[ianmcginley]

Hi all,

Just curious to extend the topic of paint quality on the 350Z, i'm currently leaning towards Daytona Blue (I've got the car I want, I've got the colour, just gotta get the funds). However i'm noticing on Australian cars (Falcons, Commodores, etc) that 2 - 5 year old cars car really show the difference between the paint quality on the metal work versus plastic bumbers (looks shades different).

Does the 350Z have the same issue? On the local cars it appears to be mostly the metallics that are affected, how does the Silvers and such on the Nissan hold the colour?

 

[toykilla]

All the Z colors are affected by this.. the paint shades are different between metal and plastic surfaces.. It is more visible on some colors, but it is there on all of them (except maybe black)

Another thing about the paint quality is that is sucks.. The front end will chip off like crazy. I had my last z's front repainted and it took care of the problem and I will probably be doing that again soon on my new Z.

 

[ianmcginley]

Originally posted by TOYKILLA@Feb 6 2005, 01:51 PM
Another thing about the paint quality is that is sucks.. The front end will chip off like crazy. I had my last z's front repainted and it took care of the problem and I will probably be doing that again soon on my new Z.

Thats seriously disappointing these days - something that has dogged Japanese cars for a while. Pay AU$55k+ for a car and you have to get another clear coat put on it :doh:

What did you specifically have done to the car to 'fix' it?

 

[mickyboy]

These days u need to watch out for dings in the car parks more than stone chips!

If u r wooried about them get one of those car bras or the new fangled see through coatings for the bonnet & bumper.

Or else fork out extra dough and get the new Merc with 'nano' technology in the paint!

Or just buy the car and enjoy it & respray later!
cheers

 

[Perth 350z]

I agree with you micky. My car is my daily driver and I don't have a huge problem with the front end - I use my Colgan car bra whenever going on the highway, but round town everything is just fine.

In relation to the different colcours on the fron bar compared to the bonnet, this is very common in most cars and is as a result of the different primers used on plastics compared to metal. From memory on the Daytona Blue it isn't overly noticable.

 

[DJ777]

Black will not show different "shades" from bumper to bonet, BUT it will show everything else... if i was doing it all over again id get me a blue one. With the black one you WILL have to work twice as much to keep it in shape, swirls, fine lines, dust dirt you name it ... but then again when i was it clean it polish it wax it, and you get that perfect gloss,,, well then for the short time am happy i have black. : :irock:

 

[frosty]

Just reading about the new Nissan Murano - a 4wd suv with the 350
z's engine.

". . . there have been criticisms of the poor quality of the Z's paint, susceptible to stone chipping . . . "

So we weren't the only ones! You should see the front of my car! Bloody Nisshit!

FRIZZLE

 

[CAR]

I'm going the whole hog - half the car is repainted anyway - there is only the bonnet and drivers side left so I'm getting them done soon. The std from a good painter is miles ahead of Nissan.

 

[Nuff]

Originally posted by mickyboy@Feb 7 2005, 07:18 PM
These days u need to watch out for dings in the car parks more than stone chips! 
 
If u r wooried about them get one of those car bras or the new fangled see through coatings for the bonnet & bumper. 
 
Or else fork out extra dough and get the new Merc with 'nano' technology in the paint! 
 
Or just buy the car and enjoy it & respray later! 
cheers 

[snapback]70651[/snapback]​

 

The nano (ceramic) paint is made by PPG and I think it just started to be available in USA, but don't quote me on that. So in the future you'll be able to respray your car with it too. The big thing with nano technology is that it makes the paint harder to scratch and the gloss last longer without polishing. There are already chip resistant paints (I should say paint systems, since you need to use that whole system for it to work as advertised), but the problem with them is that they are easy to scratch, I would prefer chip resistant, easier to scratch paint, with lots of clear coats on top.

I've been doing a lot of research on this paints, and the best ones are:
Deltron by PPG, Glasurit by BSF, Spies Hacker. If you check this pdf, you'll see that Spies Hacker has a product called Permanal® Stone Chip Protector beige/grey 7100, it goes between the primer and the colour and it should absorb the impact from stones, preventing the primer to lift.

From what I've been reading all of them are very expensive and Spies Hacker is the most expensive of them all and it's hard to work with as well, but the results are worth it and they should last.

As for me I'm getting an airbrush and some paint to touch up my stone chips (some of them very big), it takes a lot of practice, but if done right you can't tell where the chips where fixed.

 

[frosty]

I had more chips in 20,00k ranging from pepper size to craters on the Z than the STI had in 70,000k. Both had plastic components, but it seems that both the softer plastic and the **** paint on the Z contribute to a disappointing result.

I think I remember someone saying that respray on part of their car was so dramatically better than original that they had the rest of the car resprayed!

**** synchros, **** stereo, **** paint - but it looks bloody nice!

FROZZTIE