wasn't a warranty issue, and that my repair cost would be $634. When I said this was unacceptable, he told me he would call me later with the Infiniti Customer Service phone #. Well, I talked with a Customer Service rep yesterday evening, who said she would call my dealer to assess the problem, and get back to me later. This morning I had a call from the Customer Service rep (Joanna - very pleasant and professional) informing me that Infiniti will pay for the repairs. But if the problem occurs again, it will be my cost.
Have any other people reported this problem?
The service rep said he has seen the problem before and the owners had admitted to driving their cars with the emergency brake indicator light "on". THIS IS VERY HARD FO ME TO BELIEVE!
I think THEY are cracked at Infiniti! Why would anyone drive with the parking brake on? Duh! I would be suspicious of this too. I cannot believe that would cause them to crack anyway. I have a jeep wranlger as my beach beat around car. I have driven by mistake with the emergency brake on. The jeep will move for me but there is a drag. I quickly undo the emergency brake when I hear this. (indicator light is broke....1992 jeep) But I have never had problems with it because of that!
Thanks for all the information about paint problem. Seems like it's a good idea to install the 3M clear bra. Can anyone tell me a little bit more about it? Where do I get it? Would it be good for Ivory Pearl exterior color?
I live in central New Jersey. I just had the car for a week and put 250 miles on it. 120 of them was on NJ Turnpike It was the best highway ride ever.
Hi, guyz Can anyone recommand good auto detailing place in DC metro area? May be near Alexandria, VA side. Oh, hopely places good at repairing scratches and paint chips. Winter is coming. People can use this feedback. Thanks and bye~
I inquired about window tint for my sedan with the prem, sport, and aero package. After looking at the rear window, I was told that the rear deck which holds the sub woofer would need to be removed!!! They stated that they had never done one of these cars before either. He stated that they could take the rear deck out or I could have the dealer take it out. My fear is that if it is taken out then it will not go back in and fit as tight as it did before.....
Quick question....... what octane rating are you filling up with? it says 91 in the book, but at mobil stations all i have to choose from is 87, 89, or 93 if I'm not mistaken. I have been going with 89. Does anybody put 91 or higher in their car and if so does it make a diference
I've got the coupe, and I always get the 93 octane. It irks me a tiny bit sometimes, but I don't want to go to the trouble of filling up half-and-half with the 89 and 93!!! <grin>(Actually, the blending wouldn't work out exactly to 91 anyway).
There's lots of debate about whether there's any significant effect on the engine performance between 89 and 91. But my owner's manual specifies 91 octane or better, and I don't want to take the chance.
IIRC, the sedans are recommended to run 89 octane.
IMHO the sedan runs great on 87 octane. My G35 has not run more than 2 tanks of premium in 12500 miles, and I run the car pretty hard. The G35 is my daily driver and I save the 93 octane stuff for my other car, which has higher compression and a less tolerant engine control computer than the G35.
For anyone that thinks that I am giving up the difference in mileage, my message is think again. The two tanks of 93 octane did not make any measurable difference.
The manual states 91 recommended for the sedan, 91 required for the coupe. The sedan is supposed to be okay at 87, while the coupe is only supposed to use it in emergencies when 91 isn't available.
Many believe that the coupe and sedan engines are exactly the same. The only difference is the exhaust system. I think it is likely Infiniti rates the sedan running on 87 octane, while the coupe is rated on 91 octane, helping to contribute to the stated 20 HP difference. Published road tests have indicated nearly identical performance results for like transmissions between the sedan, coupe, and 350Z. The engine's computer will advance or retard the timing according to the available octane.
Thanks for the responses to my question. I have put about 2400 miles on my car in the last month and a half and have filled up with 89 every time. It seems to run great, so I have not bothered with 93 at mobil stations. So far so good.....
I searched the internet for some detailed info regarding octane fuel requirements back when I bought my 1999 TL. I'm now waiting for my G35X!
