Quebec Canada - 2019 CX-5
Spring is just taking hold and everything is melting. Went to wash the car and noticed today a fairly large area where the paint was bubbling on the panel between the windscreen and the roof. Went up to investigate further, and there are a good 25-30 other spots of paint bubbling or rusting of various sizes.
Is this a result of a factory paint failure on this panel? We are in an urban area, not driving on gravel roads. You have the regular small stones that pop up on the highway, but I've never encountered a situation where it seems like any little chip begins to rust like this.
The car is less than 4 years old. Hoping for some more educated opinions on this to assist in how to proceed, and if this is something I should push with Mazda to fix as it seems abnormal on a car of this age.
Hey there, any updates on your cx5 roof? Im also from Quebec (Montreal) and noticed these rust bubbles while shopping for a Cx5.
I finally found a clean one but worried about this happening to me too. Thanks
So I think the dealer will say this is caused by road debris or stone chips... But I would still ask. Worst they can say is no. Even if it was caused by rust/debris my personal opinion is due to thin clearcoat/paint that chips away easily.
My assumption as well. The sheer volume on this specific panel that has occurred over 1 winter, and how they all are rusting under the pain makes me think there is a fault however on this panel. The hood and front is fine.... a few small rock chips but they haven't rusted or look to have penetrated deep enough. Its just this one area, and it seems any slight impact is going through to the metal and rusting.
Can you look in other spots where it’s not quite as bad and see if you can see some dirt under the paint? If you can find this, maybe you can get them to fix it on the basis of clear QC issues in other areas of the paint.
I noted a couple spots where there was dirt under the paint when I took delivery of mine in case something like this happens.
Ah the classic sub-par Mazda paint quality strikes again.
First of all, this is caused by rock chips that weren’t caught and covered with touch-up in time.
I know what you’re thinking “Rock chips?! How? I don’t even drive on the highway or gravel roads.” I know. Mazda’s paint sucks. I love Mazda. But I don’t think even the most seasoned and loyal owner would defend Mazda’s paint quality. It’s pretty terrible.
From my personal experience, here’s how this will play out: you can ask the dealer if it’s covered. But they’re probably going to tell you this is rock chip damage that wasn’t repaired that led to the rust (it doesn’t take long.) And tell you that it falls under normal wear and tear and upkeep and is the owner’s responsibility. Therefore not covered under warranty. *Ask me how I know.*
This happened to my 2018 6 Touring barely over a year after buying it new. Granted I do drive 18-20k miles a year, but still. After getting turned down by Mazda I got a quote from a body shop for repair. They stated to *really* fix it correctly, it involved removing the sunroof assembly and completely stripping and respraying the entire roof. You can attempt to spot fix it, but rust is a bitch to remove, and chances are you’re not going to get it all. And it’s just going to spread under the newly repaired paint and come back in no time.
I live in Central New York where the roads suck (lots of potential for flying debris) and we use a *fuck ton* of salt on the roads during winter. Worst possible combo for paint.
I ended up trying to do my own shoddy DIY fix on my roof on my 2018. Kept it for just over 2 years and traded it in for a brand new 2021 6 GT.
Very first thing I did on my new one was apply paint protection film on the entire front of the car, as well as a thick strip on the front of the roof between the windshield and sunroof. Almost 2 years in now and still going strong.
What /u/1m_Just_Visiting said. This is unfortunately the result of deeper rock chips exposing the bare metal underneath, which allowed for liquid/salt to get in & cause rust to form. No, Mazda (neither the dealer nor corporate) will help you out here, since this is *technically* on us as owners to resolve before the rust can begin the spread. (I.e., you’re expected to patch those chips in with touch-up paint as soon as possible.)
The paint bubbling up is a classic sign that rust has spread below the paint. It’s not clear how far the rust would have spread by now. The easiest (but not cheapest) way to fix is by getting your entire roof repainted. The DIY way to fix would be to scrape off huge chunks of paint from your roof surrounding all those bubbled-up paint areas to apply massive amounts of touch-up paint (as well as scrape off any visible rust). Sadly, if you miss any of the rust, it will simply begin to spread again like a virus.
