Orange-Brown Rust Spot All Over Paint

[Magnitudex]

Basically I've had my Mazda 3 for a little less then a year (going to be a year in April) but I've noticed that my paint job has a whole bunch (and i mean alot) of these orangy-brown spots all over the sides and front and rear bumpers. I know that it is due to paint contaminants and that removal can be done through clay-baring but should this happen on a 10 - 11 month old car? Also if I take it back to the dealership will they do anything about.. warranty coverage maybe?

[Noisy Crow]

Sounds like your car sprayed by crap leaking out a truck on the highway or somesort of airborne pollutant... I doubt the dealer will do anything about it...

[S.F.W.]

Basically I've had my Mazda 3 for a little less then a year (going to be a year in April) but I've noticed that my paint job has a whole bunch (and i mean alot) of these orangy-brown spots all over the sides and front and rear bumpers. I know that it is due to paint contaminants and that removal can be done through clay-baring but should this happen on a 10 - 11 month old car? Also if I take it back to the dealership will they do anything about.. warranty coverage maybe?

This happens on brand new cars. It's called rial dust, it gets on the car during transport. That's why many members here have clayed and re waxed their cars right after delivery.
This would not be covered under warranty, and I can't see the dealership doing anything for you.
You can do it yourself in a few hours.

[kaval]

This can be easily taken care of with a clay bar treatment. If there is some contaminants remaining, you can follow up with a light chemical cleaner such as Klasse AIO by hand or machine. As SFW said above, dealership won't do anything. Some dealerships think swirls are normal.

I have written a DIY on how to perform a clay bar treatment on my site in the FAQ section. Feel free to ask any questions, we'll be glad to help you out! :D

[Magnitudex]

alrighty... thx for the input everyone... I did kind of have the feeling that the dealership wouldn't do anything about it.. But I guess ones spring rolls around I'll go full out and make my car shine... now as for clay baring.. any certain products that you may suggest.. or maybe theres another thread thats already answered this and i just haven't found it.?

[kaval]

You'll be looking for a fine to medium grade clay. Wolfgang poly clay or even Meguiar's consumer grade clay is a good choice. You can pick it up in a kit at CT with quick detailer (for the lubricant) and a microfiber towel for about 25+tax.

[Flagrum_3]

Like Kaval says, but I'd be pretty pissed at the dealer for not claying the vehicle during the PDI, (which is quite obvious) and which by the way they should be doing.

You should give it a shot and see if the dealer will do the complete detailing for you, I would insist.


_3


.

[Nick]

i had the same problem, for weeks i was like where is this rust coming from! then i realized my bumpers were plastic...:loco

[Noisy Crow]

Like Kaval says, but I'd be pretty pissed at the dealer for not claying the vehicle during the PDI, (which is quite obvious) and which by the way they should be doing.

You should give it a shot and see if the dealer will do the complete detailing for you, I would insist.


_3


.

The car is close to a year old.... I can't see the dealer agreeing to do this.

[Flagrum_3]

The car is close to a year old.... I can't see the dealer agreeing to do this.

I figured you were going to say that!! ...Look at it this way; those little rust spots are caused mostly by rail-dust contaminating and impregnating your clearcoat and then working thier way down to the metal, where and when you finally see the little orangy-brown rust spots.It takes awhile for this to happen.Your vehicle was carried across Canada (from Vancouver) by rail where it no doubt picked up lots of rail dust...Now IF the dealer had clayed the vehicle as they should have you would not be getting these spots at all....So the onus is on them to explain why they didn't clay the vehicle during the PDI and putting you in this position.Now I would think if they valued your business, they would comply and do the job right for the sake of Good Customer Service and your patronage.....I think its worth a shot anyway, whats there to loose?!!

...and if they refuse just tell them they just lost a good customer and then you can badmouth them on this forum :chuckle




_3


.

