Infiniti paint SUCKS.

[ACoupe]

So I've had my 07 G35 Coupe since last June.I wash it every week and wax it once a month. I baby this car.I did the first detailing of the year on the weekend, 7 hours in total of washing, claying (AWESOME stuff that clay) and waxing, interior work, rims, tires, everything.

When I was working on the front fascia I noticed an incredible amount of nicks, right down to black, and not only there, but 3 on the hood.I was furious. This should not be happening to a car this well taken-care of and being so new.I know this is an often ranted subject, but now that it's happening to me, I have to vent.I had the 3M bra installed, I never tailgate when I drive and I rarely use the highway (no need in general). I avoid crappy roads too.

One of the local dealers is in my flying club so I'm going to discuss it with him and basically ask that they replace the front fascia. This shouldn't happen.

Sorry for a familiar rant, but I'm slightly OCD and seeing that nicking on the front is driving me INSANE. Yes it's just a car, but I'm paying a lot of money for it and it should hold up MUCH better than it is.

[rn79870]

Your complaint isn't unique. Everyone seems to think that the Infiniti paint isn't that durable.

I try to avoid driving behind anything with larger wheels, like lifted trucks, or 18 wheelers. Those tires throw a lot of crap up.

I've also heard that people who have had the front of their cars repainted have found it much stronger.

/knocks on wood/I don't know if the 08's have different paint, but in 7 months, I've yet to pick up a chip. Maybe they have done something to harden the paint. /knocks on wood again/

[joe603]

My advice is to have your front bumper repainted by a reputable shop. There is known problems with the OEM paint on the bumper. The only other thing you could have done was to use a clear bra.

[Foresite]

I was thinking of having the front repainted and then getting clear bra. I have only had my G for 5 months but the paint chips in the front are terrible. It is black so it shows up really badly with white spots all over.

Is there anything in particular that I should know or watch out for. Like who to take it to to paint it? I am in South Florida so any local recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

[heliochrome85]

i agree. my car has its fair share of nicks and chips. it sucks. trust me though, infiniti paint is better than lexus paint.

[zozoka1212]

Infiniti paint does suck.

hopefully they will put the selfhealing paint on all of the Infiniti manufactured from this year.

Z

[smockers83]

I did my first detail job of the year on Saturday and as I was washing I noticed all the new pits since the last time I washed it (it was stored Dec-Apr). Its depressing, it really is. I started to think, what's the point of waxing and all of this work? I didn't even want to start counting the chips in the paint because it has almost infinitely more than my 98 Explorer with 175,000+ miles. For me though, most of them are on the leading edge of the hood, I only have 1 or 2 in the bumper. However, I have 2 on the passenger door, 1 on the driver's door, and I also have one on the trunk lid...don't ask, I have no idea. They all stand out very nicely, white chips against red.

It's the worst paint I have ever seen and the paint is one of the most important things of the exterior in that it protects from corrosion, which will cause a car to become scrapped faster than the engine dying would. If I had the means to, I would take it in right now and have the whole car repainted in either the same color or the dark navy blue from I think MY 04.



Edit--I also noticed the paint cracking in a small area on the hood, like in little squares. What the h is that from?

[ACoupe]

That's what sucks Joe, is that I had a clear bra installed from day one, and it doesn't seemed to have mattered.Ugh.I will talk to my dealer first, then get a few quotes on a repaint.I can't believe that in this day and age they can't come up with an eco friendly solution to paint chips.

[joe603]

Whoa....that's a first. I always thought that the clear bra was the only way to stop chips...

I had my front bumper repainted when I had a scratch fixed on my door...so far no chips. (since November)

[ACoupe]

If there's a track record for problems with the bumper paint, hopefully I can convince them to replace it out right as they are doing with the chipped grill...which is another issue.My grill has been peeling! They said they'll replace it without any fuss as it's a known problem.

