An Open Begging Post To Srt R.e. 2009 Viper!!!!!!!!

[MGWLTD]

this is an open letter that i hope reaches the right folks up at caap.
not sure if it matters but let me say that i have to be probably one of the BIGGEST viper nuts on the planet.

i have owned 15 vipers from gen 1 all the way up to gen4. and i have loved EVERY ONE OF THEM!!!!

my ONLY complaint....

please try to look into some alternative for the side sills paint selection or possibly even peblbing the texture like alot of import cars do to keep the paint from getting sand blasted so bad so quckly.

i haver tried the 3m clear bra on them and it works ok but really detracts from the beauty of this BEAST!!!!

also i plan on getting a white w/ blue striped car in 09 and really hate the way 3m looks on white cars.

i personally have no idea how to fix the problem so i am of no help but a whiner but it really is the only thing i really hate about buying a new viper is that it gets beat up so darned fast . like the paint is just not very durable.

any thoughts caap????

respectfully

george ciamillo

 

[j-rho]

Little mudflaps at the rear of the front wheelwells can do a lot to help and don't look too awful if they're body color. Keeping the front tires narrow and not too sticky helps too - wide R-comps on a rough/dirty surface with no mud flaps is worse case.

 

[OKFireChief]

George, I agree ... I have a VOI 9 car with the 3m clear bra. It is still hard to keep clean. It shows all the road tar and bug junk!

On another note, we were told at the VCA Presidents meeting that CAAP would not offer the same color/stripe combos on production cars that were on the limited production "Special Edition" Vipers. Not sure why they now offer a Blue Stripe option on a White car. Will have a bad long term effect on the value of the 98 GTS/R and the 06 VOI 9 Coupe ... The stripes do look a bit lighter than those on the "Special Edition " cars, but they are close.

They said the reason they offered the Red/White 06 VCA Coupe after the Red/White 2002 GTS FE, was that they were different body styles, Gen 2 vs Gen 3. We got the same answer in reference to the White/Blue 1998 GTS/R and the 06 VOI 9 Car. Different body styles. No problem if CAPP offered the color combo on a different body style, come on Gen 5!!! At least it would be consistent ...

With the decline of value of our Gen 3 cars and most others, we would hope that Mother Mopar would protect the intregity and value of the limited production "Special Edition" cars, and not offer the same color/interior combinations which is the only thing that sets them apart.

We now lucky to have so many color/stripe combs to choose from. Why de-value the limited production "Special Edition" cars by allowing anyone to copy the same color/interior combination?

What would be the incentive for any of us to pay xtra money for a "Special Edition" Viper if only to copy it without changing the body style, as with the Gen 2 GTS FE, GTS/R and the Gen 3 VCA Edition and VOI 9 Car?

Both the Gen 2 and Gen 4 ACR's are all about performance. It is way cool that both were/are available in most colors offered the year of production. All the "Special Edtion" Vipers were only set apart by color/stripe and a interior difference.

I have never seen a Viper any color I did not like. We all have awesome cars. Just trying to protect our investments ...

Thanks for allowing me to rant a bit ... Cheers, Jon

 

[wallbanger]

imho the 3M clear bra is easy to clean . the bugs and tar just wipe off especially if u add bug and tar cleaner...Also the clearmask is practically invisible on my side sills....

I'm glad they are offering the blue stripes on the white 09... the car has a different hood and the blue stripes are a great combo... For a buyer that can't afford a new 09 it will enhance the value of the 06 VOI-9 coupe...

 

[ViperBran]

They should make a design similar to the Z06 Corvette. The "mudflap" is incorporated into the wheel well and it doesn't look bad at all. I have a Z06 and a Viper. The Vette is clean and the Viper is Sandblasted. It can't be that easy.

 

[wallbanger]

They should make a design similar to the Z06 Corvette. The "mudflap" is incorporated into the wheel well and it doesn't look bad at all. I have a Z06 and a Viper. The Vette is clean and the Viper is Sandblasted. It can't be that easy.

Exactly , i've looked at this issue before as well... if anyone has a pic of a z06 wheel well u can see what bran is talking about

 

[DodgeViper01]

this is an open letter that i hope reaches the right folks up at caap.
not sure if it matters but let me say that i have to be probably one of the BIGGEST viper nuts on the planet.

i have owned 15 vipers from gen 1 all the way up to gen4. and i have loved EVERY ONE OF THEM!!!!

my ONLY complaint....

please try to look into some alternative for the side sills paint selection or possibly even peblbing the texture like alot of import cars do to keep the paint from getting sand blasted so bad so quckly.

i haver tried the 3m clear bra on them and it works ok but really detracts from the beauty of this BEAST!!!!

also i plan on getting a white w/ blue striped car in 09 and really hate the way 3m looks on white cars.

i personally have no idea how to fix the problem so i am of no help but a whiner but it really is the only thing i really hate about buying a new viper is that it gets beat up so darned fast . like the paint is just not very durable.

any thoughts caap????

respectfully

george ciamillo

Happens way to quick. I have had to repaint twice and it is just pointless as it just keeps getting sand blasted after 1000 miles.

