Is the Soul Red color still an issue on 2020’s?

[Avoidin Deer]

Hi everyone. Just signed up to Mazda247 and will be picking up my new 2020 CX-5 Signature model this afternoon in 90 minutes! Picked Machine Grey.

I'm smiling on your behalf!
I'm sure you'll love it.

Regarding the paint issue: modern paints all have issues, but the 3 layer process on the SRCM seems to be more fragile than the norm.

Regarding PPF...I wish I had done it when my car was new. I don't have problems with chipping, so maybe I should get it done before I do.

 

[Sacandagadan]

I bought my 2019 machine grey in August,went from dealer to professional detailer for clay,polish and a coat of colonite wax.Lots of nasty winter roads,salt etc.I wash weekly in a no touch car wash and am happy to say paint looks new, still beads up when wet.Hopefully this will continue.

 

[concept]

All Japanese paints suck, but the SCRM sucked worser than the rest.

I have to disagree, based upon my experience. Our Lexus paint has been very durable.

 

[2001birdowner]

Outside of the soul red issue, the likelihood of paint chips really depends on the driving environment.

Driving around town in FL, chips probably aren’t likely.

Driving at highway speeds in VT where they put rock salt down and cars are entering the highway after driving on dirt roads.....

 

[Kirsten]

My son is interested in either a cx 30 or cc 5 in the soul red color. I told him about the issues the color has regarding chipping. The dealer said that was resolved and no longer happens. Anybody know if that’s true?

I am having huge problems with my 2019 CX 3 in soul red crystal. The car has excessive chips all over the body work, not just limited to the front of the car. Mazda openly say there is a problem with the paint and so does the dealer who sold me the car yet Mazda are not willing to respray the whole car despite it still being under warranty. Mazda's customer service is appalling, therefore, my advice would be, steer clear of sole red crystal and Mazda!

 

[chickdr]

I am having huge problems with my 2019 CX 3 in soul red crystal. The car has excessive chips all over the body work, not just limited to the front of the car. Mazda openly say there is a problem with the paint and so does the dealer who sold me the car yet Mazda are not willing to respray the whole car despite it still being under warranty. Mazda's customer service is appalling, therefore, my advice would be, steer clear of sole red crystal and Mazda!

So because they won't respray your car (which will likely result in the same issue next year as the paint hasn't changed in formulation) you say to avoid Mazda altogether? How is the rest of your car? Do you like the drive? Has it been reliable? There is a lot more to consider than paint quality. How about just suggesting getting a different color?

 

[Buzzman12]

So because they won't respray your car (which will likely result in the same issue next year as the paint hasn't changed in formulation) you say to avoid Mazda altogether?

Just speculating here, but a body shop cannot duplicate the factory painting process, and probably won't result in the same problems.
My guess would be that a respray from a good body shop will probably be a lot more durable than the multi stage paint process used at the factory.

 

[Avoidin Deer]

Just speculating here, but a body shop cannot duplicate the factory painting process, and probably won't result in the same problems.
My guess would be that a respray from a good body shop will probably be a lot more durable than the multi stage paint process used at the factory.

I believe there are some posts here regarding specific paint shops being trained by Mazda to do some level of SCRM repainting. I bet they're trained in the multi stage factory process.

 

[sm1ke]

I believe there are some posts here regarding specific paint shops being trained by Mazda to do some level of SCRM repainting. I bet they're trained in the multi stage factory process.

Just to add.. PPG runs classes and explains the repair process for SRCM and other specialty paints on their website.

Soul Red Crystal de Mazda | Conseils techniques | PPG Refinish

Apprenez le processus de réparation en trois étapes pour le code de peinture Soul Red Crystal 46V métallisé de Mazda.

us.ppgrefinish.com

Even then, the painter would need to be skilled/experienced enough to apply this knowledge, and they would need to use materials/paints that were up to par. In my experience, the paint repair on my MGM was perfect, but it's easy to see that the shop used a pretty soft clearcoat because I've got a lot more micromarring in the repaired panels vs. the OEM painted panels.

 

[CX-5um]

You might want to do some research before choosing the 3M product. From what I have read, the 3M might do a good job of protecting the vehicle from chips, but it has a tendency to turn yellow after a few years. I believe that there are other products on the market that will not turn yellow, although I am unsure of the different costs involved.

There's are better products than 3M but even their paint protection film is way better these days. I have 3M film that's 8 years old (outdated product line) on our white CX-5 and has not yellowed.

