Paint damage

[302@12psi]

No idea how in the world this happened. I had it parked in a tree for about 2 days...maybe a branch or something fell on it.

None the less most of the scratches are on the surface. There are about 5-6 "nicks" in the paint that are through the paint. The fender has a nick on it as well. All the major scratches are on the hood.

How do I go about getting this fixed. I'm sure the bodyshop isnt going to have a clue about the "scratch guard" clear coat on it. While it's not "needed" I'd like it to be applied back onto any repairs the car may have.

[AWGD8]

That looks like a tree branch fell on it with a squirrel hang with it...Sorry to here that man.Can`t you just wait for it to heal? Is it to deep?Don`t touch it up. From that pic, there is a 95% chance that it can be buffed out by some professional detailer or body shop... No harm on shopping around and get an estimate...

[302@12psi]

There are some nicks that are down to the white primer on the hood.

I suppose if someone would get it to 99% right menus one or two nicks I'd be happy. I think some of the scratches are to deep for it to "heal".

It hasnt been parked under the tree for over a week..so it's had 7 days to "heal" and it hasnt made much progress.

[dividedhighw]

Yikes - my condolences, "302"!!

I think the paint "healing" requires higher temperatures than I would expect you're getting in Maryland right now. Also, the duration for a noticeable improvement is more like several weeks.

Cheers,David

[302@12psi]

Okay.

None the less...I feel that several of those scratches are beyond the self correcting paint. I could be surprisingly mistaken through.

I emailed Infiniti about the scratch guard clear coat and how I'd go about doing a repair and putting that back onto the car. No response yet.

I'm almost willing to give it a few days to see if it fixes any of the scratches itself.....how think many of them are two deep for it to fix through.

[Punjab]

i had a couple dog scratches and it took over 2 weeks to heal in the summer heat. i would say let it do its thing before you get over zealous and have it buffed or painted.

looks like their is not any actual denting from the incident.

[302@12psi]

There are no dents....I'll give a bit I suppose....if this thing fixes a few of these deep scratches I'll be buying Infiniti's until I cant drive anymore.

I am HIGHLY doubtful it'll fix the actual nicks that are down to the white primer of the paint. We'll see.

[bttek]

The "Scratch Shield" is basically a flexible type clear coat finish that can over time with heat fill in fine scratches. Anything that penetrates the clear coat will not heal itself.

From the pictures you posted it does look like some of the scratches can be wet-sanded out by a competent body shop but the deep nicks will probably have to be left as is or have the hood re-finished.

Most of the major paint suppliers already have the scratch shield type clear coat branded under their respective brand names. I know that Dupont, PPG and Sherwin Williams has their own versions which are Infiniti approved.

If it was me I would have it wet-sanded and polished and call it a day...

There are no dents....I'll give a bit I suppose....if this thing fixes a few of these deep scratches I'll be buying Infiniti's until I cant drive anymore.

I am HIGHLY doubtful it'll fix the actual nicks that are down to the white primer of the paint. We'll see.

[302@12psi]

Thanks a lot. I have an email into Infiniti which I'm still waiting to hear back from.

I'm going to go to a few shops and see what they say in person. The "nicks" arent overly bad and do not look much worst then the rock chips one would get on the highway.

Thanks.

[302@12psi]

Shop said they can try to wet sand / buff but some of the marks wont come out.

They suggested to fix it right to take off the hood and fender (which means taking off the headlights/front bumper) and completely repainting both fender and hood.

Qouted at just under 800 bucks with a 500 dollar deductable....so it looks like this will be a cash deal.

My two issuses that I need addressed other then getting another qoute...

A) Still no way to secure Nissan's/Infinit's Scratch Guard Clear Coat...shop said they use a high quality stretch resistant clear coat found on most Merz. Benz.

B) I do not want this showing up on Carfax. I think explaining this minor scratch to someone down the road when I go to sell the car is going to be a PAIN.

I think I might wait a month until weather breaks and get it done.

Less learn...do not park under a tree...buy a car bubble.

[hoozswup]

Really sorry to hear that, my first car was a Honda Accord and after owning it for 2 months, a neighbor's daughter keyed 7 cars and mine was one of them. So I know how you feel. In my case, every part except for the hood was keyed. At that point, I decided to fix the most damaged and didn't repaint the whole car.