[C-Kwik]

Can't do much about the paint. As we move towards more and more environmentally friendly paints, this is just going to become a common issue. Oil based paints of old were quite hard and much more resistant to chipping. The softer water based paints will continue to be a problem until someone figures out how to make it harder without any further environmental impact.

As for the clear bra, it is merely a measure to help with this problem, but is not impervious to damage. Any object with enough mass and perhaps with a sharp enough edge relative to its impact force can pierce the clear bra and damage the paint beneath it. I've had a handful of different object fly up and hit various cars I've owned. 2 of them causing significant damage that no clear bra would have been able to do anything about. Short of leaving hte car parked in the garage all the time, there really isn't much you can do to prevent this with any absolute certainty.

[smockers83]

What's the environmental problem with oil-based paints that caused the switch?

[oraleway10]

I bought some touch up paint from Nissan...

it works pretty good...it works really well underneath the bumper where my car tends to get scratched from being so low...

[WhiteyClay]

So I've had my 07 G35 Coupe since last June.I wash it every week and wax it once a month. I baby this car.I did the first detailing of the year on the weekend, 7 hours in total of washing, claying (AWESOME stuff that clay) and waxing, interior work, rims, tires, everything.

When I was working on the front fascia I noticed an incredible amount of nicks, right down to black, and not only there, but 3 on the hood.I was furious. This should not be happening to a car this well taken-care of and being so new.I know this is an often ranted subject, but now that it's happening to me, I have to vent.I had the 3M bra installed, I never tailgate when I drive and I rarely use the highway (no need in general). I avoid crappy roads too.

One of the local dealers is in my flying club so I'm going to discuss it with him and basically ask that they replace the front fascia. This shouldn't happen.

Sorry for a familiar rant, but I'm slightly OCD and seeing that nicking on the front is driving me INSANE. Yes it's just a car, but I'm paying a lot of money for it and it should hold up MUCH better than it is.

No paint is good... You will always have this....My brothers bodyshop painted my front 3 times and still same ****...we even used rubber paint that wont crack when you dent...( I think its bull**** 2)

[ACoupe]

Well then my only course of action is to hire a kid to be strapped to the front with a tennis racket to deflect any on-coming debris!

[uncbeers]

Well then my only course of action is to hire a kid to be strapped to the front with a tennis racket to deflect any on-coming debris!

I need to pay for my G still so what's your rate?

PS - You'll have to supply my goggles.

[C-Kwik]

What's the environmental problem with oil-based paints that caused the switch?

Not sure of the specific chemicals, but the target of the legislation that significantly changed the paint compounds were VOCs (volatile organic compounds).

"The two basic types of paint are oil-based and latex, which is water-based. In the past, oil-based paints were used for most exterior surfaces as well as woodwork, trim[6] plus bathrooms and other rooms where moisture was an issue.[7] That is not the case anymore, as concern over VOC emissions has lead to national and state regulations that increasingly restrict the amount of VOCs in paint so that over 85 percent of paint is water-based.[8] Latex paint is now the top choice in most situations.[6] Oil-based paints are also more difficult to apply, take longer to dry and are harder to clean up and dispose of than latex paints.[9]

According to a 2002 US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) study, oil-based paint produces far more VOCs than latex paint, with 32-42 percent VOC content in oil-based paints vs. 2 to 5 percent VOC content in latex paints.[10] Even so, emissions from latex paint is a major source of indoor air pollution.[11] The EPA states that 9 percent of the airborne pollutants causing ground level ozone come from the VOCs in paint.[12] Some manufacturers produce low or zero-VOC latex paint. One ton of VOCs will be eliminated for every 1,000 gallons of low-VOC paint used.[13"

Source: http://www.greenyour.com/home/...=1073

Looks like wikipedia has some explanation of the actual chemicals, but I'm not sure if it applies directly to automotive paints. I would suspect at least some of it might:

