I bought a new Black 2003 Maxima about 2-3 months ago. I washed it for the first time other than the dealer's lot job this past weekend. When I was finished washing it I noticed some Paint blemishes that really bothered me. On the trunk, a bird or squirrel crapped on my car. After washing it off with soap and water I noticed what seemed like cracks in the paint. After trying to remove them with some paint cleaner and a buffing pad nothing happened, they were still there. It's obvious that whatever caused it was the excrement of some animal because of the splatter pattern. The cracks look like the dried out desert ground, just very small.

My question is this, even though it has been about two months since I washed it, shouldn't the paint hold up better than this? Does anyone know if I can or should take it back to the dealer and ask them about it. In my opinion it seems like a weak assed paint job or a paint defect, but it's been 2-3 months since i drove it off the lot so I'm not sure if I have any recourse action. When I bought the car at the dealer, some guy was going over all the gagdets with me and he said once I washed it if I found anything wrong with the paint to call him. He also told me he would send me some free touchup paint and some other complementary things. Of course I never received any of this stuff and when I called him twice and left messages he never returned my calls.

My wheels are also messed up. I have the titanium aluminum 6 spoke edition wheels. After washing them I notice what looked like black streaks that would not wash off. They seem to be inbeded in the metal or finish of the wheels. It looks like that shiny silicone crap that they spray on the tires ran onto my wheels in a spinning effect and dried there and stained them. If that is the case it seems like it would be there error since I've never washed it till last weekend and I have never sprayed that crap on my tires.

You think the dealer will do anything about the paint or wheels without charging me. And if they put up a fuss can I take any legal action? It just seems the paint should hold up better than that to me.

Thanks

 

dude...2-3 months after buying it u decide NOW to wash it???!!

dude...seriously, you don't deserve to own this car......a maxima is tooo nice not to be washed at least once a week...

 

Shooooot... 2 to 3 months mine just getting dirty ... I'll just break out the California duster and I'll be good 4 another 2 to 3.. lol.. I like wishful thinking... shbby ur going to buff the paint right off ur car... HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

 

YOU OUGHT TO KNOW THAT YOU GOTS TO KEEP IT SO DA WHIP IS CLEAN


WHEELMAN

 

I am going to answer your questions using the paragraphs in your original post.

I bought a new Black 2003 Maxima about 2-3 months ago. I washed it for the first time other than the dealer's lot job this past weekend. When I was finished washing it I noticed some Paint blemishes that really bothered me. On the trunk, a bird or squirrel crapped on my car. After washing it off with soap and water I noticed what seemed like cracks in the paint. After trying to remove them with some paint cleaner and a buffing pad nothing happened, they were still there. It's obvious that whatever caused it was the excrement of some animal because of the splatter pattern. The cracks look like the dried out desert ground, just very small.

My question is this, even though it has been about two months since I washed it, shouldn't the paint hold up better than this?

(If a bird took a dump on your car and you wait too long to clean it off, the bird crap has etched into the clear and possibly the paint.
Bird $hit is extremely acidic and will eat through the clear and paint. At that point, there is not much that can be done to restore the finish except wetsanding or repainting. Both of those steps will definitely require a professional. Will the dealer warranty cover this? No. They might term this as neglect. Warranties will cover if you took reasonable and prudent care of the vehicle.


Does anyone know if I can or should take it back to the dealer and ask them about it. In my opinion it seems like a weak assed paint job or a paint defect, but it's been 2-3 months since i drove it off the lot so I'm not sure if I have any recourse action.

(read above paragraph)

When I bought the car at the dealer, some guy was going over all the gagdets with me and he said once I washed it if I found anything wrong with the paint to call him. He also told me he would send me some free touchup paint and some other complementary things. Of course I never received any of this stuff and when I called him twice and left messages he never returned my calls.

My wheels are also messed up. I have the titanium aluminum 6 spoke edition wheels. After washing them I notice what looked like black streaks that would not wash off. They seem to be inbeded in the metal or finish of the wheels. It looks like that shiny silicone crap that they spray on the tires ran onto my wheels in a spinning effect and dried there and stained them. If that is the case it seems like it would be there error since I've never washed it till last weekend and I have never sprayed that crap on my tires.

(You are correct in that the protectant mught have spun onto the rim and then the dirt/brake dust has clung to the areas. What you might need to get is a better wheel cleaner (e.g. Eagle One A2Z is an excellent over the counter choice. Another would be P21S (gel)) Then after that, follow up with a clay and then seal it using a sealant glaze like Klasse Sealant Glaze or Meguiar's #20)

 

Dude you are right.. I had a Wino guy throw up on my hood in the Bronx (Jerome Ave) and it came off okay and hasn't caused any problems. I would think that Bird $hit would be about the same. It doesn't really sound normal.

 

haha thats the same thing my neighbors tell me!!

