Fading paint already?

[SuperFlyBuddy]

I did a few quick searches and found only a couple threads where paint fading was mentioned so here I am with my own thread.

For the last few weeks I've been looking at my scooter thinking something is different about the color of the paint. It's a 2009 Tangerine Buddy 125 with 800 miles on it that I bought new back in April and I guess I would say that the paint is seriously fading already.

It's always garaged at home but sits out in the sun at work for approximately 5 hours before it gets the afternoon shade. By comparison it doesn't seem to sit out in the weather near as often as some scooters on here but yet has some serious fade going on.

Here is a picture of the left front above the turn signal where the front cover (removed in the picture) meets the rest of the body. You can clearly see a difference in paint where the front cover covers part of the paint vs where the other is left exposed.

Because of the fading issue I have been religiously covering it the last couple of weeks at work (& will continue to do so) to prevent further fading but am quite perturbed that the paint faded so quickly. Is this normal?

[bluebuddygirl]

Normal for any red tone paint that exists in the world. All reds fade and they can fade quickly. Waxing it might help, especially if you got a car wax with some UV protection.

[Dooglas]

Our red Buddy is 3 years old and shows no obvious signs of fading after being parked outside during most summer days - though I have been expecting it (Of course, Portland is not known for it's intense sunshine). For all that, I do think a cover is a good idea to protect the painted panels, seat, and instruments from UV damage and fading.

[kneil67@yahoo.com]

Our red Buddy is 3 years old and shows no obvious signs of fading after being parked outside during most summer days - though I have been expecting it (Of course, Portland is not known for it's intense sunshine). For all that, I do think a cover is a good idea to protect the painted panels, seat, and instruments from UV damage and fading.

the only time a red buddy fades is due to the high speeds it travels kinda like a blur of pure speed but yeah try wax it works

[SuperFlyBuddy]

After reading everybody's raves on the quality of Geniune Scooters I am extremely disappointed at how quickly the paint has faded. Even with purchasing it in April there was a couple month period where I hardly even rode it much so it sat protected in my garage. Yet by looking at my scooter you'd think it's been sitting outside for years.

Disappointing, very disappointing.

[kneil67@yahoo.com]

coverd on warrenty ?

[Skootz Kabootz]

What do you wash it with? Could you have damaged the clear coat?

[Dooglas]

covered on warranty ?

You know, I would certainly have that discussion with the dealer and Genuine. Based on my own experience with a red Buddy, I would say that much fading in a few months is very unusual.

[SuperFlyBuddy]

I've washed it once since I've had it (the only water it has ever seen) and that was with Armor All car wash soap, the same stuff I use on my cars. I doubt it would damage the paint but I guess anything is possible.

The dealer I bought our scooters from was going out of business and I think the dealer that took over also went out of business so a warranty claim is unlikely.

Some day maybe I'll look into replacing all the panels. If I do they will get a nice coat of wax before installing them.

[Dooglas]

The dealer I bought our scooters from was going out of business and I think the dealer that took over also went out of business so a warranty claim is unlikely.

Here I disagree. The validity of the warranty is not dependent on your local dealer. The warranty is with Genuine, not with an individual dealer. The Genuine dealer in Portland is certainly still in business or you could work directly with Genuine. We are talking about replacement panels which could be shipped to you or a respray job which would not be done by a dealer anyway.

[pocphil]

I've got several customers with well over 20,000 miles on their '06 and '07 Buddy scooters and I can't say that I've noticed paint fade as dramatic as your image shows. Most of these are commuter scoots that live their lives outside on an asphalt parking lot 8 hours a day or more.

Reds are notorious for fading...there's nothing anyone can do to stop it. It has to do with the pigment used to create the color being degraded by UV exposure.

I had a Honda Dirtbike that "went pink" in less than 5 years, it was left outside every single day tho'. I never washed, or waxed it.

We have seen some older painted scooters that have lost their richness but this is especially strange to me since the Buddy scooters are molded in color, not painted.

It's weird at best.

[pocphil]

Today we had a customer bring in a tangerine '08 Buddy 125. This customer leaves the bike parked outside 24/7. I was able to discern a little fading between the headset top we removed and the replacement. In my opinion, it's pretty much what I would expect for a 3 year old bike.

[ScooterTrash]

Today we had a customer bring in a tangerine '08 Buddy 125. This customer leaves the bike parked outside 24/7. I was able to discern a little fading between the headset top we removed and the replacement. In my opinion, it's pretty much what I would expect for a 3 year old bike.

Hell, the color can vary that much between 2 parts.

My 3 year old buddy is just as red as when I bought it

[TVB]

My 3 year old buddy is just as red as when I bought it

Well, I understand that red is red.