Have 2005 6M with rust developing, below the rotors close to the hub, on all four wheels. No snow or salt here in Alabama. Area below the rotor appears to be galvanized or just painted to look that way. Anyone else with this problem?

 

Common problem. You may be able to convince your dealer to re-paint them under warranty. I did as did many others members here. Here's
the most comprehensive thread on the subject. As search for "rotor rust" will reveal more threads on the subject. If they refuse to paint them you can paint them yourself for very little money. There's even a DIY with pictures in the Do It Yourself section.

 

I tried to convince mine to paint them today while it was in for maintenance but they said, nope, we can't do that.

 

Some dealers will and some won't. I guess it depends on how customer-friendly they are. If you get a survey form from Mazda for your service appointments, you should indicate that this dealer is not customer-friendly and cite the reasons why.

In the meantime, get a G2 brake caliper paint kit and do the job yourself. And while you're at it, paint the calipers as well. Very satisfying project (see pics).

 

the 2006s are coming all painted and the calipers painted as well.

 

Very nice pictures. Now, is there a special procedure for removing the rust and cleaning the area first? Can it all be done with the G2 kit? because I have it, just waiting for a warm day.

 

GO48...how long has it been since you painted the calipers? I'm curious how long it will last before the rust come back. I'm also interested in how you removed the rust before applying the paint.

 

You will need some sand paper and a wire brush in addition to the components in the G2 kit. By far the most important part of the job is preparation. Sand/wire brush the rusted part of the hub to get off all the rust. That's a must to ensure it doesn't return. Then clean the area with a solvent. You can use the brake cleaner that comes with the kit, but a paint prep solvent would be best. If you have a fairly steady hand you will not need mask off the brake pad area of the rotor since this is a brush-on process.

For the calipers, as with the hubs, ya gotta get them clean. Any grease or dirt left on the calipers will prevent the paint from adhering to the metal. Use the brake cleaner and a wire brush to clean them. It is best, IMO, to remove the caliper bolts and rotate them up and away from the rotor for painting. You can suspend them with wire temporarily so that they don't hang by the brake lines. Removal of the pads will make the painting job easier but not absolutely necessary. Mask or cover anything that doesn't get painted.

Follow the instructions for mixing the paint components and go by the wait times for the mixture and the time between coats. If you prep everything to be painted ahead of time you may be able to get by with one G2 kit. I used 2 kits because I didn't want to rush the job and I wanted more coats than one kit would cover. The key here is the required quantity of paint for both hubs and calipers, and the fact that the paint mixture must be used within a relatively short period of time.

To do this job right, plan on a full day. It can be done in much less time if you're not obsessive like me.

 

See my last post for more information on preparation.

I painted the hubs and calipers in early '05. I've only driven the car something like 8K miles since then and the car is not allowed to stay dirty and I don't drive it in Winter weather conditions so my experience will not necessarily translate to other's driving conditions. Although I did get caught in snow squalls returning from Rotary Rev in Indianapolis to my home in south-central PA in April. IMO, the hubs will not rust again for years if they were prepped correctly and covered with at least 2 coats of the G2 paint.

BTW, those pics were taken in Oct '05 and they look exactly the same today, although I haven't driven the car much since then.

 

For prepping the area on the hubs, what solvent did you use? I'm assuming you used silver paint from g2 or something to paint the hubs? Also, is there a way you can buy JUST the paint serperatly from G2? Like I need to buy 2 things of silver paint but I don't really want to buy the whole kit again.

 

Excellent...thank you for the detailed write-up.

 

I don't think that part actually rusted, mine looks rusted but i can pretty clean it with soap and water.

 

Yes, I used G2 silver on the hubs and the calipers. I think I used the brake cleaner that came with the kit or perhaps some varsol--don't remember exactly. The key, of course, is to get all the oily/silicone stuff off the area to be painted. If I were to do it again, I would probably get some pre-paint chemical from a auto body supply store.

As far as I know, the paint is not available separately. That's a bummer, but you will eventually find a use for the extra brake cleaner spray.

 

Glad to help.

 

It's rust. The deposit of rust dust on the painted part of the hub will wash off but there is an underlying rust condition that generates the rust dust and it will get worse. Just look at 2+-year-old Mazdas and you will see some really bad rust in that area.

 

At last Mazda is doing something about this! I thought they might get with it for the 2005's after many members here, and probably others, raised the issue, but it took longer. It's a shame that owners of 04's and 05's have to put up with it.

 

Greetings:

My wife just bought 2005 RX-8 that we both love. The rust stains mentioned throught this thread have started appearing on some of the rotor hubs. Your suggestions of the G2 Caliper Paint Kit and the pictures you included were very helpful. The best price I found was from Newlevel Motorsports. I ordered two kits that would cover both the calipers and the hubs for all four wheels.

Thanks Ron

 

Clean the parts completely before painting. Also, check out the DIY on painting calipers if you have not done so already.