Black Paint scratches REALLY easy :(

[turgi]

Hello..I recently purchased my Black 2009 Murano SL and love it aside from some minor issue's..one being the paint. I had my last Ford SUV for 10 years and only had a few scratches on it, but after only 2 months with the Murano I already have like 3 scratches showing the white paint below ..not good. I thought the Murano was supposed to have some "Magic" paint that supposedly heals itself...but does not seem that way to me. Anyone else having paint issue's? thanks

[KJSmitty]

I believe its a few Infinity models that have the "healing" paint for 2009.

Black is great yet extremely hard to take care of. I will agree however, paint is not as resilient as it once was. I truly believe this is due to the stringent paint requirements imposed today. What's safer for individual and planet definitely doesn't always correlate to "better" etc..

Are you sure the "white" you see is primer? It could just be the black/clear-coat given the scratch. Try a low/light rubbing compound and see if you can polish out the white. Don't try to remove the scratch - just polish the white to either clear and/or black. If you have never attempted to polish a car you might want to take it to a body shop or detail shop.

- Taking any compound/scratch remover to a black paint job will present a challenge. If not experienced you can easily make it look much worse.

Be careful - good luck

[Timmbo]

Hello..I recently purchased my Black 2009 Murano SL and love it aside from some minor issue's..one being the paint. I had my last Ford SUV for 10 years and only had a few scratches on it, but after only 2 months with the Murano I already have like 3 scratches showing the white paint below ..not good. I thought the Murano was supposed to have some "Magic" paint that supposedly heals itself...but does not seem that way to me. Anyone else having paint issue's? thanks

Welcome to NICOclub turgi! Glad to have you here in the Murano Forum!

Unfortunately black is one of the worst colors sometimes. It looks sweet when it is clean, but it shows every scratch, blemish, and speck of dirt. As KJ mentioned, the "self-healing" paint is offered on Infiniti models. You should make sure that what you are seeing isn't a streak of dried wax. I know when we had picked up our Tinted Bronze Murano it had what we though were deep scratches on it, then our dealer brought it back to the body shop and then rubbed out the hard, dried wax lines. Good luck with it and enjoy the new Murano, you will love it!

[TheDonOfPensacola]

The paint used is a softer product than what is sprayed in the US. My Murano is in perfect condition other than some medium scratches. The first thing I did was clay bar it and buffed it with a micro coupound for swirl marks (3M). I followed with polishing it with mothers paste and hand glazed it with Turtle wax ICE. It came out very nice because it doesn't leave a white residue and is plastic safe. The salesmen even noticed when I was getting my oil changed. Hand rubbing works just as great as a high speed buffer (just slower). I advise starting with a light compound first, and stay away from the heavy grit.

[Timmbo]

Good advice! Thank you!

[mrbizness1]

A black felt pen works wonders on most white scratches

[turgi]

Thank you to everyone for their advice. Maybe I will try some of the suggestions..or have a shop do it..lol.

I would like to point out that my last SUV a Ford Explorer, I had for over 10 years and it only had about 3 scratches on it...so I definitely think it has something to do with the quality of paint they use for the Murano

Thanks

[wilbur053]

I too own an 09 black Murano and know exactly what you're talking about,as do many others apparently. As someone else stated , it scratches if u breathe on it. Mine is covered with the scratches where the white primer or whatever shows thru, around bottom of lift gate is horrible. Everyday ther seems to be a new scratch, I posted about problem within 2 months of buyiying, its to the point now that I don't even care anymore,but recently spots on hood look like clear coat is peeling off. No point in complaining to Nissan, it won't be covered. "Murano" name in center of Floor mats started peeling off at twelve thousand miles, not covered, on a 35000 dollar car !. One thing for sure I'l never own another Nissan, only solace in this post is maybe someone will read it and change their mind about purchasing one. Badly, Badly disappointed

[wilbur053]

I forgot to mention the damage done to the front by love bugs, which are aproblem in this part of the country. It was impossible to remove them before the paint was damaged. I have nevber seen sorrier paint on a vehicle in my life. Manufacturer and dealer support non-existent.

