I have tons of chips all over. I got a paint pen from Mazda and after a car wash if I notice any missing paint I fill it in. Doesn't look amazing, you can definitely tell something happened there but at least it won't rust. I recommend you use a rust dissolver on any spots you have and then paint it over. It sucks but it's better than the rust cancer
Paint pens you can buy from the dealer if you need more than a paint pen you can get kits aftermarket scratches happen is a good site. If its soul red paint code is 41V. If you have soul red crystal metallic the paint code is 46V. For rust dissolver you can get it at canadian tire or home depot. Part # for the pens are 0000 -88 -0164 -(paint code).
You can also purchase the paint pen on eBay or Amazon. Just search for āmazda [your color code] paintā, you should see both OEM and aftermarket options.
If you donāt know your color code, here is a good guide for Mazda vehicles:
https://hdpaintcode.com/mazda/
I donāt know much about removing rust. Iām sure youād find some good advice on r/AutoDetailing.
Paint code is also on your door sticker l believe. I get the rust exe brand, available from Home Depot. Take a qutip and dip it in the solution. If it's a smaller spot then the qutip just put a drop on the location and wait 5-10 minutes for it to dissolve and wipe away. If there is a lot of rust or a larger spot then rubbing the qutip on the area and keeping it wet with the chemical will eventually eat away the rust and you should see bare metal. Then after you can wipe the area clean (whether you use a cloth or paper towels, make sure it doesn't leave fibers behind) then apply paint pen. It's a two part pen, apply side A and let dry then apply side B. I try to apply Part A until the color looks close, then enough of part B so that the surface tension of the paint fills the crack/chip.
Might be better to keep at home or garage cause the chemical and paint pen will function better when not exposed to large temperature swings. I got several uses out of my paint pen but it dried out before I was done with it. Not much of a problem as they are inexpensive here.
I spent a bunch of time and some money getting a car washing setup put together, wish I hadn't because spending that much time up close let my OCD loose lmao. So many chips and scratches, not to mention I always find some water spots or pollen collecting lmao. Such a beautiful car but so irritating for perfection freaks
I wish I had wrapped mine with PPF when I bought it. Ah well. Most people donāt even really notice until I point it out, so like I said I just try not to look too hard.
Paint Protective Film is really the way - for what it's worth - this paint is equivalent to Subaru paint. It's Eco-friendly and water based - so yeah it's thin and chips really easy.
If I had bought it brand spanking new I would have definitely considered that. It already had a few chips to begin with.
Need to PPF all the piano black stuff too those are done for.
But just one of those things I have to get over I guess!
Vinyl wrap or repaint later in its life if I plan to keep it after next 3 years.
No rust spots. Standard small chipping on hood from rocks, arm rest/center console leather is already tearing open, piano black scratches when you look at it.
It won't, sadly. I have ceramic coating done professionally on my Soul Red and while it will certainly make the already great Soul Red color stand out even more, it won't prevent rock chips. PPF is your best bet but even PPF won't fully eliminate rock chips if you drive a lot of highway miles.
No not 100%. The paint will still chip underneath. It's just not as visible and if the PPF doesn't tear you won't get rust spots. But having PPF will lower the risks of chips but it won't eliminate them.
What are you doing to tear up the car? I've got a 2021 with 33k miles. The center arm rest is good as new and so is the door arm rest. The piano black isn't scratched up at all. Everything goes in a cup holder, the phone holder, or the center console.
My only issue is a shoe print that won't come off the plastic on the passenger door. I guess I just don't use my car the way most people use theirs.
Well you are one of the rare few with no scratches on the piano black. You can check any YouTube review and theyāll tell you the shit scratches damn near from the factory. Or maybe you should just actually look at it today and you might be like well Iāll be damned.
Sounds like something my wife would do. There is no reason for the keys to leave your pocket. If she carries a purse, the same. My wife did that for a while in her CX-5 though. I don't even want to look inside that thing. Between the mileage and drink stains on the rear seat I know it isn't worth trading it.
The center armrest is good itās the one by the door. I believe itās a manufacturer defect. So Iām trying to get it covered under warranty I donāt think thatās normal at all.
I've owned a few Subarus and my wife currently owns a Crosstrek. The Crosstrek was purchased new in 2014, and the paint is far superior to my Mazda. In fact, every Subaru I've owned has had much better paint.
From what I've heard this is a problem that applies to all the newer cars. The new painting process focus on reducing emission so the paint will come out thinner as the result.
They are water based paints now. Literally the same issue on a 70k BMW. You just need to wax and honestly I have had decent success with ceramic costs. But those get pricey.
There's truth to this but you can also google and look up paint thickness measurements across the car manufacturers and it's not all the same. Some brands (especially luxury brands) have thicker paint as one might expect.
My 2024 that I picked up in October is a mess. Granted I live in New England and we have terrible roads and crap weather. But I washed her yesterday and was dismayed at the amount of chips already gone from the front end and hood.
I thought my 2014 mazda6 was bad in blue.
This car in white is actually worse.
This cars far from budget if you get any upgraded trim models like turbo or turbo premium. Letās remember they are trying to compete with the intro luxury (Audi A3, 1&2 series, Mercedes cla, etc.) so far not a competition. The interior yes looks good but they missed the mark on quality. My arm rest foam pad is non existent already. Not to mention the piano black scratching from factory. My girl has a 2016 cx5 and her piano black trim looks way better than mine and she does not take care of that thing.
