I've leased my 2002 Maxima and over the 2 1/2 years that I've owned the car, I've taken EXCEPTIONALLY good care of it, as I do ALL of the cars I've owned.

But with the Maxima, I've noticed a whole bunch of little chips in the paint on the front of the hood and plastic front bumper cover.

Is this normal for these cars?

I mean, on a car with an MSRP of over $28K you'd expect a bit more paint protectant, or a better clear coat or something.

I've never owned a car that chipped so easily. I just want to know if this is normal, because when I turn the car in, if they look at those dozen or so small chips and try to charge me, I'll have ammo.

The car is in absolutely meticulous condition. Other than those chips, people routinely ask me..."do you ever drive this thing, it's so clean?" So I don't think the dealer will have ANYTHING to complain about, I'm sure it's in better shape than 98% of the cars they get back from lease turn ins. But I just want to know ahead of time.

Let me know if you have the same issues. Thanks

 

same issues here... i've just learned to deal with them..... i think i'll jus wait until it gets a little worse.. then jus repaint my shiet.......... if it's not too bad yet, i suggest getting a clear bra or something for ur car... i hear it helps a lot....

 

It's even worst if your max is black like mine, and if you drive like I do you'll notice more and more as time goes on. Plan to repaint in a year if you have a dark color and you live in an Urban area/City area. This paint is by far the cheapest i've since for such a nice car.

 

same here....i drove from miami to orlando and back and was greeted with many paint chips in the front bumper...sucks. looks like **** on a black car......

 

I installed a 3M clear bra (www.invinca-shield.com) when I first bought my max. I haven't gotten a single chip in a protected area My hood, front bumper, and the area around my headlights are protected.

I'd recommend touching up with a toothpick, using langka (langka.com) to smooth the results, and installing a clear bra. How-to on my site. It's a great investment.

 

My hood is a disgrace....and i just had front bumper and lip painted over the weeken and I noticed two paintchips already...so

1. Nissan paint sucks a ss
2. Paint doesn't stick to the bumpers well

 

The paint flat out sucks and ****es me off. I have an 03 SE looks like a 97 Chevy Cavalier. Watch out for the birds also. The will make the paint crackle to the primer if you let it sit for to long.

 

i want to try lanka, but i just have 2 many chips. i think i will get the front repainted and install the clear bra..

 

When I bought my car used it had to many paint chips and scratches in the front so they repainted it. Now the hood and front bumper look like they've never been repainted, they're so many chips.

 

Does a bear crap in the woods? this paint is horrible, i seem to find new chips everyday! i have a dark green color so its very hard to hide.

 

I don't know about Nissan, but I was in the same position w/my Pontiac Grand Am. Car looked immaculate save for a horrible front end littered w/paint chips. It looked as if the front was sandblasted. Anyway, they didn't have a problem w/it at all..didn't charge me anything upon return & gave me back my sec. dep.. Same thing happened (with albeit a very small # of chips) w/our Olds' Bravada. I doubt the dealer will say anything about it..and even if they did, you can just take it to another Nissan dealer to return.

Don't waste your $ on a clear bra..too little, too late esp. w/a leased car.

 

Yep big problem! Search is off otherwise I would show you a thread about a trillion pages long about this problem.

 

Paint blows shaved yaks.

 

I just ordered some clear bra for my hood and side mirrors. I'm going to paint my bumper first before I buy the clear bra for my bumper.

 

paint sucks...i have soooooo many chips on my hood and bumper

 

I have the same problem with my car...ive had the front bumper repainted as well as the hood when I bought my car a year ago thinking it was the person that owned the car before me...nope its just nissans crap paint. Its a shame because the chips really take away from an otherwise nice car. I only have about 5 or 6 but still I take such good care of the thing it seems silly to have any at all.

 

I could wash/wax my ol' black 97' 3-series Bimmer with 90-grit sand-paper and it would look better than my 02' Max. Over Memorial week-end I knocked-out a Meguire's "3-step" on a black 99' Acura CL, the lady's car. She takes very good of it but it's a daily driver in a harsh (MN) climate, paint was showing some wear (oxidization, flat), etc. Man...compared to mine I was stunned at how good the car looked once complete. Her hood and deck-lid looked so vibrant, deep and "liquid" that you just "mentally melted into the car!" I come home, look at the Max I moderately detailed just 3 weeks ago and...blah...looks like the skin on a 50 year-old crack *****.