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

I concur.

 

[TAXIMAN1]

I concur 1000%..... I have a VOI9 and had the entire side sills clear bra'd @ 350 miles.. Before any damage could take place.. But it would have been much easier to just have a "heavier" paint on the sills to avoid this.. your right on the money..

the paint on the GenII side sills seemed to be a bit more durable.. I had a 2001 GTS with 14,000 miles on it. The sills looked new. All the 10k+ miles SRT's Ive seen, have sandblasted sills... No way to avoid it.. just have to commit to having them painted every few years I guess. If you dont like the clear-bra look..

 

[Lee00blacksilverGTS]

Don't forget that the laws regarding environmental use of paints have changed. manufacturers are not allowed to use the type of paints these days that they could prior. Now the paints have to be water based I believe, all vehicles chip easier these days.

 

[texas_venom]

Yes is does have a lot to do with the environmental laws. It is only going to get worse so be ready for it. I think putting ClearMask on the sills is the way to go. After 20,000 miles on my 04 there wasnt any chipping and you couldnt even tell it was on there.

 

[Coloviper]

The law changes on paint are a cop out. The paint on both our Porsche Cayennes can take a beating without this issue. No clear bra on them, 38K and 44K respectively, not one chip.

It is the amount of paint used. On my 2007 Jeep SRT8 which I just sold, I could see primer in the door jams the paint was so thin. Dodge would not fix it. This was on a brand new vehicle I bought. It is a Dodge thing. They can paint it thicker, they choose not to. They could put an extra coat of hard or soft clear on it and they do not. For a hand built vehicle, it should not be an issue to take that tiny bit more time.

 

[Jeff Monheim]

Paint on the side sills ****!!!!!
Had my 08 painted with 259 miles on the car!!!!!
This should NOT Happen.

 

[Vipermann]

They should make a design similar to the Z06 Corvette. The "mudflap" is incorporated into the wheel well and it doesn't look bad at all. I have a Z06 and a Viper. The Vette is clean and the Viper is Sandblasted. It can't be that easy.

This is a Gen3/4 after-market product idea waiting to happen. (Hello, anybody listening?) Copy the Vette piece but make a new mold that fits the contour of the Viper side sill and sticks on with 2-sided 3M tape - sell in painted Viper colors for $199 for a set of two ...or, the little Mercedes CLK also has them I think - modify and paint those to fit the Viper side sill (if they don't fit right out of the box)...

 

[GTS Bruce]

Mud flaps.... cup holders.....What next? Auto trans and rear seats? Pull the sills off over the winter and respray if they bother you. Could also chip guard. Spray with line-x. Replace sticky tires with hard as rock tires. Seal the car in a plastic bag and leave it there....... Cars that are driven get chips period. That's what paint is for. GTS Bruce

 

[texas_venom]

I agree. And its been a known problem ever since the 03 model came out. If your really worried about rock chips, clear bra the sills when they are knew... or paint it every few years. Its part of owning a Gen III Viper.

 

[Coloviper]

While I agree that paint chips are a fact of life, there is a big difference between a paint chip here or there from a stubborn big rock and then sand-blasting away all paint. The Gen 3/4 cars just sandblast which comes from thin paint and unproper levels of clear.

Me, I refuse to put on a clear bra or anything like that and just drive it. It is part of the character.

 

[viperpalmer]

George, I agree ... I have a VOI 9 car with the 3m clear bra. It is still hard to keep clean. It shows all the road tar and bug junk!

On another note, we were told at the VCA Presidents meeting that CAAP would not offer the same color/stripe combos on production cars that were on the limited production "Special Edition" Vipers. Not sure why they now offer a Blue Stripe option on a White car. Will have a bad long term effect on the value of the 98 GTS/R and the 06 VOI 9 Coupe ... The stripes do look a bit lighter than those on the "Special Edition " cars, but they are close.

They said the reason they offered the Red/White 06 VCA Coupe after the Red/White 2002 GTS FE, was that they were different body styles, Gen 2 vs Gen 3. We got the same answer in reference to the White/Blue 1998 GTS/R and the 06 VOI 9 Car. Different body styles. No problem if CAPP offered the color combo on a different body style, come on Gen 5!!! At least it would be consistent ...