Basically, in old non-computerized engines without variable timing, incorrect octane would lead to engine ping and decreased performance. Octane refers to the refinement of the gasoline in regards to the hydrocarbon chains. Lower octane fuel has a wider range of chain lengths allowing for a wider range of combustion timing. Higher octane has a narrower range of chain lengths - ideal for high performance vehicles with tighter controlled combustion timing. Now, however, if you put 87 in an engine requiring/recommending 91 or higher, the engine will adjust to the octane by widening the combustion timing range to prevent engine ping/run-on, but by retarding performance and fuel efficiency slightly. If you pay the premium for the recommended 91 (or higher) octane you should optimize fuel efficiency and engine timing. If you put lower octane in the same engine, the timing will adjust appropriately but likely burn slightly more fuel - lowering fuel economy for similar or slightly reduced performance (probably not noticeable on the street).
The low octane costs more but your engine might adjust to use more fuel. In the long run - calculate your mileage on each fuel, calculate in the appropriate fuel costs - it's probably a wash. If you feel more comfortable or feel the performance difference, stick with the recommended fuel.
I'm not a chemist, just read a bunch on this in the past - my 2 cents!
An automobile talk show host made an interesting point recently. He said if your driving is a commute through slow, bumper-to-bumper traffic, use 87 octane regardless of the vehicle's recommended octane, because it never gets above 40 mph anyway. If your driving is Interstate or highways where performance can be enjoyed, use the higher grades the manufacturer recommends. What do you think of this idea?
At least on the sedan. I have about 15k miles on the car and it has had only two tanks of premium. So I am totally happy to run mine on 87 octane at speeds up to 90 mph. You cannot tell the difference. Now if I wanted to run the car on the dyno, or on a road course where I wanted full power for longer time, I would be running the 93 octane for sure. Running around town, and running 70, 80, or even 90 on the road does not tax my car such that the octane makes a difference.
As far as a decrease in mileage, you can't notice that either. I ran the car on a 520 mile trip last weekend and got almost 25 mpg with an 80+ mph cruise. That's pretty good for an automatic.
I've run a couple tanks of 87 through, and I haven't noticed a butt-dyno difference. I have, however, noticed a slight drop in MPG. Too early to tell if it's just a coincidence, it'll take a few more tanks to establish a trend.
Let's assume 1.60/gal for 87 and 1.80/gal for 91. If you get mileage like me, it sucks.. I'm thinking about 15mpg on 91 and 13mpg on 87. 18 gallons gives you 270 or 234 miles, and costs 32.40 or 28.80 respectively. In miles per dollar, that's 8.3 for 91 and 8.1 for 87. Now, if I only lose 1 and get 14mpg, that's 252 miles, or 8.8 mi/$, actually cheaper than premium. Now if we take someone who's driving habits get them 19mpg on 91 and 17mpg on 87, we come up with 342mi and 306mi, or 10.5 mi/$ on 91 and 10.6mi/$ on 87, here a tiny savings even though there's a 2mpg penalty. With lots of highway driving an mid-20 mpg numbers, I imagine 87 would start to show a better savings.
So, it depends. On your driving style, the mileage you get, and how much gas costs in your area. It's probably not going to be a big difference in your monthly budget, either way.
I don't know if your numbers are pure supposition or test, but I can tell you that I drive my G35 relatively hard and it averages almost 19 mpg in city/freeway driving and 24.5 mpg in a two way trip averaging 80 mpg. And this is with the automatic.
Unless you tell me you have tested your car and substantiated 2 mpg difference over the roads and highways, I will be skeptical that 2 mpg can be realized with only a change from 87 to 91 octane. Remember, the engine control system only needs the peak octane when full power is required, which is pretty rarely, even for spirited drivers.
For those of you that think that running 87 octane automatically means poor fuel economy, consider the following quotation from the Infiniti Owners Manual, page 10-4. "now and then you may notice light spark knock for a short time while accelerating or driving up hills. This is no cause for concern, because you get the greatest fuel benefit when there is light knock for a short time under heavy engine load."
As an owner of 3 Infinitis, 2 I-30s and now a G35. I used to run nothing but premium and every so often regular. I soon discovered there was no difference in performance at all. Never had any knocking at all. On my G it gets up and goes the same with or without premium...have had it up to 100 mph+ a few times when having to pass. I do a lot of highway driving on the interstates and it always has plenty of power to pass or kick down to pass the slow people hogging the left lane. Clark Howard has talked about this on his show as well as Consumer Reports and other magazines. Anyways this has been my experience.
