Paint / Clear Coat concerns

Thanks Kaps, I liked most of the colors for this car - not so much the silver, but I have committed to buying the silver because the others are so hard to maintain. The wife loves the Grey, Dark Blue and Red.

I received a quote around the corner from home to PPF the front for $1400 for bumper, full hood, full fenders and rear view mirrors using suntek 10 year warranty. All same except half fenders is $1000 CDN + tax which is about $870 USD including tax. I'm thinking of going for the 1k package. I didn't discuss the apilar and leading edge of the roof - but looking at the CRV damage over 14 years, it would be good to get this piece too.

The guy said 20% more for 3M scotchgard pro because 3M is more expensive to him. He didn't quote me for xpel. Any opinion on sundek/3M?
 
okay, I got another quote from another installer for full fender, full hood and bumper using 3M Pro for 1,100 CDN plus Tax (950 US).

A-pillars and leading roof for 200 CDN (175 USD) extra.

Seems really good way to protect the car, but not sure about this guy's workmanship. My 2006 Mazda 3 is speckled with stone chips which were becoming more visual in around when the car was in its 6th year.
 
At the risk of reviving a dormant thread here...I am looking at a 2018 CX-5 Soul Red, and am wondering if any of the aftermarket solutions folks are doing have an impact on the mfr. warranty of the paint.

If I drive off the dealer lot and go get extra clear coats put on by a non-dealer, and subsequently have a paint issue, have I screwed myself out of Mazda warranty coverage?

I thought I read an extract from the warranty somewhere about voiding it by making "paint modifications." I can't find a copy of the warranty on line. The Mazda website says it is included with the vehicle...they don't post the text of it.
 
Avoidin' Deer said:
At the risk of reviving a dormant thread here...I am looking at a 2018 CX-5 Soul Red, and am wondering if any of the aftermarket solutions folks are doing have an impact on the mfr. warranty of the paint.

If I drive off the dealer lot and go get extra clear coats put on by a non-dealer, and subsequently have a paint issue, have I screwed myself out of Mazda warranty coverage?

I thought I read an extract from the warranty somewhere about voiding it by making "paint modifications." I can't find a copy of the warranty on line. The Mazda website says it is included with the vehicle...they don't post the text of it.
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Getting extra clear coat - possibly you will void warranty. Getting a specific self healing protective film - not a problem. I am still not sure why you would want to add clear coats?
This is a 9 step process to put the soul red. It already has had issues on few cars, unless the place where you are coating really know what they are doing - I would not recommend it. Soul Red is also not a recommendation for cars that tough it out more (e.g. 20K miles a year on highway for example).
 
Kaps said:
Getting extra clear coat - possibly you will void warranty. Getting a specific self healing protective film - not a problem. I am still not sure why you would want to add clear coats?
This is a 9 step process to put the soul red. It already has had issues on few cars, unless the place where you are coating really know what they are doing - I would not recommend it. Soul Red is also not a recommendation for cars that tough it out more (e.g. 20K miles a year on highway for example).
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Hey, Kaps.

I had read of some folks getting clear coats added for more protection against the paint issues this color seems to get delivered with. As I understand it, nano/ceramic coatings are like Rain-X...they fill in the pores for a slicker surface, but aren't really protection against chips.

I'm retired and likely would be putting less than 7,000 miles a year on the thing (I only do 5,000 a year now on my current vehicle and rent a car for long trips). I'm in a rural area, so lots of 55 MPH roads and darned little traffic or stop & go driving. Maybe a few road trips on the interstate, but that would be a twice a year thing.
 
Avoidin' Deer said:
Hey, Kaps.

I had read of some folks getting clear coats added for more protection against the paint issues this color seems to get delivered with. As I understand it, nano/ceramic coatings are like Rain-X...they fill in the pores for a slicker surface, but aren't really protection against chips.

I'm retired and likely would be putting less than 7,000 miles a year on the thing (I only do 5,000 a year now on my current vehicle and rent a car for long trips). I'm in a rural area, so lots of 55 MPH roads and darned little traffic or stop & go driving. Maybe a few road trips on the interstate, but that would be a twice a year thing.
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There are self healing films as well. They should do a better job of protecting but are around 1000 dollars when properly done. You have a transparent plastic screen and you can feel and see their edge. They cover front bumper - not the entire hood.
 
I found a guy not too far from me who does detailing work as well as films.

Funny, he said he's not big on spending the money to apply film...$1,100 to do the front & whole hood of a CX-5. He made an interesting comment on the phone: "Films don't last that long." He also stopped using 3M when he "got a bad batch" & went back to Formula One.

I didn't get too deep into his comment about short-lived films. I figured I'd wait until we met face-to-face to probe his position and see what else he might recommend.
 