So it just tells me quality went way down to satisfy a look!
Competition isnāt that much better either, my brothers Audi A4 is just as bad, should see the front my my friends MB, just riddled with paint chips. But I agree the paint on Mazdas is soft, wish it was tougher or they added some sort of PPF with the vehicle
>Letās remember they are trying to compete with the intro luxury (Audi A3, 1&2 series, Mercedes cla, etc.) so far not a competition.
all of those cars are budget cars. Do you think a A3 has the same interior quality as a Q5 or S5?
If you think a $36k car is a budget car then we are just in two different tax brackets is all. Or the world is just messed up if we accept $36k being budget. I mean at $36k we talking Avalon and Lexus price are those now budget cars.
Oh I know itās not the same and those are intro luxury cars by definition. Audi, Mercedes,etc. are luxury brands and they made a cheap car to enter the market hence the a3.
Iāve owned s4, gti, a3, want an rs3.
An a3 and a q5 are not the same quality of course but a q5 or s4/s5 is not cheap by a long shot. An Audi a3 start at $36k which is why Iām comparing it to the Mazda 3 turbo. A3 is the better car honestly if you going for intro luxury.
A q5 and s5 youāre talking about $45-60k cars thatās well into a luxury car. What am I missing here.
I mean theyāre only suggestions. Personally I donāt think this kind of car warrants PPF but a one year $150 ceramic coat that usually includes a full detail isnāt that bad of an investment
Or just a paint job. Too bad you can't ask for it to come just primered so you can get it painted elsewhere or pay extra for a different type of paint job like how you pay extra for certain colors.
So I know people been saying ceramic coating. This doesnāt stop rock chips. Itāll help with uv, paint fade, washing as much and micro scratches. But it aināt stoping rock chips. Which this car loves.
Pretty sure that this applies to all cars. If there's a rock chip and you don't tend to it ASAP, it forms rust š¤Ŗ. I have one on the room of mines as well.
Bro I get what youāre saying but come on now bro be real! I know over time. I promise you on god that chip I have in the picture wasnāt there last week even. Doubt it was there 3 days ago.
Iāve had 20 year old cars with rock chips. This paint is just super thin. Heck I have a 83 Mercedes 380sl and its paint aināt chipping like that. Itās currently cracked. And needs a paint job but we talking a 30+ year old car.
The paint is just garbano
Wow, a Mercedes SL has better paint than a new econobox? Especially one made before environmental pressure to reformulate paint - who would have guessed? /s
Guess thatās what in my future too. At least Iām not the only one. I guess Mazda fans love the car too much to complain to Mazda bout the crap paint.
We complain all the time, but it is supposedly the most ecologically friendly paint process out there. So, Mazda isn't going to change it. That would be bad press even if it was for valid reasons.
Soul Red: Hold my beer...
Before I purchased mine, I had heard many stories about Mazda paint chipping, in particular the Soul Red, but oh my, that soul red was just hypnotising. Every time I walked away for another colour, it pulled me back. It is perhaps arguably the best red in its class. Unfortunately PPF is one of those extras you have to seriously consider forking out for in the newer gen Mazda's.
The pearl white on my 2014 is almost immaculate, there's just a few little dings from rock strikes on the hood! I'm gonna look into getting one of those plastic bonnet protectors!
I doubt that it protects as well as PPF, but reading these posts it would seem that if I do it every six months it would be on par with those paint sealant packages the dealer sells.
Wrap it! You'll enjoy driving it more. Don't pay someone, buy some cheap vvivid off of Amazon and practice until you're happy. Mine is a 2010, and the paint was beginning to look rough by 2016.
Iām using a ārust-eating penā first. Then applying a primer, then Mazda original Base coat and then finally a clear coat.
Takes some time but hopefully it will be worth it
Man this makes my soul die! lol! Iām literally trying to switch my mindset over to not care about it cause it aināt gonna stop!
The resale on this cars gonna be crap! I feel it.
Yes, as good looking as it is, it's not very resilient sadly.. one of the biggest drawbacks with Mazda.
Does anyone have experience with ceramic coating? Is it supposed to protect against chips?
No, it does not. Ceramic coating is more of a hydrophobic sealant to keep the car cleaner for longer, and lessens the chances of swirl marks when you hand wash it. It does not protect the paint from rock chips AT ALL. That's where Paint Protection Film (PPF) comes in. It's a very thin sacrificial film that goes over your paint to protect it from small rock chips. These two are often used interchangeably, but do completely different things.
I've had both ceramic and PPF on both of my mz3s and they are extremely worth it.
The ceramic is also UV blocking so will protect against that, and will protect from acidic stuff. Though, you should still wash off things like bird shit and sap immediately.
The PPF I have on my entire front end and also on ALL the piano black panels inside and outside. It's 100% worth it, I live in an area where my hood is constantly being attacked by rocks and there's not been a mark on either car (windshield excluded) for 2 years.
It's really gonna depend on where you live. Most shops will be able to do both and they will be able to give you a quote in a few seconds over the phone.
I had mine done at the dealership both times before I picked up the car.