"Unlike water-based paints, oils do not dry by evaporation. The drying of oils is the result of an oxidative reaction, chemically equivalent to slow, flameless combustion. In this process, a form of autoxidation, oxygen attacks the hydrocarbon chain, touching off a series of addition reactions. As a result, the oil polymerizes, forming long, chain-like molecules. Following the autoxidation stage, the oil polymers cross-link: bonds form between neighboring molecules, resulting in a vast polymer network. Over time, this network may undergo further change. Certain functional groups in the networks become ionized, and the network transitions from a system held together by nonpolar covalent bonds to one governed by the ionic forces between these functional groups and the metal ions present in the pigment.

Vegetable oils consist of glycerol esters of fatty acids, long hydrocarbon chains with a terminal carboxyl group. In oil autoxidation, oxygen attacks a hydrocarbon chain, often at the site of an allylic hydrogen (a hydrogen on a carbon atom adjacent to a double bond). This produces a free radical, a substance with an unpaired electron which makes it highly reactive. A series of addition reactions ensues. Each step produces additional free radicals, which then engage in further polymerization. The process finally terminates when free radicals collide, combining their unpaired electrons to form a new bond. The polymerization stage occurs over a period of days to weeks, and renders the film dry to the touch. However, chemical changes in the paint film continue.

As time passes, the polymer chains begin to cross-link. Adjacent molecules form covalent bonds, forming a molecular network that extends throughout the painting. In this network, known as the stationary phase, molecules are no longer free to slide past each other, or to move apart. The result is a stable film which, while somewhat elastic, does not flow or deform under the pull of gravity.

During the drying process, a number of compounds are produced that do not contribute to the polymer network. These include unstable hydroperoxides (ROOH), the major by-product of the reaction of oxygen with unsaturated fatty acids. The hydroperoxides quickly decompose, forming carbon dioxide and water, as well as a variety of aldehydes, acids, and hydrocarbons. Many of these compounds are volatile, and in an unpigmented oil, they would be quickly lost to the environment. However, in paints, such volatiles may react with lead, zinc, copper or iron compounds in the pigment, and remain in the paint film as coordination complexes or salts. A large number of free fatty acids are also produced during autoxidation, as most of the original ester bonds in the triglycerides undergo hydrolysis. Some portion of the free fatty acids react with metals in the pigment, producing metal carboxylates. Together, the various non-cross-linking substances associated with the polymer network constitute the mobile phases. Unlike the molecules that are part of the network itself, they are capable of moving and diffusing within the film, and can be removed using heat or a solvent. The mobile phase may play a role in plasticizing the paint film, preventing it from becoming too brittle.

One simple technique for monitoring the early stages of the drying process is to measure weight change in an oil film over time. Initially, the film becomes heavier, as it absorbs large amounts of oxygen. Then oxygen uptake ceases, and the weight of the film declines as volatile compounds are lost to the environment.

As the paint film ages, a further transition occurs. Carboxyl groups in the polymers of the stationary phase lose a hydrogen ion, becoming negatively charged, and form complexes with metal cations present in the pigment. The original network, with its nonpolar, covalent bonds is replaced by an ionomeric structure, held together by ionic interactions. At present, the structure of these ionomeric networks is not well understood."Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_paint

[smockers83]

C-Kwik, that's some interesting stuff. I have to ask though, what's the difference between oil-based paints drying and an animal or plant with fatty acids and oils dying on the ground? Seems to me all we're doing is just delaying that process by using the oils.

I guess I'm not going to an art gallery anymore...maybe that's why artists are stereotypically so weird???

[C-Kwik]

C-Kwik, that's some interesting stuff. I have to ask though, what's the difference between oil-based paints drying and an animal or plant with fatty acids and oils dying on the ground? Seems to me all we're doing is just delaying that process by using the oils.

To be honest, I don't know. But I would think part of it could be the levels of VOC's. Another could be that one is a natural process that can't exactly be controlled and the other has some alternatives available.