Mazda 5 Paint Quality

[digitalallstar]

Hi All,

This is my first post and I was hoping it would be a positive one but unfortunately it's not.

I have had my Snowflake White Pearl Mazda 5 over a week now and already have 2 stone chips on my hood. The first one is right where a stone chip might be at the front of the hood about 4 inches above where the hood meets with the front grill. The other is on the side of the hood on the drivers side right below the sharp crease that runs along the hood. How the hell did I get one there?

After inspecting the chips closer I realised that the paint is paper thin! I thought the paint on my Pro 5 was thin but this is ridiculous.

Does anyone else here notice this type of quality on their 5's or was I the only one who has a 5 with a bad paint job on the hood. It's only been 1 week for God sakes!

Also, can anyone here suggest witch is the better touch up paint? There's the traditional paint bottle or the one in the pen witch is 2 stage, paint on one side and clearcoat on the other.

Thanks!

 

[MP5Alive]

no chips yet.
I used to drive a P5 and yeah...its paint was really really thin.

 

[theweev]

the paint job is done w/ some new enviromentally friendly process. great for the environment, crappy for the car. most paper thin paint job i've ever seen. Mazda should be ashamed to call this a paint job. more like a light misting of paint.

 

[JOS3]

thats sucks. i noticed the paint on my mazda 3 is more durable than the paint was on my p5.

 

[meackerman]

no chips yet, but a number of scratches, in some unlikely places. Only one of which is thick enough to touch up.

 

[digitalallstar]

How much do you think a quality paint job would cost to cover the hood?

 

[jandree22]

the paint job is done w/ some new enviromentally friendly process.

Exactly. Government's fault, not Mazda's. FWIW, other manufactures have the same problems. Sucks, but what 'cha gonna do? (shrug)

 

[digitalallstar]

I live in Toronto GTA so I havent even come near and gravel roads. And it's long enough into the Summer that the road frit from the winter is pretty much all gone. We use salt up here to clear the roads. Considering we had a mild winter I don't see why we would have excess road grit either. Anyways, I just took another look at the hood this morning and sure enough there was another chip on the hood this morning right between the washer jet nozzles. At this pace I should have a bare metal hood by winter

 

[digitalallstar]

Does a problem like this fall under Mazda's paint warranty? What are my chances of a successful claim?

 

[afticarab]

Could not agree more with your assessment of the paint. We also own a Whitewater pearl GT and after almost 1 year I have more stone chips than my previous vehicle (Honda Odyssey) accumulated in 5 years. Not sure what recourse you would have, let us know what the dealer says. I have tried the touchup paint (dealer gave it to me free, maybe they knew something), its crap. I am thinking of trying nail polish, available in a variety of colours, I have heard that it is durable and easy to use. Any new owners I would highly recommend applying a product such as 3M Scotchgard Paint Protection or a stone deflector. See my previous post regarding my assessment of Mazda's quality.(pissed)

 

[perfecto]

Yea I tried the touchup too, and had little success. I might try again though.

 

[Ninty1GTiVR6]

You guys can also try the clear bra, a plastic film that covers the hood, bumper, and mirror housings. I'm putting it on what ever car I'm getting next.

 

[jandree22]

You guys can also try the clear bra, a plastic film that covers the hood, bumper, and mirror housings. I'm putting it on what ever car I'm getting next.

While expensive, I understand those that invest in them swear by them. All the protection of a black leather bra without the ugly look or nasty paint damage from trapped dirt.

 

[fam]

Mazda's no doubt have paper thin paint, ive owned 2 3's and a 5 and the smallest pebble will chip it. Very much the opposite of my mustang which took an environmental beating and had less wear in 4 years than my mazda's do in 1 year. BUT, its environmental paint, what can you do. I work at a huge automotive glass plant, and we had to switch to crappy (but earth friendly) paint for the windshields, its harder to fire and paint, it shows a ton of pinholes of light, it sucks, but...it kills less baby seals so we must accept it because its a step in the right direction.

 

[theweev]

environmentally friendly makes sense to me but what happens when your car starts rusting out. seems to me that the environmental costs of producing another panel ( exploration, extraction, processing, milling,pressing,welding, shipping and finally replacing) run counter to the whole idea of saving a baby seal. If you had of properly protected what you built the environment may be better off.... and for those not from the great white north... yes the seals are cute but theres lots of 'em (omg)

 

[Zoom5Zoom]

no seals in ottawa

 

[jandree22]

no seals in ottawa

None in Chocolatetown, USA either

Seriously though, environmentally-unfriendly paint usually refers to the air concerns. Seems like when it comes to being environmentally friendly, the only thing the US government cares about is proctecting us humans and the ANWR. I doubt rust runoff's impact on baby seals is at the top of the list over "global warming".

 

[cruzdreamer]

paint

I am on my second Mazda in the last 5 years and the paint does seem to get those tiny little chips so it seems nothing there has changed regarding the paint. I guess a clear bra is the way to go but that is not that cheap!

 

[was98strat]

environmentally friendly makes sense to me but what happens when your car starts rusting out. seems to me that the environmental costs of producing another panel ( exploration, extraction, processing, milling,pressing,welding, shipping and finally replacing) run counter to the whole idea of saving a baby seal. If you had of properly protected what you built the environment may be better off.... and for those not from the great white north... yes the seals are cute but theres lots of 'em (omg)

and tasty too!

 

[fam]

im sorry for ever using that metaphor