White Pearl Paint Query Initiated With Mazda USA Irvine California

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CX-9 Signature
Greetings Fellow CX-9 White Pearl Owners:

I bought a new CX-9 Signature in White Pearl, January 2018. I did a ton of homework on near midsize SUVs and the Mazda CX-9 triumphed over all others in my mind below $50k (I purchased mind for $46k). Everything about the CX-9 has been outstanding. Ride comfort, vehicle dynamics, mechanical build quality, etc., has all made me very satisfied with the overall performance. However, one thing has plagued my entire Mazda CX-9 new purchase experience: The White Pearl Paint is NOT ready for prime time.

This paint is far too soft, far to flaky and nowhere near ready for Automotive use. I am a textbook Schedule 1 driver of the CX-9. It is a daily driver. However, the commute traverses well maintained highways and is not more than 30 minutes both directions. Air quality here is good. Road conditions are outstanding. Light to medium traffic. I do not tailgate. I do not follow to close. I am highly conscious to avoid trailing freight trucks of any kind. Yet, since January of 2018 when we took delivery from the dealer, the paint on the Front Fascia cannot withstand a long glaring stare for too long let alone actual daily driving without pitting at the slightest of impacts from particles on the road.

The problem began and was detected in the first 72 hours of ownership! I thought it was just bad timing, but the trend continued with more Front Fascia Surface Area becoming speckled with road rash from tiny particle impacts. I'm seeing impacts that are very small and that manage to drive all the way to the Black Plastic Surface! Yet, the impact areas are tiny and you never hear anything striking the vehicle while driving. You simply wait to wash and detail the vehicle on the weekend and are faced with a while new area of tiny particle impact damage.

This has reached a point where my brand new 2018 CX-9 with a mere 15,000 miles, is beginning to look like a vehicle three (3) years older in the front fascia area. A very important note is that the Headlights, Front Chrome Bezel and Front Grill show no small particle impact damage whatsoever. Just the painted area of the Front Fascia. This helps to inform me that the paint itself is not able to withstand the exact same frontal impacts that other materials composing the frontal area of the vehicle are clearly able to withstand on their own.

At this point, I'm frustrated and skipped the dealership hassle by calling Mazda USA direct in Irvine, Ca. I called to initiate a complaint and request for Mazda to accommodate with handling repairs. My call was also to notify Mazda USA of what I believe to be a serious problem with the adhesion, hardness and durability of the production White Pearl that goes onto the CX-9 Signature. My call was handled courteously, professionally and politely (which I appreciated coming from Mazda USA). My information was gathered and I was given a 72 hour call back schedule with details on what Mazda USA would do about this matter.

Have any of you White Pearl owners experienced the same flaky behavior from your paint in and around the frontal area of the vehicle?

Regards,
White Pearls
 
I've got a couple chips at questionable areas but not severe like you described

Thanks for the reply. Where on the front fascia (I assume) do you observe them and do your pits expose the black bumper cover behind the paint(!)? I emphasized with Mazda USA that I thought the paint was simply too soft for automotive applications. In a short 15k, I have more damage than 40K in my old vehicle driven over the exact same roads, highways, bridges and streets. This paint could use some degree of hardening.

I'm going to start dialog with most respected paint and body facilities in my area to get some feedback, find out what the cost would be for repainting (extremely difficult for me to even say that at just 15k miles) and whether they can "harden" during their application process. Else, a repaint and some kind of surface film protectant would be far superior than just Mazda's OEM White Pearl paint alone.


We like the Signature so much that given the let down on the Infinity QX50 from concept to production, we thought we were going to buy a new 2019 Signature in Black Mica. But, this kind of stuff just makes me want to go ahead and pay the "upgrade fee" for a new XC-90 Inscription in Black. I know that Volvo has had no issues with its paint durability - nor would I expect that to be the case at $20k to $30k more than the Signature.