I drive mine fairly aggressively as well. I hardly ever see 19mpg. 14-16 is more the norm, or as high as 18 if my wife drives it to work for awhile. So, I'm not sure if the 2mpg difference is the gas yet or not.. as I said, it'll take a few more tanks for me to establish a trend.
Besides, if you look at the overview of those numbers, it appears that 87 is cheaper than 91, even with a small hit to mpg.
I'm going to continue to run 87 for awhile, just to see how it goes. That will probably include a few autocross sessions, as well.
One more thing I should say about mpg is that mine was at least 2 mpg lower before I got 10k miles on it. I babied it for the first 1000-1200 miles. Did first oil change (non-synthetic) at 3500 miles. Changed to Mobil 1 5w-30 at 7000 miles and repeated at 12000 miles. I have 15000 miles on it now.
I think the engine really broke in at about 10000 miles.
I use full synthetic as well. My G has 39k on it now. I do a lot of interstate driving at 80+mph...using 87 octane...I have gone 6 hours non-stop driving on a tank of gas. Haven't figured gas mileage in a long time...on my previous I-30 I could get up to 28mpg+...the best I have gotten the last time I checked was 26mpg on the open road.
I have a 2003 G35 and just recently hit 30K miles. Has anyone used Infiniti's recommended 30k mi service (and do you see the value of getting that done)? If so, how competitive is the pricing? I've found Infiniti service to be very expensive. Any thoughts??
It's less expensive if you make them go by the recommended service listed in the owner's manual, not by the recommended service of the service advisor who gets paid on commission.
I'm about to hand wash my G35 Coupe for the first time since I purchased it. Any suggestions on what time of soap to use. Also, any suggestions on what to use on my tire and wheels. I have the 18" wheels. Thanks!
Any of the commercial car wash solutions that you can buy at WalMart, et.al., are fine. Don't use any other kind of detergent, since many of them are too alkaline and will strip off your wax or finish.
More important than the detergent is to frequently rinse out your wash mitt/rag, so that you're not dragging the dirt across your paint.
I've had my 2003 G35 sedan 5AT since Feb,03. Just turned 29k. I run on the mid grade fuel (89) and the car runs great! Once in a while I put in 93, but have noticed no measurable difference in MPG or off- the-line performance. In mixed driving I routinely get 23.5 mpg. On the highway I have gotten as high as 28 to 30 mpg averaging 70 to 75 MPH. Absolutely love the car.
I now have 11,000 mile on my 04 sedan and they have been very enjoyable. Just a couple things to add. I recently saw in car and driver, a discussion in regards to octane. One of the editors answered a question as to what is better. Lower octane or higher than required. He stated that it is better to put in 93 octane than it is to put in 89 or 87 from Mobil. He said while too high wont hurt the motor, the lower octane certainly could. I recently switched to 93 and while the car seems to be running better, there really hasn't been an increase in mpg's. Maybe I'm not a good judge of fuel economy because in my 11,000 miles of 95% highway driving I don't think I have ever gone below 75 mph. I try but its just too hard. The car just wants to go. As far as one of the recent posts. I use Mother's car soap and a few others, no real difference. But does anyone else scratch the paint by just washing it???? I use a brand new sponge and I still scratch it just when I wash it.
I just purchased an '04 G35 coupe from Fields Infiniti in Glenview. I live in Schaumburg and am close to Motorwerks of Barrinton, Infiniti of Lisle, and fields Infiniti of Glenview. Does anyone have good/bad experiences with dealer maintenance near Schaumburg Illinois? I am trying to choose a dealer to go to for service (when I need it).
Is the clear bra permanent? and won't it get dinged up over time by rocks? what happens then? do you remove it and apply a new one, or is it permanent and will eventually look like crap as it gets chipped?
I'm guessing it's more than just a "mark." As such, find a good wheel repair place in your area and have them polish it out and refinish the area. Should be less than $100. (Ask your dealer--or any BMW/Mercedes/Audi dealer--who they use for wheel repairs.)
The film will stick to the car as long as you let it (i.e. it won't peel off, assuming it was installed correctly), but it's always removable.
