Hey guys, I've been battling with Nissan since I started this thread, and they have told me they took pictures and having Nissan reps look at it. No word so far. I don't know what to do now. I enter the car into shows and the fact the paint is cracking IS NOT GOOD!! Obviously..

Anyways.. Has ANYONE heard what Nissan might do to fix this? Replace the bumpers/re-paint? Ect ect..??

 

Hey Ricky, I've had no luck since you started the thread either. I posted the pictures of my Z back on page 1.

The update:

The regional rep looked at it and the service department placed a call to the Nissan Inspection Dept in CA supposedly. He is waiting to hear back and may need pictures.

I don't know what to do at this point either.

 

CONCLUSION

The verdict is in!!! Finally after about 6 months or so I can say my dealer has finally addressed the issue.

After reporting the problem to the Inspection Dept. my service manger called on Tuesday and explained my options.

Option 1:
Repaint body panels in question. This means the driver's side rear quarter panel and rear bumper. All cost's covered by Nissan.

Option 2:
I told him I didn't really like option 1 because of having to worry about the paint match. That I am so dissappointed about the paint defects I would almost like to see the entire car painted. His reponse was that he didn't think that was a good idea. He basically said it doesn't matter to him how we fix it, becuase it doesn't cost him anything. ????

Option 3:
He said he may be able to swing the Nissan Gold Warranty (100,000 mile warranty) my way at no cost. Which is an interesting solution.

As I stated above, I don't know what the heck to do! To paint or not to paint!!??

I am almost thinking of just settling for the warranty....any opinions???

 

You could go for option 3 but eventually you are gonna have to repaint a paint chipped spotted car. I personally know I am gonna mod the heck outta my car so I would opt for a 100% repaint and try to get them to paint as much as possible but not to use the regular nissan but that is water basted. Most bodyshops still use a solvent based paint that is of much much better quality that the crappy paint that comes from nissan and pretty much all other dealerships. OEM paint sucks!!

 

Yea i had da same problem when i was washing my car the hood and front bumper had spots on it. I called nissan and told them so i brought the car in and they checked it out and they said it is not environmental related. They even try to blame it on me they said did you spill something on it or use any window cleaner. I was like what the hell are you saying. When they first sell you the car they really nice but after you come to them with a problem they ignore you.

 

Another noticeable thing with mine (Brickyard) is how easily the paint stains from bugs and bird droppings. Ive cleaned bird crap from the paint while it was wet and it still stained it. It seems to allmost lift the clear coat its hard to explain. There really isnt much you can do. you cant pull over every time you hit a bug

 

zspeed,
I dont this paint matching should be a problem since it will be factory paint. You ususually run into matching problems when doiing aftermarket paint jobs. Also your car is red so even if your did go the aftermarket route it shouldnt be hard to match up the paint. Usually people run into problems when they are painting a Silverstone.
The gold warranty sounds really nice. I guess it all depends on cost. How much would it be to upgrade your warranty? and how much would it be to paint body panels? I would take whichever option costs more.

Just remember if you get a paint job put on a clear bra this time. I learnt the hard way.

 

Thanks for the input. I guess the paint mathing thing is an issue beacause if the body shop at my dealership does the work they'd have to remix the paint right?? I'm not sure how that works....

I still haven't decided yet...the car is going in next week for an oil change, tire feather recall notice, and greese streaks fix. I think I am going to talk to the service manager again and find out about the value of the warranty and what it includes....

 

Whats the point of a warranty??? I mean, you wont have to pay for any repairs being made but it seems like Nissan dealerships don't want to fix anything in the first place.

 

ditto --- My Z was built 11/02 and delivered 4/03. It seems to me like this is mostly a clearcoat problem, because even after waxing the finish is rough on the middle of the front hood and left side fender. My car is always covered and kept in a garage so I doubt it is weather related.

This started a few weeks ago at about 9,000 miles, but I do intend to bring it to my dealers attention.

 

i dont have the hairline cracks but my front bumper, small portion of the front of my hood & small portion of the front of my fenders look as though they were sand blasted. the paint is so weak. obviously anything that comes in contact with those areas just chips the paint off. some areas are heavy & other areas look as though there is a layer of dust but it cannot be wiped off....this drives me nuts! my dealer says it looks as though tis due to consistent high speed driving(i.e. interstate) but i dont even take my car on road trips. i use my 300m for road trips......im going to end up repainting my hood, fenders & front bumper. hopefully if anything sprouts from this i can get reimbursed. i really dont want to add my V1 lip to my crappy looking bumper w/o painting the entire thing!

-justin

 

Thanks for the info on the paint problems. will check my car for this problem have the 04 built in the 6mo

 

I have the same problem, with a small rust spot between my hood and my fender. I contacted the local Nissan rep and they were nothing but shady. Any advise on how to MAKE them fullfill their promise?

 

I have a similiar problem on the front bumper, but it's not a crack, but sort of a depresion type crack that just seems to grow over time. The paint does'nt crack, but the hairlines just get deeper, and grow longer. It looks like little rivers on a map. That's the best i can describe it. I will try to post a pic.

 

It's the paint! I have an 04,the orange peel alone is enough to make me cry.Plus all the other problems,dome light,cd player,trans,axles,and tire feathering!

 

I bought my 03' Track about 3 weeks ago used with 21,000 miles on it. When buying the car I looked over it only to find A FEW rock chips on the front of the hood and bumper. I took it to Dallas this past weekend to visit some friends. When I arrived back in Fort Worth I detailed my car only to find LOTS of additional rock chips, almost like its been sandblasted. Also, when washing it I found that the clearcoat is peeling just above the top-right corner of my rear liscense plate. Don't know what to do except grind my teeth every time I think of it.

 

Found that the 3rd gear grinds too when driving it pretty hard...next time I buy a car I am going to detail it myself at the dealership to find any defects and drive it like a bat out of hell...all before I buy. J/K, but you almost have to do that to make sure your getting what you are paying for.

 

ya know, i was aware of several of the problems associated with the z before i bought mine a year ago but i still bought it. all cars have thier problems, especially the 1st year of a new model. there are several issues & the paint on my SB makes me crazy...but all in all i love my z!!

-justin

 

UPDATE
Sorry, I forgot about this thread. My service manager said I need to call NNA. When I speak with them, mention the problem and that he suggests the fix be and extended warranty. He doesn't suggest repainting because of color matching and etc. Which I do agree with.

Don't lose site of the fact that this is all happeing on the rear bumper of my car.

There are alot of posts in this thread now regarding cracking in the front, and unfortunately that's a fact of life. My Firebird before this was black, and you want to talk about an f'd up front end. With the front being as flat as it is, it's going to take a beating no matter what.

Is this the best painted car...no. But the thread was about a spot in the clear coat and cracking on the "back" of the car...

Now if my busy a$$ every called NNA I probably could work on the extended warranty, need to find the time...

 

Hi Guys

I'm from the uk and would like some help if thats possible, My situation is;
I have had my 350Z for seven weeks now and the hood has over 30chips on it
the car has only just reached 3000miles.
I have heard a rumour that there is a class action law suit against Nissan for the problems with the paint, is this true and could anyone send me some info of it.
Also does anybody know what company paints the car at the manufacturing plant? Du Pont - BASF - PPG?

Thanks for the help.