From my experience, what I can say is if you decide to keep the EX for a few years, if the scratch (after self-healing/buffing) is still an eye sore to you, I will suggest get it repainted. That way, you don't have to live with the scratch and I think you'll be happy with the car again once it's repainted.

[EX35Kaze]

[Edited by Moderator:]

For more info on Infiniti's recommendations for Scratch Shield paint, refer to TSB ITB07-047a.

To obtain the full EX Factory Service Manual completely Free of Charge (unlike competing forums), refer to this "STUCK" thread:zer...anual

[End of edit.]

Another bit of info that I found on the Scratch Shield paint:http://lms.nnanet.com/VAPublis...y.pdf

It would be nice if Infiniti would clearly describe what to use and how the buff the car.

Apparently, Infiniti is offering the Scratch Shield paint on the G35 in other countries. Follow this link to read/watch a detailer's adventure in buffing what they refer to as "sticky clear coat":http://www.detailingbliss.com/....html

Based on my own experience, I have found the clear coat to be very soft. It is very susceptible to swirls induce by washing and drying. Even the softest of clay bars will mar the paint. Bird droppings will quickly etch the paint.

But, the good news is that the clear coat will heal itself. I'm just waiting on a good hot day to see if the etchings left by some bird droppings will disappear. If not, I may have to result to taking the car to the body shop that the Infiniti dealer ship operates to have them buffed out. Hopefully, they will know the correct way to buff the paint...

Please keep us updated on what happens with your EX. It's unfortunate that it is so hard to find good info/experience on working with this type of clear coat.

[302@12psi]

EK35Kaze: Thankyou.

Your post has really helped me. I searched for about a hour and could not find any of the information you had posted. Awesome post and IMHO should be a stickey on the forum for future reference.

I got a copy of the TSB about the repairs. The shop I went to uses Glussist (sp) so it's on the approved list. I hate to be "one of those" but I'll be printing it off and showing it to them to make sure they use the right systems for the repair.

That TSB site is also priceless....thanks again.

[23GTR]

My silver EX has developped those straight line scratches, some 6-8 inch long very early after I bought it last September. I was shocked but quickly realized this was an effect of the self-sealing paint. I use McGuire #1 cleaner and they ALL disappear after a bit of elbow grease. I have another 09 Nissan product with the same paint, but it is black and has not shown any of these straight line scratches.

[302@12psi]

So you took his link down, provided two threads without any information...and refered people to the Factory Service Manual which is hard to read and does not contain the same info as the TSB.

Your TSB link at the top of the forum is no longer good. It takes me to Infinit's website with the only option being "go back" and does not even list the TSB.

The link that was posted allowed you to READ the WHOLE TSB and not just a description (which your link no long even lets you do).

I know "competing" forums and what not...but isnt the goal to better help the community?

[bttek]

There is a TSB issued by Nissan/Infiniti that specifically addresses which paint suppliers manufacture products that are acceptable for repair/repaint of "scratch shield" type cars:

SERVICE INFORMATIONScratch Shield is a newly developed scratch-resistant clear coat which “heals” by itself when the vehicle gets asmall scratch in the clear coat. If the scratch reaches the color base coat, however, it will not “heal”. ScratchShield was implemented for the first time in the U.S. with the 2008 EX35.Authorized Paint Suppliers

Infiniti is working with refinish paint vendors to develop approved materials and procedures for properrefinishing of vehicles with Scratch Shield.To ensure proper color matching, adhesion, and long term wear characteristics, vehicles needing paint refinishwork must be refinished with products that have been tested and approved by Infiniti.

