Chips down to the bare metal!!!
 

Is this "normal"???? What should I do? Fight Nissan? Or just live with it, buy dr. colorchip, and have it repainted in 5 years??

WHAT THE HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
http://www.the370z.com/members/lovet...down-metal.jpg
http://www.the370z.com/members/lovet...down-metal.jpg

It sucks to see this. I feel your pain, though. I, too, have quite a few chips down to the metal and plastic on my front bumper and fenders. Some happened driving home from the dealership, no less. What is worse, it was the very same way with my GT-R. Nissan's paint is atrocious - and seemingly has been for a couple of years now.

I would say fight the good fight, but others with GT-Rs have been given the finger by Nissan over paint issues. Even those that are absolute factory defects. I doubt they will change their tune for us lowly Z guys. Your best bet is to paint peices on your own some day and be done with it. Sad, I know.

I've got 2 on the RH fender behind the headlight, 1 on the LH, a couple on some fender wells, and a few tiny ones on the hood. That doesn't even count all the "pits" in my bumper that are less noticeable (white on white). It sucks... but it seems to be the norm for these cars. Averaging ~50miles/day does that to a car, especially with our roads here in DFW.

I'll just get a repaint down the line and make sure to clear bra it immediately afterwards.

i would just touch it up.

Touch up now, repaint later. Set a "limit" for how many you think you can deal with, then double it.

There, I just saved you $1K :)

Part of the joy of being a Nissan owner is learning to deal with chips on the bumper cover and hood area. I really wish someone could explain what makes their paint so brittle.

Nissan Parts, NISMO and Nissan Accessories - Courtesyparts.com :: Nissan 370Z Touch-Up Paint

Get a touch up pen. Although, our color is sold out right now the touch up pen is great.

if you're anal you can try the langka system too.

:iagree:

I haven't had many chips with my Z, but for the ones I have had I use Dr. colorchip. It works pretty well. This isn't just a Nissan problem. Thanks to our dear friends in the government and their excessive regulations car manufacturers just can't make a long lasting, strong paint that meets EPA guidelines. The consumer gets screwed again.

This isnt just a Nissan issue. It is across the board these days. All auto manufacturers have to follow the EPA rules and regulations. The EPA has enacted several new laws requiring auto manufacturers to stop using certian chemicals and hardeners during the painting process. They are also forcing everyone to go with water based paints that are VERY soft. I go through about 12 different forums, most of them different types of cars, and everyone from Ferrari to Honda complains about their paint being soft. The best option you have is to get a clear bra installed when you first get it and then it wont be an issue.

This image makes me laugh. C'mon, show us how it ACTUALLY works.

http://www.drcolorchip.com/images/paint-dab-remove.jpg

You use it so I believe you when you say it works, but that picture is lies.

Spectacular information, guys. I almost figured as much as I have seen others complaining of Honda and Subaru paint issues. I think the issue with the GT-R was they tried a "self-healing" paint. It's possible that this is what they used on the Z, as well. Either way, I do know local body shops can put down stronger paint than OEM stuff and will have to take this route someday.

http://www.drcolorchip.com/images/compare_2.png

Look at the nice photoshopping evident in the headlight.

http://www.drcolorchip.com/images/compare_6.png

This is a lot more realistic.

It's not on any Nissan, but it was used on some Infiniti's for a short time. I believe it was more the clear coat healing under direct sun and heat, not the paint.

Some info from their site that pertains to me:

Are Tri-Coat colors available? (...think white pearl Lexus)

Sort of. As we hand-mix each order individually, we've gotten very good at approximating the various pearls on the market. Tri-coat colored vehicles are painted in three stages at the factory; a base color is sprayed, then a mid-coat which gives the 'pearl' effect, then a clear coat to bring the two colors together visually. Our paints are made for single-stage application. The paint may not look like a very good match in the bottle, but once applied and the excess has been blended away, the result is generally impressive, and certainly better than leaving the dark chips that will eventually rust. We recommend using this for typical stone chip damage. The larger the repair, scratches included, the less impressive the result will be. See this page (Dr. ColorChip paint chip repair photo on white pearl cars) for a white pearl repair.

Some companies sell a 3-step paint kit with two colors and a clearcoat. This will not look good on your car, and you will regret using it (...think shiny blobs all over the hood, each catching your eye). After painting thousands of pearl vehicles on a commercial level with our system, we can say with confidence that our paint kit will provide a much better tri-coat / pearl chip repair than any 3-step paint kit on the market. It's not perfect, but it's still the best alternative to the body shop.

Nope, do some reading. Nissan hasn't used self-healing paint on vehicles under their brand...but Infiniti has some.

Euro destined Nissan's may be a different deal - but in the USA...nope.

It is certainly on the GT-R. But, you are correct, it is the clear, but Nissan terms it a self-healing "paint". Don't rightly know why.

Heat guns and sun are supposed to work. But, in truth, this type of clear is so soft that it scratches from usage of microfiber rags. Ugh.

Don't need to read when you had the car. *lol* I didn't believe it, at first either, until multiple high-end body shops agreed with the Nissan rep who first told me. My red GT-R scratched so easily that I contemplated a whole repaint. I was told by the high-end shops quoting me said repaint that it was the self-healing clear that was causing my scratching issue and that repainting would fix the issue, but was most likely a waste of money until more paint damage was noticable. From what I understand, Nissan is discontinuing its usage on the MY11 cars.

Yeah I screwed up by saying "any Nissan"

It is on the GTR, but it's in it's own class.

Supposedly this stuff was put on MY05+ cars in Japan and elsewhere. Can't say for certain that it was here in the US during these times. Also, I heard somewhere that Nissan is putting this paint on mobile phones? *haha*

Because it was copied from a website....

No kidding. Sorry to hear that everyone else is having this problem, too. Doesn't sound good.

I'm averaging about 30 miles a day. The rednecks are always throwing $h!t off of their "muddin tars". It is pissing me off.



I only have about 2k miles on the car. What do you guys think about using Dr. Colorchip to hide the chips, then putting 3M Clearbra over it? I got a quote for $1k.

There are MANY Clear Bra/Speed Shield threads on here. Get your search on and make sure you have a lot of free time.

The one thing I would recommend to all new buyers is to get one ASAP.

how the heck i missed the first line in your post, IDK

What do you think about using Dr. Colorchip to hide the chips I've already acquired, then putting 3M Clearbra over it? I recieved a quote for ~$1k. It is a bikini cut hood, fender, and mirror kit, and they have also thrown in the rocker panels and head lamps.

Go for it. As long as you don't have too many that sounds like a good idea. I've already got way too many pits in my bumper to do that. I'll be getting a respray down the line before I Speed Shield it.

I was real crazy about it until I got my first chip. Nissan paint sucks but ehh I'm not going to stress over every little chip, but with that said I don't have any Nissan paint on the front end at all.

Thanks for your responses everyone.

It is a beautiful day in the northeast. Let's enjoy it :driving:

I completely agree. I talked to Porsche owners and they complain the same thing about the paint.

Years ago, all car manufacturers used lead in the paint. That's why paint in the old days was as hard as enamel. In recent years, the EPA requires lead to be removed from all auto paint so now you have a very thin layer of paint on your car.

I just noticed a new a scratch that just kills me on my right fender, some A-hole that scratched it in the parking lot or something. Fed up with the little issues, and plan to get it repainted and have a clear bra installed ASAP, I'm tired of detailing my cars so much and seeing more and more issues that are not from every day driving.

That sucks! I feel your pain! :mad:

git ine on my first day on the way home... and today a cat scratched it...

used the paint pen on the Z yesterday

looks better without all the white spots

:tup: