My problem is that the dealer OK'd the repaint of my sills(and I was going to do the hood on my own dime!)and the nissan rep denied it. I was mislead by the S/Man. into believing the rep had looked into my case before hand , but the rep never saw the car till after it was in the shop on a dealer work order. The dealer went even further by doctoring the repair orders, and that's against NYS DMV law, so I may be calling the cops as well. You can download the procedure on lemon laws for your state from the Attorney Generals office. My Lawyer says we have a real good case in this instance, I will start another thread on this, with blow by blow details next week.

 

Here is my story about my troubles with my Max's paint. I contacted the dealer (Central Nissan,
Schenectady NY) when after 9000 miles my car showed severe paint damage on the lower door and rocker panels.
They called in the factory rep. Mr. Richard Pfeifer, he offered a repaint under warranty of the affected areas. I declined this saying that the flawed paint covered the entire car and not just the doors. I also have some paint
chips on the hood, but those are not as severe since I drive a lot in ruralareas where the traffic intensity is low. So I took things up with the Better Business Bureau Auto-Line, and filed for repurchasing under the NY
State lemon law.
I had a hearing with a mediator. Mr. Pfeiffer was present through a conference call. I got denied the repurchase under the lemon law, where it
states that to be eligible for the repurchase under the NY-State lemon law the car has to be out of commission for thirty days. That is where I made the mistake. I think you should read your warranty manual, and follow the complaint procedure to the letter. Try to get a written reply from Nissan, and get legal advise.
Mr. Pfeiffer (the rep. in my case)is a trained professional in these cases. I screwed up, and got denied on a echnicality. It sounds that Nissan is taking the hard line now. Mr. Pfeiffer argued during the arbitration that
the wear and tear on my car was simply "road hazard". I did not deny this but said it was extreme wear and tear. I showed evidence of a colleagues 7 year old Nissan Altima, driven on the same roads, who's paint was in better
shape then mine. I added 87 pages of this thread to the case
Now I am faced with a paint job of ± $1000. I wrote Nissan again saying that since the rep. concluded that the repaint should be done under warranty,that this should still be valid. They responded by saying that the person
who typed the letter, misinterpreted what was said (pretty lame!)
The body shop I contacted said that the paint job would not make any sense if I did not change the splash guards that came standard with my car on delivery. I am now looking for extended splash guards.

Ad

 

Lebats has a mean sill damage picture he should really post it in all these paint threads showing up

 

O.k. Here is the pic of my Gray Lustre Max at
9800 miles, and 6 months old. I'd post more but the system won't let me. Anyone in need of more pictures let me know.

Ad

 

RE: My experience with bad paint on my '97 SE, and a few questions for the thread...

Although my car is gen 4, I was so glad to find you guys (thought I was losing my mind with this car). I have the exact same problems with my Paint! Here's the story...

I purchased the black on black from a dealer in Skokie, IL (Chicago)10 months ago (it had 24k miles, and I was told it was a lease vehicle and very well kept). It looked to be in very fine condition, loaded, nice black leather, Bose stereo, etc. I had researched the engine and knew pretty much what I was looking for before arriving. We walked outside and they had two black on black '97's with low miles that I was interested in. I noticed on the passenger door a big chip, dead-center on the door. The dealer said no problem we will touch that up and have it for you in a day or two. I ended up buying the car.

I arrived to pick it up and they had washed it ... and looks like they must have used a small art paint brush with some black touch up paint on the door. All in all I was didn't think much of it figuring that the car is 3 yrs old, and even with extremely low mileage, it is possible someone banged the door hard enough the chip the paint; I did not expect to find a new scratch almost every day since then!

Talk about soft paint (please advise if I can join your compaint...if it ever gets going, even though mine is a '97). Every time I wash the car I notice another BIZARRE SCRATCH. The car now has 34k miles and is literally full of white squiggly scratches located in odd places on the doors, front end, roof and trunk. I was utterly surprised to find all of the paint problems Maxima owners had posted on this thread! Have you heard of this happening with the '97's, or am I the first to post? ---- Thanks (I would like to help if I can).

 

I've had my grey lustre 2k2 max about three weeks now and have 2 paint chips already. I just figured I had bad luck and that 2 rocks or something nailed my hood. Over the next few months I am going to be carefully observing my paint's condition.

(I don't know the right names for these but...)

Will the partial nose mask (thing that just covers a part of the hood) be much less protective than a full nose mask? And will the paint underneath the mask look different then the rest of the hood (in terms of the sun fading the paint and whatnot)?



