Black Sport GT - Does it scratch/chip easily?

[Scotticus]

Hello everyone,

Sorry if this is a stupid question (I'm a newbie here), but I've heard a few times that the 3 in black suffers from easy scratching/chipping on the exterior. Has anyone heard, or had any experience with this?

I'm looking to purchase a black 3, but I wanted to confirm if the easy-scratch rumours were true.

Any help and info is appreciated!

Cheers

[Niteshade]

Black on any car is going to show scratches and chips more than other colours, just the reality of the darker the colour the more you see surface flaws, especially with a glossy surface.

That being said, there have been a number of threads discussing thin/easily scratched paint with the 3 (check the search function).

There are options available to help protect your paint as well: clear bra (invisible paint film), deflectors, even a good sealant and wax will help.

[nicker]

I agree I wouldn't say it chips or scratches easier its just more noticble on a dark car.

I have the carbon grey and it does show scratches easier, you just have to take good care of it.

Scratch doctor!!!!!!

[chinsterr]

the paint on all mazdas are crap. Just a heads up

[Videcak]

the paint on all mazdas are crap. Just a heads up

Paint on all new cars under $50,000 blows, not just Mazda. Its all the environmentalists whining about new cars should be using environmentally friendly paint.

[-RJ3-]

Agree!! All paints in mazda are shitty. So regardless having a black car or not will scratch as easily as a sandmica colour car. The difference is, the black is noticeable. The advantage to a black car, is it has a deep shine when washed and waxed.

[b]

I have a black one. I wish I had the pearl white. The black just shows way too many defects.

[yearoftherat]

As with black, my Copper Red shows scratches pretty good too. They don't make paint like they use to as there's less lead in the mix therefore the paint is less durable...:complain

[chinsterr]

Paint on all new cars under $50,000 blows, not just Mazda. Its all the environmentalists whining about new cars should be using environmentally friendly paint.

Nah, just mazda.

Nissan cars have "self-healing" paint.

[RallyPlaya]

I Have a black Gx and yes the scrathes are more visible, also the stone chips show as silver on the black paint. A silver mazda would be your best bet for not showing scratches and chips. However id you really like the black colour go for it. I like the black colour of my ride and how i can see my felection in it + black cars and pearl whilte lok sweet @ night. In conclusion i personally dont think u should base your choice of colour on this issue all mazda 3 paint isnt that amazing

[kaval]

Yeah I find the clearcoat to be pretty soft on Mazdas and as a result, it will be easier to chip and scratch.

[scrolls]

Glad to hear it's not just me. I've got a Black Mica GT, and have noticed that it definitely shows the scratches more than my midnight blue Alero. I've got a deflector and have a couple of stone chips on the hood already. I'm going to be getting some of these things fixed, and then try out a clear coat something or other too.

Anyone know of a good place to get that done?

[wluu]

I have a new m3 since april in black... lets just say i get scratches from people walking by with: bags, keys, zippers, boxes, purses etc. or generally anything hard scratches my car. i've had it buffed so many times i gave up. if your going tp buy a black car. let it scratch up and every spring do a full detailing to get everthing out.

p.s i want a white car anyone wanna trade?

[ICEBOX]

Ya black isn't kind with scratches/chips. But man when black is polished and clean...damn does it ever look nice!

[Reegs]

Hey folks,

I am in the market for a new Mazda3 GT, and was debating between white or black. You guys are making me lean towards white! However I've heard that white shows dirt really easily too (Especially winter). I'm guessing its a trade off.

Do you guys think its better to go with the white one?

Thanks

[bunchi]

go with what your heart tells you.... black or white, chips can be easily seen. scratches, more so on the black. when I was shopping for a car and what color to get, I don't take into consideration on how dirt shows on which color. either way, it's dirt, but you can clean it up if you want.

[SwooshICE]

Hey folks,

I am in the market for a new Mazda3 GT, and was debating between white or black. You guys are making me lean towards white! However I've heard that white shows dirt really easily too (Especially winter). I'm guessing its a trade off.

Do you guys think its better to go with the white one?

Thanks

white is way easier to keep clean in the winter, well at all times ;)
especially with the hatch, dust n dirt is very noticeable at the back of the car

[Iceman_F1]

white is way easier to keep clean in the winter, well at all times ;)
especially with the hatch, dust n dirt is very noticeable at the back of the car

Not that it's easier to "keep clean" but more doesn't show the dust as much. It would be the same amount of work to keep it clean no matter what colour you have.