We love the Signature, but its paint performance is unacceptable at a mere 15k and well under 1 year of Schedule 1 driving. We are not dealing with Canadian salted roads during the winter months or Mexico's sand and rock filled roadways. We had brand new street and freeway paving back in 2017 around where I live and city municipality street sweeping all the time cleaning keeping things tidy around here. It makes no sense that we'd have this level of surface pitting so soon. We've had sports cars with far lower ground clearance than the Signature and with far less pitting at the same mileage.

This paint is just not ready for the road. They got everything right but they missed the White Pearl paint by a country mile, IMO.
 
I also have a 2018 Signature in white, about a year old with 18,000 miles now. I do not share your concern about the paint. I definitely have stone chips on the front, but not to a higher degree than any of my other cars after that much mileage. I think the difference is that the chips are definitely clearly visible due to the contrast between the white paint and the black of the underlying plastic, but again I don't think there is any fundamental problem with the paint itself. I did pick up a stick of the touch-up paint for when/if I get any really nasty chips.

If it is bothering you (and it sounds like it is!) you may want to invest in some paint protection film, perhaps even after getting a re-spray of the paint. I wish you luck in your dealing with Mazda USA...it'll be interesting to see how they handle this.

For what it's worth, I've found the white pearl paint to be outstanding from the perspective of the paint NOT swirling easily or having orange peel. It's better than either of my previous 2 Mazdas, the BMW 335 I had in between, and equally as good as the paint on the 2006 Porsche Boxster I had before marriage/kids/adulthood kicked in.
 
I also have a 2018 Signature in white, about a year old with 18,000 miles now. I do not share your concern about the paint. I definitely have stone chips on the front, but not to a higher degree than any of my other cars after that much mileage. I think the difference is that the chips are definitely clearly visible due to the contrast between the white paint and the black of the underlying plastic, but again I don't think there is any fundamental problem with the paint itself. I did pick up a stick of the touch-up paint for when/if I get any really nasty chips.

If it is bothering you (and it sounds like it is!) you may want to invest in some paint protection film, perhaps even after getting a re-spray of the paint. I wish you luck in your dealing with Mazda USA...it'll be interesting to see how they handle this.

For what it's worth, I've found the white pearl paint to be outstanding from the perspective of the paint NOT swirling easily or having orange peel. It's better than either of my previous 2 Mazdas, the BMW 335 I had in between, and equally as good as the paint on the 2006 Porsche Boxster I had before marriage/kids/adulthood kicked in.



I wish I was experiencing the same paint quality and durability that you are getting with your 2018 CX-9 Signature in White Pearl, but that's just not happening for me. The impacts are going all the way through to the Black Plastic Bumper and by my count it happens 82% of the time (number of impacts drilling all the way to black divided by total number of visible impacts). That's too soft a paint for prime time. That means the impact is penetrating through all clear coat layers, all paint layers and all primer layers - to reach the black plastic fascia. That's deep and I've owned sports cars with a much lower ride height that had chips, but never penetrated below the primer. Don't know what Lot Number or Production Run your Signature came out of, but mine is definitely not ready for automotive application.

All the other components around the front fascia look brand new! That's a sign that the paint is the culprit. Those other components had to receive the same distribution of impacts over the same 15k miles - yet they look virtually new. The painted fascia however, is taking on the look of something having been sand blasted with large grain media. Just not ready for prime time and I made that claim to Mazda USA last week.

Waiting to hear back from them. I was told that they want to "help" - but I don't know what they means exactly. They say that if the damage is caused by something "external," then they can't "help" me. That tends to ignore my claim that the paint is simply too soft. We'll see what they come up with. Regarding protective film. Sometimes, clear protective film can cause problems through UV deterioration of the paint behind the film coupled to paint that can no longer breathe. Trading one problem for another in the final analysis.

Contemplating a full Wrap of the front fascia in combination with the upper bonnet area directly in front of the hood to match - along with side matching side mirrors. I'm thinking Carbon Fiber in appearance in those areas. I may consider also Wrapping the front Chrome embellishment surrounding the grill as well. It all depends on how balanced it looks to the overall design of the vehicle. That would make all frontal impacts much less noticeable (I would think) and provide and upgraded look to the CX-9.

Everything hinges on how Mazda USA handles my claim and request.
 
Follow-Up And Pissed!

Follow-Up and Infuriating Response From Mazda

After spending almost one full month and more than two weeks for a Service Manager to pick up the phone and call Mazda USA for the purpose of coordinating the re-paint repair work on my brand new 2018 Mazda CX-9 Signature in failing White Pearl paint, I get an infuriating phone call this morning from a Rep at Mazda USA in Irvine, California, telling that Mazda requires that I pay 50% of the repaint expense and absolutely zero mention (at all) of Mazda USA arranging a loaner vehicle or rental while repairs/repaint is being done.

WHY I WILL NEVER BUY A MAZDA AGAIN

I am back in the new vehicle market once again in January of 2019. The decision had already been made to purchase a second Mazda CX-9 Signature in Black. That planned purchase has now been irrevocably canceled. I will NEVER buy another Mazda again as Mazda USA does not stand fully behind its product. Pure and simple.


Problem 1:

Almost a full month ago, I picked up the phone to call Mazda USA and informed them of the problem with White Pearl paint that was too soft. The front bumper looks like a vehicle that is 3 years old, not the 9 month old new vehicle that I'm supposed to have today. Pitting from normal commute only on many roads and streets that have been resurfaced within the past 2 years in my area, has caused rock chips to penetrate all the way back to the Black Bumper Cover in 78% of the impacts on the front fascia (bumper). NONE of the Chrome pieces adjacent to the front bumper cover have suffered such damage - which only highlights the validity of my claim that the paint Mazda Japan used on the CX-9 Signature is simply too soft and not ready for automotive applications. I made this formal complaint with Mazda USA nearly a month ago! It should never have taken this long to get back to me with a response for this kind of complaint.

Problem 2:

While waiting nearly a month for a response from Mazda USA, I kept asking is Mazda was going pay for the repairs. The Mazda Rep. kept saying: "Yes. We want to help you out." "Yes. We want to help you out" was repeated multiple times over the course of multiple weeks until last week when I decided to get final clarity on the question. I specifically asked the Mazda USA Rep. whether or not Mazda USA was paying for the full cost of repairs and that I was not being asked to pay any portion of the cost of repainting the front bumper, whatsoever. This time the Mazda USA Rep. said "Yes. I'm just waiting to hear back from the Service Manager at the dealership for final details on the cost of repairs." I then get a phone call this week from the Mazda USA Rep. who then told me that the Service Repair Facility the Mazda Dealership Service Manager made contact has "refused the work." I said, "What? That does not make much sense to me. I've never heard of a local body shop "refusing" to do work for a new car dealership. Most body shops do whatever the need to do in order to make room for incoming work from their local dealerships." The Mazda USA Rep. said that he was not sure why the work was "refused" but that he was now waiting on the Mazda Dealership Service Manager to call him back with a second body shop's cost estimate. That was yesterday.

Problem 3:

This morning I get a final phone call from the Mazda USA Rep. telling me that Mazda wants me to pay 50% of the repair cost. I said, "Huh? That's not what I understood you to be saying over the past several weeks. You said that Mazda USA would be covering the cost. I made it clear that this was not my problem and that Mazda used paint that was too soft, that it needed to be repainted before I paid to have PPF applied to the front bumper." I told him that based on this decision by Mazda USA, that I would now have to reconsider whether or not I even wanted to keep the Signature or simply get rid of it now rather than have it looking horrible just 9 more months from now. I told him I'd call him back with my decision.

