Clearcoat Chipping or 3M Bra degredation

emann029

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Mazda, CX-9 GT
I bought my 08 CX-9 GT in March 2010. I love this car with strong exception on the Gas mileage. The question I have is regarding the paint specifically on the bumper. Starting late last year, I noticed that the clear coating or clear bra is peeling on the front bumper. No problem with the fenders or hood.. Just the bumper. Has anyone experienced this with their CX-9? If so, what did you do to remedy this problem? I honestly don't want to take it to a body shop because they are going to want to paint the front bumper and the rest of the front end. If I have to, then so be it, but i'd rather not..
 

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How long is your 3M Bra warrantied for by the installer? I would take it to them first if it's still under warranty. Also, is this issue happening on the rear bumper(which I assume does not have the 3M Bra installed)?
 
I bought the car used and don't know if there is a 3M bra on it or not... The front bumper is the only place this is happening. It is really weird but I honestly don't know what a 3M bra would look like. I was actually considering getting one when I first saw this problem.
 
emann, it just looks like the clearcoat is peeling. Your bumper was likely replaced or repaired and repainted and not done well perhaps. Have not seen this on here before with anyone. Did you run a carfax or similar report when you bought your vehicle? Solution is to have a bodyshop strip and re-paint the bumper. Would run about 500 bucks give or take 100 or 200.
 
I got a full carfax report before I went to the dealership to purchase the truck.. It was certified pre-owned so I was almost certain that this truck was very well maintained. maybe there was bumper damage and the previous owner paid for the repair out of their own pocket. I kinda suspected that it was just the casualty of a poor paint job. I figured I will have to take it to a body shop and have the bumper re-done.. Thanks for the idea, I think you hit it on the nose..
 
Keep in mind when you get your cx-9 back from the body shop and the bumper doesn't match, don't be horrified. Before you elect to go for repairs,
wash the car.
Go out in the sun, and look at the color of the bumpers next to the adjacent panels, and you will notice they don't match.
This is normal, because plastic painted parts have a slight color offset compared to painted steel.
Most customers get their cars back and think the body shop didn't match the color right.
 
Definitely not clear-bra.... You can tell not only due to the characteristics of the peeling but you can see where all the rocks have been beating up the rest of paint. A full clear-bra will run around $1200-1500 so I'm sure the seller would have used it as a selling tool during your purchase.

Just had the wife's CX9-GT done and well let's just say, I'm lucky to be in the automotive business so I was able to save around 30% off of the normal rates, but still around a Grand.

-Eli
 
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