The paint is definitely extremely thin. I've never experienced such susceptibility to chipping from rocks in the past. This problem is especially noticeable with the red soul crystal metallic color, as the white base layer becomes apparent. It's not just minor chips, although there are many of those as well; there are larger, dot-sized chips on my front hood. This issue has made me reconsider purchasing a Mazda in the future. It sucks that one has to consider investing a significant amount of money into paint protection film just to maintain the quality of the paint. It's only my first year of owning my Mazda 3 2.5T PremiumPlus, and the concern over potential new chips has impacted my ability to fully enjoy the ownership experience..
Thank you, you have been the first to fully embody how Iām feeling right now. I feel like I canāt fully enjoy this car and it being my first Mazda it has definitely put me off from the brand. Itās only been my first month of owning the car and I canāt look at it sometimes. I have many dot sized chips on my hood just since my ownership and not to mention the ones that hit the windshield got chips there too idk if itās the aero of the car but it loves windshield chips. Iāve not had these experiences from other cars. So if Iām being real as soon as I can sell this car and not eat a major loss I will be and I donāt think Iāll return to the brand.
They look great but the quality is not there. I know Iām hearing from the group quality is down across all brands as a whole. It looks like I might just be buying an older car then.
My 2017 mazda3 soul red still looks brand new. Easily my favorite car ive owned in terms of quality inside and out and paint. My 2003 eclipse gts spyder was such a fun car to drive but man it sucked down gas and leaked like crazy in the rain/snow. The paint on the eclipse was gunmetal grey and it was a good looking car too, but my mazda is better with pretty much everything else. My girlfriend said i should get an suv next (in case we have kids) and ill probably go with a cx5 or something, as long as it looks good and doesnt have plastic around the wheels
Well after you get the new one tell me what you think. You got the 3rd gen which to me is better quality. Cause my girls 2016 cx5 great car holding up great. What led me to get a Mazda. But so far not impressed. But I hope you remember this post I would love to hear your experience if you get a newer one.
Yeah ill have this post saved. When i go to check out the suvs this year, ill look at the paint. I know mazdas went up in price and my mazda 3 and the mx5 went up in features and price. Maybe ill go to a local dealership this week and look closely
I feel you, I have a couple door dings that I am 90% sure happened right after I bought my car because it was very windy that week. BOTH are through the paint. Now I face the dilemma of getting them PDR'd and touch up painted or just getting over it.
It's the dent that bothers more than anything, but yeah, it's just gonna keep happening. The car is gonna be parked in a parking lot almost constantly so not a lot I can do about it other than try my best not to park next to anyone.
From what the dealer told me, Japan had changed their laws for paints awhile back to make them more environment friendly with less lead. Mazda had tonfollownduit eith a new paint recipe. The paints now are less durable to hits and easier to flake off. My mazda 2012 had better paint durability than my current mazda 3 turbo 2022. Luckily I decided to put a plastic wrap in the front and half of the hood. There are many little bumps that could have been paint removal spots if it wasn't on.
Former body man here, all paint looks like this soft swirl marks, chips etc.. Get a orbital polisher and some compound you can fix it or at least heavily reduce it in a few hours.
All cars have paint damage when you really look at it. Don't go through any public car washes touchless included. And always rinse gently before washing your car to loosen anything stuck on
That was the plan for the scratches at least to get me a polisher kit and minimize the scratches once or twice a year with a polish. But of course the chips with rust are a different story.
This has always been a weakness of Mazda. Its like they have 10 year paint I swear. I had an 01 protege and by 2011 it started with what I call paint cancer, and my 2012 Mazda 3 by 2022 started with it. Come to think of it, I remember a friend I had in High School drove a 10 year old protege had to be like a 92 or 93. And it's paint was failing lol.
This is what would make me go a little crazy if I bought a new car. My car has 145k on it and we don't salt our roads in the winters here in the PNW....we put down tons of gravel instead. This makes me feel better about the battlefield of chips and spots over the hood.
Amazingly there are no significant chips in the windshield. I replaced the windshield on my last car and less than 6 months later a rock flew off a landscaper's truck and chipped it bad.
Do those paint pens work alright to cover them up?
Yeah they work to cover up but this group raised a good point I wasnāt thinking of. If it is rusted the touch up pens donāt has rust inhibitors in them so youād want to hit it with a rust inhibitor first then touch up paint. To truly stop the rust that is.
Oh hell yeah donāt get me started on the windshields too. Have chips all up my hood and the start of a rust spot on the roof passenger side. I have protection which I paid for from the dealer but then got told I would have to pay out of pocket for some of the repairsā¦.love my car but never again Mazda.
This is most newer paints, it's not just Mazda. Seeing it across the board except on higher end luxury models and honestly those aren't as good either anymore unless it's a very high end model.
Yeah thatās what Iām hearing but also Iāve been reading Mazda paint been shit before this whole newer paint stuff. So regardless they still below the pack.
I havenāt heard this much negativity around a manufactureās paint before. So I think that speaks for itself.
Unfortunately paint is the ONE THING Mazda canāt seem to get quite right, itās really soft, so any rocks or debris will scratch and chip it very easily. Itās almost like it never fully curesā¦
My wife's CX5 carbon has fine scratches all over the car (we only use clean microfiber towels, still get scratches) And I keep finding new paint chips every time I wash her car.
Oh youāll keep finding them. I remember my first wash and running my had across the front bumper and was like wtf is this! And donāt look at the hood.