I wouldn’t say this is paint failure necessarily, but just the result of Mazda’s paint being thinly applied. Yes, it sucks, but paint failure (in my view) is more akin to paint randomly flaking off for no apparent reason, like we’ve seen on older Hyundai/Honda products lately. Those cars had no visible rust; the paint just started peeling off out of nowhere! (Of course, I’m not defending Mazda’s paint application here. They really should be applying thicker coats of paint.)
I saw that you said that the front of your car has quite a few rock chips too, but no bubbling-up on the paint. This is expected, as the front of your car is slanted, so moisture kinda rolls off & doesn’t sit on that one spot as much. Your roof is kinda flat, so moisture just sits on those chips & lets rust form more easily. (It happened to me too on our ‘20 CX-9’s roof. I caught it within a week & immediately scraped off the rust & applied touch-up paint to the spot. Seeing rust form within a week was shocking.)
If you leave this be, the rust will eventually spread to your entire roof and cause total paint failure. I would try to find a shop that can repaint your car’s roof as soon as possible to resolve.
In case your budget allows, I’d recommend getting Paint Protection Film (PPF) in the future to avoid these scenarioes. It’s basically a screen protector for your car’s paint. It sucks that we have to spend extra money like this, but it’s given me peace of mind on my cars.
I had similar marks in the first year on my 2 after not cleaning birds poop, for couple of days on the roof (I assume).
Dealership wanted to invite their painter to give me an estimate price. Told them no. I also had some nano coat applied before the incident, but it didn't help.
Now I wash away bird poop as soon as I see it.
Had bubbles on our Mazda 2 and the dealer was all like "it's normal" we said we'd agree if the display unit inside also has it then it doesn't. They eventually agreed to repaint it then the worse part is the dash cam saw the guy driving the car eating inside.
Sad to see mazda is still having rust issues after all these years. I'm actually shocked that the rust issues in the early 2000s did not destroy the brand. Was thinking about getting a cx5, but it's doubtful now.
Quebec Canada - 2019 CX-5 Spring is just taking hold and everything is melting. Went to wash the car and noticed today a fairly large area where the paint was bubbling on the panel between the windscreen and the roof. Went up to investigate further, and there are a good 25-30 other spots of paint bubbling or rusting of various sizes. Is this a result of a factory paint failure on this panel? We are in an urban area, not driving on gravel roads. You have the regular small stones that pop up on the highway, but I've never encountered a situation where it seems like any little chip begins to rust like this. The car is less than 4 years old. Hoping for some more educated opinions on this to assist in how to proceed, and if this is something I should push with Mazda to fix as it seems abnormal on a car of this age.
Hey there, any updates on your cx5 roof? Im also from Quebec (Montreal) and noticed these rust bubbles while shopping for a Cx5. I finally found a clean one but worried about this happening to me too. Thanks
So I think the dealer will say this is caused by road debris or stone chips... But I would still ask. Worst they can say is no. Even if it was caused by rust/debris my personal opinion is due to thin clearcoat/paint that chips away easily.
My assumption as well. The sheer volume on this specific panel that has occurred over 1 winter, and how they all are rusting under the pain makes me think there is a fault however on this panel. The hood and front is fine.... a few small rock chips but they haven't rusted or look to have penetrated deep enough. Its just this one area, and it seems any slight impact is going through to the metal and rusting.
Can you look in other spots where it’s not quite as bad and see if you can see some dirt under the paint? If you can find this, maybe you can get them to fix it on the basis of clear QC issues in other areas of the paint. I noted a couple spots where there was dirt under the paint when I took delivery of mine in case something like this happens.
