First #&@%ING dings in the finish...

[CX7_Scott]

Anyone else have any dings yet...? I got mine within the first week. Traveling on a stretch of interstate that I must travel every day for my commute. They are re-paving it.

The day it happened, I was in the middle lane (freshly-paved) and a dump-truck crossed from the first (right) lane which was UN-paved and had asphalt debris near the edges, into the middle-lane in-front of me. I had no room/time to get to the third (left) lane and sure-enough... his tires kicked-up a boatload of asphalt bits all-over the front of my car.

#%@$&*...!!!

I touched most of it up, but I guess I got the "new car" thing out of the way pretty quick.

This is one of them:

http://www.scottfinlayson.com/cx7_dings.jpg

[altspace]

That's no ding. It's a damn hole! If you plan to travel that road everday I highly suggest some form of protection.

[RaiderMP5]

Damn man, you hit a rock or a brick or something. that looks huge! Yough oughta look into a bra or some Rockblocker for that thing.

[02589]

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[RaiderMP5]

Nope, the chip is below the hood.

[CX7_Scott]

The sunlight angle makes it appear worse than it is.

The ding hit the plastic bumper and flaked an edge of the paint up slightly and that's casting a strong shadow on the plastic which also happens to be black.

That is also zoomed WAY into it. That chrome is the front Mazda logo... so the ding itself is about the size of a dull pencil-tip or just larger. I just didn't want to "pull" at the flake of paint.

So, it's not a hole by any means, but it is still visible and there are others.

[G-Papi]

I know how you feel. Meeting trucks these days is almost as bad as overtaking them. Oh well, at least you got the pain out of the way. Better luck from now on.

[raylau63]

That Suck! I feel for you as well. That is one LARGE "Ding"!

According to the websites and sales people I hv talked to, this would hv helped in a big way: http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Scotchgard-PPF/Home/

Am thinking of putting this when I get my CX-7.

[CX7_Scott]

If I understand correctly, that film goes over the nose of the hood, but not on the front bumper area where all my dings are. I'm willing to bet that even with a heat-gun, soapy water, a squeegee and lots of patience... you STILL couldn't get the film to conform to the complex curves and angles of the upper and lower bumper.

But I could be wrong... :)

They DID offer it to me at the dealership and I laughingly declined. "Who needs THAT...?" - UGH! Apparently, people like ME need it. :)

Like I said... it wouldn't have helped me anyway, because I "believe" it does not cover the whole nose of the vehicle. Can anyone confirm/deny this?

Thanks,
-scott

[02589]

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[cruzdreamer]

I feel for you....very upsetting! It does look worse than you say. I like your pic of it's exact local etc....a computer/photoshop buff, huh?? My husbands car also has had some bad luck in it's first two months....two kids....kids of his clients took a rock and made 6 scratches at the back of his car. He did not know what they were doing behind his car and did not discover it till next morning. Then I am driving his car down a 2 lane beautiful scenic road and a truck goes by in the other lane and a rock is thrown up from it and it bounces off the hood and over the top. A large size dent with paint taken off on the tip of the hood! Aggravating!! Trucks should have a large seperate lane away from the cars!!

[CEW73]

got one as well! i think we need to buy a braw. especially for the highway.
damn sorry to hear that.......i have one on the fender too from a freakin truck......pisses you off thats for sure.(ughdance)

[1Sleepy93]

That sucks! I've got a rock chip in the hood. That really pissed me off.

[nate0123]

I hope you guys are being sarcastic

That's so teeny I don't even know where to begin

If you drive the car, it's gonna get chips, etc.

[CX7_Scott]

yes... it *is* teeny, but there are SEVERAL of them and the car was not even 1-week old before it happened. That's all.

I'm not that upset, really. I've owned enough new cars to know that they don't stay "perfect" forever. I was hoping for at-least 6-months of "newness"... instead, I got 6-days. :)

No biggie. It's on plastic... not metal, so I'm not worried. It won't rot.

-scott

[CX7_Scott]

RE: Front Bra for cars...

I have heard & read that in the long-run... they can actually do more damage than help. I guess the friction of the material against the paint will deteriorate the finish over time. I don't *know* it to be true, but combine that theory with the fact that I don't find car-bras attractive... and that equates to a big-fat NO for me.

:)

[1Sleepy93]

Yeah the finish gets rubbed off and then they help rust the front end.

[a_ninja_boot]

If you are going to go the route of 3m clear bra. I suggest a pro. These guys do the whole hood and bumper, not just a little portion.

Here are the best at it. (http://www.premiermobilegroup.com/)

[CX7_Scott]

They wrapped an ENTIRE Enzo...??? Those pics are incredible! I'd trust my measley, little Mazda to them ANY day after seeing them flawlessly wrap entire vehicles that have far-more complex body curves than your typical production car.

Very impressive indeed...!

- Scott

[cruzdreamer]

Tiny or not it still stinks....yes, it happens but after awhile all those tiny chips etc add up! Mazda does not have the best paint out there for sure and if you can it's not a bad idea to get a clear bra but it's a bit pricey. Both my Mazda's have had a ton of tiny chips from rocks, debris etc form the get go. Supposedly they use some "eco" friendly type paint. That's all nice but it's not as durable unfortunately. I have had to learn to let it go about small dinks and stuff but when you try to sell it you wish they weren't there.

[CX7_Scott]

I'm already over it. ;)

[G-Papi]

I'm already over it. ;)
It takes time, but I knew you'd live through it. (ughdance)

[G-Papi]

Got my official touch-up paint in the mail yesterday . . . wooohoooo

Can't wait for them nasty little dings to show up.

I feel so privelaged!!!