Mazda3 Exterior & Bodywork Issues

lylone

Has anyone had any paint issues on their brand new 2011 Mazda3. Mine is a month old and I noticed grey/white spots in the paint. It's all over the car and are very random spots. Finally the dealer now sees the spots and needs to consult Mazda. Anyone else have these issues and what are my rights in this matter. Repainting the whole car will depreciate the value, so should I ask for a new-new car?

Thanks!

jong81

Okay, so I followed all the directions. I didn't got polyester. I got a nice cotton chenille hand sponge. I washed it and resoaped it every chance I got. Washed from top to bottom. I've only owned the car a month. I didn't have time to dry it, so I just drove to my appointment. Stopped at the gas station where the light was bright and what did I see to my surprise?!?!? Not only were there watermarks, but suddenly I noticed tiny little scratches!!! ON MY BRAND NEW BLACK CAR!!! Did I mess it up? What do I do? I'm bugg'in out here!!!

bigfur

Owning a black car will show EVERY single little flaw in the paint. Might want to try getting just a cheap orbital buffer and some 3m finishing compound and go over the areas lightly...odds are this will solve the problem. Also consider the light scratches may have been there since you bought it but didnt notice till you looked closely while washing it.

bodble2

I think there is NO WAY to avoid those swirl marks, or spider scratches, on a black car. Been there, done that. :mad: So I've sworn off black cars (unless it's a Porsche or Ferrari that I can afford to drive only on sunny weekends! :P )

markb3

No, you didn't mess up! You bought a black car.

stallionre

I use to own a black car and never again. These swirl marks and never ending. I hate staring at them and nothing that you can do will get them off. Not even waxing with the best products and best hand polish machine. Black cars are notorious for seeing everything. Sorry, but you had to get a black car didn't you? JK. Black does look rich. I admit.

mazdrvr

I'm not sure how much this might help but check out Eagle One's Nano Wax products.

jong81

Thanks guys! Yeah ... I'm realizing it hard to keep this thing clean - the mica finish helps, and when it's overcast, the car beams!!! But if it's sunny, I notice everything and want to tear my hair out. I'm having it detailed soon by this guy who used to do higher end cars, like ferrari's and such. My friend says he's amazing. He said his mother has a black Acura, and some raccoons had a fight on the hood and scratched the whole thing up - he got it all out. He toughes it up and he takes out any dings as well. I'll let you know how it goes.

stallionre

Thats sounds great, maybe there is product that will work. I have not used all the products that are made, since I don't own a black to try. I think the Meguair's is one of the best, I know that they are more.

Please let us know how it works, sounds awesome to take out dings as well.

stallionre

Thanks, looks like a great product. I will have to research this one.

mazdrvr

I'm sorry, but I can't believe raccoons duked it out on her car! But glad to hear that he was able to take out all the damage.

stallionre

Good story, I would loved to see that fight.

By the way, I used a new product called Meguair's Hi-Tech Syn wax with UV protection. I bought it for $15.99 and it took all the swirl marks and scratches out of the car. This product is the best!!!

hawre

I have a 2008 Mazda3 HP with only 8k miles. I noticed that my windshield wipers have made a long scratch each on my windshield. I believe this is a wiper defect. Has anyone had this problem? Is this covered by warranty? Thanks

jhorton6

I have a similiar problem on my two year old car. I think some dirt got trapped under the wiper and left a 4 inch scratch mark on the one side of my windshield.
When I showed it to the dealer they said it wouldn't be covered under warranty.
When the weather gets warmer I am going to try some glass polish on it to try and lessen the visability of it.

autonomous

grey/white spots in the paint
What is the color of your Mazda3?

all over the car and are very random spots
When you say all over, does that include the roof and trunk? Imperfections on the front and sides of the car could be attributed to stone chips.

Can you feel the spots when you run your hand over the affected areas?

Some paints use mica to reflect light with a shimmer, but there is nothing wrong with the surface.

Repainting the whole car will depreciate the value, so should I ask for a new-new car?
The advantage of getting a new car, is that you no longer worry about the solution to the problem! Hopefully, Mazda and or the dealership see it that way also.

lylone

What is the color of your Mazda3? Velocity Red

When you say all over, does that include the roof and trunk? Yes, on the roof and trunk also. Even the parts of the frame above the door. They are just white spots and not grooved like rock chips or etc.

Can you feel the spots when you run your hand over the affected areas?
Some, yes, others no. There is like a hard spot on some that are actually pertruding out from the spot. Using a finger nail will not remove the hard spots. Other spots are just spots like when you get sun damaged white spots on your skin and there is no roughness at all to the spot.

We do have a Lemon Law in our state that does say that if the issue causes a depreciation in the cars value, then the dealer must buy it back and a replacement given to the owner.

How much does a repaint depreciate the value?

I have an appt set up with the dealer's Mazda Representative next Tuesday.

Thanks for your help

scwmcan

It is possible that some lawn fertilizer got on the car at the dealership, had this happen to one of my cars ( the dealer stopped using fertilizer after that, they had a fair number of brand new cars affected). As for the solution that is up to you either repaint or new car, I am not sure how much repainting willdepre iatethe car,but it really depends on how long you keep it,good luck and I hope you get a satisfactory solution.

autonomous

Sounds like you have a very strong case, lylone.