Summary:

I'm done with Mazda. This is just another company that talks out of both sides of its mouth when it claims it "cares about its customers ultimate satisfaction." I call B-u-l-l S-h-i-t on that because here was a prime opportunity for Mazda to put its money where its Marketing Hype Mouth is. This was not a case where I abused the vehicle. This vehicle was less than 9 months old before I hand Waxed and Polished the entire surface area five (5) times. Five (5) times for Wax and Polish by hand and spending no less than four (4) hours at a time meticulously caring for the paint on this vehicle in less than nine (9) months is not the kind of thing a devil may owner does. The leather seats of this vehicle have been conditioned six (6) times in less than nine (9) months. They look and smell better than the day we drove away from the dealership nearly nine (9) months ago. The the entire engine bay has been detailed three (3) since taking delivery nearly nine (9) months ago. The oil has been changed using high grade 100% fully synthetic product four (4) times in just nine (9) months because I wanted the engine continuously bathing in clean oil during the break-in phase and slightly beyond. I've done all my oil changes and four (4) tire rotations over the past nine (9) months. The tires look and perform half their true age because of it.

This vehicle has been pampered like a babies a-s-s and look fabulous. Compliments given everywhere we take it. People say the paint looks show "wet." It looks "wet" because it has been hand treated continuously by me in order to protect and preserve it. All that niceness stands in stark contrast to the Pitted Front Bumper with strike going all the way back to the Black Plastic. That's completely unacceptable and Mazda USA should have no problem taking care of something THEY caused by using a paint formulation that was too damn soft to begin with.

This was our first Mazda, ever. This was a good test for Mazda and our relationship with that Company. Mazda USA failed the test. As a direct result, we are NEVER spending our hard earned money on a Mazda in the future. Let's look at the poor economic decision Mazda USA just made:

Total Purchase Price: $45,000
Total Repair Cost: $900
Repair to Purchase Ratio: 0.02%

The insanity of all this is that Mazda USA would forego $45,000 and lose a lifetime customer who purchases their flagship product for a mere 2% loss that it has plenty of balance options for offsetting down the road whenever it wants to. That's stupidly insane and no well managed Enterprise would ever make such insidiously dumb long range economic decisions. You don't blow a lifetime relationship with a flagship customer over a damn 2% loss.

If I had Purchased at $44,100 instead of $45,000, pocketed the $900, paid for the repaint nine (9) months later, Mazda USA would still have a lifetime flagship customer on their hands buying whatever flagship they produced downrange. Instead, I'm now pissed, angry, frustrated, irritated and ranting in a forum seen by many potential future Mazda buyers who want to know how Mazda treats their customers who go into their own pocket for a cool $45,000, believing that Mazda will stand behind its product in the future and do the right thing when there is an obvious need to do so - like paint that is too damn soft and that should never have been used in an automotive application.

2%. Really? That 2% is significant for the buyer, but Mazda will spend at least three times that much in just champagne alone at their next "Corporate Event" somewhere in the world next week. How about popping fewer bottles of champagne next week and taking care of the Customers who make the billions you take in possible when they have legitimate complaints about the materials YOU decide to put into the vehicles they trust and buy, Mazda! How about doing that? Stringing me along for nearly a month while telling me that you were going to take care of things, only to find out later that you were plotting a 50/50 "deal" for a problem that YOU created is NOT taking care of your Customer and certainly NOT standing behind your product 100%. Pissed, does not even begin to describe how I feel right now.

Acura MDX? Volvo XC-90? Audi Q5? Alfa Romeo Stelvio? There are other near mid-size SUVs on the market showing good promise and nearly comparably priced. I'd rather buy up the price ladder for better quality, then pay down the price ladder for poor quality and a company that won't stand behind its product. Mazda USA has managed to take fully dedicated flagship customer and turn them into a "Worst Nightmare" revolutionary who will never allow anyone he comes in contact with to ever seriously consider buying a Mazda. Not very wise, Mazda. Not very wise at all.
 
Cmon....pics/ODO/VIN to validate your rant??? Lets go. If youre going to put that much effort into a rant, please provide those listening proof.
 
Haven*t had any real issues with the paint. There are rock chips but with that much vertical area facing forward on the front bumper, it is expected and from 2 years of driving mine, I only have less than maybe 5 that are somewhat noticeable when I wash my car.

This happens with all vehicles and if you care that much about Rock chips then you definitely need to get some kind of protection like Xpel to protect it. Xpel costs less than a respray of the front bumper.
 
