paint on the side mirror question

mgmarsh39 · 11-05-2009, 11:11 AM

Has anyone else has a problem with the paint on the backs of your side mirrors? It looks like on my wifes mazda3 that the clear coat is coming off. The dealership says that there is something on them and that its not a warranty thing...

I washed the car and clayed both mirrors and it did nothing... I even used a rubbing compound and they still look the same. I feel like there is a flaw in the paint and they should replace them. They want 53.00 bucks for each piece.

Any help would be great!

I will try and get pics tonight.

sunrun176 · 11-06-2009, 02:54 PM

I know that: on mine, they are bug magnets (almost bigger bug magnets than the front bumper!); bugs have exoskeletons that are hard; when bugs hit a flat, painted surface at 55-75MPH they break open and the edges of their exoskeletons dig into the paint; the low-/no-VOC paint on most cars these days is applied very thinly, relative to ~10+ years ago.

Put it all together and you get a rough surface that can't be clayed smooth.

Sucks.

But you already knew all that.. I'm just sympathizing.

Unfortunately, I don't have any solutions except to wait until you can't stand it anymore and then break down and shell out the $106 (+tax) for the new side covers.

mgmarsh39 · 11-07-2009, 12:40 AM

Ah well... not worth 106 bucks if its just gonna look like crap in a year again...

kickniteasy · 11-07-2009, 12:41 AM

on my old 03 protege the painted mirrors had a haze after a year...got them "fixed" at the dealership under warranty and in another year they looked the same. I guess mazda just hasn't fixed this yet.

mgmarsh39 · 11-08-2009, 11:10 PM

well my wife decided to wack her mirror on something and now its cracked... lol so I have to get a new one for the passenger side.

lol that thing is huge ***sorry had to put it in my post***

skallen · 11-14-2009, 12:56 AM

My car came with the tacky "chrome" mirror covers...One of them (I think it was the passengers) literally fell off... That was only a month after I bought the car brand new. They would not replace it.. They wanted an insane amount of like $60 for the ONE mirror replacement. So, I bought the stock Black Mica PAIR for $68. Friggin Stealerships!!!!

sunrun176 · 11-17-2009, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skallen

My car came with the tacky "chrome" mirror covers...One of them (I think it was the passengers) literally fell off... That was only a month after I bought the car brand new. They would not replace it.. They wanted an insane amount of like $60 for the ONE mirror replacement. So, I bought the stock Black Mica PAIR for $68. Friggin Stealerships!!!!

Man, that sucks. Even the worst dealerships around here would've replaced something that just plain fell off within a month of being new. I'd've taken it up with MNAO Customer Service, who will lean on unresponsive dealerships to "do the right thing".

Yeah, the chrome is kinda tacky, so it's good that that got fixed, but you still shouldn't've had to pay for it if the originals were defective.

11-05-2009, 11:11 AM	#1
mgmarsh39 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Fort Myers, Fl Posts: 46	paint on the side mirror question Has anyone else has a problem with the paint on the backs of your side mirrors? It looks like on my wifes mazda3 that the clear coat is coming off. The dealership says that there is something on them and that its not a warranty thing... I washed the car and clayed both mirrors and it did nothing... I even used a rubbing compound and they still look the same. I feel like there is a flaw in the paint and they should replace them. They want 53.00 bucks for each piece. Any help would be great! I will try and get pics tonight.

11-06-2009, 02:54 PM	#2
sunrun176 Registered Know-It-All Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 128	I know that: on mine, they are bug magnets (almost bigger bug magnets than the front bumper!); bugs have exoskeletons that are hard; when bugs hit a flat, painted surface at 55-75MPH they break open and the edges of their exoskeletons dig into the paint; the low-/no-VOC paint on most cars these days is applied very thinly, relative to ~10+ years ago. Put it all together and you get a rough surface that can't be clayed smooth. Sucks. But you already knew all that.. I'm just sympathizing. Unfortunately, I don't have any solutions except to wait until you can't stand it anymore and then break down and shell out the $106 (+tax) for the new side covers. __________________ 2008.5 Mazda3 5-Door Touring w/ Sport AT in Copper Red Mica Nickname: Lil' Red To do list (no hurry): 50% tint, rear and sides Fog lights independent of low-beams MazdaSpeed CAI

11-07-2009, 12:41 AM	#4
kickniteasy From Protege to 09 WRX! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Tallahassee, FL Posts: 1,625	on my old 03 protege the painted mirrors had a haze after a year...got them "fixed" at the dealership under warranty and in another year they looked the same. I guess mazda just hasn't fixed this yet. __________________

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11-07-2009, 12:40 AM	#3
mgmarsh39 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Fort Myers, Fl Posts: 46	Ah well... not worth 106 bucks if its just gonna look like crap in a year again...

11-08-2009, 11:10 PM	#5
mgmarsh39 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Fort Myers, Fl Posts: 46	well my wife decided to wack her mirror on something and now its cracked... lol so I have to get a new one for the passenger side. lol that thing is huge *sorry had to put it in my post*

11-14-2009, 12:56 AM	#6
skallen 09 Mazda 3 GT Sport Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Kelowna, BC, Canada Posts: 48	My car came with the tacky "chrome" mirror covers...One of them (I think it was the passengers) literally fell off... That was only a month after I bought the car brand new. They would not replace it.. They wanted an insane amount of like $60 for the ONE mirror replacement. So, I bought the stock Black Mica PAIR for $68. Friggin Stealerships!!!!