I'm an NSX enthusiast and owner 91 Black/Black so bear with me here because it's regarding another car. I need your amazing NSX brotherhood's help - but this is regarding my garage queen 1995 Mazda RX7 Silver. It's a garaged vehicle with only 14,000 original miles on it. It sits in the garage except for an occassional drive. Today, I went to the local self-serve car wash and put the power sprayer on LOW. I simply wanted to spray the dust off my car. The bottom 6 inches of the car has a "stongard" protectant. Mine has a slightly yellow tint. Anyway, I was spraying the front of the REAR FENDER that faces the back of the tire on the passenger side - and in a 2 second time period as I put the sprayer "somewhat" close to the area - PAINT FLEW OFF!!!!!! Folks, we're talking about a car that doesn't even have a swirl mark in the clear coat from washing. I am devestated. I saw the local paint guru Gene Perez in Tampa who condescendly informed me he only works on Mercedes, Porsches, Ferraris blah, blah. I went to his recommend "local guy" whose shop is dirtier and messier than anything I ever saw. Went to Ferman Mazda dealer here in Tampa who said the ClearCoat has yellowed and can't really match it on a repaint. Another Mazda dealer said they think they can do it - but the shop and personnel seemed unprofessional and couldn't really explain the process they'll use to repair the area - just floated prices. Here's what they had said regarding the car. They said that this "extra" coating was applied by Mazda RIGHT ON TOP OF the clearcoat (because you can see underneath the stongard a perfect clearcoat finish). This is not (by the way) a dealer applied process after the fact, this is a manufacturing process. The adhesion of the stonegard, they said, is poor and the process is incorrect. (Stonegard paint can stick to clearcoat - no grip). They want to wetsand the area and remove the stonegard protection, then reapply the "texture" (the stonegard has a rough orange peel texture), paint it, then "TINT" the clearcoat layer to Match the "aged" silver which has a distinct yellow tint. First of all, my question is - is there a color code for this "stonegard" because this car never sees sunlight - so I know it's not fade (unless age alone can fade or yellow)? Also, is this the proper process to fix this. Why scrape away texture? Isnt' there a chemical that can remove the paint so retexturing and MATCHING won't be an issue. How do I find more information about the solving or cause of this problem? I'm in Tampa, FL. This stonegard is suppose to protect from flaking - so why is IT flaking? With only 14K miles, isn't this a manufacturers defect that should be addressed. Please shed ANY light on this. I'm very depressed. The paint chip is about 5 inches long by 1 inch wide. It's only in the stonegard area. THANKS SO MUCH!!!
Paint Flew Off My Car At Car Wash
- Thread starter SUPO
- Start date
Can you show us a picture.
I can't. I don't have a digital camera. It basically looks like (visually), the country of Italy (except fatter). It's 5 inches vertically by 1" wide. The stonegard has a slight yellow tint and underneath it looks like fresh clean brand new silver clear coat paint.
- Joined
- 7 January 2003
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- 114
RX-7 Paint...
Hi.. I had a 94 RX7 till 1999, and loved it. Unfortunately, one of the common problems, especially with the 93's, was with the paint bubbling and peeling. As I recall, they factory had issued an advisory to the dealers regarding this, and some owners were able to have their cars repainted at no charge. I would contact the dealer and ask them to see all of the factory advisories. They may give you some flack given that it is 8 yrs old, but considering the low miles and limited use, I would give it a try.
Look at it this way..... at least your engine didn't catch on fire and burn down your house as happened with several other 93-95 RX-7 owners. That is one of the reasons that I purchased my NSX.
Hi.. I had a 94 RX7 till 1999, and loved it. Unfortunately, one of the common problems, especially with the 93's, was with the paint bubbling and peeling. As I recall, they factory had issued an advisory to the dealers regarding this, and some owners were able to have their cars repainted at no charge. I would contact the dealer and ask them to see all of the factory advisories. They may give you some flack given that it is 8 yrs old, but considering the low miles and limited use, I would give it a try.
Look at it this way..... at least your engine didn't catch on fire and burn down your house as happened with several other 93-95 RX-7 owners. That is one of the reasons that I purchased my NSX.
Age alone can yellow paint, especially clear paints.
I good lesson here is to NEVER use a pressure washer of any kind on painted finishes like your car! We've heard enough unfortunate stories like this on this forum. Don't do it!!!
Regarding fixing your car I think it's more important to see samples of their work rather than have this board approve their process. If they are reputable they will do whatever is needed to match the color/texture etc.
I good lesson here is to NEVER use a pressure washer of any kind on painted finishes like your car! We've heard enough unfortunate stories like this on this forum. Don't do it!!!
Regarding fixing your car I think it's more important to see samples of their work rather than have this board approve their process. If they are reputable they will do whatever is needed to match the color/texture etc.
Very sorry to hear about your Mazda..... unfortunately it's becoming all to common hearing about paint flaking off in these self serve car washes. 100% chance I would never use one of these again on any of my cars.
I am by no means a body and fender expert but i've never heard of a spray-on coating being healthy for your paint, i'm referring to the "stongard". If it were me I would have all of it removed (after consulting the experts first to see if it can be safely removed.) If you really want protection from rock chips go with the 3M protectant film that is applied without adhesive.
As far as finding a reputable body shop, just keep searching. If you feel uncomfortable after talking to them, move on to the next. A messy shop does not exactly mean they do bad work though.
good luck
I am by no means a body and fender expert but i've never heard of a spray-on coating being healthy for your paint, i'm referring to the "stongard". If it were me I would have all of it removed (after consulting the experts first to see if it can be safely removed.) If you really want protection from rock chips go with the 3M protectant film that is applied without adhesive.
As far as finding a reputable body shop, just keep searching. If you feel uncomfortable after talking to them, move on to the next. A messy shop does not exactly mean they do bad work though.
good luck
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