I found a guy not too far from me who does detailing work as well as films.

Funny, he said he's not big on spending the money to apply film...$1,100 to do the front & whole hood of a CX-5. He made an interesting comment on the phone: "Films don't last that long." He also stopped using 3M when he "got a bad batch" & went back to Formula One.

I didn't get too deep into his comment about short-lived films. I figured I'd wait until we met face-to-face to probe his position and see what he might recommend, besides "Why buy a car if you already know..."
 
SweetPete said:
1. Do you know if Mazda Corporate has acknowledged that there's a problem with the paint, the clear coat or how the paint was applied at the factory?
2. Assuming the cars are being repainted, how is the paint, clear coat or painting method different than how it was applied originally at the factory?
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Hey, Sweet Pete.

I've been reading about this issue because the CX-5 is on my short-list of cars to buy. I did not find where anyone replied to your question.

I've been working with a Mazda Customer Service Rep over the phone (I'm in Virginia she's in California) with some pre-sales questions I've had regarding dealer-installed options. I sent her an email asking about this paint issue. Here's her full reply I just got today:

Thank you for contacting Mazda Customer Experience Center. Sorry for the delayed response as I was out of the office in training the past few days!

Mazda investigates any and all product quality complaints that are received. Regarding the paint concerns, there are currently no campaigns released related to that issue, nor is there any information that there will be in the future.

I apologize that I do not have any information on this, but please feel free to contact me with any additional questions you may have.

Regarding your second question, here's a 2017 vid on the Mazda factory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvJtVI11dlE (Someone else posted this. I forget who, or I'd give them credit).

Discussions on the Soul Red pain start @ 9:20 and ends at 15:30. Around 11:30 the guy says "The finish is 100 microns thick," and held up a 10,000 Yen note for comparison. By "finish" he meant the combined thickness of all 4 layers of applied paint (silver+white+red+red)...1/10 of a millimeter total, or .004"

Layer 1: 10 microns
Layer 2: 8 microns
Layer 3 & 4: The guy did not mention, but I assume 82 microns between the 2 of them to equal the completed 100 microns.

By way of comparison, one article says "The total thickness of the various layers on most modern cars is between 67 microns (m) and 198 microns (m)." The article also listed manufacturers and the relative hardness of their clear coats.

http://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/car-care-blog/detailing/paint/

Mazda is on the soft list, but I believe that chipping and scratch-resistance are two different issues.


Here is a link to Mazda's discussion of their "unique paint technology."
http://www.mazda.com/en/innovation/technology/env/other/paint_tech/

This short Mazda article talks of the award the red paint received, after being in development for 5 years.
http://www.mazda.com/en/innovation/mazda-stories/engineers/soulred/
 
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No problams at all with my Soul red 2015 with 40,000+ miles. Paint seems to be the same quality as my previous Mazda CX7, 2000 Subaru or Volvo. I don't drive gravel roads or follow trucks too close though. Ed
 
erhayes said:
No problams at all with my Soul red 2015 with 40,000+ miles. Paint seems to be the same quality as my previous Mazda CX7, 2000 Subaru or Volvo. I don't drive gravel roads or follow trucks too close though. Ed
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You don't have the SR Crystal Metallic that is causing all the headaches on your 2015 Ed. Consider yourself lucky. There's just too much "smoke" on the internet these days to think that there isn't some sort of fire with the 2017 paint change.
 
erhayes said:
No problams at all with my Soul red 2015 with 40,000+ miles. Paint seems to be the same quality as my previous Mazda CX7, 2000 Subaru or Volvo. I don't drive gravel roads or follow trucks too close though. Ed
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paris1 said:
You don't have the SR Crystal Metallic that is causing all the headaches on your 2015 Ed. Consider yourself lucky. There's just too much "smoke" on the internet these days to think that there isn't some sort of fire with the 2017 paint change.
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Yep. Soul Red in Gen 1 is different from the Soul Red Crystal Metallic in Gen 2. The Gen 2 Soul Reds are the ones that had the issues.

That said my Jet Black Mica paint on my 2014 CX-5 is in pretty rough shape on my hood after 5 1/2 years... :(
 
ColoradoDriver said:
That said my Jet Black Mica paint on my 2014 CX-5 is in pretty rough shape on my hood after 5 1/2 years... :(
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And my Sky Blue Mica hasn't got a single chip anywhere after almost six years! Unless you wanna' count one windshield ding. Go figure.
 
paris1 said:
And my Sky Blue Mica hasn't got a single chip anywhere after almost six years! Unless you wanna' count one windshield ding. Go figure.
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Really????