Today's film are more resilient, can self heal, not prone to discolor, and easier to install. I've installed them myself. If I were to buy a Red CX-5 I would have the front bumper, hood, lights, and fenders protected asap.

 

[dunhillmc]

These are not 'chips' caused by rocks hitting the paint. This is a primer issue and the paint is flaking off just from the vibrations of driving. The flakes tend to happen more on parts of the panels that make the most contact with the airflow as it goes around the vehicle. For a film to be effective to stop the flaking, it would need to be applied to the entire hood, entire fender panels, and the A pillars.

Ideally Mazda would strip the paint and primer from the entire vehicle and respray but they only do the panels that currently show the defects. Eventually the panels not repainted will show flaking as well, probably after the warranty is expired

I had my Machine Grey 6 repainted about 6 months ago. But because they didn't strip the panels first, the flakes are already coming back (because it's a primer issue). Other panels at the rear that weren't repainted are now showing the flakes

 

[181962]

2020 Soul Red here.

When I inspected this dealer service loaner with 4,300 miles before buying it, I commented to the saleman that there were a few stone chips in the hood. 4 to be exact upon further inspection, three of which were clustered together the size of pin heads. He had the prep shop touch them up with a pen. I have a hard time finding them now, and no new ones with an additional 400 miles.

I inspected the sides and back then, and again after getting home, and find nothing there. Mud guards will be added on the next trip to the dealer which I put on every vehicle. Don't run over an unmarked wet paint strip without them. They ain't 100% protection but they sure help.

So far, based on this brief experience, I don't have any particular concerns and no intention of adding film.

 

[181962]

I've not had any out of the ordinary paint chips on a 2020 Soul Red at 5k miles, a few tiny ones touched up at the dealer as noted above with a paint stick.

I did discover something after applying Nu Finish that may or may not be a concern. When running finger tips over the hood and roof there are a lot of small imperfections, tiny bumps not visible to the naked eye. This is not a natural characteristic of the clear coat--the sides and back of the vehicle are smooth as a baby's bottom. I conclude the clear coat is a softer material than I've found on other vehicles. Whether this is a characteristic of all Mazda clear coats I could not say. If it's intended to work this way, cushioning the blow from bits of gravel and letting the clear coat take a little hit, I couldn't say about that either.

Among the many virtues of my previous 2006 Accord V6 with bronze metalic paint, after applying new finish before trading it, it had fewer of these tiny imperfections at 100k miles than the 2020 Soul Red.

 

[sm1ke]

I've not had any out of the ordinary paint chips on a 2020 Soul Red at 5k miles, a few tiny ones touched up at the dealer as noted above with a paint stick.

I did discover something after applying Nu Finish that may or may not be a concern. When running finger tips over the hood and roof there are a lot of small imperfections, tiny bumps not visible to the naked eye. This is not a natural characteristic of the clear coat--the sides and back of the vehicle are smooth as a baby's bottom. I conclude the clear coat is a softer material than I've found on other vehicles. Whether this is a characteristic of all Mazda clear coats I could not say. If it's intended to work this way, cushioning the blow from bits of gravel and letting the clear coat take a little hit, I couldn't say about that either.

Among the many virtues of my previous 2006 Accord V6 with bronze metalic paint, after applying new finish before trading it, it had fewer of these tiny imperfections at 100k miles than the 2020 Soul Red.

The clearcoat on most Japanese paint (and body shop repairs) is soft. I've read that this is because it is more "eco-friendly", which is a big deal in Japan. As a result, softer clearcoat/paint tends to scratch and mar easier than the harder paint from brands like Audi or Mercedes. The plus side is that soft clearcoat also makes it easier do paint correction compared to Audi or Mercedes.

A soft clearcoat is also more likely to have contaminants from the environment embedded into it. It's possible that the bumps you're feeling are actually contaminants that have been embedded into the clearcoat. If you've never clay barred your car before, it might be worth looking into. The clay bar treatment will pull the contaminants out, but it may also leave minor abrasion marks behind. It's best to do a clay bar treatment, then machine polish to get rid of the abrasion marks and level the clearcoat, then apply a wax, sealant or ceramic coating as an additional layer of protection for the clearcoat/paint.

