FAQ: Riviera Hoods

Mine lasted a pretty long time before any paint started to flake, and the car has been driven year round for 9 years, never garaged. It only started flaking away about a year ago, and really hasn't progressed much in that time. I've noticed some other areas starting to oxidize as well (roof and behind rear wheels). Overall, paint is still in very good shape for a 14 year old car. I hate to admit, but I don't wash her enough, and rarely wax, yet the clear coat protects remarkably well, except in the areas mentioned. I almost feel it depends on the year and the paint color.

AA, I totally agree about paint color. It seems that the metallic colors don't flake as badly as do the whites and blacks. I have seen way too many white gm's from the 90's that have huge amounts of paint flaked off!( especially bonnevilles and regals).

Actually, in its day, the Riviera's Aluminum hood was fairly rare. Nowadays it is fairly common on luxury cars. The company that I work for, Novelis, supplies the aluminum sheet for over 140 different models of luxury cars like Jaguar, Range Rover, BMW, Audi, Mercedes. The new M-B SL500 has an entire body in white made from aluminum. Some models of domestic cars are using it. In the next 2 years aluminum use in hoods and doors will more than double. Novelis is investing heavily now to be able to remain the largest aluminum sheet supplier to automotive companies.