With the decline of value of our Gen 3 cars and most others, we would hope that Mother Mopar would protect the intregity and value of the limited production "Special Edition" cars, and not offer the same color/interior combinations which is the only thing that sets them apart.

We now lucky to have so many color/stripe combs to choose from. Why de-value the limited production "Special Edition" cars by allowing anyone to copy the same color/interior combination?

What would be the incentive for any of us to pay xtra money for a "Special Edition" Viper if only to copy it without changing the body style, as with the Gen 2 GTS FE, GTS/R and the Gen 3 VCA Edition and VOI 9 Car?

Both the Gen 2 and Gen 4 ACR's are all about performance. It is way cool that both were/are available in most colors offered the year of production. All the "Special Edtion" Vipers were only set apart by color/stripe and a interior difference.

I have never seen a Viper any color I did not like. We all have awesome cars. Just trying to protect our investments ...

Thanks for allowing me to rant a bit ... Cheers, Jon

From someone who has had both a VOI9 and a New 09 Coupe with the blue stripes together at that same time here at the dealership till just recently, I have to say that the color difference is pretty huge in person. Pictures tend to make the two look alot alike but in person they are miles apart. That Viper Blue is the light blue. I understand your gripe and it was one I held close to my heart as well till just recently. We actually got cheated out of an ACR for that exact reason which they ended up producing anyways...but that is a different story all together. Either way you have one of the best color combos they ever made...and I am jealous.

The below is just for color reference. First one is the new blue, the second is your blue.

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Also I agree with the rock chip secenario, from someone who sees hundreds of these cars a year. Lord help you if you have 10k or more on your car and many times 3k or more. 3m or Speedfilm helps but often discolors over time and makes it look worse. Any true remedy would be a modern marvel at least.

 

[viperpalmer]

To add to that the white is a good bit different as well.

 

[Alan Patterson]

I thought I read somewhere that the Gen 3's have only 1 layer of clear-coat whereas the earlier Vipers all had 2 layers of clear-coat. This might explain the reason the Gen 3's are so susceptible to chipping, scratching, etc. In any case it is a huge problem--My '06 VOI9 Viper has 4x the damage after 1.5 years of autocrossing versus my '98 GTSR which I autocrossed for 5 years!!

 

[SSGViper]

We need one of our sponsored vendors to step up to the plate and make us a nice Z06 style guard for the front and rear. I have a feeling it would be a big seller.

Rear:

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Front:

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[gb66gth]

Basically, the piant job on my '08 *****. My '05 was better but still really thin paint. Saleen, who panits or painted the Vipers for CAAP did or does a piss-poor job and should be ashamed of themselves.

 

[SSGViper]

Just curious, if someone made the Z06 style guard for front and rear, how many of you would actually buy them? I know of a potential VCA site sponsor from NY who sounds willing to take on this if someone is willing to let them use your Viper for prototyping. Same person who did the Z06 ones in the pics above. PM me.

 

[Brian GTS]

Yes, I agree. Current paint and clear coat work pales in comparison to the Gen I/II cars. Gen I/II cars had exceptional paint and a nice thick clear coat.

 

[albinonile]

Paint on the side sills ****!!!!!
Had my 08 painted with 259 miles on the car!!!!!
This should NOT Happen.

Jeff
did your painter match the ssg without problem?---what did you have to pay for the sill repaint--I planned to just repaint mine once a year or so instead of messing with the clear coat. Did your repainted sills last longer than the factory paint?
Ben

 

[eucharistos]

from mark's gallery (mjorgensen)

 

[DodgeViper01]

I agree with you on this one. My 2001 has the same problems.

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

The law changes on paint are a cop out. The paint on both our Porsche Cayennes can take a beating without this issue. No clear bra on them, 38K and 44K respectively, not one chip.

It is the amount of paint used. On my 2007 Jeep SRT8 which I just sold, I could see primer in the door jams the paint was so thin. Dodge would not fix it. This was on a brand new vehicle I bought. It is a Dodge thing. They can paint it thicker, they choose not to. They could put an extra coat of hard or soft clear on it and they do not. For a hand built vehicle, it should not be an issue to take that tiny bit more time.

VERY well said. Best reply here.

 

[viperdrummer]

Viper used to be a world leader in paint quality. There were articles about how strong the paint was in the old days. My Gen 1 and 2 were nearly bullet proof.

My 05, and 06 were a joke and I suspect the same will be true of my 09 but havent really driven it much. My black 06 chips if you look at it hard. It is a shame because having owned Vettes a source of bragging rights has always been the Viper superior paint--not so now.

I buy my wife and kids Hondas--the paint is far superior to Gen 3 and 4. Heck, my 09 CTS-V has better paint. It is inexplicable to me why Dodge let this happen.