[Noisy Crow]

<snip>those little rust spots are caused mostly by rail-dust contaminating and impregnating your clearcoat and then working thier way down to the metal, where and when you finally see the little orangy-brown rust spots</snip>

Ummm... the spots have to be a surface phenomena. Otherwise claybaring wouldn't work.

[Flagrum_3]

Ummm... the spots have to be a surface phenomena. Otherwise claybaring wouldn't work.

That's not true the metal particles are not inbedded completely, they would have thier tips sticking above the clearcoat layer which, by Claying, will pull the particles from the paint and clearcoat, that's a clay bar's main purpose.


_3


.

[RX9]

i knew dealer would do the waxing on PDI, but they wont clay the car (they may not have the right person to do that). i have a bad swirls on my last blue3, this time i told them not to if they are only doing the waxing. but anyway, should dealer clay the new car on PDI? i may go back in order to let them clay my car.

[S.F.W.]

I can't see a dealer claying a new car. I don't think it's part of PDI.

[bunchi]

I got those spots on mine too, and mine's just over 2 months old. How hard is it to remove those by clay? it's not really noticeable but if you look closely you'll see them. and also does anybody know of a clear sealant that the dealer puts on the car and tells you to not wax your car or use "the works" in a car wash? supposed to be part of a rust rpoof package. I was told by my dealer that I can't wax and should only use the cheapest wash (only water and soap) for my car... do they sound crazy and i'm a sucker?

[S.F.W.]

I got those spots on mine too, and mine's just over 2 months old. How hard is it to remove those by clay? it's not really noticeable but if you look closely you'll see them. and also does anybody know of a clear sealant that the dealer puts on the car and tells you to not wax your car or use "the works" in a car wash? supposed to be part of a rust rpoof package. I was told by my dealer that I can't wax and should only use the cheapest wash (only water and soap) for my car... do they sound crazy and i'm a sucker?

It's not hard to clay your car, just takes a bit of time and patience. Go slow, and you will be fine.
As for the sealant, I think that's BS.

[kaval]

I got those spots on mine too, and mine's just over 2 months old. How hard is it to remove those by clay? it's not really noticeable but if you look closely you'll see them. and also does anybody know of a clear sealant that the dealer puts on the car and tells you to not wax your car or use "the works" in a car wash? supposed to be part of a rust rpoof package. I was told by my dealer that I can't wax and should only use the cheapest wash (only water and soap) for my car... do they sound crazy and i'm a sucker?

I always get ticked off when I read dealers telling their customers this. It's a load of crap and the reason is that no synthetic polymer for vehicle application can withstand the effects of environmental stress, have it be acid rain, exhaust gases, industrial fallout, etc. for the duration of ownership. Duration will obviously vary, but say you kept the car for 5 years, I can almost guarantee that no protection will be left on your paint and it would look awful as well.

The part about not washing your car is nonsense too. Regular washing is part of maintaining your vehicles finish, and it's not only for looks. You were told to use the cheapest wash, so most people would just pick up some cheap car wash soap, or even dishwashing soap...this is where that BS about the sealant becomes validated again. Cheap car wash soaps as we know have a tendency to strip wax or any protection; at the very least reduce the life of it. On the extreme side of this we have dishwashing soaps. The purpose of dishwashing soaps is to cut through grease/fats/oils/LIPIDS. Now when we wax our car, we are essentially putting lipids on the paint (hence the beading action). So by washing with a dishwashing soap, we are stripping these protective oils/lipids off our finish and making is vulnerable to all the things we keep our car clean and waxed for (remember, it's not just for looks).

[Flagrum_3]

I can't see a dealer claying a new car. I don't think it's part of PDI.

Thats my point! ...they should most definitely be claying but they don't bother because its an extra expense to them but they know its necessary!...So it should be demanded and for good reason as mentioned in the original post. I specifically asked my dealer to clay my vehicle and they complied, and I watched the guy do it.The main reason I pushed was because when I ordered my car; summer of 05' you might recall there was a train accident out west and they couldn't use a specific bridge which meant my vehicle sat at the Vancouver docs about a week, then they had to take a different train route which added like an extra week trek on the rails, so I was quite worried about the condition of the paint and stressed that to them and they agreed. :)

Anyway, point being it never hurts to ask!, if they don't agree just make sure you do it yourself right away.