The material is pretty resilient and will not show marks from flying rocks the way exposed paint would. You may see some marks, but they'll be minor, and it's comforting to know it's doing its job and protecting the car.
Hello, I have a 2004 G35 sedan. I change the oil myself. In addition to the 14 bolts that hold the underbody air diffuser on, theres one plastic rivet in the front center of the diffuser. I've been unable to remove the darn thing. I can still change the filter by removing the bolts and pulling down the diffuser to give clearance. However, it's messy. Does anybody know what tool can remove the darn rivet?
It's really very simple once you've done it. Just take a thin bladed screwdriver & pop the center part of the fastener straight down & it will come right out. Its really kind of neat, because when you're removing the cover, you take it out last, & when you're putting the cover back on, you snap it in first. By the way just wait until you try to change the cabin air filter at 15K & the engine air filter at 30K. I finally gave up on the cabin air filter & had the dealer do it. (normally about $70 I think). Changing the engine air filter is much simpler, but still had to get my dealer to show me how.
My dealer located in Miami charges around $500 for the 30K service which is outrageous. They only change fluids that should last 5 years. I will perform the basic 30K service which is on the infinity website and includes oil and air filter change + tire rotation but I will hold on the rotation because my tires are almost worn out and I will need to replace them soon (Another sticker shock too). I will need to start researching tire prices. The OEM for the infinity G35 are $125 each not including installation...
The charge for the 30K maintenance is a real rip-off, in my opinion. You can get the oil & filter changed locally for around $20. The air filter costs $10 at Infinity, & you can put it in your self in 10 minutes. Tire rotation is easy if you don't mind getting your hands dirty, or you can pay someone approx. $30 to do it for you. My tires have 28.5K on them & have never been re-balanced. No abnormal wear & no steering wheel vibration. The only thing left is replacing the cabin air filter which I suppose I'll have to pay the dealer around $75 to do for me. $500? Ridicules!!
Comments
I'm seriously think of the 3M clearbra, I think invincashield (or something like that) has a kit that looks fairly easy to self-install. Dealer wants $695... I won't give in to their greed.
Only had my G 3 weeks now, so chipping isn't yet evident. You know what? I'm gonna order it right now, at least the hood kit. Let you know how it goes.
Berman, the only way to get rid of chips is to hide them, either touch up paint, or repaint. However, if you repaint, your trade-in value takes a huge hit! If trading-in is in your future, either leave the chips alone, or use touch up paint.
Has anyone else had this issue come up. It is fairly minor, but it does kind of bug me.
Thanks
I had the Xpel kit put on my G35s in Houston a couple of months ago. One installer quoted $700 and the other quoted $395. Guess which one I went with. The install was not an easy one and the installer had to do the hood twice to get it to fit correctly.
My G was two months old at time of the install and was already starting to accumulate quite a few chips in the bumper cover. If I had it to do over I would have had the kit installed during my first week of ownership.
Does anyone know if I could have possibly done some sort of damage to the engine by hitting 6000 rpms while still in the break in period?
I would hope that an engine could withstand being tested like this at least once without having any long term consequences but am not sure.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Don
Don
http://homepage.mac.com/dkowasic/PhotoAlbum2.html
By the way does anyone know of a Clear Bra dealer in South Florida? Thanks for the help.
i have have been round and round with infiniti and they have basiclly told "to bad, it's in the manual".
in the last 8 yrs i have owned 2 Q45's and a QX4, this will be the last infiniti i own because of their lack of concern for the problem and their failure to address it.
if i sound pissed it's because of the way the regional manager addressed the problem (did nothing) and after countless telephone calls and 3 registered letters the home office in CA has not responded.
Have any other people reported this problem?
The service rep said he has seen the problem before and the owners had admitted to driving their cars with the emergency brake indicator light "on". THIS IS VERY HARD FO ME TO BELIEVE!
I live in central New Jersey. I just had the car for a week and put 250 miles on it. 120 of them was on NJ Turnpike
Thanks again, guys.
