CX5- body panel material?

[Unobtanium]

I noticed this morning that a rock has made a TINY divot through the paint on my hood. To me, this is a non-issue. This is an econo-SUV, and it's meant to get me from A to B, not be a show-room piece.

That said, I have seen vehicles that get a divot like this, and then under the paint it begins to rust, and you can indeed have some real issues (as thin as body parts are now days) in a few year's time. My Jeep had one such spot, and I luckily caught it fast. It was on the leading edge of the roof, and in a few more years COULD have potentially perf'ed.

So my question is, I am pretty sure the hood is aluminum. I am also sure the front end is some form of polymer or another. Neither are prone to rust, really. What about the roof, though? What is it made of? That is where my Jeep had an issue that I had to handle up on (to the tune of several hundred bucks, as no paint shop would handle "just a spot" since it had began pitting already. But it looked flawless once done, lol!)

 

[yrwei52]

... I am pretty sure the hood is aluminum.

No, the hood on CX-5 is made of steel. So as the roof. Aluminum body panels are expensive and you can only see those on higher priced cars such as BMW and Audi. You can use touch-up paint to cover up the divot a bit and prevent the rust.

 

[Unobtanium]

No, the hood on CX-5 is made of steel. So as the roof. Aluminum body panels are expensive and you can only see those on higher priced cars such as BMW and Audi. You can use touch-up paint to cover up the divot a bit and prevent the rust.

Ah. Interesting and no bueno. I will buy said paint. Thanks!

 

[Ride92]

I read somewhere that the body panels for the CX-5 were double dipped galvanized steel. That should make it more resistant to rust but I still think it would be a good idea to get the touch up paint and touch up the rock chip just to be on the safe side.

Here's a very good video on how to repair rock chips: http://www.ammonyc.com/detailing/paint-chip-touch-up/

If you watch the video, the guy mentions he likes to mix clear coat with the touch up paint. Does anyone know if the Mazda touch up pens already have clear coat mixed in with them or is just the base coat color? I have a small chip on my rear passenger door that I need to fix already.

 

[arunka007]

I have a CX-5 in Soul Red. Have couple of small chips and was considering the touch up paint. Read somewhere else the OEM Soul Red touch up paint is a very poor match. Do any of you have any experience with Soul Red touch up pen?

 

[ramius]

AL isn't only on expensive cars. On my NC MX-5, both the hood and trunk are AL, fwiw.

 

[limleong]

I have a CX-5 in Soul Red. Have couple of small chips and was considering the touch up paint. Read somewhere else the OEM Soul Red touch up paint is a very poor match. Do any of you have any experience with Soul Red touch up pen?

My understanding is that Soul Red requires special two part coating at the factory. Hence it is very difficult for any touch up paint to duplicate the colour. Hope that it is only a tiny dot and that the touch up paint can mask it somehow for you.

 

[arunka007]

My understanding is that Soul Red requires special two part coating at the factory. Hence it is very difficult for any touch up paint to duplicate the colour. Hope that it is only a tiny dot and what the touch up paint can mask it somehow for you.

It's the size of a pencil eraser tip. May be slightly smaller than that. It's on the fender and I can see the white primer. Wondering whether using the touch up pen will make it look worse than just leaving it as it is.

Any other simple ways to protect this spot?

 

[limleong]

It's the size of a pencil eraser tip. May be slightly smaller than that. It's on the fender and I can see the white primer. Wondering whether using the touch up pen will make it look worse than just leaving it as it is.

Any other simple ways to protect this spot?

If the spot is 1mm or less (perhaps max 2mm) then touch up paint will most likely mask the spot OK. Any thing larger you might see the colour variation at a distance.

The other option from a a protection's perspective is to simply touch up with clear coat for moisture protection and leave the spot as it is. Personally, 1mm or less, I would do touch up paint even if the touch up paint may not match OE colour that well.

 

[arunka007]

If the spot is 1mm or less (perhaps max 2mm) then touch up paint will most likely mask the spot OK. Any thing larger you might see the colour variation at a distance.

The other option from a a protection's perspective is to simply touch up with clear coat for moisture protection and leave the spot as it is. Personally, 1mm or less, I would do touch up paint even if the touch up paint may not match OE colour that well.

Makes sense. Mine is probably around 3mm or so. Will try the touch up paint.