At the time of this publication, the following refinish paint manufacturers have provided materials andprocedures, which meet Infiniti requirements:Manufacturer Clear Reducer Hardener/Activator Flex AdditiveDuPont® Chorma PremierClear 72500SChorma Premier12375S ReducerChorma Premier12303S ActivatorPlas-Stick 2350SFlexiible AdditiveSpies Hecker

(DuPont®)Permasolid HSDiamond ClearCoat 8450/HSClear Coat 8030PermacronReducerPermasolid VHSHardenersPermasolidElastic Additive9050Standox® (DuPont®) Standocryl VOCPlatinumClear /2KHS Clear2K Thinners Standox®VOC HardenersSandox® 2KPlasticiser

PPG D8126CeramiClear™D8226 HardenerGlasurit® (BASF) 923-45923-345352-91/216352-25/-45929-33/31929-346

Sherwin-Williams SRC2 Clear Coat R26, R28, US3-6ReducersUH20Hardener

Infiniti Bulletins are intended for use by qualified technicians, not 'do-it-yourselfers'. Qualified technicians are properly trainedindividuals who have the equipment, tools, safety instruction, and know-how to do a job properly and safely. NOTE: If you believethat a described condition may apply to a particular vehicle, DO NOT assume that it does. See your Infiniti dealer to determine if thisapplies to your vehicle.

Hope this helps....

BrianBT Tech305.652.3115

So you took his link down, provided two threads without any information...and refered people to the Factory Service Manual which is hard to read and does not contain the same info as the TSB.

Your TSB link at the top of the forum is no longer good. It takes me to Infinit's website with the only option being "go back" and does not even list the TSB.

The link that was posted allowed you to READ the WHOLE TSB and not just a description (which your link no long even lets you do).

I know "competing" forums and what not...but isnt the goal to better help the community?

[dividedhighw]

So you took his link down, provided two threads without any information

OK - whether you choose to believe it or not, everything was done with the best of intent. If you can't see what I'm all about by the work I've done so far in this forum, nothing will convince you, so there's little point.

I know "competing" forums and what not...but isnt the goal to better help the community?

Sure, the goal is "to better help the community", but it would be supremely naive of you to think that NICO's aim (and mine) is to do this at ALL costs!! This forum is run mostly by volunteers - myself among them. Its actual costs are borne by advertising so that members like you can enjoy it for FREE. So, the least any member can do, is NOT violate its terms of use. That would include NOT posting links to competing forums, ever, period. If you can't abide by that, don't go away mad, just go away.

My goal was to provide the SAME information EX35Kaze posted on this forum for everyone to see, without going elsewhere - that's it, that's all.

To that end, I tried to post the TSB as an attachment, but ...

Problem 1: The forum engine allows a maximum size of 500KB, and the TSB file was almost 750KB, so I split it into 2 pieces (like I did with the e-brake hack info).

Problem 2: Even so, the files refused to show up properly, whereupon I immediately contacted other moderators and was informed that the forum's "attachment" facility can sometimes be "flakey". Up until now, it had always worked for me, so this is news. For now I'm hosting the file on a site I personally pay for - enjoy. I honestly hadn't realized that a modicum of patience and understanding was too much to ask.

...and refered people to the Factory Service Manual which is hard to read and does not contain the same info as the TSB.

Huh?!?!! The FSM referred by my link is the EXACT SAME as that referenced by EX35Kaze!! The original poster didn't expect the FSM to be used in place of the TSB and neither did I.

Your TSB link at the top of the forum is no longer good. It takes me to Infinit's website with the only option being "go back" and does not even list the TSB.

If your goal is also "to better help the community", why didn't you inform me immediately upon noticing the link was broken?!?

The link has now been fixed to account for recent changes made by Infiniti to their website. Yes, it only lists the TSBs and gives a brief description, but if anyone needs to know more, the exact TSB number is supplied and they can ask their dealer or even here on NICO. My intention was to reference the actual list of TSBs as published by Infiniti rather than give some lame and easily-outdated duplication.

(In point of fact, the NICO moderators have been discussing how TSBs should be handled and as yet, there's no clear agreed-upon strategy.)

Craig (302@12psi), I'm greatly offended by your "shoot from the hip" intimations and boorish remarks. The next thing I want to hear from you, is an apology.

Hope that clarifies matters,David

[302@12psi]

Having been a moderator on a board for several years I realize the position you are in. It's not a paid position and I realize that.

While I agree I could have worded my post a bit different...I do not believe it was slanderous nor was it ment to be that way.

As for the same info being in the FSM I looked and couldnt locate it...possible because it's hundreds of pages long.

If it's the forums policy not to post any links from other sites that's fine, enforce those rules. I've never encounted a forum that did that.

Enjoy.