Rear hatch spoiler chipping, body panels fading :(

[mnkyboy]

I posted this in another thread (a rust thread), but I figure I may get more replies in a new thread. I purchased my Protege5 in Dec 2001. I had the standard 3 yr warranty, so my paint problems started after the warranty was up. About a year ago, certain parts of the car where starting to fade. About 2 weeks ago, the spoiler started to chip. It looks like its the top layer of paint. Ive read that the Vivid Yellow has clearcoat mixed in, but the chips actually look clear. Maybe this is a clearcoat? The paint under the chips is cloudy yellow.

I emailed Mazda USA last month about the fading issue. They said it could be a number of issues (environment, etc), and that my car was out of warranty. They did suggest to bring it to a dealership to see what they can suggest. My local dealership is known to be pretty bad, but I still plan on going this week to see what they say.

Anyone else having issues like this?

Paint chipping on rear spoiler.

I also added a pic of my antenna issue. The rubber/foam material is falling apart

 

[TheMAN]

let me guess, you park your car outside and only wax it once a year?

 

[wannabe]

let me guess, you park your car outside and only wax it once a year?

+1

looks like normal sun damage to a southern car....

 

[Kansei]

Well that looks like "normal" damage to Mazda yellow to me.. single stage paint argh. But yeah, waxing often does help quite a bit, as does parking away from the sun.

 

[mnkyboy]

let me guess, you park your car outside and only wax it once a year?

I have 10 year old Toyota Tacoma that I never wax, and its always outside. The paint never faded. The body still looks great minus some scratches and dents. Over the years, I have read many complaints about how thin Mazda paint jobs are, and the poor quality. I treat my cars better than the average joe. I dont expect the paint job to be this bad after 5 years of ownership. I love my Protege5. Its a joy to ride, and I still get compliments. My only major gripe about the car is the paint job.

I posted this to see if anyone else has similar issues. I know the south can be harse on cars, but Ive owned many cars in the past for 5+ years, and never had a paint job this bad. Is the antenna cracking normal also?

 

[TheMAN]

simple fact is, you abused the paint on your car by not caring for it as stated in the owners manual...

it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that not waxing your car can **** up paint

 

[Foolish]

simple fact is, you abused the paint on your car by not caring for it as stated in the owners manual...

it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that not waxing your car can **** up paint

Dude, you have been unduely harsh lately. Problems at home?

 

[mnkyboy]

simple fact is, you abused the paint on your car by not caring for it as stated in the owners manual...

it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that not waxing your car can **** up paint

Who said I didnt wax my car? I said I didnt wax my Tacoma. Plus, I dont recall seeing anything in the owners manual stating you have to wax your car...

you are a bit harsh...

 

[ForceFed]

Dude, you have been unduely harsh lately. Problems at home?

Agreed..you are just acting like a ****...Thats expected from people like me...but man are you being an ass.

 

[clicknext]

Dude, you have been unduely harsh lately. Problems at home?

As far as I can tell, he always acts like that.

 

[Tasty]

I posted this in the other thread, but I'll post it here as well. That's not paint chipping, it's clearcoat failure. Unless the spoiler is painted in a different process that also proves that the Mazda yellow is not a single stage paint. Single stage paint will not have the clearcoat peel away from the base coat like that because in single stage paint the clearcoat is mixed in so to speak.

Anyway, there's really no way to stop clearcoat failure once it starts. The only cure is a repaint. If it's just on the spoiler I would price a repaint on the spoiler itself. Then, start caring for your car's paint if you don't already. There are many great products available at the corner auto supply store. Meguiar's NXT paste wax is a good starting point. Easy to use, cheap, and looks nice.