Strange paint anomaly

[BlkonBlk]

I just bought this car....I have had it for all of five months. It is not a daily driver, it stays garaged the majority of the time.

I detail it frequently because I like it to look its best. However, everytime I start to go over the car again, I encounter these little pin-tip spots where the paint has chipped away all the way through to the metal.

I don't drive the car that much.....5 months = 1700 miles. And if you were to ask me if I remember "hearing" a rock hit the vehicle, the answer 95% of the time would be "no." Occasionally I'll hear the clip of a pebble pop off the front or even skip off the hood.....we're talking small.....real small.

Small enough that it shouldn't go all the way through the paint to the frame......

Has anyone ever encountered anything like this? It is almost as if the paint is "flaking" off the car.

I'm really confused .

It's almost gotten to the point that I don't want to drive it at all.....and that isn't why I bought it.

Any input would be appreciated. I hope I posted this in the correct forum.

[Jngrbrdman]

Hmmmm.... That's really odd. Have you taken it back to the dealership to ask them about that? I talked to someone once who told me about his brand new car that got a rock chip that took out 4 inches of paint off his hood. He got it repainted under waranty. Maybe its something similar in your case. I'd take it to the dealer and see what they say about it. Maybe they've seen it before and can offer a suggestion.

[atldave]

Ask anyone with an IS300, we feel your pain. My hood is covered with these.

From what I understand, manufacturers are using "softer" paint without lead that doesn't bond as well because of environmental restrictions. It doesn't take much more than a little piece of dirt or a pebble that you will barely hear (at least not over that sweet sound of your Z) to chip the paint.

I'm sure someone else can explain this better, but I do have the same problem.

Have you considered getting xpel? That should prevent most of these and you really can't even see it unless you are looking closely. It does tend to stand out on white cars though.

[BlkonBlk]

I am considering this (taking it back to the dealer to have it repainted). But what I have always been told is that the paint will never look the same again. That it will never look as good repainted as it did from the factory.

So, yes, I have called the dealer and they have asked me to bring it in, but I am trying to get some ammunition under my belt before I walk in. There are a number of threads on the 350Z message boards that seem to indicate others have this problem (not widespread, but they are out there).

I just thought someone on this forum might come back and say, "Sounds like a bad case of......(fill in the blank)"

[BlkonBlk]

So I called around town and found a reputable body shop that had a mill gauge and took the car over to have the paint thickness tested. The paint specialist there said that the paint thickness wasn't the problem. He said it looked like the paint had been catalyzed too quickly and caused the paint to be brittle. That's why the slightest tap causes the paint to flake off down to the primer. I have opened a ticket with the dealer concerning the issue, but I am not optimistic about the outcome. I'll keep you posted.

[CharlesW]

In the mid 90's, I had a clearcoat problem with a Black Turbo Talon. It had a couple of places that looked like it might have been delaminating. The car was only about 15 months old. and like BlkonBlk, I really didn't want the car repainted. I suggested to my dealer that he contact Chrysler about giving me credit for the cost of repainting to be applied to a new vehicle. Chrysler did just that. Maybe it would be worth your while to discuss some type of trade rather than having them paint your new car. They took my '95 with 20,000 miles and ordered me the identical car only a '96 and it cost me a little less than $2000. Seemed quite fair to me.

Charles