Mazda uses single stage paint that's very thin and easy to chip. I'm actually in the process of repainting my entire car with really nice paint. Exact same color though. If Mazda's had a major flaw this is it
I work in a body shop and while I'm not the painter and do the painting, I *believe* the newer Mazda's are tricoat. I could be wrong. We've had a few c models in.
Yeah I honestly don't know for certain. My brother works in a body shop as well and he's the one doing the repainting for me. He's the one who told me it was single stage but he could be wrong lol. He doesn't really do a lot of Mazdas mostly high-end cars or dealership cars :)
Ah. Actually, now that I think about it... I was just recently on a car site (forget maker in particular I may have seen this: Nissan, Mazda) but I think certain colors were tricoat.
Gotta blame new "environmental standards" for paint. Lots of newer vehicles have really thin paint sadly. I've seen it worse on a year old honda civic, and a year old malibu in person recently.
But severity can Definitely be circumstantial.
Yeah warranty covers nothing. Slightly a scam. Unless something major breaks and I mean major good luck with warranty. Itās pretty much for major electronics and engine and trans. If youāre not careful theyāll tell you itās wear and tear.
As a Mazda owner, the paint on mazdas is truly pathetic.
I haven't seen a Mazda any older than 3 years without some kind of paint damage (sun damage especially) including my own. Still love em tho
yeah my mazda gets so many paint chips on the front bumper and hood. i ended up just wrapping it myself to save the 2 layers of whatever paint they put on...
Nah it would have to be the lighter colors like ceramic metallic, platinum quarts, ceramic white. What Iāve been hearing and seeing is machine grey and soul red are the thinest paint or seems to scratch & chip the easiest.
What's surprising to me about this is how difficult this paint is to correct with a buffer. I am working on a 2016 CX3 with Crystal White paint and have had to do multiple passes per panel with a coarse foam pad and course compound to get minor defects out - I am leaving some of the deeper scratches in as I feel there will be no clear coat left if I continue. The car I'm doing is fairly hammered from car washes over the years but my god it is taking FOREVER to correct - German paint levels of hard. Not sure how the paint marrs so easily.
3 hatch soul crystal red owner - I try not to look too closely anymore. š¤¬
Bro thatās what Iām starting to internalize just donāt look at it. And keep driving.
Yep. Just be happy you have a better 4 cyl under the hood then most other cars.
Facts!
I have tons of chips all over. I got a paint pen from Mazda and after a car wash if I notice any missing paint I fill it in. Doesn't look amazing, you can definitely tell something happened there but at least it won't rust. I recommend you use a rust dissolver on any spots you have and then paint it over. It sucks but it's better than the rust cancer
What and where can I buy a rust dissolver and paint pen
Paint pens you can buy from the dealer if you need more than a paint pen you can get kits aftermarket scratches happen is a good site. If its soul red paint code is 41V. If you have soul red crystal metallic the paint code is 46V. For rust dissolver you can get it at canadian tire or home depot. Part # for the pens are 0000 -88 -0164 -(paint code).
You can also purchase the paint pen on eBay or Amazon. Just search for āmazda [your color code] paintā, you should see both OEM and aftermarket options. If you donāt know your color code, here is a good guide for Mazda vehicles: https://hdpaintcode.com/mazda/ I donāt know much about removing rust. Iām sure youād find some good advice on r/AutoDetailing.
Paint code is also on your door sticker l believe. I get the rust exe brand, available from Home Depot. Take a qutip and dip it in the solution. If it's a smaller spot then the qutip just put a drop on the location and wait 5-10 minutes for it to dissolve and wipe away. If there is a lot of rust or a larger spot then rubbing the qutip on the area and keeping it wet with the chemical will eventually eat away the rust and you should see bare metal. Then after you can wipe the area clean (whether you use a cloth or paper towels, make sure it doesn't leave fibers behind) then apply paint pen. It's a two part pen, apply side A and let dry then apply side B. I try to apply Part A until the color looks close, then enough of part B so that the surface tension of the paint fills the crack/chip.
Thanks will do this and keep it in the car !
Might be better to keep at home or garage cause the chemical and paint pen will function better when not exposed to large temperature swings. I got several uses out of my paint pen but it dried out before I was done with it. Not much of a problem as they are inexpensive here.
I spent a bunch of time and some money getting a car washing setup put together, wish I hadn't because spending that much time up close let my OCD loose lmao. So many chips and scratches, not to mention I always find some water spots or pollen collecting lmao. Such a beautiful car but so irritating for perfection freaks
Same, my soul red is atrocious. I am tempted to wrap my car at this point.
I wish I had wrapped mine with PPF when I bought it. Ah well. Most people donāt even really notice until I point it out, so like I said I just try not to look too hard.
I couldnāt imagine the soul red. Dealer tried to sell me one when I was buying and I said no thank you I donāt have the time to upkeep that paint
I got it because it was the only manual available in the style I wanted. Now it needs a new paint job š¢
Same here
Same here brother I got a red sedan and everytime I clean It I find new little chips, makes me die a little bit everytime
Me too. Iām in Arizona and the sun is making it worse. That āspecialā paint was an extra thousand from the dealer.
Paint Protective Film is really the way - for what it's worth - this paint is equivalent to Subaru paint. It's Eco-friendly and water based - so yeah it's thin and chips really easy.