I'm confused. He skipped the first stage of the resolution process and started at the second. But never went to the third?
 
I believe him. He has issues with his paint and is pissed at the response by Mazda. But I would like to see what the issue looks like.
 
White Pearls posted this in a separate thread about a red soul paint complaint. Oddly enough, the OP of that thread has only posted once, back at the end of August.

This is a problem and it is turning into a big issue for me personally. Mazda in Japan, is using paint that is simply too soft. I've already filed a complaint with Mazda USA in Irvine, California and am waiting to hear back for a final solution on whether they are going to repaint my front fascia or not. They say they "want to help me out." I'm not 100% clear on what the means. I've asked them whether they will cover the repair cost. They replied: "Yes, we want to help you out." Helping me out could mean they pay a portion of the repair costs and not the full cost of the repairs. That would not be standing behind the product in my view and would cause me to not include Mazda in my new vehicle purchase project for 2019 - where I will be back in the market for another SUV or Truck.

I have a White Pearl CX-9 Signature 2018 with 16k miles. The front fascia (bumper cover) looks like it just got back from a tour of duty in the deserts of Iraq. I don't drive off-road. I don't tailgate. I've never heard my vehicle struck with anything while driving it. The freeways where I live were repaved just last years and are in pristine condition. The streets and freeways between my house and office are very clean and well maintained. My commute is only 26 miles round trip. The vehicle has not been put on the open highway for extremely long road trips (yet). It gets washed every week. It has been cut and polished by hand twice. It gets spray detailed several times a week. It gets compliments for being so clean multiple times a month by strangers. This vehicle is pampered both inside and out. 5 oil changes in less than 10 months of ownership because I wanted the engine break-in period to be done with clean oil. 4 tire rotations. Engine compartment cleaning 3 times thus far. Interior is spotless. This CX-9 Signature is the very definition of pristine.

Yet, the front fascia looks like an Abrams A1 Battle Tank. All the trim pieces in the front are fine. The plastic logo cover is like brand new - not a scratch. The ONLY component that shows pitting is the front bumper cover. It shows impacts drilling all the way down to the black plastic in almost 80% of all impacts. That's simply too high for normal driving in excellent driving conditions. The vehicle has been driven in the rain once since we owned it.

The paint Mazda uses is simply too soft for automotive applications - at least the White Pearl is too soft. It looks outstanding mind you, but it is simply too soft or they do not apply enough coats, or the primer is not allowing the paint to adhere to the substrate well enough. My gut feeling is that the paint formulation is simply not hard enough back in Japan. For whatever reason, Mazda, decided to use a softer finish and it is causing problems in the Frontal Area of the CX-9 in particular. This vehicle has a wide frontal area - a large aspect ratio up front. The paint on the front fascia and hood area needs to be hardened. In fact, they should just harden it all and use that to cover the vehicle's surface.

I only buy flagship vehicles brand new and I've never experienced a paint this soft in my life before now. It is not just soft. It is TOO soft. There is a difference. The front fascia needs repainting right now in just 9 months! I can't imagine what it will need in a mere 18 months and that would still be considered a relatively new vehicle time wise!

I thought GM paints were bad and they are. This under performs GM paints and that is not a good omen for Mazda. This needs to be fixed. The CX-9 deserves better. It is an awesome SUV. Mazda needs to handle this properly and not try to sweep it under the rug. And, no. Not all vehicles go through this. Not all brand new vehicles have paint so soft that routine road rash penetrates down to the black plastic bumper cover on such a regular basis. A small (tiny) percentage will penetrate that far. However, in no way should nearly 80% of all impacts result in penetration so deep that it reaches the black plastic bumper. That means its penetrating beyond the Primer Layer a high percentage of the time! That's not normal for any brand new vehicle I've ever owned. That's completely abnormal.