 

if you let bird shiet sit on your car for 2 or 3 months you deserve to have sheitty paint on your car......for real man you cant expect the dealer to honor anything when you dont contact them for 3 freaking months.....the guy way most definatly implying..."dood when you wash your car NEXT WEEK and see anything give me a shout....."

 

bird **** is bad for the paint...
You don't want to leave that **** on your car no longer then a couple days..
That bird **** will **** any paint up on any car

 

emotion aside... no way should bird excretment etch through your clear coat. How many cars have you ever heard of with this problem? How many cars go for 8-12 weeks between washings? How many cars are soiled this way by birds? Automotive paints are designed to put up with automatic car washes, tar, stones, acid rain, soot, carboxylic acids, etc. Call dupont, standox or ppg and ask to speak with a product engineer.

Am I the only reader who finds it odd that the dealer suggested you check for paint problems? Sounds like he knew something to me.

One last thing... Are you serious about not washing your new car for 2-3 months? Maybe you mean you haven't hand washed it? what about automatic wash? Did you pay for the car yourself or did someone give it to you? I hope you have a maid to clean your home.

 

dood do a little asking around....bird **** left on a car for an extended period of time will ruin paint......

 

so how about u leave bird **** on your car for 2-3 months then come back on here and tell us it won't wreck the paint...
That **** eats into the paint...I bought my car from the auction and they left the bird **** on the roof of my car...I cleaned it as soon as i got the car and now i have a big *** spot on my paint!

 

moose....seriously..if you can't or choose not to take care of your maxima, do the car and the next owner a favor and sell the damn thing and buy something like maybe a Hyundai or Kia.....that way if you choose not to wash it for 10 months, it won't be such a heartbreaker

 

ok, let's not beat the guy up. not everyone spends 12 hours a week buffing their car ith a diaper.

but, it doesn't seem like you've tried very hard. paint cleaner? that's it? have you tried anyhthing else? try some scratch remover. if nothing works, you can always use your fingernail, and then some scratch remover to get the f'nail marks out.

not the greatest solution, but it beats having bird poo tattoos on your car.

 

shbby, how did the Klasse work out for you? I just cleaned, clayed, polished, and then put a couple coats of S100 on mine this past weekend

moose, that must have been a big pile of crap on your trunk to cause the paint to crack, didn't you notice that and think about cleaning it off? I guess it's reasonable to expect the paint to be messed up if a big pile of crap sat in the sun and baked into your paint for a while. A few days and you would already have some etching in the clear coat; but longer than that coupled with sun and humidity - do you park your car outdoors? If so dew every night just re-wet the pile and bonded it more the next day in the sun. Ouch!! Your car does not have a brick finish!! It does require at least a little maintenance!!

 

 

actually, quite nice...easiest wax by far to use...results are staggering...

I was hatin on it b4 cuz of price, but now I wouldn't use anything else...

 

Okay,

For those of you that gave serious responses, I really appreciate it. For those of you that gave me crap about washing my car, GET A LIFE!!

I remember when I had time everyweekend to wash my first vehicle, a jeep, back in HIGH SCHOOL. Emphasis on the words "High School". Now that I'm older and have responsibilities, work two jobs, have a girlfriend, take care of a house, and am looking for a better full time job, I have little time to wash my car every weekend. I'm not one of these highschool nerds without a girlfriend and all the time on my hands to jerk off to my Maxima. I got it because I've heard they are good cars, It gets great gas mileage, it looks good, and it gets me from point A to point B. I didn't get it to NOPIFY, and drop all my hard earned money into modifications that don't make it that much faster.

Now I've heard basically two responses, it can hurt the finish, and it shouldn't hurt the finish. I just wish I new which one was true.

Like I stated before, Thank you very much to those of you for the technical input. For the others, try online dating, maybe you'll find yourselves a girlfriend who doesn't care how tricked out your car is. Its all part of growing up.

 

 

good reply

you can always bring it back to the place you bought it and say "remember you said to let you know if it has paint problems? Well it does, now fix it." and see what happens.

 

Okay, here's my $.02:

Yes, bird droppings are acidic, and will etch through clear coat if given time. So your paint is probably screwed.

No reason not to take it back to the dealer though (once it's clean!), and say "hey there's a problem with my paint". It's not like Nissan DOESN'T have a problem with their paint...

You received some mildly obnoxious notes about washing, so understand your annoyed reaction. But the truth is, if you don't take care of your car and its finish, you can't expect it to continue looking perfect. Yes, you have a lot going on - so do a lot of other people. I've washed my car at midnight a couple of times, because it needed it and that was the only time I had available with my job, kids, house etc. So understand that you've DECIDED not to spend the 45 minutes required to wash your car, it's not that you CAN'T.

Good luck with the dealer - try to get them on your side, and they'll help you with Nissan (my guess is that Nissan will send a paint inspector, who is likely to be a yahoo with a 50-year-old paint gauge - that's who they sent for my car).