Today I decided to give my maxima a good wash since the weather was nice enough to do so. Once I was done washing the car. I found some new chips in the paint in certain sections but thats besides the point. Well upon closer inspection of the lower door sections of the car I see speckles of rust spots??? I'm like "WTF". Went to the other side of the car to take a looksy and same thing speckles of rust spots on the lower side of the doors. Also in the rear wheel wells the paint seems to start to bubble. I've only owned the the car since October. I know northeast has been hammered by snow in the recent months but I do try not to drive it the snow or after it had snowed *salt and gravel* My question is,do other 2K2-2K3 Sterling Mist/Sheer Silver maximas have this problem??? Is there a solution to this problem??? I'm so ****ed of right now I paid $money$ for this car and this is what I get. I'm thinking of going to the dealer tomorrow to see if they can do anything for me.

 

I've got an '03 Sheer Silver. I'll check it out when my wife gets home. You have a digital camera? You take the pics, and I'll host them for you.

 

I haven't noticed the rust speckles you have seen (and I just washed and waxed my car the past weekend) but I didn't look very carefully at the lower side/sections of the doors so I'll check again today and let you know what I find...

 

Hmm, I have an 03' in sheer silver. It gets washed at least twice a week, and I am very particular about the paint condition. Well, I can honestly say I haven't seen anything that looks like rust on/in my paint?

 

clipse, I have an 03 Sheer Silver, owned since Nov. 2002. I washed it this past weekend, and didn't notice anything. However, like others, I didn't pay any special attention. I'll take a closer look after work, and get back to you.

EDIT: Forgot to mention...I did run across a thread where a Sheer Silver owner was complaining about the same thing. I think it was VQMaxima, but I'm not sure. He'll probably see this thread, and respond. He was parking on a lot over which planes flew daily, and some people were saying that it was the fallout from the jets that caused the rust.

 

3yr/bumper to bumper

 

Join the club!! the paint job sucks on the streling mist. I have a 2k2 in sterling mist, and before i had my HID's stolen, and had the whole front end repainted, it looked as if someone took a sandblaster to my car. Nissan has nothing to say about this.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I did take some pics of my car*will post in a new thread* and the rust spots. The pics of the rust spots didn't show in the pics due to the quality of the digi-cam More replies and/or any solution to this problem would be appreciated. Would this be covered by factory warranty??? 3YR bumper to bumper??What do you mean by that??? I can take my fingernail and scratch it off the rust speckle leaving a faint brown spot behind that maybe could be waxed out. Could a clay bar help??? The rust speckles on my car isn't that too bad. There very tiny in some spots on the lower side doors on each side of the car. I just don't want this problem to escalate anymore further. "NISSAN PAINT SUCKS"

 

That part should be covered under the corrosion warranty, which is for so many years and unlimited mileage.

 

I have an 03 sterling mist and i have it all over my trunk and back bumper...This is BS

 

So this most definately will be covered by factory warranty???

 

Yes, it should be.

Basic: 3 yr. / 36,000 mi.
Drivetrain: 5 yr. / 60,000 mi.
Roadside: 3 yr. / 36,000 mi.
Rust: 5 yr. / Unlimited mi.

That's your warranty on any new Maxima (I know it's valid for 2002+ model years).

 

ok, well i was at the dealership this past weekend, and brought up the paint issues, and they pretty much told me i was $hit out of luck.

 

I had a white 2000 Maxima SE and my car looked like I had a speckled paint job from all the rust spots...I mean rust on white?? It looked like ***t!!! I finally brought it to the dealer and they were going to buff it out for me for free with stuff that supposedly will not make the rust come back......4 days later I totalled my Maxi, and never got to see what the results were going to be. I would inquire about the free reconditioning

 

chill, it's just rail dust that has oxidized over time.

It happens on all cars, it's just more visible on lighter colors. What happens is the metal particles that the trains kick up during transport land on the vehicle and stick. The remedy to this is to go down to your local pep boys and buy a mother's clay bar.

 

I have a 2003 Sterling mist a week after I bought the car the paint on the lower door started to chip. I was really P*ssed Off took right back to the dealer adn they repainted it for me hopefully i wont have to run into anymore paint chips.

 

So basically I only have two options:
-Go to the dealer and see if they'll take care of it???
-OR-
-Use a clay bar and they'll come out???

 

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Hope

Yeah, that's probably about right...

 

clay bar took mine right out.
i did it a week after i bought the car.