Can anyone recommand good auto detailing place in DC metro area? May be near Alexandria, VA side. Oh, hopely places good at repairing scratches and paint chips. Winter is coming. People can use this feedback. Thanks and bye~
There's lots of debate about whether there's any significant effect on the engine performance between 89 and 91. But my owner's manual specifies 91 octane or better, and I don't want to take the chance.
IIRC, the sedans are recommended to run 89 octane.
For anyone that thinks that I am giving up the difference in mileage, my message is think again. The two tanks of 93 octane did not make any measurable difference.
Basically, in old non-computerized engines without variable timing, incorrect octane would lead to engine ping and decreased performance. Octane refers to the refinement of the gasoline in regards to the hydrocarbon chains. Lower octane fuel has a wider range of chain lengths allowing for a wider range of combustion timing. Higher octane has a narrower range of chain lengths - ideal for high performance vehicles with tighter controlled combustion timing. Now, however, if you put 87 in an engine requiring/recommending 91 or higher, the engine will adjust to the octane by widening the combustion timing range to prevent engine ping/run-on, but by retarding performance and fuel efficiency slightly. If you pay the premium for the recommended 91 (or higher) octane you should optimize fuel efficiency and engine timing. If you put lower octane in the same engine, the timing will adjust appropriately but likely burn slightly more fuel - lowering fuel economy for similar or slightly reduced performance (probably not noticeable on the street).
The low octane costs more but your engine might adjust to use more fuel. In the long run - calculate your mileage on each fuel, calculate in the appropriate fuel costs - it's probably a wash. If you feel more comfortable or feel the performance difference, stick with the recommended fuel.
I'm not a chemist, just read a bunch on this in the past - my 2 cents!
What do you think of this idea?
As far as a decrease in mileage, you can't notice that either. I ran the car on a 520 mile trip last weekend and got almost 25 mpg with an 80+ mph cruise. That's pretty good for an automatic.
I've run a couple tanks of 87 through, and I haven't noticed a butt-dyno difference. I have, however, noticed a slight drop in MPG. Too early to tell if it's just a coincidence, it'll take a few more tanks to establish a trend.
Let's assume 1.60/gal for 87 and 1.80/gal for 91. If you get mileage like me, it sucks.. I'm thinking about 15mpg on 91 and 13mpg on 87. 18 gallons gives you 270 or 234 miles, and costs 32.40 or 28.80 respectively. In miles per dollar, that's 8.3 for 91 and 8.1 for 87. Now, if I only lose 1 and get 14mpg, that's 252 miles, or 8.8 mi/$, actually cheaper than premium. Now if we take someone who's driving habits get them 19mpg on 91 and 17mpg on 87, we come up with 342mi and 306mi, or 10.5 mi/$ on 91 and 10.6mi/$ on 87, here a tiny savings even though there's a 2mpg penalty. With lots of highway driving an mid-20 mpg numbers, I imagine 87 would start to show a better savings.
So, it depends. On your driving style, the mileage you get, and how much gas costs in your area. It's probably not going to be a big difference in your monthly budget, either way.
Unless you tell me you have tested your car and substantiated 2 mpg difference over the roads and highways, I will be skeptical that 2 mpg can be realized with only a change from 87 to 91 octane.
Remember, the engine control system only needs the peak octane when full power is required, which is pretty rarely, even for spirited drivers.
For those of you that think that running 87 octane automatically means poor fuel economy, consider the following quotation from the Infiniti Owners Manual, page 10-4. "now and then you may notice light spark knock for a short time while accelerating or driving up hills. This is no cause for concern, because you get the greatest fuel benefit when there is light knock for a short time under heavy engine load."
Besides, if you look at the overview of those numbers, it appears that 87 is cheaper than 91, even with a small hit to mpg.
I'm going to continue to run 87 for awhile, just to see how it goes. That will probably include a few autocross sessions, as well.
I think the engine really broke in at about 10000 miles.
More important than the detergent is to frequently rinse out your wash mitt/rag, so that you're not dragging the dirt across your paint.
Thanks!
I now have a black mark where the rims rubbed the curb. Has anyone else experienced this? How can I get rid of this black mark?
The material is pretty resilient and will not show marks from flying rocks the way exposed paint would. You may see some marks, but they'll be minor, and it's comforting to know it's doing its job and protecting the car.