Thanks to all
matt

 

I have found that the nosemask, partial or full, will protect against the moderate chips but the tradeoff is that these collect sand and grind it into the (very) soft Nissan paint. So your choice is large chips without the mask or lots of small chips with one. You almost have to take the damned thing off and clean the car and the mask everyday to avoid this problem.

There is an alternative called a CarFlector. This is a clip-on, black acrylic scoop (like the sunroof air scoop - only darker) that fits on on just the front of the hood. I haven't tried this myself and would like to get others opinion on how well this protects. There is also a wide transparent tape made by 3M that is also known to protect against rock chips.

There is one that that I absolutely must recommend. Get a polysoxcilate paint protector applied to the finish of that new car ASAP. This is not a wax but a paint bonding agent that is far harder than wax. Use NuFinish, Liquid Glass or some equivalent. This will go a long way to protecting that fragile finish plus it will look damned good in the process. Note that these will not work in concert with a wax since these actually bond with the clear coat and waxes do nothing to harden your finish - just make it shiny.

 

sorry to go off topic, buti agree with all the paint chips, im very ****ed as well. But what type of headlight bulbs do u have?

 

Gasp... &

 

From an Edmunds Long-Term Road Test of a 1997 Camry:

"The paint took a beating during the two-year test. It faded, scratched, and generally aged more rapidly than paint on a $25,000 car should."

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/longt...3/page024.html

Co-incidence?

 

Boy did you hit a topic. As you can see, YES YES YES. Some 4th gens also, Nissan say the 5th gen paint is better against this due to some special proccess when they first came out, but its not.

 

What makes you say that?

I find it hard to believe that there are so many Max enthusiasts (let's say for asgument's sake, 2002 Maxes) in light of this paint problem.

Are people reading this lengthy thread still unafraid of the paint problems, and will get a Max because of torque?

What, thousands of owners are unhappy because of paint problems?

I wish every owner posted to forums so we could get a good statistical sampling.

I find it disturbing to think about whether it's a product problem, you guys are nit pickers, or you have real issues but the over percent problems is reasonably small but the high among those who post.

Everybody reading here who is considering buying this car should take stock of this thread and *worry*. How will this get addressed?

What happened to the all the complaining posters who contributed to the thread? Did you just roll over and die? Are you still angry over the paint job, or what?

Seems to me there should be a separate paint forum, if it's a constant widespread problem.

I don't see how Nissan could continue to successfully sell Maxes if paint is such an issue.

Know what I mean when I say there's conflicting evidence between this forum and the long line up of Max buyers? How could a Max continue to be the most imported V6?

I don't get it.

 

where would you get that kind of stuff?

 

..also wondering where you get the stuff, oh and about how much is it?

 

well... many of us have been through the inspection process, some of us have been through artibration. This isnt a ***** session. Many of *HAVE TRIED* to have our problems addressed through proper channels without any success.

I'm not really sure of your point, it seemed to ramble a bit.. but if you want to talk statistics, I've been waiting to see the regional paint inspector for FOUR MONTHS!! my first wait back in 2000 was 2 months. My claim was acknowledged as valid, but I was only alotted 1/2 of what was needed to actually do the job right (paint shop WOULDNT do the work for the claim Nissan wrote it for). Nissan offered me service instead when I complained.

Another statistic was that when I did go see the inspector, there were SO MANY cars that we got rentals. it was going to take him the whole day to see them all.. My car was inspected in 15 mins, so do the math. they were all (mostly) 5th gens.

So, will affect my purchasing decision next time? hell yes.. should it affect others? well, not everyone has problems so if they want to roll the dice, thats their business. they have all the information they need to make an informed decision.

Also, there is not anything wrong with paint chipping or peeling, it happens to many brands. the difference is in the service OR lack of. A coworker got a WHOLE NEW CAR because his hood chipped!!!! yes, 20K miles on the car, a year old, paid nothing more and GOT A NEW CAR!!!. I can tell you, it wasnt a Nissan...

 

I wasn't trying to make a point by weaving a coherent paragraph, but rather asking a series of independent questions. That's why I put the blank line between each. I thank you for your reply.

I hope readers will address each one separately as I'm on the edge of forgetting about a Max because of this problem.