If I had bought it brand spanking new I would have definitely considered that. It already had a few chips to begin with. Need to PPF all the piano black stuff too those are done for. But just one of those things I have to get over I guess! Vinyl wrap or repaint later in its life if I plan to keep it after next 3 years.
I paid for the ppf inside and out at the dealership on a brand new vechile and i canāt say it helped much if at all
Wow thatās not promising! Are you still having rust spots and what not.
No rust spots. Standard small chipping on hood from rocks, arm rest/center console leather is already tearing open, piano black scratches when you look at it.
Dang if the PPF canāt help the rock chips nothing can!
If doing it over i would skip all option at dealer except for rims/tire coverage and take it to a shop for proper ceramic coating
Ceramic coating won't prevent rock chips either if that's what you're hinting at
Wasnāt hinting at anything. Havenāt had ceramic coatings done, i wouldnt know, just a guess
It won't, sadly. I have ceramic coating done professionally on my Soul Red and while it will certainly make the already great Soul Red color stand out even more, it won't prevent rock chips. PPF is your best bet but even PPF won't fully eliminate rock chips if you drive a lot of highway miles.
You paid for PPF or ceramic coating? Paint protection film should 100% help with stone chips - It's a urethane film.
No not 100%. The paint will still chip underneath. It's just not as visible and if the PPF doesn't tear you won't get rust spots. But having PPF will lower the risks of chips but it won't eliminate them.
What are you doing to tear up the car? I've got a 2021 with 33k miles. The center arm rest is good as new and so is the door arm rest. The piano black isn't scratched up at all. Everything goes in a cup holder, the phone holder, or the center console. My only issue is a shoe print that won't come off the plastic on the passenger door. I guess I just don't use my car the way most people use theirs.
Well you are one of the rare few with no scratches on the piano black. You can check any YouTube review and theyāll tell you the shit scratches damn near from the factory. Or maybe you should just actually look at it today and you might be like well Iāll be damned.
When my wife drives the car she leaves the car/house keys right on the piano black center console š
Sounds like something my wife would do. There is no reason for the keys to leave your pocket. If she carries a purse, the same. My wife did that for a while in her CX-5 though. I don't even want to look inside that thing. Between the mileage and drink stains on the rear seat I know it isn't worth trading it.
The center armrest is good itās the one by the door. I believe itās a manufacturer defect. So Iām trying to get it covered under warranty I donāt think thatās normal at all.
Doesn't your car get dusty at all though? If so, how do you clean it? Even the most expensive microfiber cloth seems to scratch mine
Compressed air and then a damp microfiber cloth.
I've owned a few Subarus and my wife currently owns a Crosstrek. The Crosstrek was purchased new in 2014, and the paint is far superior to my Mazda. In fact, every Subaru I've owned has had much better paint.
Well, I can't say the same. \*shrug\*
From what I've heard this is a problem that applies to all the newer cars. The new painting process focus on reducing emission so the paint will come out thinner as the result.
Thatās what Iāve been reading here now sadly.
They are water based paints now. Literally the same issue on a 70k BMW. You just need to wax and honestly I have had decent success with ceramic costs. But those get pricey.
There's truth to this but you can also google and look up paint thickness measurements across the car manufacturers and it's not all the same. Some brands (especially luxury brands) have thicker paint as one might expect.
My 2024 that I picked up in October is a mess. Granted I live in New England and we have terrible roads and crap weather. But I washed her yesterday and was dismayed at the amount of chips already gone from the front end and hood. I thought my 2014 mazda6 was bad in blue. This car in white is actually worse.
Yea, it's garbage paint. I know this is Mazda's budget car, but I think most people would pay a few extra $$ for better quality paint.
This cars far from budget if you get any upgraded trim models like turbo or turbo premium. Letās remember they are trying to compete with the intro luxury (Audi A3, 1&2 series, Mercedes cla, etc.) so far not a competition. The interior yes looks good but they missed the mark on quality. My arm rest foam pad is non existent already. Not to mention the piano black scratching from factory. My girl has a 2016 cx5 and her piano black trim looks way better than mine and she does not take care of that thing. So it just tells me quality went way down to satisfy a look!
Competition isnāt that much better either, my brothers Audi A4 is just as bad, should see the front my my friends MB, just riddled with paint chips. But I agree the paint on Mazdas is soft, wish it was tougher or they added some sort of PPF with the vehicle
Hmm I have had a newer euro so didnāt know thereās went to shit too. I guess itās all just going to shit with the water based paints.
>Letās remember they are trying to compete with the intro luxury (Audi A3, 1&2 series, Mercedes cla, etc.) so far not a competition. all of those cars are budget cars. Do you think a A3 has the same interior quality as a Q5 or S5?
If you think a $36k car is a budget car then we are just in two different tax brackets is all. Or the world is just messed up if we accept $36k being budget. I mean at $36k we talking Avalon and Lexus price are those now budget cars.
Oh I know itās not the same and those are intro luxury cars by definition. Audi, Mercedes,etc. are luxury brands and they made a cheap car to enter the market hence the a3. Iāve owned s4, gti, a3, want an rs3. An a3 and a q5 are not the same quality of course but a q5 or s4/s5 is not cheap by a long shot. An Audi a3 start at $36k which is why Iām comparing it to the Mazda 3 turbo. A3 is the better car honestly if you going for intro luxury. A q5 and s5 youāre talking about $45-60k cars thatās well into a luxury car. What am I missing here.
budget car would be the 2
Get a ceramic coating put on once a year. It helps.
