djPlayboy

I was at the dealership saturday getting my tranny flushed and the tranny TSB done AGAIN . As I was waiting on my car I noticed the paint on the Murano and 350z looked much better(thicker looking and smoother looking) than on the max and altima... im wondering if any one else has noticed this?

vito1281

I haven't personally seen either the 350Z or Murano paint, but I DO know that folks over on the 350z forum are having a lot of paint chips as well. So, thicker paint or not, the same problem seems to be bugging them as well.

simon tx

does anyone know if Infiniti has similar paint problems to the Nissan?

I've always heard that Toyota/Lexus have great paint jobs because of some preparation they do to the body, but I don't knwo **** about they make cars these days.

I just wonder if Infiniti, being a luxury brand has better quality than Nissan - if so, why can't Nissan improve - it's not like they ae giving their cars away.

2002Maxxxima

I've heard rumors, so I can't say for sure, but...

Car makers in Japan have to use a certain (substandard to US) paint system because of regulations. Allegidly cars made in the US can use a different technique or chemical composition which makes their paint 'better'.

Like I said, I don't know for sure, I've just 'heard' this.

So, the question is, will the '04 paint be better or more durable than the Japan made Maxes? Dunno, time will tell.

vito1281

Hmmm, I've actually heard the opposite. I heard that EPA sets some standards (recently, which is why older American cars have better paint) for paint so that it's more enviromentally friendly, which in turn, means that the paint is more water based/less concentrated. This leads to thinner paint, and thus easier chipping/scratching. I'm also not positive about this, but that's something I've heard.

If that's the case, I'd look for the American made Max to be even more fragile in terms of paint.

2k1seae

iTrader: (1)

A paint guy told me that they used to use lead in paint as a hardener. Because of regs, they can no longer use lead and the paints that they use now are not as hard. Don't know if that's true, but sounded reasonable ...

MaximaZero

i find it funny that up until around 99, nissan and infiniti used to advertise excellent paint in their brochures. they talked about tests they did like firing diamonds to test durability. oddly enough they dont talk about that anymore.

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

Sorry but the 350 has the same paint chip issues as the Max. Our new 350 has 3 nicks already and the new 03 Max has 2. Its no different.

wild willy

iTrader: (10)

To quote a very knowledgeable source for Active Tuning "Altimat"

"The problem is water-bourne paint due to EPA requirements"

djPlayboy

well the paint does look better on the 350 but i did do reading and aparently there paint sucks too....

any way i counted this morn and on my hood i have 17 chips and at least 30 on the front bumper

2002Maxxxima

So, have the people who have had their cars painted (accident or bodykits) had better luck with the paint? In other words, does new paint stick better or what ever?

max_man_94_01

yeah...also curious to know about the durability of aftermarket paint...chips or no chips???

Maximax2

Recently at my dealer's body shop I talked to one of their paint guys. He BEGGED me to get a bra for my 2k3 because of the chips; he said he put one on his 2k2 car because of all the chips he'd seen .

He also said that people have told him they get less chips after he's fixed and repainted their cars...thicker layers maybe? He didn't know why that would be.

Bgohan

I've seen original 60 year-old lead paint a Ford that had been sitting in an open field polish up like new. But good paint makes for dumb kids.

dougb

....and it's soooo much more durable now that I never put the bra on the car anymore. It's been about 2 years now and I have one chip.....that's it.

CRMax

Kojiro_FtT

American cars are having the same problems as ours. Just the other day a friend's Malibu lost 3 (count them: 3) 1 foot diameter circles of paint from his hood. On a 5 year old car. Called the shop for an estimate, turns out it's a common problem.

I've heard many theories, but the only one I believe is that the US gov is pushing for acrylic paints for environmental reasons; and acrylics just suck. The problem is shared for all cars in the US.

00SEinMA

My friend (who I always ***** at when we wash our cars together because of the chips) and I were watching TV one night. What commercial came on? One of the new Nissan_Driven commercials where the 02 max is driving real fast and the dark colored paint peels off the front and it is then a light colored car. Well he said he looked at my face and said he had never seen a more ****ed off look in his life.

Bgohan

So that's what that commerical means: If your paint peels, Nissan can get out of fixing by saying: "Didn"t you see the commercial? We advertised that our paint peels."