When I worked at a Chrysler factory paint department as a relief man in the late 60's, I saw the body painted on the assembly line, then sent to an oven for baking. I asked one of the regular painters if the ovens at body shops got as hot. He said "No - it would destroy the entire interior and probably the electricals as well. No way they're going to remove the interior and wiring first. They have to use a lower temperature. This means the paint won't stick as well as what we do here and *will* come off sooner."

Even if the body shop, in your case, puts on new paint, is the preceeding opinion by the Chrysler worker still true, or has technology made it possible to get a factory paint quality (shudder - you know what I mean) at body shop oven temperatures?

I drove a 78 Celica into a guard rail on the driver's side. The resulting paint job looked competent for a few years, then the rust started. After 3 years, the driver's side was rusty looking - the passenger side (original paint) was still lovely.

"All the information" would be

1. How many Gen 5 Maxes were made?

2. How many had obviously poor paint jobs?

3. How many owners complained?

4. How many were eventually satisfied with Nissan by having their cars repainted at Nissan's cost?

5. Are we to expect the same paint problems with the 2002 Max because Nissan is using the same paint process and/or paint formulation?


I haven't read these stats here or anywhere else (yet).

 

I am also having paint difficulties. I have driven my Max 1700 miles in 3 weeks of ownership and so far have:

1) Two 1/2 inch gashes in the bumper below the driver headlight.
2) One 1/2 gash, dead center above the Nissan emblem on the top of the grill below the hood.
3) Two very small (1/10 inch) dots in the hood down to the primer.

On one and two the plastic is actually ripped away. I am 'experimenting' with Langka with limited results so far. The product is execellent, in that it does just what it says. It dissolves the touch up paint while you rub it, getting rid of excess. It will not and has not harmed my Nissan paint. However, do to the gash in the plastic, I am having a hard time getting those flat.

 

I wasn't trying to make a point by weaving a coherent paragraph


Not to attack you but I thought you were just asking alot of questions we obviously don't have answers to. I thought you were setting up some sort of 'we must be full of crap' post. People who dont have the problem sleep better at night if they attack us and say were are exaggerating.


I hope readers will address each one separately as I'm on the edge of forgetting about a Max because of this problem.

Bottom line.. the Max is a great car that you will likely have a horrible time if and when it ever needs service. I dont care if that's radio **** or a whole paint job. But I understand thats the economics of cars these days and all manufactures that are not premuim brands are treating customers this way.

technology made it possible to get a factory paint quality (shudder - you know what I mean) at body shop oven temperatures?

that is why I havent had the car repainted yet. I think that paint has gotten alittle better, but will still fade over the years with certain darker colors.

"All the information" would be

Just that, this is the main complaint.. look at the size of this thread. we have tried to organize but failed. If you car has problems, you will have a hell of a time having it fixed. And you should budget some other means to protect the paint: 3m mask, a bra, a deflector, some teflon sealant stuff, or heck maybe a thicker clear coat put on the day you buy it.


4. How many were eventually satisfied with Nissan by having their cars repainted at Nissan's cost?

None that I know of

5. Are we to expect the same paint problems with the 2002 Max because Nissan is using the same paint process and/or paint formulation?
same problems... maybe even worse as lots of 2k2 people are already adding to this post, it took us about a year to start complaining (2k and 2k1).

 

I am about to lease a 2002 Maxima. Are there known paint problems with the 2002 models?

What about the 2002 Altima?

In an earlier post, someone listed several questions that would make a lot of sense trying to answer. One additional piece of information that I haven't seen listed here is the VIN -- maybe don't want to share that, but I wonder if the problems aren't for a specific range of VINs?

 

Seems lots of new cars are having this problem not just max's. We think its because of tough envornmental laws the paint is more water than oil based or somthing. Less harmful chemicals to dispose of = cheaper paint job.

 

I just found this at PPG Automotive Coatings

http://www.ppg.com/car_autocoat/enthusiast.htm

"Tips For The Care Of Your New Car Finish

In the first 90 days

It is recommended that you not wax or polish the vehicle. This will allow the finish to completely dry and cure. (When you are ready to wax, do not use silicone containing or super polymer containing waxes or polishes) Today's finishes do not need such extreme protection and if your vehicle were involved in an accident, the removal of such waxes would be time consuming and expensive.
.
.
.
Do not drive on gravel roads. Chipping the finish is easily done in the first 30 days."

I don't see a way to damage the leading front, while on a gravel road, as long as there's no oncoming traffic.

What to do if you buy in late fall where there's cold weather/snow?

Good question for PPG.

