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 driver’s 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 :p

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]

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

[paging_drburgos]

H! there! My M5 is in the shop getting some kind of clear coat applied...it cost a pretty penny but im hoping it will be worth it. I've had my 5 for only 3 weeks and already have a nastly little chip from an evil rock that got kicked up on the 405fwy. I do see what you guys are saying though, the paint does look pretty thin.

[paging_drburgos]

**SIGH**, my dealership's service dept sucks. Do not buy from Phillips Mazda in Laguna Beach..
So i took my car in for the second time yesterday for the Protective coat to be applied. Oh, i say second time because the morning of my first appointment they cancelled when i got there because "someone called in sick"
I went back to the shop yesterday to pick it up at the time they told me to and it wasnt ready because someone went home...so i went back to grab my garage door clicker and noticed that the car had the wax on it...and from the looks of it, the wax was going to sit on the car drying all night. **SIGH**
So they got me a rental (because they dont have loaners, you'd think any car dealership in friggin Laguna Hills of all places would have loaners).....it's a Kia Rio. Umm yeah needless to say i miss my 5. Its funny though because being in this Rio really makes me appreciate my 5 even more. Lol

[bulwnkl]

For my part I think the 5's paint is very poor. We have a number of chips and even fair-sized scratches in it already. My 1990 Dodge Shadow (which I bought new) looked better after 6 years of use.

[Rocket]

I guess I am alone, my Pearl 5 looks with 17,000 miles looks great with no chips.

[landon]

I always drive too fast, at 85+ MPH bugs chip the paint. 8500 Miles on it and it already needs new hood paint, or atleast some serious touchup, chips everywhere. IMO, It seems that the paint on the bumbper doesnt chip as easily as the hood.

[paging_drburgos]

It's to the point where im kinda paranoid about even standing next to the car (dont want to scratch it). I took a trip up PCH last weekend and noticed a quite a few new knicks on the bumper. Maybe it's time i look into one of those clear bra thingy's. Saw them on ebay for cheap.

[jayme9]

I have to agree with the majority of posts that are disappointed with the paint job. My front bumber looks as if somebody shot about 1000 bb's at it. I've never had a car that the paint job looked this bad after one year. I'm so disappointed...you spend that much money on a car the paint should last more than a year!

[2cam16]

Exactly. Government's fault, not Mazda's. FWIW, other manufactures have the same problems. Sucks, but what 'cha gonna do? (shrug)
Yup. I heard about the "environmentally friendly" paint job that manufacturers are using now. Heck, my '04 WRX has those chips too !(pissed)