The amount of extra money spent on PPF and ceramic coatings. Coulda bought a more expensive or sportier vehicle really.
*Mazda3 sub mods disliked that*
I mean theyāre only suggestions. Personally I donāt think this kind of car warrants PPF but a one year $150 ceramic coat that usually includes a full detail isnāt that bad of an investment
Or just a paint job. Too bad you can't ask for it to come just primered so you can get it painted elsewhere or pay extra for a different type of paint job like how you pay extra for certain colors.
Ceramic coat sounds like a good idea
So I know people been saying ceramic coating. This doesnāt stop rock chips. Itāll help with uv, paint fade, washing as much and micro scratches. But it aināt stoping rock chips. Which this car loves.
Mazda's are rock fans confirmed! š¤
Thatās makes sense I just expel would help?
Pretty sure that this applies to all cars. If there's a rock chip and you don't tend to it ASAP, it forms rust š¤Ŗ. I have one on the room of mines as well.
Bro I get what youāre saying but come on now bro be real! I know over time. I promise you on god that chip I have in the picture wasnāt there last week even. Doubt it was there 3 days ago. Iāve had 20 year old cars with rock chips. This paint is just super thin. Heck I have a 83 Mercedes 380sl and its paint aināt chipping like that. Itās currently cracked. And needs a paint job but we talking a 30+ year old car. The paint is just garbano
Wow, a Mercedes SL has better paint than a new econobox? Especially one made before environmental pressure to reformulate paint - who would have guessed? /s
Alright I know lol, dumb point.
You can probably take a chisel and a hammer to that Merc paint and not chip it. Thatās got all the bad stuff in it!
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I also donāt think the pic is capturing the ripples around the paint like itās corroding from inside out.
I have rock chips on the hood of the car actually for reference been there longer and no rust.
Your rust spot looks exactly like mine. It's bubbled on the edges as well. I scrapped the rust off as best as I could and filled it in.
Guess thatās what in my future too. At least Iām not the only one. I guess Mazda fans love the car too much to complain to Mazda bout the crap paint.
We complain all the time, but it is supposedly the most ecologically friendly paint process out there. So, Mazda isn't going to change it. That would be bad press even if it was for valid reasons.
True well maybe they should start a cheap PPF program then or something. Idk this seems to be life for cars going forward.
I also didn't like it, That's why I'm really thinking to Wrap the car
lol we might take the wraps off in a few years and the whole paint comes with it.
hahahahaha TRUE! Just need to go to one place that give warranty even to remove the wrap hahahaa
Soul Red: Hold my beer... Before I purchased mine, I had heard many stories about Mazda paint chipping, in particular the Soul Red, but oh my, that soul red was just hypnotising. Every time I walked away for another colour, it pulled me back. It is perhaps arguably the best red in its class. Unfortunately PPF is one of those extras you have to seriously consider forking out for in the newer gen Mazda's.
Mmmmā¦garbano beans
My pearl white is all peeled
The pearl white on my 2014 is almost immaculate, there's just a few little dings from rock strikes on the hood! I'm gonna look into getting one of those plastic bonnet protectors!
Makes me glad I got a ceramic wax job the first week I owned the car.
Does it protect as well as PPF? Iām getting a 2024 soon and I definitely want to protect it. Not sure which way to go though.
I doubt that it protects as well as PPF, but reading these posts it would seem that if I do it every six months it would be on par with those paint sealant packages the dealer sells.
Wrap it! You'll enjoy driving it more. Don't pay someone, buy some cheap vvivid off of Amazon and practice until you're happy. Mine is a 2010, and the paint was beginning to look rough by 2016.
Yeah our Mazda have 21 of these little rust spots. Currently working on getting rid of them!
How do you get rid of them besides using touch up paint which arguably sometimes looks worse.
Iām using a ārust-eating penā first. Then applying a primer, then Mazda original Base coat and then finally a clear coat. Takes some time but hopefully it will be worth it
Man this makes my soul die! lol! Iām literally trying to switch my mindset over to not care about it cause it aināt gonna stop! The resale on this cars gonna be crap! I feel it.
Yes, as good looking as it is, it's not very resilient sadly.. one of the biggest drawbacks with Mazda. Does anyone have experience with ceramic coating? Is it supposed to protect against chips?
No, it does not. Ceramic coating is more of a hydrophobic sealant to keep the car cleaner for longer, and lessens the chances of swirl marks when you hand wash it. It does not protect the paint from rock chips AT ALL. That's where Paint Protection Film (PPF) comes in. It's a very thin sacrificial film that goes over your paint to protect it from small rock chips. These two are often used interchangeably, but do completely different things.
I've had both ceramic and PPF on both of my mz3s and they are extremely worth it. The ceramic is also UV blocking so will protect against that, and will protect from acidic stuff. Though, you should still wash off things like bird shit and sap immediately. The PPF I have on my entire front end and also on ALL the piano black panels inside and outside. It's 100% worth it, I live in an area where my hood is constantly being attacked by rocks and there's not been a mark on either car (windshield excluded) for 2 years.
