Yesterday an message appeared about the front radar being inoperative so I went to clean the emblem only to discover it was scratched. After cleaning it and restarting the engine, the message disappeared. I've read many posts here but nothing clear came out. Should I get the emblem replaced?
Scratched front emblem
- Thread starter Freedom55
- Start date
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- Canada
You can try repairing the scratch instead of replacing the emblem/cover.
How to Remove Scratches from Plastic
The scratch looks deep enough to feel it with your fingernail, so I would use Method 2 from the link above. Novus makes some very popular plastic polishes that you can use with this method, but if that isn't immediately available to you, you can also use Meguiar's PlastX, which should be available at stores like Canadian Tire, Autozone, NAPA, etc.
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181962
The emblem radar is only used for Mazda Radar Cruise Control with Stop & Go and the Distance Recognition Support System. If you're worried only about functionality you could run tests. Set the radar cruise following distance to "far", or whatever the word is in the touch screen setting, just to be safe. The DRSS operates at speeds above 19 mph. A low speed approach / tailgating would test it, maybe with another car in a vacant mall parking lot or the like. Refer to the manual for details on how these things work.
If the issue is cosmetics, I'll defer to other posters except to say if the scratch is deep enough you won't rub it out.
If the issue is cosmetics, I'll defer to other posters except to say if the scratch is deep enough you won't rub it out.
Thanks to all. I can feel the scratch with my finger nail; we had strong winds last weekend and it looks like a flying debris hit my vehicle. I'll try polishing it when the weather gets better! Not sure how hard it is to replace the emblem as I could not find the info in the workshop manual. If the fault reappears, I guess I'll call my insurance and see.
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- Mazda CX-9 Signature
Antoine
Administrator
Side note: @Freedom55 I noticed your image / attachment was appearing at first but now it’s not…We’ve been working on optimizing how images are handled and I wonder if it’s related or not…If possible, please attach the image to your original post once again…Thanks and sorry for the inconvenience!
Thanks Antoine. I just attached the pic as you requested. I figured labor will cost as much as the part itself!
Antoine
Administrator
Much appreciated, thanks...All appears fine now, will continue to monitor.
Antoine, I believe I originally posted in General. Perhaps moving the post to ACC & Appearance caused the problem?
The error message didn't reappear so perhaps the flying debris that hit the emblem had left some residue i.e. tar from a roof shingle. Looks to me like a nail still attached to a shingle could have made this narrow scratch. I know that dirt, snow, etc. can trigger this message but a scratch probably not. I'm keeping my fingers crossed...hoping it's just cosmetics!
Antoine
Administrator
Unlikely as I don't recall it being an issue before, that said I will definitely keep the possibility in mind from now on, thanks again!
Thanks and I know that but Mazda seems to think otherwise perhaps to cover their a** in case of an accident resulting in a claim against them! Nissan Murano for example has the radar hidden behind a black opaque plastic cover. I think it was just a glitch that may never come back; I've driven through snow last winter and never had any error message.
Microprocessors sometimes need to be reset. This morning our coffee machine didn't brew immediately showing "ready"; my wife thought it was defective so right away so I unplugged it for a few seconds, plugged it back reset the clock and voilà it worked fine. Happy wife, happy life