[brainguyus]

Sorry to hear about your paint issues. I have a blue 09 Murano and noticed after delivery that the paint was very soft. I've done some searching and suspect that Nissan is using the new eco-friendly water based paint, which takes much, much longer to fully cure (measured in months). I can't find any hard evidence but the following is an excerpt from a 2006 Nissan environmental report.

"Reducing Substances with Environmental ImpactOur revamped Number One paint line* became fully operational in January 2006. By using water-based paint and other measures, we cut the generation of volatile organic compounds by 42%. Our efforts to reduce the load on the environment are ongoing."

From what I gather all auto manufacturers were to begin using water based paints by 2010. Nissan was one of the first.

I've had my Murano for 14 months now and I can say that the paint issues have diminished. It doesn't scratch as easily and it does appear that the paint has finally cured. Not much consolation since the front end already has a few nicks.

[schabj3]

Having the same problems. The scratches look very minor and you probably won't notice them if you are just passing by and looking at it, but up close you can definitely tell something isn't quite right.

[brainguyus]

Hmmmm...here's a scary article....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/mot....html

Boiling water eh?....I'm not going to try it.

Anyone have more insight on this?

[edit] I just called the dealer about this. The service manager says that he does not believe the US models come with the self healing paint (not sure though). To his knowledge it's only standard with the Infinity FX50. He did say that the soft paint issues are indeed due to the new water-based paints...so put those pot 'n' pans back in the cupboard, or make some eggs if the water's already boiling [/edit]
Modified by brainguyus at 3:45 PM 6/10/2009

[nafddur]

The service manager says that he does not believe the US models come with the self healing paint (not sure though).

There is no `maybe' about it. Self healing paint is pretty revolutionary by today's standards. Certainly it will be more common in the future, but I'm pretty sure no cars as cheap as Muranos (certainly not in the Nissan line up) offer this option yet.

[shaqatk]

Hello..I recently purchased my Black 2009 Murano SL and love it aside from some minor issue's..one being the paint. I had my last Ford SUV for 10 years and only had a few scratches on it, but after only 2 months with the Murano I already have like 3 scratches showing the white paint below ..not good. I thought the Murano was supposed to have some "Magic" paint that supposedly heals itself...but does not seem that way to me. Anyone else having paint issue's? thanks <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://images.nicoclub.com/forums/image ... lleyes.gif" BORDER="0"> <IMG NAME="icon" SRC="http://images.nicoclub.com/forums/image ... lleyes.gif" BORDER="0">

lol i got a same problem with the same color... it actually got scratched like few days after i got it...

[blastoff99]

Thanks for the info, brainguyus (and others).

My 350Z has dings all over it -- it seems like if there's even the smallest opportunity for a rock chip, it gets it. Other vehicles I've had haven't been nearly so prone to this. I had heard that Nissan paint is very prone to these sorts of problems, and your info confirms it.

[[email protected]]

The paint on my 85 Murano is the worst I ever had on over 30 cars. Nissan should be ashamed of themselves. My last Nissan product for sure.Joe

[Macsleuth]

I've got a white 05 Maxima, 160K on it. No problems with the paint at all.Sometimes I take great care of it, and sometimes i don't.Getting the 09 Murano end of the month. Ordered with the undercoating, paint Protection, Scotch Guard and 3M Hood mask.Glad this was brought up, if the paint is soft, maybe the clear coat protection stuff I'm getting will help.I will certainly keep a close eye it the paint.Sorry to hear about the issues that you are experiencing.

[WickedRedhead]

I am new to this forum. I found it because I was concerned about the number of scratches on my 2009 Murano SL. It isn't just the black paint. Mine is merlot color. I started noticing scratches in the paint almost immediately. My husband told me that it was from my rings and bracelets (?! wha??). I stopped wearing any hand jewelry and being extremely cautious with knocking my purse or jacket zippers against the doors. The rear bumper below the lift gate is a real headache for the scratches and now I am noticing a couple of spots where it appears the clear coat is failing. This is a garage kept vehicle and I am a stay at home mom. It has always been gently used but this scratch issue has me steamed. I am very very disappointed in this paint. I have never had such issues with paint. I have only had this car about 8 months! What is it going to look like after 5 years??