Very Important!!!!!

[roswel]

i know this should probably be under the paint thread but some of this info is really important and i wanted to make sure everyone got it.


i just got back from the dealer and here is what i learned.

i spoke to the rep and he looked at my car. he then recommended that the dealer send me to their paint shop to have it looked at.

this is what the paint shop said:

1) there is NO clear coat on my car

2) there is a problem with the base coat ( paint rubbing off)

3)the front fascia is completely screwed up

a couple of notes with the clear coat...

currently there is no "standard" for paint in north america. it is a manufacturer intiative. it is possible to have 2 identical yellow(for example) 2002 p5's and if they came from different plants one may have clear coat and the other may not. it is legal and nobody has to tell you (if the dealer even knows). this doesn't mean this is the case with my/our cars, but food for thought. the only way to tell is on the sticker on the car in the lot, the one that has a list of all the options it will tell you. look for "bc/cc" this means base coat, clear coat. if it says nothing or says single stage (insert colour) then be sure to inquire as to wether it has it or not. normaly if you don't have clear it isn't a big deal. alot of cars that are solid colours like black, white, grey etc... don't have it. ALL METALLIC colours have it. so silver p5's need not worry. don't be fooled by the "metallic paint" charge that we paid (except for red). it doesn't mean jack.


my car's problems are far more serious than simply no clear coat. even without clear you should NOT be able to wipe paint off your car with just wax.

the problem with my fascia would appear to be a lack of paint hardener, but he won't know till he start stripping it.

the morals of the story:

1) make an effort to find out about your paint before you buy the car.

2) if at any time for any reason you notice paint on rags or towels immediately take your vehicle to your dealer.

3) a good test for "soft" paint is if you can press you thumb on the surface and your fingerprint is still there when you remove it and you can't remove the print with a simple light wipe then there may be a problem.

sorry about the length of this all but i really wanted to pass this along so you could avoid my troubles. on the bright side i am getting a completely new paint job at mazdas expense.


cheers,

 

[cdglowp5]

Good For You. It sucks but at least its covered.

 

[Sir Nuke]

well I have only a few things to say...

one...you OBVIOUSLY have a paint problem...like DUH!..lol no paint should ever rub off like that.....the ONLY time I have ever heard or seen this before was MANY of the RED cars of the 50's had this problem.....when red paint for cars were just coming out here in the us....it was a common problem....but that was a long time ago....

and two....all our P-5's are made in the same plant in japan.....

so its more like the cars that painted using the batch of paint that was used on your car.....all have this problem....and some how it missed the clear coating...for ALL the 2002's have clear coat...regardless of color.

BTW....hope everything works out for you there....good luck.

 

[roswel]

thanks

i hope everthing will turn out as well,

i am aware that our cars are all made at the same plant i was just including all the info i recieved that may be of some use now or in the future. it could very well be possible that it was a bad batch of paint because there was another yellow p5 coming in to see the rep right after me with their paint flaking off.

i sure hope mazda has addressed this issue.

 

[lpsalsaman]

Very Important!!!!

I'm happy for you Roswel! Glad that Mazda hook you up on your paint job. Like SirDuke said, we all should not have the problem with the paint. However, it is true that at times there maybe a batch of paint that get's screwed up at the factory. Why? Who the hell knows, since everything should be controlled. At least it did not happen like back in 90 when there were a bunch of Dodge vehicles that were just PEELING OFF after a year or 2. Enjoy your paint Bro!

 

[YellowMP5]

funny you should mention.
my dad's 94 spirit. last year they made the car.
after about 3-4 years the hood and roof were turning white. this is on a maroon car. the dealership did respray it though.

btw, roswell, when was your car made?

 

[roswel]

my car was made in the middle of may of 2001. i can't remember the exact date but it was in the the second (i think) batch to hit ontario. it had to be early on 'cuz there was only 9 like mine (yellow, standard, moonroof) in ontario.

 

[Racer 5]

When I was buying my car back in Aug. of 2001, the Sales Manager at my dealership told me that the Yellow ones he had on his lot were the "second paint batch" as if I knew what he was talking about. I looked at him strange ~~ and he said that Mazda suspended the first Yellow run because of "soft paint". Soft paint is inherent to yellow paint, but he said thier first batch was really bad. Sounds like you may have gotten one of the "first" batch. That sucks big time. However, If you look at mazda "new" yellow, and you look deep into it, you notice a red tinge. Probably needed to mix some ferrous oxide based paint to strengthen it. I hope you have good luck with your car from here on in.