[svnisus]

The liquid copper QX30 I purchased new the end of June 2018 has already had two paint dings, down to the primer, touched up and now there is another one on the hood. I understand cars get door dings, rocks can come up and chip the paint, etc.etc., but in all three cases nothing out of the ordinary occurred, especially the one ding that showed up on the driver's side kick plate.

The dealership graciously paid for the first two repairs since the salesman lied and said the extra charge Zurich Shield covered paint dings and chips. But they didn't offer and I didn't ask to have the one I just found taken care of...I just went ahead and spent $27 and ordered the paint touch-up kit.

I am concerned it's because of the color and application of the paint. After the whole crushed rear harness problem Infiniti sent me a survey with one entire section devoted to nothing but the paint. I responded that I thought the paint was either defective or the application itself was faulty. Didn't get a response back.

Today I discussed my concerns with the sales manager and he told me some long complicated story about how the new cars really aren't painted, it's more like paint "dust" and something about negative and positive charges.

Can anyone lend any additional insight on if I should be concerned about the quality of the paint or if this is just the way it is?

 

[p07r0457]

The dealership graciously paid for the first two repairs since the salesman lied and said the extra charge Zurich Shield covered paint dings and chips. But they didn't offer and I didn't ask to have the one I just found taken care of...I just went ahead and spent $27 and ordered the paint touch-up kit.

Those add-on products (Zurich Shield) are scams. Next time, don't waste the money.


Also, don't waste money on the parts-department touch-up kits. They're extremely expensive for the small amount of paint you get. Instead, find a local automotive paint supply store. Most towns have one. I like PPG, but there are other brands. You can give them the paint code for your vehicle and they'll mix you up a small batch of touch up paint. Their smallest batch will be less expensive than the dealer and you'll get 10x as much.

Today I discussed my concerns with the sales manager and he told me some long complicated story about how the new cars really aren't painted, it's more like paint "dust" and something about negative and positive charges.

The process that the sales manager describes sounds more like powder coating. It's common for some parts that need a durable coating -- but it is not a process you'd use on the body of the vehicle.


Professional paint booths use paint that is thinned out and sprayed through HVLP spray guns. The booths are pressurized to keep dirt/debris out, and to push excess spray down through the ventilation system (usually through a grate-style floor). This helps keep the booth from becoming cloudy.

Can anyone lend any additional insight on if I should be concerned about the quality of the paint or if this is just the way it is?

I find the Infiniti paint to be about average, for the industry. It's not as weak as Honda paint, but nor is it anything special. I will say that paint applications are thinner than they used to be. They also switched to a water-based composition, a couple decades ago. If you're just seeing a few rock chips then I'd say "it's the way it is".


If you want to see a glimpse of a new car being painted, this is an interesting video:



https://youtu.be/_5wE1x57bDA?t=1170

 

[__XIS__]

@svnisus
too bad they are not still using the self-healing clear coat they used on the EX35 (and possibly other models)
That actually works better than I would have ever thought. (My 2017 has a good handful of tiny little chips) It is fast approaching the same quantity as my 2008 Infiniti has.

 

[svnisus]

Thanks to all who responded.

I do have a bit of a follow-up. A friend owns a couple name brand auto paint shops and I took the Q to him for his opinion. Using one of those handheld devices that determines the paint thickness he said the thickness is pretty good. 3-4 (about the thickness of 3-4 sheets of paper) is average for mid-range cars and the Q is at least a 5. I say at least because here's the odd thing: the car is not uniformly painted. He got a reading of 21 on the roof, 16 on the upper doors, 8 on the rear fender, 6 on the front fender and 5 on the hood. Sounds like they paint the car parts separately and then put install them.

Wish the 21 was on the doors, fenders and hood. I just picked up the touch-up kit and going to see how that does this weekend. Looked closely at the job the dealership paint guy did and it's not very good. He also said there really isn't anything out there that can be applied over the paint to keep these chips and dings from occurring.

 

[p07r0457]

If you're getting rock chips on the front then a tint shop can install clear vinyl protection. It's not cheap, but it works.


If you're talking about door dings or things like that, then I'd say the best you can do is park in the back of parking lots and try to distance yourself from people in a hurry.

 

[svnisus]

If you're getting rock chips on the front then a tint shop can install clear vinyl protection. It's not cheap, but it works.


If you're talking about door dings or things like that, then I'd say the best you can do is park in the back of parking lots and try to distance yourself from people in a hurry.

Thanks! I'll check out the clear vinyl coat. Since this is first brand new car I've had in many many years I already park as far away as possible. That's why I get so upset over these darn chips!