 

[181962]

The clearcoat on most Japanese paint (and body shop repairs) is soft. I've read that this is because it is more "eco-friendly", which is a big deal in Japan. As a result, softer clearcoat/paint tends to scratch and mar easier than the harder paint from brands like Audi or Mercedes. The plus side is that soft clearcoat also makes it easier do paint correction compared to Audi or Mercedes.

A soft clearcoat is also more likely to have contaminants from the environment embedded into it. It's possible that the bumps you're feeling are actually contaminants that have been embedded into the clearcoat. If you've never clay barred your car before, it might be worth looking into. The clay bar treatment will pull the contaminants out, but it may also leave minor abrasion marks behind. It's best to do a clay bar treatment, then machine polish to get rid of the abrasion marks and level the clearcoat, then apply a wax, sealant or ceramic coating as an additional layer of protection for the clearcoat/paint.

Just be clear, "bump" might not be the right word. These imperfections are extremely small and not visible. I'm not talking head-of-a-pin small, more like point-of-a-pin small. There just happen to be a lot of them.

A soft clearcoat makes the most sense which was my speculation when raising the isssue. It would have to be a "Made in Japan" characteristic, literally, to comport with your environmental theory, or a recent development. I've not experienced this issue to this degree with two US built Toyotas and a US built Honda purchased new between 2004 and 2014 in the range of 90k to 150k miles.

I'm a bit disinclined to go with the contaminants theory because, as previously noted, the issue is only on the hood and roof. The sides are smooth as a baby's bottom after applying the Nu Finish despite all the road junk that gets splashed on them so I won't be bothering with a clay bar.

Earlier I suggested they might be indentations from tossed gravel, but thinking about this a little more I doubt that's the case given the number of imperfections. The most plausible explanation I can come up with is the vehicle was in a light hail storm sitting the dealer's lot, just enough for tiny dents in the clear coat without penetrating it.

I'm not worried about it. It ain't broke since there is no evidence of the clear coat having been penetrated even looking at it under a magnifying glass, so I'm not going to try to fix it. I will be keeping an eye on it though as the years go along.

 

[bsaman]

I'm not worried about it. It ain't broke since there is no evidence of the clear coat having been penetrated even looking at it under a magnifying glass, so I'm not going to try to fix it. I will be keeping an eye on it though as the years go along.

Look up Iron and Fallout remover. It's likely microscopic particles embedding themselves into the clearcoat. Often times they are iron-based and will rust which is particularly more visible on white paint rather than red.

That, along with a good claying should take care of the bumps you feel.

 

[181962]

Look up Iron and Fallout remover. It's likely microscopic particles embedding themselves into the clearcoat. Often times they are iron-based and will rust which is particularly more visible on white paint rather than red.

That, along with a good claying should take care of the bumps you feel.

Industrial fallout is plausible given this vehicle has spent the first year of its domestic life downwind from Cleveland and now Buffalo. The issue is on the horizontal surfaces where precipitation would sit longer I suppose while the vertical surfaces are smooth as can be.

What you suggest is worth a shot. I'm going to try Adam's Iron Remover, the low cost option reviewed favorably relative to the more expensive products, then reapply Nu Finish (which evidently contains a clay micro abrasive) to a test spot. If that takes care of the issue I'll skip the clay bar. I'll stick to the hood and roof. I operate under the general life principles that expensive is not always best, less is often more, and if it ain't broke don't fix it.

I'll report back.

 

[181962]

Industrial fallout is plausible given this vehicle has spent the first year of its domestic life downwind from Cleveland and now Buffalo. The issue is on the horizontal surfaces where precipitation would sit longer I suppose while the vertical surfaces are smooth as can be.

What you suggest is worth a shot. I'm going to try Adam's Iron Remover, the low cost option reviewed favorably relative to the more expensive products, then reapply Nu Finish (which evidently contains a clay micro abrasive) to a test spot. If that takes care of the issue I'll skip the clay bar. I'll stick to the hood and roof. I operate under the general life principles that expensive is not always best, less is often more, and if it ain't broke don't fix it.

I'll report back.

So, after treating a section of the hood with Adam's Iron Remover and then reapplying Nu Finish, the micro bumps in the surface are gone. No need for a clay bar as the surface is smooth as can be except for a few chips. Kudos to bsaman for the idea.

 

[Deb1262]

There is a Facebook group dedicated to the Soul Red issues- https://www.facebook.com/groups/2673601259332218

 

[erhayes]

I never knew SOUL red had a problem. My 2014 with 65,000 miles is doing great. Paint appears as new. Ed