Stone Chips Everywhere

[JonathanB]

I was washing my car the other day, and I noticed there were stone chips all over the bumper, hood, and fenders. Many of the chips were down to the bare metal and developed noticeable rust. I used the paint touch-up pen from the dealer as a quick fix, but I probably just sealed the rust in by doing that. :facepalm I guess my car is going to be bubbling paint all over the place in a couple of years. Are paint jobs supposed to be this brittle? I only have 15K on the car with mixed highway and city driving.

[MikeE]

Mazda uses very thin layer of paint unfortunately.

[greardon]

I'm pretty sure Mazda paints 3 cars using the amount for one and then there is the orange peel .............I'm just gonna stop there.

[Kiewan]

I found OK results with the duplicolor scratch fix all in one. It has a ceramic abrasive tip, the paint and clear coat which goes on like nail polish. If you are really careful it isn't as noticeable as before.

[JasonZ]

Best option: Move out of Hamilton ;)

[JonathanB]

The chips I repaired aren't noticeable unless I look very carefully, so I'm satisfied with the results of the pen. I'm pissed off about the poor quality of the factory paint. And now the [fruitless] fight against rust begins. :bang I knew this day would come, but I didn't expect it to come this soon.

[sube]

The chips I repaired aren't noticeable unless I look very carefully, so I'm satisfied with the results of the pen. I'm pissed off about the poor quality of the factory paint. And now the [fruitless] fight against rust begins. :bang I knew this day would come, but I didn't expect it to come this soon.

(1) Dr Colorchip is the best option to repair stone chips,(2) Invest in getting clear bra on the front of the car. I did my 2010 when I first got it and to date have zero stone chips.

I got the bumper, hood, mirrors and the strip of roof in front of the sunroof done, it wasn't cheap but it beats the hell out of having lots of chips.
I realise it is a bit late for you but if you use Dr Colorchip the chips are almost invisible then get clear bra installed.

Pat.

[JonathanB]

(1) Dr Colorchip is the best option to repair stone chips,(2) Invest in getting clear bra on the front of the car. I did my 2010 when I first got it and to date have zero stone chips.

I got the bumper, hood, mirrors and the strip of roof in front of the sunroof done, it wasn't cheap but it beats the hell out of having lots of chips.
I realise it is a bit late for you but if you use Dr Colorchip the chips are almost invisible then get clear bra installed.

Pat.

The paint pen actually did a great job covering the chips. I applied the paint and clearcoat very thinly and carefully, and the results are almost seamless. My main concern is the rust I painted over. I didn't even think to remove the rust until after I finished correcting the paint (a little late)! I'm assuming the rust is just going to spread underneath and bubble the paint. I guess this is how Mazda cuts costs - cheap paint jobs. It's a shame.

I probably should've invested in a car bra at the time of purchase, but like you said, it's a little late for me now. I just have to accept that the car is not going to stay in immaculate condition unless I keep it locked up in the garage and covered forever, which really isn't an option!

[Pacman]

I have a clear bra, and I still have some chips that got through

[mazdabetty]

I used the paint touch-up pen from the dealer as a quick fix, but I probably just sealed the rust in by doing that. :facepalm I guess my car is going to be bubbling paint all over the place in a couple of years.

I used the tip of a piece of sandpaper to clean out the rust from the rockchips on my roof and then covered them. Holding up well 4 years later, no visible bubbling.

Not sure I'd recommend sanding them on your hood/body though, the roof at least isn't entirely visible so imperfections there aren't a big deal. If you catch the spots right away Dr. Colourchip works great.

[SKYMP3]

Vote for Dr. Colorchip. I used once 2 yrs ago and works great.
I'm actually looking to see if wants to buy together to split shipping and also save 10% if mult order IIRC.

[sube]

The paint pen actually did a great job covering the chips. I applied the paint and clearcoat very thinly and carefully, and the results are almost seamless. My main concern is the rust I painted over. I didn't even think to remove the rust until after I finished correcting the paint (a little late)! I'm assuming the rust is just going to spread underneath and bubble the paint. I guess this is how Mazda cuts costs - cheap paint jobs. It's a shame.

I probably should've invested in a car bra at the time of purchase, but like you said, it's a little late for me now. I just have to accept that the car is not going to stay in immaculate condition unless I keep it locked up in the garage and covered forever, which really isn't an option!

You remove the touchup that you did by wiping with a little lacquer on a rag, you can buy a rust remover pen at Crappy tire for sanding inside the chip without damaging surrounding paint. It is just a little pen with glass fiber in the end for sanding works great. Then you redo your touchup.

Pat.

[markow202]

I have $8k on my 2013 sedan and found a stone chip already on the hood and a few tiny ones on the front skirt - the one on the hood was there for a few months and never rusted - I should really get a touch up pen however.... I wax the SHIT out of my cars. This I noticed helps with rust and even prevention of rust on paint chips immensely.

Think of waxing as dipping your finger in candle wax then letting it dry. Most Mazda 3's out there get washed by the rain from what I can tell...nevermind getting waxed.

[JaXSmurF]

I've noticed the same thing with me 13 GT. Terrible. I noticed a bunch at 10,000km. I used ACF50 to make sure it doesn't rust and I'm gonna take it to a buddy. That's probably the best anti corrosion stuff I've ever bought though. You can buy it at Brampton Powersports. Not too sure who else carries it.

[bestknightmare]

Vote for Dr. Colorchip. I used once 2 yrs ago and works great.
I'm actually looking to see if wants to buy together to split shipping and also save 10% if mult order IIRC.

I would be interested :)

[Reddie1337]

Shouldn't this crappy paint be covered by the warranty? I just got my CWP painted, and the guy who did it is going to have to do it again because i probably have 10 stone chips or so in the past week, and I'm going to tell him to spray about 800 coats of clear on top, should be an okay solution.

[boo-ninja]

Shouldn't this crappy paint be covered by the warranty? I just got my CWP painted, and the guy who did it is going to have to do it again because i probably have 10 stone chips or so in the past week, and I'm going to tell him to spray about 800 coats of clear on top, should be an okay solution.

How much was it to get painted?

[Reddie1337]

I paid a cheap price because it was a family member's place, but the clear layer just wasn't deep enough. He also had to do body work for me under the rear bumper.

[gh1977]

If you have a stone chip with rust, you could try rubbing it with an applicator and some (mild) polish. Often this will remove the rust - you can then dab it with a paint pen. Wait a coupl of days for it to cure, then apply polish and buff. Works like a charm.

[sube]

Mazda is not the only car-maker to have paint that is easily chipped. It is not the thickness of paint that is the problem, it is the water based paint that they are now using, it is not as flexible as the former solvent based paints, so therefore it is more easily chipped.

Pat.

[Slickkz]

I Just got my 2008 CWP GT back from Fix Auto in Streetsville last week after I damaged my front bumper in an accident. They did a very good job with repairing as well as repainting my hood, 2 fenders and my front bumper and grill.

Just yesterday morning i was traveling east on the 401 just passed the 410 and as i got into the construction zone, the truck that was in front of me sprayed a lot of sand and rocks from the rear hitting my hood and windshield, going 130km/h i had no doubts that i definitely just destroyed my new paint job with rock chips.
When i got to my destination i got out to check, not even 1 tiny chip is on the car.

Till now i still don't understand how immaculate it still looks.