2018 Spirit II Bad Weber Fade


 
Joe Anshien

Joe Anshien

TVWBB Honor Circle
I just thought I would post this. I picked up a 2018 Spirit II to flip and check out how bad this lid is faded! On the right side I rubbed beef tallow which masks the fade and smells great when you light the grill. They only warranty fading for 2 years.

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Two years. Yikes. Let's just hope that is an isolated case. I would be hard pressed to buy any Weber grill new anymore that had a black lid.
 
Just watching a couple videos, it looks like it would take more than the Cerium Oxide to get the weber fade out.
 
No, it probably doesn't, but to do a whole lid sounds like a much bigger undertaking that I would be up for. But it would be interesting to know how it does work on the porcelain coating.
 
Bruce said:
No, it probably doesn't, but to do a whole lid sounds like a much bigger undertaking that I would be up for. But it would be interesting to know how it does work on the porcelain coating.
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I think I see what you mean. You would also need polishing equipment.
 
I will just toss in this observation: I recently bought my first new Weber kettle in years. It is a crimson (now discontinued) that I got from BBQGuys.com on a "scratch and dent" sale. I like the color, but, man, when you compare the finish to that on my 40 year old red kettle, the difference is night and day. Even though 40 years old - and with a few chips and scratches that show its age - the finish on the red kettle is THICK, shiny, and smooth as glass. In comparison, the new crimson has an almost flat appearance, and the finish has little of the feel of porcelain. More like painted metal.

I wouldn't give my new crimson much chance of being around 40 years from now, but I think my red kettle could make it to 80 if kept clean and stored properly. A sad story of how it is true that some things just aren't made the way they used to be. Whether this crimson will fade faster, I don't know. A lot of black gas grills and kettles, with nice porcelain finishes still fade. But, the finish on my crimson doesn't inspire a lot of confidence.
 
Jon, I noticed that on that new kettle when you pulled it out as well. I was wondering what the deal was with the matte finish. It almost looked like someone hit it from a long distance with a very light coat of spray paint.

Maybe that is why it was in the scratch and dent bin. Or is that just how the new kettles are these days?
 
I believe that it is just the way the new kettles are (at least crimson, because the black ones still look more like they used to). I am guessing it is the same issue with crimson as the original red color - somehow the chemicals they used back in the day aren't allowed anymore. The finish on my crimson is better than the "Limited Edition" red they came out with a couple years ago, but it is still very matte. Disappointing, because I wanted a crimson for a long time. I wish now I had held out for the special Ace indigo color. I haven't seen one of those in person either, but the gas grill in that color didn't look matte like my crimson kettle.
 
What burner tubes do those newer Spirits use? Do they have that Weber GS4 system? If so, where do you get replacement burner tubes, igniters , etc... from?
 
These were the round tubes not the thin rectangular ones on the Genesis. But, the nice thing with flipping newer grills is no parts to replace and do much easier to clean. They may also be under warranty
 
LMichaels said:
The fade is not the porcelain per se' it's the pigment and no amount of polishing will take it away. Mask it yea but that is all
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This is probably what happens, but I wonder whether anybody has tested this theory? If it is the pigment, then no amount of polishing will restore the luster. However, I do wonder if anybody has tried doing let's say a 220 grit, 400 grit, 800 grit, 1000 grit 2000 then heavy cut polish followed by light cut polish on a lid. Has anybody here tried sanding the fade out?
 
Since the greased side looks black, it may simply be oxidation just like car finishes. Polishing may be the solution.
 
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