It is the rate of penetrations that reach the bumper or hood substrate itself that's the issue here. Of course, there will be rock chips. If paint protection film were a requirement to prevent bumper substrate penetration in the vast majority of impacts, then that's something that Mazda should have disclosed at the time of sale. They should have simply disclosed that they use a soft paint formulation and then allowed me as the buyer to make a wiser decision.

My reply to White Pearls' post:

Could you please post a pic of the problem? The exaggerated comparison to a tank makes it hard to imagine how bad the problem is, especially when you pair that with the regimen of (what I, personally, would call excessive) care you outlined in this post.

"It has been cut and polished by hand twice. 5 oil changes in less than 10 months of ownership because I wanted the engine break-in period to be done with clean oil. 4 tire rotations."

Did you cut and polish the entire car twice in 16k miles? Why did it need to be cut and polished? Polishing only needs to be done to remove micromarring, and a cut is only necessary for deeper scratches. In both instances you don't have to do the entire car, just the affected areas. A weekly wash combined with multiple spray detail cleanings a week tells me that you really like your car clean, and as such, you'd take care not to scratch/mar the paint. Barring outside factors like renegade shopping carts and Wal-Mart parking lots, I can't figure out why anyone would cut and polish the entire car twice in 16k miles.

There is no doubt in my mind that Mazda paint is soft/thin. My MGM has it's share of hood, bumper, even rear door chips, but I used to live in Calgary where they salt/pickle the roads often. Roads can be as clean and well-maintained as possible, but you can't control other drivers or know where their cars have been. Plenty of cars pick up debris in their neighborhoods before getting onto the freeway, where they can come loose and make their mark on some poor SOB's bumper or windshield.

All that aside, contacting Mazda Corporate was a great idea. If they get enough complaints, they should look into it and hopefully offer some sort of recall down the line (if you don't get the outcome you desire).

Please understand that I'm not trying to disprove your claims, I just want to understand the depth of your issue.

Radio silence from WP since then, but they have continued to post and "vent" about this issue in other threads. I really want to see how bad the issue is, and I find it very hard to believe that someone who has cut and hand-polished their car twice in nine months doesn't have ANY photos of the issue they claim to have (let alone just a single pic of their car to share). I'm becoming more and more skeptical of this claim as the days go by.


EDIT: Looks like its now been polished five (5) times. I'm assuming that means a full cut and polish twice as mentioned in the post I quoted, and three polish and wax applications in addition to that. I have to wonder if the already thin paint has just been burned through so much that there isn't much left, and that's why it's been chipping so easily.
 
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Who was the person that I think was kicked off the forums a while ago who had a picture/avatar of some small jet plane? He always had very long, detailed posts. White Pearls posts like him.
 
That was CJ4, who was also Cessna_CJ4 (he had two accounts). They write similarly, but I don't think they're the same person. I think CJ4 had a MGM CX-9.
 
Frankly, I don't live in forums apparently like some here. Second, I don't give a rats tail what anybody thinks because they did not buy my vehicle for me, nor did they gift it to me through a living trust. Third, I don't care what you call it (rant or otherwise) - it is my experience with Mazda posted in a public forum. Fourthly, if I have a problem with a brand new vehicle, I don't waste time screwing around with having a dealership tear apart my investment from top to bottom doing a Parts Swapping Contest, before they tell me that the problem is really not a problem and they just need more time to find yet another part to replace. I don't need to go visit a dealer first only to waste my time with their pre-planned denial that there is a real problem. If I have a real problem, I get corporate involved immediately - so that a paper trail gets established from the word GO.

Apparently, there are precious few real new vehicle buyers here, or people with precious little new vehicle problems experience. Going straight to the dealer without getting corporate involved almost guarantees pre-planned miscommunication between Corporate and the Dealer. If you have ever been through an experience with a Lemon, no explanation is necessary for WHY corporate was called FIRST. If you are a neophyte new vehicle buyer who has never had a real world experience with a Lemon, then you have no idea what you are saying or why you are saying it.

