Burnt Clearcoat

[paris1]

You are right. Spent it's life outside in the sun.
Even then, this is still normal?

It's certainly not unusual, especially for plastic parts like the rear spoiler that that apparently heat up more than metal body panels.

 

[craigo]

FWIW, If I saw this i'd be just as pissed as you. I'm skeptical its a factory problem though. Are you the only owner its had?

 

[paris1]

I will ask the guy, but he said that, he even went to some kind of car wash/detail class as well.
How it happened matters, but the most important issues is that the repair is on me, right? Mazda won't help me out with this?

On a 4-5 year old car? You must be joking!

 

[tibimakai]

Yes, I have purchased it brand new.
I had cars in the past, sitting outside and never seen this type of defect. I mean, 12-14 years old cars.

 

[sm1ke]

I think the wild card is the car wash guy. It's pretty well known that most factory paint jobs are not as durable as they used to be, and Mazda is no exception. If you couple that with a car wash guy who is too aggressive with the buffer (or even too aggressive with the pressure washer), I can see this happening. In fact, the second photo looks like he brought the pressure washer right up to the panel, which could very easily turn a tiny paint chip into a nightmare like yours.

In the future I would recommend a proper wax or sealant application at least twice a year, and car washes only as often as the car needs it. My car will get washes once a week at most, and in the winter it can stretch to two weeks depending on how much road salt is on the car.

 

[Kaps]

two days a week.
two days a week.
two days a week.

This is extreme. Knowing this Mazda would not cover this at all - and rightly so.
Why do you need to wash twice a week and wax? TWICE a week - do you get a lot of dirt? Do you park near sprinklers? Do you drive through mud / offroad / do you encounter salt etc? Twice a WEEK? Dude detailers on autopia do it once every 2 weeks and that seems extreme.

I washed my car -3 times in its first 14 months. Off late I have been lazy and gone to touchless but most importantly I have never used improper technique - I am not OCD about scratches as I know pretty well how to cure them.
So if its being washed so frequently - most likely its the guy who washed it. 700 times a year - 4 years - OMG = 2800 times. After owning my CX5 for 10 years I would not have more than 300 washes at max.

Final test - if the guy who washes it for you charges you atleast 50 bucks per week It comes to $10,000 dollars for 4 years - I might say its the fact that it was washed so many times is the issue. But if he charges a lot less than that - its a red flag.

Another test you can do is run your hand smoothly after he washes - your hand should flow without any resistance - if not his technique is flawed. this is most likely dirt ripping your clear coat. Wow TWICE A WEEK! what are you driving a Mazda Phantom?

 

[dougal]

Honestly, it looks like something was sprayed on that car and that was a line he could not wipe away. Looks man made or am I missing something?

 

[craigo]

A problem with "hand" washing with a pressure washer is lingering too long and too close to an area with the wand

 

[tibimakai]

The guy washes here two times a week, I wash it around three weeks intervals. Longer in the winter(no salt here).
He waxed it, two times each year.

 

[BOOSTR]

That's not from silly putty & surfactant aka clay bar, pressure washing or a buffer. It had to be a bad batch of clearcoat or applied over contaminated base coat. Have someone try what I posted previously or just have it resprayed. But no given the time frame gone by Mazda will not pay for repair.

 

[tibimakai]

So, it's on me. Wet sand and a coat of clear coat.
Good excuse, to get a spoiler.

 

[CX-5um]

inmho it does not appear to be an issue from the factory. Perhaps a local reputable body shop can give you better information though.

 

[craigo]

That's not from silly putty & surfactant aka clay bar, pressure washing or a buffer. It had to be a bad batch of clearcoat or applied over contaminated base coat. Have someone try what I posted previously or just have it resprayed. But no given the time frame gone by Mazda will not pay for repair.

With the way factory paintbooths work, there would be hundreds of vehicles with this, or more. That's why I'm very skeptical.

 

[craigo]

The guy washes here two times a week, I wash it around three weeks intervals. Longer in the winter(no salt here).
He waxed it, two times each year.

So pressure washed with just soap twice a week and waxed only twice a year? Hmmm...

 

[7eregrine]

Defect. This happened to a car I had. It's surely not a widespread. Sucks though.

 

[sm1ke]

So, it's on me. Wet sand and a coat of clear coat.
Good excuse, to get a spoiler.

Raise a stink with Mazda anyway, but keep your expectations low. You never know, something may come out of it if you strike the right chord with the right person.

 

[ColoradoDriver]

So pressure washed with just soap twice a week and waxed only twice a year? Hmmm...

I think you missed the part where he stated he washed it every 3 weeks.

 

[mazdadude]

My opinion is that it is a combination of a poor/thin/non-overlapping application of factory clearcoat, coupled with high sun exposure, and extra washing.

 

[craigo]

I think you missed the part where he stated he washed it every 3 weeks.

Heh, re-read his posts. His company has a guy who washes them twice a week.

 

[dougal]

This is extreme. Knowing this Mazda would not cover this at all - and rightly so.
Why do you need to wash twice a week and wax? TWICE a week - do you get a lot of dirt? Do you park near sprinklers? Do you drive through mud / offroad / do you encounter salt etc? Twice a WEEK? Dude detailers on autopia do it once every 2 weeks and that seems extreme.

I washed my car -3 times in its first 14 months. Off late I have been lazy and gone to touchless but most importantly I have never used improper technique - I am not OCD about scratches as I know pretty well how to cure them.
So if its being washed so frequently - most likely its the guy who washed it. 700 times a year - 4 years - OMG = 2800 times. After owning my CX5 for 10 years I would not have more than 300 washes at max.

Final test - if the guy who washes it for you charges you atleast 50 bucks per week It comes to $10,000 dollars for 4 years - I might say its the fact that it was washed so many times is the issue. But if he charges a lot less than that - its a red flag.

Another test you can do is run your hand smoothly after he washes - your hand should flow without any resistance - if not his technique is flawed. this is most likely dirt ripping your clear coat. Wow TWICE A WEEK! what are you driving a Mazda Phantom?

Kap. You have a point.