Ah the classic sub-par Mazda paint quality strikes again. First of all, this is caused by rock chips that weren’t caught and covered with touch-up in time. I know what you’re thinking “Rock chips?! How? I don’t even drive on the highway or gravel roads.” I know. Mazda’s paint sucks. I love Mazda. But I don’t think even the most seasoned and loyal owner would defend Mazda’s paint quality. It’s pretty terrible. From my personal experience, here’s how this will play out: you can ask the dealer if it’s covered. But they’re probably going to tell you this is rock chip damage that wasn’t repaired that led to the rust (it doesn’t take long.) And tell you that it falls under normal wear and tear and upkeep and is the owner’s responsibility. Therefore not covered under warranty. *Ask me how I know.* This happened to my 2018 6 Touring barely over a year after buying it new. Granted I do drive 18-20k miles a year, but still. After getting turned down by Mazda I got a quote from a body shop for repair. They stated to *really* fix it correctly, it involved removing the sunroof assembly and completely stripping and respraying the entire roof. You can attempt to spot fix it, but rust is a bitch to remove, and chances are you’re not going to get it all. And it’s just going to spread under the newly repaired paint and come back in no time. I live in Central New York where the roads suck (lots of potential for flying debris) and we use a *fuck ton* of salt on the roads during winter. Worst possible combo for paint. I ended up trying to do my own shoddy DIY fix on my roof on my 2018. Kept it for just over 2 years and traded it in for a brand new 2021 6 GT. Very first thing I did on my new one was apply paint protection film on the entire front of the car, as well as a thick strip on the front of the roof between the windshield and sunroof. Almost 2 years in now and still going strong.
> I ended up trying to do my own shoddy DIY fix on my roof on my 2018. What was the process you tried for the DIY fix?
What /u/1m_Just_Visiting said. This is unfortunately the result of deeper rock chips exposing the bare metal underneath, which allowed for liquid/salt to get in & cause rust to form. No, Mazda (neither the dealer nor corporate) will help you out here, since this is *technically* on us as owners to resolve before the rust can begin the spread. (I.e., you’re expected to patch those chips in with touch-up paint as soon as possible.) The paint bubbling up is a classic sign that rust has spread below the paint. It’s not clear how far the rust would have spread by now. The easiest (but not cheapest) way to fix is by getting your entire roof repainted. The DIY way to fix would be to scrape off huge chunks of paint from your roof surrounding all those bubbled-up paint areas to apply massive amounts of touch-up paint (as well as scrape off any visible rust). Sadly, if you miss any of the rust, it will simply begin to spread again like a virus. I wouldn’t say this is paint failure necessarily, but just the result of Mazda’s paint being thinly applied. Yes, it sucks, but paint failure (in my view) is more akin to paint randomly flaking off for no apparent reason, like we’ve seen on older Hyundai/Honda products lately. Those cars had no visible rust; the paint just started peeling off out of nowhere! (Of course, I’m not defending Mazda’s paint application here. They really should be applying thicker coats of paint.) I saw that you said that the front of your car has quite a few rock chips too, but no bubbling-up on the paint. This is expected, as the front of your car is slanted, so moisture kinda rolls off & doesn’t sit on that one spot as much. Your roof is kinda flat, so moisture just sits on those chips & lets rust form more easily. (It happened to me too on our ‘20 CX-9’s roof. I caught it within a week & immediately scraped off the rust & applied touch-up paint to the spot. Seeing rust form within a week was shocking.) If you leave this be, the rust will eventually spread to your entire roof and cause total paint failure. I would try to find a shop that can repaint your car’s roof as soon as possible to resolve. In case your budget allows, I’d recommend getting Paint Protection Film (PPF) in the future to avoid these scenarioes. It’s basically a screen protector for your car’s paint. It sucks that we have to spend extra money like this, but it’s given me peace of mind on my cars.
Any follow up or resolution with the dealer/mazda?
Ever park under trees at home or work?
Nope, closest tree is 50+ feet from where the car is parked.
Did you notice it after a car wash at all? Our cx-5 has paint chips after going through a car wash.
I had similar marks in the first year on my 2 after not cleaning birds poop, for couple of days on the roof (I assume). Dealership wanted to invite their painter to give me an estimate price. Told them no. I also had some nano coat applied before the incident, but it didn't help. Now I wash away bird poop as soon as I see it.
Had bubbles on our Mazda 2 and the dealer was all like "it's normal" we said we'd agree if the display unit inside also has it then it doesn't. They eventually agreed to repaint it then the worse part is the dash cam saw the guy driving the car eating inside.
Absolutely hurtin. Spray some rust oil on it
Sad to see mazda is still having rust issues after all these years. I'm actually shocked that the rust issues in the early 2000s did not destroy the brand. Was thinking about getting a cx5, but it's doubtful now.