That being said, it is all about personal preference. You get the one you want.

[Mazda3X2]

One thing I notice more on the CWP than I did with any other colour is the small rust spots from metal particles on the paint. There was a good coat of sealant on the paint before winter and those damn spots are all over the back of the car, very noticeable on white. I had them on my Titanium Grey 04 as well but they didn't stick out so much.

Just an observation. Not really enough to steer me away from the colour but a PITA.

[omalak]

Black and white are both sexy colors.. they will never go out of style...

Scratches and chips easier to see on black than on white...

If i was gettin a GT i'd go white though i LOVE CWP... i had to go black since i got a GS.... But i love my black :)


20% tints + CWP = SEXY

[Tsirpas]

Yup there's a ton of stone chips and scratches on my hood. And I did want the pearl white too, but I figured since the new mazda's coming out now, any car other than black starts to show its age, black is a great colour for preserving a car (looking new) as well as silver. White is one of the worst though, it outdates a car quickly, and than red.

[bhrm]

Yup there's a ton of stone chips and scratches on my hood. And I did want the pearl white too, but I figured since the new mazda's coming out now, any car other than black starts to show its age, black is a great colour for preserving a car (looking new) as well as silver. White is one of the worst though, it outdates a car quickly, and than red.

Mazda Paint = Not the greatest..................

[mazda lover]

mazda paint = not the greatest..................


^^^^^^ +1

[zoom08]

I'd go with the white, simply because black... you do need to take good care of it, you can see the swirl marks (under lighting) all over the car esp. on the hood when you don't use proper cloth for drying after a wash and if you really want to keep it looking good after a couple years, you'd need to buff it. Both black and white shows dirt no matter what, black shows white/grey dirt and white shows grey dirt and the only colour IMO wouldn't show as much... would be silver and that's gettin boring.

[Mr. Dalvin]

We have a CWP Sport GT and, overall, love the colour! The thing that annoys me is that the small difference in the colour of the paint between the metal and "plastic" body panels is more noticeable (I find) with CWP than with the other colours.

[mazdas3sporte]

I got a cwp and dirt/ mud shows, not as much as black , a good colour too go with silver, dirt doesent really show on it.

[jonjon72]

I had a Nissan Sentra SER (Black) prior to the Mazda 3 and it was the thinest paint ever. It was a major sore spot in our forums. No matter how well I took care of it, the paint always looked more faded than it should. The front bumper was the worst. Stone chips galore.....it looked like a gravel truck dumped its load in front of me on the highway.

With this and all the other issues I had, it was time to trade up and decided on a CWP Mazda3. Best color IMO.

BTW, Nissan's self healing paint is not in their entire line up. If I'm not mistaken, its currently only their infiniti lineup. The EX was the first to get it. It seems to work best on hairline scratches. The deep ones, not so much.

[Ghost]

It definitely does chip easily, mine is black and has chipped mainly on the roof and hood from stones (i imagine), and my brother's is silver, and although not as noticeable, has chipped similarly. Unfortunately, nearly all chips seem to go straight to the bare metal and that's a real drag because it even makes fixing them difficult.

[Giaro]

I just bought my 2004 3 in Dec of last year and found tons of scratches but that's because the previous owner didn't really take care of the car... I grew up out west and they used gravel in the winter instead of salt, it chipped your paint and window but no rust! Look at 3GFX's ride, it's the same year and no scratches there, you'll be lucky to find dirt!

[Sparcas]

I have a '07 Black GT, with many scratches.


That being said, these are some things that i would've done to prevent the majority of the scratches;

-Clear bra entire front end! (Main areas where scratches/stone chips appear)
-Use Touchless car wash only
-Bubble wrap both sides of the car (Stupid people don't care, 3 door/fender dings in 2008 alone!!!)
-Alternative to bubble wrap would be some Scratch Doctor/Clay Bar around the door handles and such
-Wax the car thoroughly or have it detailed to hide existing scratches/paint "webbing"
-Repaint :(

Black is a hard colour to maintain. But in the famous words from the Indian man at the Esso carwash, "When is clean, black is beauty"