I would consider documenting the problem by:
- taking as many photos as possible (pretend you work for CSI),
- reviewing the requirements in the lemon law,
- drafting a letter describing the problem, the times you have visited / spoken to the dealership (include the earliest date possible you mentioned the problem to them), stating your preferred remedy (i.e. a new vehicle) and finally mentioning legal action via the state Lemon Law, if you are not satisfied.

If your dealer does the right thing and provides you with a new vehicle, you won't need the documentation. But, if not, you should consider taking the next step. The longer this takes, the more the dealer will claim it is your responsibility (i.e. wear and tear) rather than admit that the problem is due to the manufacturing process or some other reason.

The dealer may want to make a deal and have you "share" in the repair. It seems clear from what you have said that you are not responsible for the problem and therefore should not accept any burden to remedy it.

Frankly, I don't know how much a repainted vehicle would be discounted. Most buyers would be curious if not concerned why a vehicle was repainted. One could always say, "I did not like the color" (except of course if you repaint it to the same one!).

Let's hope the dealer does the right thing.

autonomous

possible that some lawn fertilizer got on the car at the dealership ... they had a fair number of brand new cars affected
Amazing!

lylone

Hey all,

Still waiting on Mazda to come to come to some sort of decision. It seems like now my emails and phone calls are not being answered by the dealer. So, this weekend I filed a BBB complaint and will see where that goes. You would think that they would give me some sort of response back since it has been a month and do they really want me driving around with the paint looking like this and their name on my car. I almost tried to get the dealer's name off, but haven't even washed it since a month ago. Don't want them to claim it was something I did that caused it to get worse. I did take a video of the vehicle pointing out all the spots around the car and it's pretty darn good. The spots have even showed up on the black window and door jams. I don't think a repaint will fix it all in my opinion. :lemon:

lylone

not happy.. got word that Mazda only offered to pay 2 car payments or pay for a 100,000 mile extended warranty as a "good will"gesture. What? are they kidding? It's going to cost 3K for a paint job and I will loose 3K in value. This is all on a one month old brand new mazda with white spots in the paint. They say they don't know what caused it and are not liable?
Yes, they have not heard the end of this!!! :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

autonomous

Mazda only offered to pay 2 car payments or pay for a 100,000 mile extended warranty as a "good will"gesture. What? are they kidding? It's going to cost 3K for a paint job and I will loose 3K in value.

The dealer/Mazda may be trying to see the minimum that you will take. The "goodwill" gesture is part of a strategy to come to a quick agreement and avoid lengthy negotiations; it would surprise me if they accepted your initial terms without trying to bargain you down. Offering to pay 2 of your car payments may be an initial bargaining position.

Have you heard back from the BBB?

Has a paint "professional" seen the problem?

Have you considered hiring a lawyer?

It's good that you are following up with the dealer/Mazda in a timely manner. As the car gets older, the case will become more difficult to prove.

A key question to consider is why did you purchase the car if it had a paint problem? On the other hand, if it did not have the paint problem originally, I would think it would be more difficult to have the dealer/Mazda take responsibility for the problem once it's left the lot.

Good luck!

lylone

Yes, heard back form the BBB and are waiting to find out when the arbitration will take place. I took the car to a local body shop and they couldn't figure out what would have caused the spots. Unfortunately, they wouldn't give it to me in writing. He thinks that maybe brake dust may have caused it when the car was being transported to the states. But still, the clear coat that is on the car should have prevented any environmental issue unless I drove under a paint truck... that didn't happen. Also, anything environmental should be able to be buffed out and even their "expert" detailer couldn't get the spots out.

The Arbitrator will be neutral lawyer and I still do have the right to sue Mazda even after the out come of the arbitration. I have not spoken to a lawyer because that would cost me $$.

Why did I purchase a car with a paint problem? Maybe because I didn't know it existed. The spots can only be seen in cloudy or shaded light. In the bright Atlanta sun in the middle of July, the spots cannot be seen at all. We haven't had many cloudy days here in Atlanta, and I just so happened to see it as a cloud passed by the day I was giving it's first bath after purchase.

Even if the damage happened within the 4 weeks I had the car, you would think that the clear coat on the vehicle would have protected it.

autonomous

Sounds like you have done your homework.

The reason for the questions in the earlier posting was not to put you on the spot, but to have you "practice" answering questions to see what responses work. Also, getting experts (e.g. paint professional / detailer) to back you up should strengthen your case. Finally, getting it documented should make it clear that your case is not frivolous but based on solid evidence.

Once again, good luck with the BBB and let us know how things work out.

lylone

The hardest part is getting documentation. All the body shops I go see say that the clear coat should have protected the vehicle, and they cant think of anythingelse that would cause the damage. None will actually put it in writing. I did realize that I purchased and installed sunroof deflector on the vehicle the 2nd week I had the car and there are no spots on it. So the damaged either happened in the first two weeks or before I took possession of the car. I just wish the arbitration was tomorrow because I am ready for the saga to be finally over.
Thanks for all your help and especially for testing me....

lex17

The hatch release button has fallen into the hatch. I'm looking for references on repair instructions and/or part numbers to order replacement parts.

lex17

autonomous

looking for references on repair instructions and/or part numbers to order replacement parts
Your dealership should be able to provide the part numbers.

How old is the car?