_3


.

[bunchi]

Thanks SFW, Kaval for your replies... I do wash my car regularly, usually my myself coz I know yes it's not only for the car to look good, but it's a part of regular maintenance of the car. for some reasons I don't feel clean after getting out of those automatic car washes in gas stations and I'm also someone who prefers to wash my car by hand, myself. Damn weather's keeping me from using my handy pressure washer! What I was also told was IF I applied a wax that reacted to this "sealant", the "sealant" would change colors and it's going to be my problem to fix the paint job. From what I hear from you this is also BS. Now to be on the safe side, is there a wax that contains the least chemicals that I can use, assuming the discoloring sh!t I was told was true?

[Flagrum_3]

Thanks SFW, Kaval for your replies... I do wash my car regularly, usually my myself coz I know yes it's not only for the car to look good, but it's a part of regular maintenance of the car. for some reasons I don't feel clean after getting out of those automatic car washes in gas stations and I'm also someone who prefers to wash my car by hand, myself. Damn weather's keeping me from using my handy pressure washer! What I was also told was IF I applied a wax that reacted to this "sealant", the "sealant" would change colors and it's going to be my problem to fix the paint job. From what I hear from you this is also BS. Now to be on the safe side, is there a wax that contains the least chemicals that I can use, assuming the discoloring sh!t I was told was true?

Your going to have to remove 'ANY' sealant or wax to remove those spots properly with either a cleaner-wax or compound but that will not illimnate the problem! You'll need to clay to remove the imbedded particles.Which means removing the dealer 'sealant', which I'm pretty sure is just a wax!...Go to Kaval's site and read his tutorial if you don't trust my word, but to clay properly all wax should be removed first....and I would also suggest experimenting on a small unnoticeable area first.


_3


.

[kaval]

What I was also told was IF I applied a wax that reacted to this "sealant", the "sealant" would change colors and it's going to be my problem to fix the paint job. From what I hear from you this is also BS. Now to be on the safe side, is there a wax that contains the least chemicals that I can use, assuming the discoloring sh!t I was told was true?

Yes, it is BS.
I'd love for the person who told you that to verify how that was true.
Anyone you ask that has experience with synthetic-based sealants like the one your dealership put on your car (most likely from First Canadian Chemicals (IIRC); I have a bottle in my garage ;)) will tell you this is far from the truth.

As for chemicals in a wax...what you'd be after would be a wax that has a high carnauba content and is something that costs a pretty penny (over $150 at least).

If you want that old 'sealant' removed from your car and have some high quality products put on that will last without worrying about colour changes, let me know and I'll be glad to work with you. I can't imagine the condition of the paint given the dealer's ignorance.


Your going to have to remove 'ANY' sealant or wax to remove those spots properly with either a cleaner-wax or compound but that will not illimnate the problem! You'll need to clay to remove the imbedded particles.Which means removing the dealer 'sealant', which I'm pretty sure is just a wax!...Go to Kaval's site and read his tutorial if you don't trust my word, but to clay properly all wax should be removed first....and I would also suggest experimenting on a small unnoticeable area first.


_3


.

The spots can mostly be removed with lots of claying. Clay is basically an abrasive, so by claying, you are in effect removing protection from the finish, which in this case would be the wax. If anything is remaining, polishing the clearcoat to remove a microscopic layer (seriously, VERY thin) will rid of swirls, oxidation, some scuffs and of course the embedded particles.

[bunchi]

Thanks guys... Kaval, maybe I'll try claying when the weather gets better. or maybe i'll just contact you when the time comes when I really have to bring my car to you :) about the condition of the paint, I THINK it's still pretty good. I just got the car 2 months ago, how bad can it be? oooh... fallout, winter, salt, etc.. :bang

_3, hear ya! thanks :)