I've been reading so many forums where people have said "I would buy a CX-5 tomorrow if not for the paint..." that I'm getting tired of hearing it come out of my own mouth.

I keep looking at the various colors wondering which would be the least-bad, and then I return to Soul Red + protective film.

A local guy who paints and installs film tells me to not bother with the film, and to set the $1,200 film cost aside and start saving for the $5,000 complete paint job I'm gonna need. At least he's honest.

Maybe I'll go by the dealer again and see if they have a Sky Blue for me to look at (the current name is Eternal Blue Mica). Some folks claim that the Machine Gray is just as fragile as the red, and I really don't want a silver car...there's just so daggone many of them out there...so I'm down to: dark blue, light blue, black, or white. Or Soul Red with protective film ;)

*sigh*
 
Avoidin' Deer said:
Really????

I've been reading so many forums where people have said "I would buy a CX-5 tomorrow if not for the paint..." that I'm getting tired of hearing it come out of my own mouth.

I keep looking at the various colors wondering which would be the least-bad, and then I return to Soul Red + protective film.

A local guy who paints and installs film tells me to not bother with the film, and to set the $1,200 film cost aside and start saving for the $5,000 complete paint job I'm gonna need. At least he's honest.

Maybe I'll go by the dealer again and see if they have a Sky Blue for me to look at (the current name is Eternal Blue Mica). Some folks claim that the Machine Gray is just as fragile as the red, and I really don't want a silver car...there's just so daggone many of them out there...so I'm down to: dark blue, light blue, black, or white. Or Soul Red with protective film ;)

*sigh*
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Sky Blue was from the early model years and looked great. Eternal Blue is butt ugly.

Honestly I may have frowny faced my current paint condition, but in reality I don't care that much. Perspective. This is after 5 1/2 years of owning. If I get some extra spending money I might pay for some paint correction sure, but in the meantime, there are bigger things to sweat in life. It's a fantastic car. That said paint chipping on SRC early certainly is a problem, paint chipping because of our bad roads, rock hits, gravel and dirt roads etc. over 5 1/2 years? Meh, not going to sweat that. Maybe I'll fix it, maybe not. No big deal.

If you decide to go SRC and it chips, that's on you (though I would hope Mazda would fix). Seems to be a well documented issue with that color, and possibly the Machine Gray as well? As such, wouldn't be buying those colors as a result personally. The other colors do not follow that paint process, so I think they would be no different then mine or paris1's paint and the differing determining factors will be the roads you drive on and whatever other factors contribute to normal paint chipping.
 
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ColoradoDriver said:
Sky Blue was from the early model years and looked great. Eternal Blue is butt ugly.

Honestly I may have frowny faced my current paint condition, but in reality I don't care that much. Perspective. This is after 5 1/2 years of owning. If I get some extra spending money I might pay for some paint correction sure, but in the meantime, there are bigger things to sweat in life. It's a fantastic car. That said paint chipping on SRC early certainly is a problem, paint chipping because of our bad roads, rock hits, gravel and dirt roads etc. over 5 1/2 years? Meh, not going to sweat that. Maybe I'll fix it, maybe not. No big deal.

If you decide to go SRC and it chips, that's on you (though I would hope Mazda would fix). Seems to be a well documented issue with that color, and possibly the Machine Gray as well? As such, wouldn't be buying those colors as a result personally. The other colors do not follow that paint process, so I think they would be no different then mine or paris1's paint and the differing determining factors will be the roads you drive on and whatever other factors contribute to normal paint chipping.
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I have yet to go back to the dealer and ask about paint durability. I expect them to toe the party line, but am more interested in their demeanor as they do it.

I commented earlier that I've been chatting with a Mazda customer service rep with some pre-sales questions, and asked her about the paint issues. "Mazda investigates any and all product quality complaints that are received. Regarding the paint concerns, there are currently no campaigns released related to that issue, nor is there any information that there will be in the future." Just got that email yesterday.

The thing is that I almost bought a 2018 CR-V until I researched the 1.5L turbo, and I only did THAT research because this is the first year for that engine. Then I found lots of folks with significant oil dilution issues in the turbo and in legacy CR-V and Civic engines.

I was good-to-go on the CX-5 until my brother (who owned his own repair shop) told me that due to lack of aftermarket parts, Mazdas are more expensive to repair. That sent me on the search for Mazda reliability, and I then encountered the paint stories.

Since I'm whining at you...now everything seems to come with direct inject just to meet CAFE standards, which brings its own set of issues...carbon on valves and potential for oil dilution. I read that some manufacturers are putting a high water mark on dipsticks with the documented recommendation that if the oil (actually oil+gas) reaches the mark, to cut the oil change interval in half. Nice, huh? I guess as long as owners limp past the warranty window...