 

[Unobtanium]

AL isn't only on expensive cars. On my NC MX-5, both the hood and trunk are AL, fwiw.

My entire 370z was aluminum IIRC, and my ws.6 was all composit or smc except the rear fenders.

 

[yrwei52]

AL isn't only on expensive cars. On my NC MX-5, both the hood and trunk are AL, fwiw.

Or I should say aluminum body panels are more popular nowadays to save weight. Ford has been a leader in embracing the material at a volume level. But the fact is still "aluminum is a fickle metal to bend on the assembly line, and its quirky metallurgy could mean that body shops will have a tough time replacing bashed-in sheet metal. Its more expensive than steel in a raw state, in its conversion to a usable sheet metal, and in its assemblyresulting in a 60 to 80 percent cost premium, according to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology study. A recent calculation by Forbes estimated the added cost at $500 per F-150."

 

[RG_Flyer]

Ford was partially in the game earlier, my '97 F-150 had an aluminum hood. That was almost two decades ago.

 

[Chris_Top_Her]

It will rust if left alone. I have had two small paint chip turned rust spots on my roof since I got the car in sept. My hood, not yet.

 

[Mondo]

I was surprised how heavy the hood is... lot of metal there, must be pretty thick

 

[limleong]

It will rust if left alone. I have had two small paint chip turned rust spots on my roof since I got the car in sept. My hood, not yet.

Yes. It is best to apply some touch-up paint or clear coat as soon as you discover the spot. Especially the paint chip is down to bare metal. Need to seal out the moisture otherwise rust will set in.

 

[Paul-C]

I have a CX-5 in Soul Red. Have couple of small chips and was considering the touch up paint. Read somewhere else the OEM Soul Red touch up paint is a very poor match. Do any of you have any experience with Soul Red touch up pen?

I have used the Soul Red touch-up pen on a white car and it does not look good - just kidding.

I used the pen on my Soul Red and it sucks. I've had two small rock chips and have two more I haven't done because the repaired spots stand out more than the chips! I actually thought about just leaving it and see what happens - what's the worse that can happen to your hood? Maybe replace or paint in 5-7 years?

I didn't get the film for the hood but none of the spots are in the area that would be protected anyways.

I guess you (I) have to decide - do I want to see a smooth surface with tiny bumps where the touch-ups are done or a smooth surface with tiny indentations where the chip is. I may be overthinking this because it is just a hood but most of us like that part to be shiny and smooth as that's what you see 100% of the time.

 

[ocinsomniac]

The best touch up that I've found for small nicks particularly small stone chips is this -

http://www.drcolorchip.com/

A bit expensive, but much more effective than blobbing on some paint from a brush or pen. This system enables you to level out the touched up surface so touchup paint is not as noticeable. First line of defense though is a good clear vinyl film front end bra. I've had great luck with the Expel product, and have it done whenever I get a new vehicle.

 

[arunka007]

I have used the Soul Red touch-up pen on a white car and it does not look good - just kidding.

I used the pen on my Soul Red and it sucks. I've had two small rock chips and have two more I haven't done because the repaired spots stand out more than the chips! I actually thought about just leaving it and see what happens - what's the worse that can happen to your hood? Maybe replace or paint in 5-7 years?

I didn't get the film for the hood but none of the spots are in the area that would be protected anyways.

I guess you (I) have to decide - do I want to see a smooth surface with tiny bumps where the touch-ups are done or a smooth surface with tiny indentations where the chip is. I may be overthinking this because it is just a hood but most of us like that part to be shiny and smooth as that's what you see 100% of the time.

Yeah. This is what I was worried about. Leaving it as it is is not an option for me because it'll start rusting pretty soon and I don't want that. Given the choice between clear coat touch up and soul red touch up, I'm leaning more towards the clear coat now.


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[arunka007]

The best touch up that I've found for small nicks particularly small stone chips is this -

http://www.drcolorchip.com/

A bit expensive, but much more effective than blobbing on some paint from a brush or pen. This system enables you to level out the touched up surface so touchup paint is not as noticeable. First line of defense though is a good clear vinyl film front end bra. I've had great luck with the Expel product, and have it done whenever I get a new vehicle.

I've heard good things about them but haven't heard anything about their color match for Soul Red.

I also installed a clear bra for full bumper and partial hood.


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