went_postal

Anyone else having a lot of problems with little nicks in the paint? Seems like I get more and more every day. I understand that driving cars this happens but has anyone found a good way to minimize this or help to repair it once it happens?

adrian-1

I've got a clear bra that works / looks great. (Cost was $550)
I've heard others are using the touchup paint. And also others just plan to repaint or replace the bumper after the nick and paint chips get really bad.

Gyro

I have about 5 small chips at about 6000 miles.

Can't keep it in a bubble.


If I worry about chips and do every thing I can to avoid them, like keeping alot of distance from vehicles....and trying to avoid the highway......I will most definately get a chip or nick. If I drive like a jerk...tailgate on a gravel road....cruise behind a dump truck full of sand........I get nothing.

I quit.

rev-2-9k

Every time a rock has hit my car the paint has chipped and showed metal. I do not think a BRA will help becasue I get them on the hood, roof or windshield just as easy as I get them on the nose. I am trying to keep up with touch up paint. One of the chips I messed up but the rest I got close to perfect. Low riding car is what casues this, Mazda paint could be better but ......

6speed8

I see alot of cars with chips on the front these days, and at first I thought, hmm, manufacturers must be getting cheap with the paint. I then realized the root cause of the chip problem isn't the paint, but the large volume of SUVs on the road. These vehicles have high ground clearance and no mudflaps, so everything is tossed up right and WHAM! into the bumper of the car behind them.

Booster MPS

I am a believer in the clear bra. I had one put on and I love it - my level of stress is greatly reduced when driving and it also looks great.

RXhusker

9 months and no chips -- not one single chip :D Thank you clear bra!

RXhusker

You can have anything clear bra'd -- I can't imagine how you are getting chips on the roof if it is the strip right above the windshield -- that would be a good place for a clear bra strip.

Booster MPS

As I am entranced by your avatar...........

Yes, you could in fact have a custom strip cut to cover the front of the roof if you think you will have a problem there. If it is done properly, nobody but you will ever know it is there. Still, you will most likely get strikes on the bumper and hood which is what I had covered (entire bumper and hood until just below the rotary indent) Also got the mirrors done.

flatso

for those that have chips already. Now is a good time to learn the art of chip painting and or take it to a paint shop. Some have had good luck with the product below:

Langka's

red_rx8_red_int

I have reasonably good luck with Langka. Actually I got the Mothers product which says "Powered by Langka technology" or something similar. It will not damage the factory paint and you can totally remove all touch up paint. My problem is too oftain I have removed all the touch up paint and am left with the original chip. I do have some chips that have turned out perfectly. I highly recommend this product and will continue to climb the learning curve as to not remove too much paint. To me even if it takes 3 fill and remove cycles to repair a single chip, it is still an improvement over 2000 grit sanding, rubbing compound, and buffing.

went_postal

Okay... so apparently whomever invents to tool to do shrink wrapping to a car in 20 seconds every morning is going to be a billionaire. Wouldn't that be cool... Before you drive out in the morning you press a button in the garage and it hermetically seals the car but in a way that you can still operate the doors and get air to the engine... Then after 12-18 hours the wrapping evaporates and you just have to re-wrap in the morning.

It's not that I stress about the paint chip thing... it is just annoying that it is almost impossible to keep your car in good shape these days. We spend all this time washing and waxing our cars and less time driving them.

Remember the good old days when it was fun to drive? Now you just get stuck behind mini-vans. ugh

flatso

I think one of the reasons is that paint chips so easily is that it is made more environmentally friendl.


I wish they could clearbra the windshield too.

CzechsMix

I think Mazda went cheap with the paint. The slightest nick will show metal. Where is the primer? Why is the paint so thin?

mikeb

I dont know but I agree^^

XcelR8

Quick reactions...avoid the oncoming stones like rain drops.

Chips are going to happen if you drive it. I think the next thing I buy for the car will be the clear bra. I have 6000 miles and a couple of chips on the front bumper.

As for the mazda being cheap on the paint, I'll bet they use the same process that the company I work for uses to paint Focus and Taurus bumpers. The paint is guaged for thinkness, coverage, color and clear coat. It is a baked on finish that will be more durable then most aftermarket jobs. The problem is as stated before, SUVs all over the place kicking up stones into a low vehicle with alot of paint on the front.

If anyone else own's or has owned a Ducati, that is soft paint!

Turbofastr

WEll Hello everyone. I am new.. but heres some helpful info. Most Paint Protection Film kits can be installed with parts already made to cover the area around and above the windshield, as well as behind the tires and the lower rocker panels. AS the door handle recesses,a nd more. Its pretty much endless. ANd yes, Mazda did go cheap on paint, and they did it on the '93 Rx7 too. My dad bought on in '92 (the first one at teh dealership) and it was chipping like the next day. Needless to say, about 2-3 years later after bitching to the dealer, Mazda sent out a rep, and paid to repaint the car (did so on a majority of 93-94 7's). and that solved the problem. I still dont kow why if people know about PPF, they dont get it... I'll be glad to hook anyone up for a deal just to stay busy.. the dealerships are not oo smart. I was installing 50 a month at a lexus dealer I used to work at, and they made $300 per car!. I usually charge $500 for the whole front kit. with lights....

Turbofastr

Oh and you can see my old car (It was passed down to me by my dad until it was sold) at the current owners site Iluvmyrx7.com thats odd.. you luv my rx-7..

crossev

what is a clear bra?

mikeb

check out the search function^^

Red8

in the clear bra...

Had a guy who worked for me had a clear bra on his Mustang...yes, it minimizes the dings, but in a year it looked like crap. You could definitely tell the difference of between where it started and ended....to the point of annoyance. Looked like freaking cling wrap.

Just my opinion though, so feel free and spend that $500+ to get it done. I'll keep mine nekkid and repaint with better paint in 4-5 years. (if really needed) Oh....and you will too, (due to fading, etc) even though you spent $500+ to keep the front from being dinged.

Have a 93' Ford Ranger) that still looks great... minor dings, but looks better than 90% of vehicles it's age! All thanks to proper maintenance and care...

c2k4-8

The paint is thin - I had a 2000 Vette and it didn't get near as many chips as the RX8. If the 8 gets hit - it shows primer, plain and simple.

Logan072

I have had my car 2 weeks and have two chips on the hood. I has told by a paint guy that the paint is dupont and chip svery easly