 

From http://members.tripod.com/~bobstory/...l#Application0

WHAT TYPE OF PAINTS ARE USED ON AUTOMOBILES?

Japanese Varnish: In the early years, between 1900 and the 1920's, Japanese varnishes were used. The varnish was applied by brush.

Nitrocellulose Lacquer: in the 1920's, several paint manufacturers were involved in the development of nitrocellulose lacquers. This paint had rapid drying and low viscosity properties, and was applied with air pressure through a spray gun leaving a hard dry finish in approximately one hour. When rubbed, polished, and waxed, it far surpassed in durability and appearance the qualities of the Japanese lacquers.

Synthetic Enamel: In the mid 1930's, a new and completely different type of paint was developed, the alkyd or synthetic enamels. It proved to have superior qualities in film strength, adhesion, luster, flexibility and durability over all previous paints. The resin base was developed from the reaction between phthalic anhydride and glycerin, with gums, oils and plasticizers added during the manufacturing process a drying oil such as linseed, a polyhydric alcohol, such as glycerine, and a dibasic acid, such as Phthalic Anhydride. It dries by solvent evaporation, like the lacquer paints, but the resin remains soft and sticky when no solvents are present. It cures to a hard finish by absorption of oxygen from the air. The curing process can be accelerated by heat, and several methods of baking enamel were developed. Unlike lacquer, when dry, it needs no polishing to produce a high luster finish.

Acrylic Lacquer: As time passed, chemists developed a substitute for nitrocellulose lacquer, using an acrylic resin as a base. The resins used in acrylic lacquer tend to be slightly brittle. This deficiency is overcome by the use of a plasticizer ( a liquid that is a solvent for these resins and softens them slightly). A cellulosic resin is any resin derived from cellulose (pure cotton). Acrylic lacquer was used extensively by General Motors.

Acrylic Enamel: During the late 1960's and early 1970's, technology brought on the development of acrylic enamel, which was harder and more durable. Chemically, it is a cousin to synthetic enamel, but is modified with acrylic resin, and is not soft and sticky with no solvents present. It cures further with the absorption of oxygen from the air. Unlike the lacquers, which remain soluble in solvents, the enamel family is insoluble in solvent when cured. An acrylic resin is chemically any polymer whose basic monomers are chemical derivatives of acrylic acid.

Polyurethane Enamel: In the mid 1970's, polyurethane enamel was developed to withstand the severe stress of high speed airplane surfaces, which are subject to rapid temperature changes and flexing. This paint was much more durable than the acrylic enamels.

Acrylic Urethane Enamel: Acrylic urethane enamels were developed to withstand environmental elements, such as acid rain and ultra violet rays. It is the most durable paint to date.

 

Reviving thread.

 

Ive only had my car about a year, 2001 Maxima GLE, and ive had the same paint chipping problem on the hood and bumber, what can we do about that?

 

You aren't imagining things-my 2000 has so many chips that I've seriously considered having the car repainted.

Plus, my dealers' "deep seal protection" hasn't helped at all!

 

After trying to contact Nissan and getting absolutely no satisfaction, I am getting my 2001 Max repainted. During this whole process, I had the misfortune (or opportunity) of getting my car spayed by a crew painting a water tower at work. I couldn't get their paint off my car and subsequently called my insurance company. I am covered for it and am getting the car repainted. I just have to pay the deductible. Nissan is not repainting the car. The body shop specializes in paint jobs and guarantees their work for the life of the car. I'm looking forward to a quality paint job. One where the paint doesn't fly off the car with a good strong wind.

 

Man does this thread need to be locked, it keeps coming back from the dead.

 

I was dead set on buying a new '02 Max SE (Majestic Blue, Bose,Leather, Sunroof. I even included it in my sig! I am really disappointed because I worked the price down to $27,300 from $29,624... Pretty good IMO. I might have even still considered a Nissan if they were at least taking steps to make this right.... but I have seen no evidence of this. Why reward Nissan with my business if they won't take care of current customers? 27k is a good price for a Max but it is also an *extremely* expensive mistake! I will probably take my money elsewhere... Glad I found this forum!!!

 

Well now... the "deep seal protection" must have come with a warranty. Can't you use it?

 

I was speaking with a Nissan paint shop. The manager says the trouble started when bumpers became painted. When bumpers were just a dark colored rubber, not much damagae was perceived.

Now that they *are* colored, owners look at them and perceive the bumper paint chips from road debris. Owners forget they weren't colored at all, only a few years ago.