Now I just want my Austin Healey back. As long as I had an extra set of points & condenser and a spare fan belt with me (and maybe a quart of oil), I could travel with confidence. And it was paid for.
 
Avoidin' Deer said:
I was good-to-go on the CX-5 until my brother (who owned his own repair shop) told me that due to lack of aftermarket parts, Mazdas are more expensive to repair.
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Also been one of the more reliable vehicles and cheapest I've had over the ownership (bought in April 2013).

Outside of regularly scheduled maintenance items (oil/filter, cabin/engine filters, spark plugs, rear dif/transfer case oil, brake fluid), I've replaced a couple of items (drive belt tensioner which was leaking, and the AT shifter switch with failing material) that had TSB's on them (meaning they should be non-issues in later/current models as they have revised parts), rear brake pads, and new tires. I have 70k miles on mine.
 
ColoradoDriver said:
Also been one of the more reliable vehicles and cheapest I've had over the ownership (bought in April 2013).

Outside of regularly scheduled maintenance items (oil/filter, cabin/engine filters, spark plugs, rear dif/transfer case oil, brake fluid), I've replaced a couple of items (drive belt tensioner which was leaking, and the AT shifter switch with failing material) that had TSB's on them (meaning they should be non-issues in later/current models as they have revised parts), rear brake pads, and new tires. I have 70k miles on mine.
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That's why I'm still strongly leaning in favor of them.

I went on a few forums and looked for threads where folks asked about reliability. Lots of 100,000+ mile stories with nothing but the expected wear & tear. I think one guy said he had a cracked engine block (lots of potential causal issues there), and everyone else had long-term glowing reviews. And most people say that they're still fun to drive.

As an aside, I'm in the country and there's a Walmart nearby that serves the surrounding counties. Lots of cars in the massive parking lot all the time. Since I started this mission, I've walked around looking at SUVs to see how the different color paint holds up for each manufacturer. If figure this will be closer to reality than going to a dealer lot after they've been detailed, and I see a larger variety in one spot this way. I saw my first Mazda there today...a CX-3 with Soul Red paint, sitting in handicap parking. The tags expire next month, so the thing's at least a year old, and the paint looked fine...maybe a couple of white spots on the side I didn't pick at to see if they were surface dirt. It was there when I arrived and still there when I left. I hung around a little bit to talk to the owner about his/her experiences, but they never appeared.
 
Avoidin' Deer said:
That's why I'm still strongly leaning in favor of them.

I went on a few forums and looked for threads where folks asked about reliability. Lots of 100,000+ mile stories with nothing but the expected wear & tear. I think one guy said he had a cracked engine block (lots of potential causal issues there), and everyone else had long-term glowing reviews. And most people say that they're still fun to drive.

As an aside, I'm in the country and there's a Walmart nearby that serves the surrounding counties. Lots of cars in the massive parking lot all the time. Since I started this mission, I've walked around looking at SUVs to see how the different color paint holds up for each manufacturer. If figure this will be closer to reality than going to a dealer lot after they've been detailed, and I see a larger variety in one spot this way. I saw my first Mazda there today...a CX-3 with Soul Red paint, sitting in handicap parking. The tags expire next month, so the thing's at least a year old, and the paint looked fine...maybe a couple of white spots on the side I didn't pick at to see if they were surface dirt. It was there when I arrived and still there when I left. I hung around a little bit to talk to the owner about his/her experiences, but they never appeared.
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See below.
 
Avoidin' Deer said:
That's why I'm still strongly leaning in favor of them.

I went on a few forums and looked for threads where folks asked about reliability. Lots of 100,000+ mile stories with nothing but the expected wear & tear. I think one guy said he had a cracked engine block (lots of potential causal issues there), and everyone else had long-term glowing reviews. And most people say that they're still fun to drive.

As an aside, I'm in the country and there's a Walmart nearby that serves the surrounding counties. Lots of cars in the massive parking lot all the time. Since I started this mission, I've walked around looking at SUVs to see how the different color paint holds up for each manufacturer. If figure this will be closer to reality than going to a dealer lot after they've been detailed, and I see a larger variety in one spot this way. I saw my first Mazda there today...a CX-3 with Soul Red paint, sitting in handicap parking. The tags expire next month, so the thing's at least a year old, and the paint looked fine...maybe a couple of white spots on the side I didn't pick at to see if they were surface dirt. It was there when I arrived and still there when I left. I hung around a little bit to talk to the owner about his/her experiences, but they never appeared.
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2018 SR metallic CX-3s were not the problematic "Crystal" finish. They switched to the more expensive paint option for 2019.
 
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