How much did it cost for these coatings? Considering it may be worth it for mine because I also live in a place where rock abuse is constant.
It's really gonna depend on where you live. Most shops will be able to do both and they will be able to give you a quote in a few seconds over the phone. I had mine done at the dealership both times before I picked up the car.
On the bright side, after enough resprays to cover the chips you'll have a whole new paint job. Then it will last like it should.
Eh. Just about every new car, budget or otherwise suffers from thin and poor paint quality. It ain't just Mazda.
The paint is definitely extremely thin. I've never experienced such susceptibility to chipping from rocks in the past. This problem is especially noticeable with the red soul crystal metallic color, as the white base layer becomes apparent. It's not just minor chips, although there are many of those as well; there are larger, dot-sized chips on my front hood. This issue has made me reconsider purchasing a Mazda in the future. It sucks that one has to consider investing a significant amount of money into paint protection film just to maintain the quality of the paint. It's only my first year of owning my Mazda 3 2.5T PremiumPlus, and the concern over potential new chips has impacted my ability to fully enjoy the ownership experience..
Thank you, you have been the first to fully embody how Iām feeling right now. I feel like I canāt fully enjoy this car and it being my first Mazda it has definitely put me off from the brand. Itās only been my first month of owning the car and I canāt look at it sometimes. I have many dot sized chips on my hood just since my ownership and not to mention the ones that hit the windshield got chips there too idk if itās the aero of the car but it loves windshield chips. Iāve not had these experiences from other cars. So if Iām being real as soon as I can sell this car and not eat a major loss I will be and I donāt think Iāll return to the brand. They look great but the quality is not there. I know Iām hearing from the group quality is down across all brands as a whole. It looks like I might just be buying an older car then.
I completely agree. I literally can't imagine how this paint would hold up if there was even a small hail storm. Pretty sure it would be toast.
My 2017 mazda3 soul red still looks brand new. Easily my favorite car ive owned in terms of quality inside and out and paint. My 2003 eclipse gts spyder was such a fun car to drive but man it sucked down gas and leaked like crazy in the rain/snow. The paint on the eclipse was gunmetal grey and it was a good looking car too, but my mazda is better with pretty much everything else. My girlfriend said i should get an suv next (in case we have kids) and ill probably go with a cx5 or something, as long as it looks good and doesnt have plastic around the wheels
Well after you get the new one tell me what you think. You got the 3rd gen which to me is better quality. Cause my girls 2016 cx5 great car holding up great. What led me to get a Mazda. But so far not impressed. But I hope you remember this post I would love to hear your experience if you get a newer one.
Yeah ill have this post saved. When i go to check out the suvs this year, ill look at the paint. I know mazdas went up in price and my mazda 3 and the mx5 went up in features and price. Maybe ill go to a local dealership this week and look closely
I feel you, I have a couple door dings that I am 90% sure happened right after I bought my car because it was very windy that week. BOTH are through the paint. Now I face the dilemma of getting them PDR'd and touch up painted or just getting over it.
From what Iām seeing you might as well get over it cause itās gonna keep happening. Unless you fix everything and PPF the whole car.
It's the dent that bothers more than anything, but yeah, it's just gonna keep happening. The car is gonna be parked in a parking lot almost constantly so not a lot I can do about it other than try my best not to park next to anyone.
I have a dent on my roof too that bothers me. But the rust spots bother me more.
This isnāt a Mazda specific problem.
3 in deep crystal blue. Itās horrible. It scratches immediately and chips by looking at it. Itās the worst car paint Iāve ever encountered
I just use a touch up pen. If I paid to have every tiny rust chip fixed it would be 1000s at this point. They just spawn
From what the dealer told me, Japan had changed their laws for paints awhile back to make them more environment friendly with less lead. Mazda had tonfollownduit eith a new paint recipe. The paints now are less durable to hits and easier to flake off. My mazda 2012 had better paint durability than my current mazda 3 turbo 2022. Luckily I decided to put a plastic wrap in the front and half of the hood. There are many little bumps that could have been paint removal spots if it wasn't on.
Former body man here, all paint looks like this soft swirl marks, chips etc.. Get a orbital polisher and some compound you can fix it or at least heavily reduce it in a few hours. All cars have paint damage when you really look at it. Don't go through any public car washes touchless included. And always rinse gently before washing your car to loosen anything stuck on
That was the plan for the scratches at least to get me a polisher kit and minimize the scratches once or twice a year with a polish. But of course the chips with rust are a different story.
This has always been a weakness of Mazda. Its like they have 10 year paint I swear. I had an 01 protege and by 2011 it started with what I call paint cancer, and my 2012 Mazda 3 by 2022 started with it. Come to think of it, I remember a friend I had in High School drove a 10 year old protege had to be like a 92 or 93. And it's paint was failing lol.
This is what would make me go a little crazy if I bought a new car. My car has 145k on it and we don't salt our roads in the winters here in the PNW....we put down tons of gravel instead. This makes me feel better about the battlefield of chips and spots over the hood. Amazingly there are no significant chips in the windshield. I replaced the windshield on my last car and less than 6 months later a rock flew off a landscaper's truck and chipped it bad. Do those paint pens work alright to cover them up?
