2015 CX-5 Paint Mottling on Meteor Gray Mica

[anyman]

Hello. New to the forum. It's been a great resource for me already.

I took delivery of a brand new 2015 CX-5 GT in Meteor Gray Mica last week and love the car.

So I was washing it for the first time today and noticed that the paint on the hood of the car appears mottled or uneven in appearance under certain lighting (most noticeable from the evening to dusk). It's most noticeable as you pan across the hood (motion makes it easier to spot it). This isn't just on the hood but the rest of the car as well. I'm not sure if this is a normal occurrence or not. I plan on going to my dealer to check out other models but thought I'd ask anybody here if they've noticed this. It seems odd that all of the panels would exhibit this appearance.

 

[Jrgee72]

It is probably the orange peel effect that is common on many cars and especially on the Mazdas. It is pretty typical and there is another thread about paint in another thread with details....I think it has to do with paint now being water based as compared to years ago.

 

[anyman]

I know what you're saying by the orange peel effect but this is under the paint. It's best seen by looking at the hood under a cloudless sky (so there isn't anything visually distracting in the reflection). I actually went to the lot last night and checked out a few cars (CX-5s and some 3s) and, from what I can tell, they exhibit the same look...just a really uneven coverage of the metallic layer. It's much easier to see it on a light silver color. One car actually had a noticeably lighter area of coverage and it looked awful...and this was at night. I'm going to the dealer today to compare mine against another car.

 

[jjw6455]

I believe there is a TSB on this. It is caused by water getting under the protective plastic when it shipped. I believe the fix is to apply heat to evaporate the water trapped in the pint.

 

[anyman]

Thanks for the info. I found the TSB but it doesn't explain what the stains look like...still not sure it's the same thing. Here's the TSB: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-sY4-KaDJV-cnFFcS1zWXRwdlk/edit

 

[Skorpio]

Could it be the pearl mica in the paint itself that's giving your eyes that effect?

 

[anyman]

Could it be the pearl mica in the paint itself that's giving your eyes that effect?

You might be correct...so if I look closely at the paint you can almost see "pools" of metallics. Here's a pic of what it kind of looks like:

http://www.houzz.com/photos/1227116...lid-Surfacing--kitchen-countertops-cincinnati

If that's normal then maybe that's just the nature of this particular paint. I guess I'm used to seeing metallic pain as an even tone across the hood. With mine you get these subtle hotspots as you pan your eyes across the hood. It's actually kind of unique...but something I didn't expect to notice so much during overcast days.

 

[Skorpio]

You might be correct...so if I look closely at the paint you can almost see "pools" of metallics. Here's a pic of what it kind of looks like:

http://www.houzz.com/photos/1227116...lid-Surfacing--kitchen-countertops-cincinnati

If that's normal then maybe that's just the nature of this particular paint. I guess I'm used to seeing metallic pain as an even tone across the hood. With mine you get these subtle hotspots as you pan your eyes across the hood. It's actually kind of unique...but something I didn't expect to notice so much during overcast days.

Looks like a countertop to me (lol2). But if it truly looks like that, maybe it's not normal after all. Here's what my crystal blue mica metallics look like-

it was taking with an iPhone 5s so maybe it's hard to see details.

 

[anyman]

Looks like a countertop to me (lol2). But if it truly looks like that, maybe it's not normal after all. Here's what my crystal blue mica metallics look like-

it was taking with an iPhone 5s so maybe it's hard to see details.

Mine looks fine in the sun...just like yours. It's when it's not in the sun is where you start to notice the unevenness. The best way to see this is park it in a garage or check it out once the sun has set considerably (so there's no direct sun hitting the paint).

 

[Skorpio]

Hmm, I have checked it as you mentioned (not today, it's sunny in SC), but I don't remember seeing what you have. But, without light deep crystal blue looks almost black. Maybe the dark color hides it better. If I get the chance and notice a difference I'll report back

 

[anyman]

Hmm, I have checked it as you mentioned (not today, it's sunny in SC), but I don't remember seeing what you have. But, without light deep crystal blue looks almost black. Maybe the dark color hides it better. If I get the chance and notice a difference I'll report back

Thanks. I appreciate it. And to be honest it's not that horrible...my fianc couldn't see it until I pointed it out.

I went through Mazda's lot last night and checked out several cars and most of them exhibit what looks like this cloudy/uneveness in the metallic layer...of course it was hard to see it with just the overhead street lights but it looked similar to mine. The light silver was the worst and I could see hotspots everywhere on the hood.

 

[anyman]

Here's a pic. Should've posted this in the first place.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/o2kka0tvbjde9l1/IMG_5567.JPG
https://www.dropbox.com/s/vdxpr46g46h1021/IMG_5567(edited).jpg

 

[ZoomZoomIndeed]

When I went to the dealer to pick my Meteor Grey Mica CX-5 2 weeks ago I noticed a spot on the hood that looked odd. My first thought was "they had to touch up the hood from a shipping chip or they messed up buffing the car out!!" But when I looked from other angles I couldn't see the spot. I didn't notice it under any other conditions, just where it sat waiting for pickup next to the dealership. Glad to see I wasn't losing my mind and others have seen similar things.