 

The dealer will just clay bar it. OR if their stupid they really will try to polish it out. Which is a BAD BAD BAD thing. Because when they throw that polish on and try to buff it with the rotary, all it's going to do is rub those little rust particles deeper into your paint. Can you say swirly?

Or, you can buy a clay bar and do it yourself. Should only take about an hour or two. $20

 

Thanks for the tip Chinkzilla. I'll probally end up doing it myself with a clay bar. I don't need any swirl/spiderweb marks in the paint.
Just use a detailing spray of some sort when using the clay bar???

 

Yup, if you buy the mother's kit (my favorite) it comes with a bottle of quick detailer. g'luck

 

I hate to be the one that asks this, but where do you think the rust is coming from? Paint doesn't rust, so it's gotta be the metal underneath the paint (am I correct in this assumption?). You're not solving the problem, but removing the symptom.

 

The rust spots are rail dust like Chinkzilla said , its not in the paint its on the paint. Use a clay bar and it will come right out.

 

rail dust? Maybe in his area of the woods (Chinkzilla)...but does clipse live near rail yards or tracks? If not, then there is a problem.

 

I'm gonna take a guess here. It's either from:
-Factory defect
-Industrial fallout
-Rail dust

But aren't are cars imported from Japan by boat and not by train??? And aren't the cars usually arrive in dealerships by a tractor trailer??? What about the bubbles that are starting to form within' my right rear fender well??? The left side of the rear fender well is fine. I've only had the car for only 5-6 months??? "WTF"

 

The bubbles are a defect. That is warranty territory there...

 

Thanks Quick. I'm heading to the dealership in the morning to show them. I would understand if the car was a couple of years old but it's only 5-6 months old. This type of sheit shouldn't be happening to me/my car. Arrgh

 

Well, I checked my side sills, and I don't seem to have any rust spots. But it looks like you've got great advice here, so good luck in taking care of it, and let us know if the clay bar helps.

peace

 

You should be so lucky/fortunate. *envy* Yeah I'll give an update within' the coming days.

 

The last time I checked, when cars were transported on train they still have all of their exterior covered in plastic. Unless the raildust managed to "eat" through the plastic to end up on your paint, I don't think it is raildust.

 

I just washed my car which is a Sheer Silver '03, which experienced the rust speckles on the roof of the car. Granted I live in Washington DC, and the last time I washed my car was after the snow storm in mid February. I'm just gonna get the clay bar; dealer probably say it was my Cattman RSB that caused the rust. HAHA

 

yes, my sterling mist has the bubbling problem, but never really noticed the rust.

 

Thanks for your replies guys. At least I'm not the only one who has this problem.

 

Tiny Rust Spots on Sterling Mist/Sheer Silver

Clipse, best bet like everyone here has mentioned is to get the clay bar. I went out and bought it after I posted this thread, but never got a chance to use it, so when this damn East Coast weather starts to settle down, it'll get done.

Also, as far as I know and remember, when I was doing the final signing for my max from the dealership, the Sales Mgr said that rust "is covered" under warranty, but not paint chips.

 

Thanks for the link. Yeah I knocked on wood,just not hard enough I guess I now have the same problem that you have. I did end up buying the "clay magic kit" Is it any good??? But won't get to use since New England weather sucks. As far as tiny rust speckles what about my tiny bubbling going on in the right rear fender well lip??? Warranty Issue??? The left rear side shows no sign.

 

I haven't been able to use the clay bar yet, so I'm counting on everyone's recommendations here. As far as the bubbling is concerned, I would take it back to the dealership you bought your max from (unless you did that already?) and see what they say. It sounds to me like the paint didn't have enuff time to cure properly after its build date?

It should be nicer weather tomorrow, so I'm gonna be able to wash my car, altho I'm hoping I don't notice more things on it I don't want to see.

 

Whats the proper curing time for paint???

 

uhh..........anyone wanna answer this?

 

3 months under frequent sun.

But that's for a REPAINT. Modern paint processes for new cars sorta "flash-cure" the paint by exposing it to large amounts of UV light before it ships out. By the time the car reaches the dealership from the factory, your paint ought to be fully cured. Some people like to wait a while before waxing it. But most detailing experts nowadays will tell you to go ahead and wax a car as soon as you get your hands on it.

But I digress, if you're experiencing any type of bubbling or orange peeling then by all means, TAKE IT TO YOUR DEALER. This is definitely a warranty issue and was probably caused by improper prep of the vehicle. Either that or they exchanged paint with another car in the lot and repainted it and sold it as new. This is of course, fraud.

For more info check out autopia.org

Good Luck