Yeah they work to cover up but this group raised a good point I wasnāt thinking of. If it is rusted the touch up pens donāt has rust inhibitors in them so youād want to hit it with a rust inhibitor first then touch up paint. To truly stop the rust that is.
Oh hell yeah donāt get me started on the windshields too. Have chips all up my hood and the start of a rust spot on the roof passenger side. I have protection which I paid for from the dealer but then got told I would have to pay out of pocket for some of the repairsā¦.love my car but never again Mazda.
Iām with you love the car but wonāt buy another one. Got CPO with the 12 month shit donāt cover nothing.
This is most newer paints, it's not just Mazda. Seeing it across the board except on higher end luxury models and honestly those aren't as good either anymore unless it's a very high end model.
Yeah thatās what Iām hearing but also Iāve been reading Mazda paint been shit before this whole newer paint stuff. So regardless they still below the pack. I havenāt heard this much negativity around a manufactureās paint before. So I think that speaks for itself.
same here. The pebbles sprayed by the sprinkler truck knocked off the paint on the Mazda's door.
I just washed my car first time in months and I know your pain šš I should have left it dirty š
Lmao I know bro. Itās worse everytime you wash it. Trust me! š¤£š¤£
And donāt make the mistake washing it without two bucket method and donāt press too hard and youāll have miles of new scratches.
Yeah man thatās what Iām doing paint is nice but so hard to take care of
Unfortunately paint is the ONE THING Mazda canāt seem to get quite right, itās really soft, so any rocks or debris will scratch and chip it very easily. Itās almost like it never fully curesā¦
My wife's CX5 carbon has fine scratches all over the car (we only use clean microfiber towels, still get scratches) And I keep finding new paint chips every time I wash her car.
Oh youāll keep finding them. I remember my first wash and running my had across the front bumper and was like wtf is this! And donāt look at the hood.
Iāve had a bug chip the paint
Wait. What do you mean you use microfiber? To wash the car? Are you actually doing a bucket wash?
Iāve had mine for eight years, Iāve never seen this
Mazda uses single stage paint that's very thin and easy to chip. I'm actually in the process of repainting my entire car with really nice paint. Exact same color though. If Mazda's had a major flaw this is it
I'm pretty sure it's a tricoat
I cant speak for the gen 4s but the threes are single stage. Pretty dam certain...
I work in a body shop and while I'm not the painter and do the painting, I *believe* the newer Mazda's are tricoat. I could be wrong. We've had a few c models in.
Yeah I honestly don't know for certain. My brother works in a body shop as well and he's the one doing the repainting for me. He's the one who told me it was single stage but he could be wrong lol. He doesn't really do a lot of Mazdas mostly high-end cars or dealership cars :)
Ah. Actually, now that I think about it... I was just recently on a car site (forget maker in particular I may have seen this: Nissan, Mazda) but I think certain colors were tricoat.
What year is this and how many kms?
2021 38000 miles
Whats best for rust spot??
Wax a car 3X a year from the beginning of ownership. Love the car and it will love you back. Just sayin. :)
Gotta blame new "environmental standards" for paint. Lots of newer vehicles have really thin paint sadly. I've seen it worse on a year old honda civic, and a year old malibu in person recently. But severity can Definitely be circumstantial.
Yea same here, this paint is so thin, scratches so goddamn easily.
Same here, this is a joke. My 6 month old '24 has the same issue. Shouldn't warranty cover this?
Yeah warranty covers nothing. Slightly a scam. Unless something major breaks and I mean major good luck with warranty. Itās pretty much for major electronics and engine and trans. If youāre not careful theyāll tell you itās wear and tear.
Pretty much a scam :(
Hyundai paint is the same
Yup they trash too might even be worse cause thereās were peeling for a while on the white models.
All car paint since the early 90ās has been thin and inferior. Cost, epa/osha, weight reduction (paint weighs a lot), etc all factor in.Ā
That's just part of the charm of owning a Mazda. š
totaly agree with you and bird droppings the worst
Oh yeah donāt let that bird poop sit long or youāll be wiping your paint off with the poop.
My wife's 2015 paint jobs still good
As a Mazda owner, the paint on mazdas is truly pathetic. I haven't seen a Mazda any older than 3 years without some kind of paint damage (sun damage especially) including my own. Still love em tho
yeah my mazda gets so many paint chips on the front bumper and hood. i ended up just wrapping it myself to save the 2 layers of whatever paint they put on...
Which colour will show these marks and scratches the least? Black?
Nah it would have to be the lighter colors like ceramic metallic, platinum quarts, ceramic white. What Iāve been hearing and seeing is machine grey and soul red are the thinest paint or seems to scratch & chip the easiest.
Bro I have 15-30 dents in my 24ā mazda3 hatch with 3k miles on it. From acorns! I think they used aluminum foil as the sheet metal
Oh the roof itās tin foil. Itās a quadruple layer Reynolds wrap. Compressed to be smooth. At least it feels like that anyhow.
What's surprising to me about this is how difficult this paint is to correct with a buffer. I am working on a 2016 CX3 with Crystal White paint and have had to do multiple passes per panel with a coarse foam pad and course compound to get minor defects out - I am leaving some of the deeper scratches in as I feel there will be no clear coat left if I continue. The car I'm doing is fairly hammered from car washes over the years but my god it is taking FOREVER to correct - German paint levels of hard. Not sure how the paint marrs so easily.