He believes the main problem is with tailgating. Flying pebbles launched by vehicles in front of you, if you are not too close, will not strike your vehicle and do damage.

Makes sense to me. i'm already imagining about the removal of the bumper paint if the chips become too numerous for aesthetics.

 

someone said on the .org earlier that if you protect your car's finish with 3M film right when yuo buy it, you wont have any problems. So if that keeps you from owning the Max, give it a reconsideration. On the other hand, if you buy a used 5th gen, you'll save a bundle.

 

Since you asked.......my Maxima came w/an optional $799.00 pkg for a security system, interior sealant/guarantee & exterior paint treament "Deep Seal Protection". Upon installation of each item the dealer then mailed a "master service agreement" with car info., etc., to each vendor who mailed me a guarantee.

6 months after purchase, the paint on the top of the car appeared bubbly & crackly in a small area. When I attempted to locate the guarantee I discovered only the security guarantee had been submitted by the dealer-they never submitted the master agreement to the vendor for the Deep Seal or the interior treatment.

To make a long story short-I began to suspect that the dealer never put the Deep Seal on the car. After much pressure on my part, the dealer agreed to give me a "copy" of a guarantee but would not issue me an original because "I must have lost it". They couldn't explain why I had the original master they were required to submit upon completion of work, but they had it "archived" & would take a week to locate.

They eventually completed the paperwork & gave me originals.

Then I noticed that security stickers had been applied to the front windows, but lacked the stickers for the Deep Seal treatment (which the other cars do have). Again, contacting the dealer I explained the certificate situation & the window sticker & my belief that the Deep Seal had never been applied. Their explanation-the body shop forgot to put the stickers on. Deep Seal's office had no record of my car in their files & informed me that stickers were required.

And for the bubbly appearance on the top of the car-the service manager asked if any bird droppings were allowed to sit on the car for more than 4 hours because the bubbling is the result of an acidic reaction caused by the hot sun baking the droppings into the paint. Then he pointed out a dent (which I can't find) in the top ("hail damage") and explained that the top of the car was excluded from any of the guarantee listed on the Deep Seal warranty as it specifically excludes "hail damage".

I'm really fed up with them.

 

Who was it?

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Maxmann

Has anything happened regarding the filing of a class action suit? My 2000 Maxima GLE grey lustre has at least 20 chips-several look like paint failure.

 

What up with this or do we just for get it?!

 

I have had my max for about 5 months and have about 3 small chips on the hood---not that bad---yet. But i do have some spots on the hood where it looks like something baked through the clear coat..because when i run my finger over it...you can feel the texture...crappy paint, crappy clear coat..hmmm..sucks for us

 

I had my 2001 maxima for slightly more than a month and I noticed that there are a few chips in the front and side. When my friend's car door happen to just touch the piece of rubber protector at the side, I noticed immediately that my paint chipped off. Somehow, I thought I was the only unlucky one to buy a flawed car. But after reading full 19 pages of complaints, I am convinced that there is indeed a manufacturing fault. I developed my love for cars from my Dad and I wash my car almost daily and guess what. My heart aches when i saw all the chips. To think I even wax my car weekly. My old 1996 taurus never have this problem of chipping and the paintworks is still almost perfect even thought I almost clocked 100k by going on road trips on it.

 

Bringing this back to the top.

I just went to fill out the form at:
http://www.nissanpaint.com/complaint.htm

however it does not allow for 2002 models, so I have emailed the author.

The paint is very bad on my 2002. I have purchased a Nissan car bra, but am having a quality issue so another one is on the way. Hopefully this will solve some of these issues.

My other car, 1991 Ford Explorer, has none of the problems my Max is getting. I drive 120 round trip commute daily and have begun driving the Explorer daily and leaving the Max at home for this very reason. I drove the Max today just to enjoy my commute for once, upon arriving at work I have three brand new chips in the bumper.

 

Regarding the site:
http://www.nissanpaint.com/complaint.htm

I don't think it's a problem with the site. We suspect the guy that ran this site was bought out by Nissan to keep this problem hush-hush. I tried to enter data for any car and the site generates errors.

It's lose-lose for owners in this. If we hit up Nissan they contend that we just follow other cars too close and give pushback to any request for a paint remedy (I've been through this whole runaround with my 2k SE). If we go public and tell all the major publications like Consumer Reports then everyone will know our cars have bad paint and won't be worth crap when we resell.

 

me tinks you're right...

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