 

[anyman]

When I went to the dealer to pick my Meteor Grey Mica CX-5 2 weeks ago I noticed a spot on the hood that looked odd. My first thought was "they had to touch up the hood from a shipping chip or they messed up buffing the car out!!" But when I looked from other angles I couldn't see the spot. I didn't notice it under any other conditions, just where it sat waiting for pickup next to the dealership. Glad to see I wasn't losing my mind and others have seen similar things.

Yeah. I noticed this unevenness during the walk around but thought maybe it was residue from the plastic wrap stuff they put on the hoods during shipment. I'm going to try to go to the dealership today and check out another gray car to see but my suspicion is that it's normal (hopefully). It's also present on the roof and, from what I can see, the hatch. The side panels are nearly impossible to get the right light to have it show up. It very well may just be the "mica" appearance that's I'm seeing.

 

[Skorpio]

Here's a pic. Should've posted this in the first place.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/o2kka0tvbjde9l1/IMG_5567.JPG
https://www.dropbox.com/s/vdxpr46g46h1021/IMG_5567(edited).jpg

Well heck, before you posted the pics, I went out and parked Em under the trees and awning of the house where it's dark. I had some pollen on the hood so I sprayed some detailer spray to clean her off and intently stared at the hood for about a minute (probably looked like an idiot but I have privacy fence). I could not see what you are referring to on my dark paint. Here's a pic I took of that-


The "spots" are sun coming through the trees. Not blotches of metal flakes seen to my eyes. Good to see ZoomZoom sees it so you can't be seeing things. May just be more noticeable on lighter cars. Now, seeing the pics you posted, I would say that pattern is normal on these complex paints. Btw, thanks to you my hood is now cleaner and shiny (2thumbs)

 

[anyman]

Thanks for posting that. Yeah, it's one of those things that's so hard to pull up in a photo (not that I doubt what you're saying). The easiest way to see it is if you have the sky (without clouds) as the reflection. That way you have a nice blank "canvas" to look at and all you're seeing is the paint.

I'm sure they have me on a security camera at the dealership from last night going from hood to hood moving my head from side to side like a lunatic.

 

[Skorpio]

I'm sure they have me on a security camera at the dealership from last night going from hood to hood moving my head from side to side like a lunatic.

(rlaugh)

 

[addabox]

Thanks for posting that. Yeah, it's one of those things that's so hard to pull up in a photo (not that I doubt what you're saying). The easiest way to see it is if you have the sky (without clouds) as the reflection. That way you have a nice blank "canvas" to look at and all you're seeing is the paint.

I'm sure they have me on a security camera at the dealership from last night going from hood to hood moving my head from side to side like a lunatic.

Ha! I'm sure the neighbors have me on a watch list, since I can be found most any time day or night inspecting my car for the least sign of bird s***, chipping, etc. Or just standing there admiring it.

I have the meteor grey mica, and I can tell you it interacts with the light in some pretty complex ways (which is cool, IMO). You might try identifying where you're seeing cloudiness, then move the car (get it at a different angle to the sun) and look again. If the cloudiness has moved as well, it's just that, interaction with the ambient light. If you still see the same areas that concern you in the same places, then yeah, you've got some kind of paint issue. I'll try looking at mine (even closer!) under different angels and report back.

 

[Surfsup]

Mazda orange peel is horrible, but I digress...the soul red is similar to what you are saying as well, it is not a full flake, and it is not even, more random.

 

[anyman]

Ha! I'm sure the neighbors have me on a watch list, since I can be found most any time day or night inspecting my car for the least sign of bird s***, chipping, etc. Or just standing there admiring it.

I have the meteor grey mica, and I can tell you it interacts with the light in some pretty complex ways (which is cool, IMO). You might try identifying where you're seeing cloudiness, then move the car (get it at a different angle to the sun) and look again. If the cloudiness has moved as well, it's just that, interaction with the ambient light. If you still see the same areas that concern you in the same places, then yeah, you've got some kind of paint issue. I'll try looking at mine (even closer!) under different angels and report back.

Yeah, I'm getting a sense that it is a different paint than what I'm used to. The funny thing about the cloudiness is that it's fairly prevalent across the hood...so it's not like it was an accidental thing in a particular spot...same goes with the roof. In the sun it looks great. It's once it's out of the sun where I start seeing the unevenness.

Mazda orange peel is horrible, but I digress...the soul red is similar to what you are saying as well, it is not a full flake, and it is not even, more random.

Yeah. I think we love seeing these paints in the sun but kind of ignore them when they're out of the direct sunlight. That's where I'm seeing this anomaly.