Picture? The dealer too their own set of pictures. I don't need pictures of my own vehicle. I detail it all the time, I know what my vehicle looks like. However, I will post pictures and close-ups at that. Lastly, I've owned new vehicles that sat much closer to the ground than this CX-9 Signature and none of them had paint formulations that was this soft. Three DAYS into owning this brand new vehicle, without every hearing anything strike the vehicle at all, I come back from a short trip 38 miles away to find the first penetration to the black bumper. There have been a myriad of such accumulations over the past 9 months and it keeps happening!

Stop covering for Mazda. There are others here who have reported similar problems with this Gen 2 paint formulation they are using. This is not happening by accident and it is not merely an issues of this design having a wide Frontal Area. As part of my research, I have compared other Gen 2 CX-9s in White Pearl from 2016, 2017 and 2018. I have compared nearby Volvo XC-90s, Audi Q5s and nearby BMW X5s all from 2017 and 2018 - because there are plenty of good neighbors owning them where I live and who did not mind me asking. NONE of them show the same kind of deep penetration that mind does. Do they show rock chips? Sure, they all do. Yet, they are barely visible and those that are visible go nowhere near the plastic bumper behind the paint.

Furthermore, what's the point of logging onto a forum and spewing about a vehicle I don't own. Who the hell has time for that crap. I'm pissed and I should be pissed. I've decided that no matter what happens, I'm going to get this bumper repainted. I'm then going to install PPF myself - to make absolutely sure the job gets done right. But, that won't be the end of it. I'm going on a personal campaign of circumstance and situation. Any circumstance or situation I find myself in where I can talk to someone who is nearing the purchase of their new SUV and who asks me about my CX-9, I'm going to unload MY TRUTH in their ear. That truth will be that Mazda could give a rats azz about me as their customer - nor will Mazda fully stand behind the product they sell in the United States. I will then explain to them what I went through for nearly one full month, as I was being LIED to by Mazda USA who kept telling me that it wanted to "help me out" and that it was going to take care of the cost for repainting a brand new vehicle that send into the wild unprepared to handle real world road conditions and normal driving. That's my truth and that's my Mazda story to date.

Now, if Mazda wants to clear this up - it can repaint my damn bumper and stand behind its damn product. I did not spend $45,000 for this nonsense and I don't hand wax/polish my brand new vehicle five (5) times in less than nine (9) months because I'm somebody who treats their vehicle like a piece of trash. I'm pissed because I DO take care of my property (no matter what it is) and I'm dubious about ANY company that sells something not ready for prime time and then refuses to stand fully behind it once the crap hits the fan. Selling things not ready for prime time happens far too often in this world and somebody needs to put a check on that. People work too damn hard for the money they spend on what is supposed to be Quality.

Quality my azz. You have a paint problem Mazda. FIX IT and STAND BEHIND IT! You want me to pay half the repair cost? You want me to do WHAT!

Pics coming when I get the time to do it. I've got a business to run every day, which makes this even more frustrating. I don't have time for this negative energy. Gat damn it!!! FIX MY PAINT MAZDA!!!!!
 
** Edit: Sorry, double post.
 
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Make sure that when you go on your personal campaign, you mention this:

"hand wax/polish my brand new vehicle five (5) times in less than nine (9) months"

That's a red flag for me, as I know (and I'm sure that you know as well) that every time you polish, you dig further into the clear coat and the paint. I know that you mentioned a rock chip three days into ownership, but s*** happens. Even if it was dead quiet in the cabin when it happened, I'm not sure you'd be able to hear the impact over the sound of the engine or through whatever sound deadening was used to reduce NVH.

Btw, I've spot polished and applied wax once in the 10 months I've owned mine. That doesn't mean that I treat my vehicle like a piece of trash. Waxing/polishing five times, changing your oil four times, and doing four tire rotations over the course of nine months doesn't make you a better owner than anyone else here.

Furthermore, nobody is covering for Mazda. Nobody is trying to sandbag you either. From the get go, I just wanted to see pics to put everything into perspective. You've got the time to type out these posts, so you can't be so busy that you don't have five minutes to take a couple of photos and upload them.
 
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