Help removing acid rain spots from new Infiniti G37x with Scratch Shield clear coat!

Ron-



I appreciate your feedback. Please check your PM. Incidentally, the shop doing the work would be the dealership itself, so I'd assume they'd use Infiniti-approved processes.



Thanks,

Schwa72
 
You need to go to the shop and look for the I-CAR signage.

You also need to ask the body shop manager what paint materials they use and when was the last time they sent their painters to the supplier's training schools.

Grumpy
 
While it would make me feel better if the dealer's body shop were I-CAR certified, I'm not sure that certification is something I can insist on. If Infiniti winds up repainting the car and not replacing it, I'm sure I won't have much choice in who does it. I'd be willing to bet that the dealership (and Infiniti, for that matter) will insist that the dealer's body shop does the work. If someone else does the work Infiniti certainly won't stand behind it.



Interesting story...the space that's now occupied by the Infiniti dealer's service facility used to be an Acura service center. The Acura body shop that was housed in the facility was definitely I-CAR certified (I remember seeing the signage) and they repainted my Acura's bumper after I got rear-ended (this was back in 2001). They did a $H!TTY job! There were runs in the paint and the color didn't properly match. So, my personal (admittedly limited) experience with an I-CAR body shop didn't leave me impressed. I'm sure my experience was the exception, but still...
 
I am not saying that being an I-CAR shop is fool proof, that each and everyone of them will adhere to what is expected or trained.

However, the choice of a shop being better than most is enhanced by those who do put their people through the certification process.

A guy once told me to think of it this way, "You got a legal problem and don't know any lawyers where you are, do you hire one that has a Phoenix College diploma on the wall or Harvard Law School on the wall?"

I think it says it all.

Grumpy
 
Ron, I understand completely what you're saying and I'm not trying to belittle I-CAR certifications. I agree...if given the choice, I'd definitely go for an I-CAR certified shop. I was just relaying my (as I said, limited) experience. However, unfortunately I suspect it's a moot point. It's either going to be a new car or the dealer repainting it, I-CAR or no I-CAR.
 
You got the picture, and I am hoping to hear from Tim in the morning regarding just what is going on and what Nissan is doing around the country to resolve the many complaints.

Will let you know as soon as I hear from him.

Grumpy
 
Thanks Ron, I look forward to hearing what Tim has to say!



To be honest, the notion of getting my brand new car repainted is really stressing me out. This isn't what I expected when buying a premium brand like Infiniti and I intend to let the dealer and the Infiniti rep know this. For what it's worth, this is the sixth new Nissan/Infiniti I've had since 2005 and it's the first with any type of paint issues right off the lot.
 
Here is an update for you.

The "Scratch Shield" is a version of the touted "self healing clearcoat" that was first talked about a couple of years ago.

When it is wet sanded or over buffed, it becomes very, very soft, and stays that way.

The concern, be it an etch or a scratch, if a very small amount of clear is removed, just sinks into the surface and once the surface is allowed to set and cool down, pops back up.

From what I have been getting for information on this clear, get this!

You may well be better off to have them apply a conventional clearcoat on the top surfaces rather than have to deal with this Scratch Shield clearcoat.

Will let you know more later this week.

Grumpy
 
I have a Nissan Pathfinder 4 yrs old-it has developed acid spots (or thats what the bodyshop i use think it is) the guy at the bodyshop was suggesting that if i had travelled behind a tractor with a sprayer that may have caused the damage as some chemicals the farmers use are acidic-I have no idea about this and am unsure if my car had a faulty paintjob at the factory as its already had an number of rust spots delt with-thought you may be able to shed some light knowledge on it?-sorry i cant help you (i'm a girl-not my field)-maybe this is what happened to yours? Anyway the bodyshop reconed that it is definately covered by insurance as he had one similar some time ago...
 
If the damage came from a farmers sprayer, being towed, then there would be "tale-tell" patterns of the etching.

If not, then it is most likely acid rain or industrial fallout which when subjected to moisture, such as dew or light rain, will activate the acids on the paint, resulting in etching.

The paint job from the assembly plant is not "faulty" for if that were the case, the damage would have shown up within a year or two.

Read you owner's manual and I beleive it will state that the paint is warrantied for 12 months against "factory defects", IE the damage that occurs due to enviormental conditions are not covered once the vehicle is sold.

As far as getting insurance to pay for this concern, doubt it.

You would need to locate the farmer, find out what was in the sprayer, etc and then his insurance would cover the damage.

Never saw or read an auto insurance policy that covered the owner for damage such as you are experiencing.

Not sure where you are located, however if the vehicle is operated and parked in industrial areas, refinery's, etc, that may be where the damaging compounds came from.

Grumpy
 
Ron Ketcham said:
The "Scratch Shield" is a version of the touted "self healing clearcoat" that was first talked about a couple of years ago.

.......if a very small amount of clear is removed, just sinks into the surface and once the surface is allowed to set and cool down, pops back up.
Click to expand...



This sounds like a wonder feature best suited for a coating LSP instead of a clear coat paint. I guess with technology changing, it could be possible. I could see something like "Opti-Coat 10.0" featuring this.
 
Much has happened since I last posted. Long story short...after conferring with Infiniti, my dealership repainted the clear coat on my car (without my prior approval). At first glance the paint job looked good but as I began to polish out some light compounding marks I noticed quite a few runs, dust nibs, improper masking, over sanding, and other issues. My wife and I contacted the dealer after having the repainted car for about three days and demanded a new car or our money back. The dealer conceded and we just picked up our new car yesterday. There are some very, very small & minor acid rain spots on about the last 5 inches of the trailing edge of the roof but the rest of the paint is perfect. Of course since this clear coat is so hard to work on I'm unable to remove the acid rain spots but I'll probably take the car to my local detailer (Eastside Auto Spa in Cincinnati) next week to see what he can do with a rotary and some skill. Even if the spots don't come out, they're well within acceptable limits.



So, I guess if you press Infiniti and/or your dealer hard enough, you'll eventually get a new car. However, I'm quite disappointed the Scratch Shield clear coat is so hard to polish yet seems especially susceptible to industrial fallout damage. Hopefully Infiniti/Nissan will address this in some way, but I'm not going to hold my breath.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top