my paint was lifting in every single spot you could think off. the shop guy and i tested every panel, every trim piece, every where we could get a spot. so it is definately not a "poorly mixed" paint. if it is a paint problem it is a bad batch altogether. otherwise they simply did not put any clear on.

the problem is, is there any possible way we as the consumer can get the truth? is there some kind of industry watchdog spec sheet that will confirm once and for all what in gods name is going on?

 

That's why I'm curious as to your build date. Could indeed be a bad batch. And yes, it certainly could be poorly mixed paint. Mixed so poorly, in fact, that your entire car got sprayed with an unmixed portion. I believe the average amount of paint used on a vehicle from the factory is 2 pints or less. Keep in mind we're dealing with Mazda here, whose paint is traditionally notorious for being very thin. Here is a link to a Miata that was repainted with aftermarket paint (color shifting), going with a nice, deep finish, and using paint that must be applied in relatively thick coats to cover the base, and it still required less than 4 pints. Now, think of the giant vats of paint at the production plant, and the hundreds of gallons of paint contained within them. It becomes quite conceivable that you ended up with 2 pints of poorly mixed paint on your entire car, and becomes even more conceivable how certain people only get areas of it on theirs. Even in a 50gal drum, it's easy to envision this happening.

Quote:

the problem is, is there any possible way we as the consumer can get the truth? is there some kind of industry watchdog spec sheet that will confirm once and for all what in gods name is going on?

That's the hard part. There's too much conflicting information. Believe me; I've been trying for several months. It really does all come together if the clearcoat is indeed mixed. It technically is clearcoated, hence the "yes" replies. It is not clearcoated in the traditional sense (no independent clearcoat), hence the "no" replies.
Maybe a joint venture by a mass of Vivid Yellow vehicle owners will provide the voice we need, and the urgency behind it, to supply us with the credibility we need to get to the bottom of this. Obviously, individual communications with people in Mazda aren't getting anywhere.
Perhaps, once my vividyellow.com website is completed, we can get something together, and see if we can't get to the bottom of this mystery.

 

I waxed my car with Meguiar's Gold Class clear coat liquid car wax. Just done it once ... hmm... maybe almost two months ago? I have had this car for almost 9 months I believe, no paint came off and on to the applicator pad or cotton terry cloth towel.

You sure you didn't just see your wax product blend in with dirt on the applicator pad? My Meguiar's is sort of peach color in the bottle....

Polish is what I've read some people use to experience paint removal, but I don't use it... because of that possibility ... I am no guru at keeping a car healthy clean and protected shine ... therefore, I stick with what is safest... car soap, water, and occassional waxing.

Will be waxing my car again this week, so if I find paint any where it is not suppose to be, I'll be sure to storm back here to scream and yell about it.

 

I was thinking about something tonight...

I don't think that the mirrors are sprayed with clear at the same time the body is sprayed, and here's why.

On the assembly line, I'm thinking that paint is applied before anything else is put/attached to the body. Also, it would be more efficient to set up the assembly line so that all bodies are painted at the same time on the same line....which would mean LX and DX (SE) and ES bodies are all getting painted at the same time. So, since the LX and DX (SE) didn't (or do not) have body colour side mirrors (ie. they are plastic), wouldn't it make sense that all mirrors are attached AFTER the bodies are painted (and clearcoated).

The mirrors, if they are painted, would get painted at another part of the plant, and attached later.

Sorry....It was just something I was thinking about and I really think that explains why some people don't pull paint from the body, but do from the side mirrors.

 

i'm you you on that one, mike.

 

I used Meguiars Gold Class also, but I did step 1 & 2 before applying the wax.
I thought the same thing, that it could be the wax color, but I think it was the paint. Thats one thing im not 100% sure of, it was a lemon yellow (vey light yellow).
How hard to you buff your car after putting wax on? The times I noticed yellow was when I buffed pretty hard. Im not an expert, but should I buff with hardly any pressure? This was done by hand, so I hate to see what an orbital buffer would do to the paint, if the paint did indeed come off (which I think it did).
It happen with the cleaner, polish, and wax.
Keep us updated. I am due for a wax job soon also. Ill post my results also. PM me when you get a chance. Thanks.

 

I know this was touched on by one of the posters and I refuse to read 4 pages of BS, so I'll reiterate since i'm in the paint business and own a red protege5. The red and yellow in particular do not have a clear coat. They are painted with a single stage paint. Most cars now days are painted with a base coat, clear coat method. The single stage paint (be it acrylic enamel or acrylic urithane) has a clear in it that protects the colored pigmintations. This is much cheaper for the manufacturer and is much harder to match when it has to be touched up. I can check on all the color codes if someone will post a link to them or let me know. The yellow special edition miata is a different color from the Protege5 and MP3. They are nowhere near the same. The miata is not as bright and has pearls in the paint. It is a pretty color, just not the same. Post the color codes here and I'll check tomorrow when I go back to the shop which colors have a seperate clear coat.

 

Paint codes are in the FAQ...

Proteges

These are the BJ chassis world market colors (US names shown, overseas names are in brackets):
Sunlight Silver Metallic, color code 22V
Black Mica, color code 16W
Midnight Blue Mica [Supreme Blue Mica], color code 22A
Classic Red, color code A3E
Vivid Yellow [Sunburst Yellow], color code HZ (limited color)
Pure White, color code A3D
Laser Blue Mica [Starry Blue Mica], color code 24A (limited color in the US)
Emerald Mica [Grace Green Mica], color code 18J
Sand Mica, color code 4F
Millennium Red Mica [Passion Red Mica], color code 22K
Sea breeze Green Mica [Orient Green Mica], color code 23G
Light Sandalwood Metallic [Galaxy Gold Metallic], color code 23F
Highlight Silver Metallic, color code 18G
White [Chaste White], color code PT
Twilight Blue Mica, color code 12K
Cranberry Mica [Aroma Red], color code 18U
Sandalwood Metallic [Moonlight Grey Metallic], color code 12M

What's the Miata paint code for the yellow?

 

i wasn't willing to riffle through the FAQs to find 'em. Thanks for posting 'em though.

 

What do you do to protect your paint, since it doesnt have a clear-coat? Do all manufacturers do this with their red cars? (Ferrari, Porcshe, Chevy, etc?) I still dont understand why a clear-coat wouldnt be applied after the basecoat on a yellow car. Ive read that a clear-coat makes a red car have a yellow tint, but this doesnt make any sense since it should do the same for a dark blue.

 

the red and the yellow paints are the only ones that are painted with a single stage process. they have clear in them just not a clear on top, like the literal meaning of "clear coat". And the yellow for the SE Miata is different than HZ. It is a tri-stage paint, two colors over the top of each other with a clear on top of that. Its a beautiful color, but nothing like the MP3 or Protege5s color.

 

I too am in the Automotive Paint industry. I actually have a degree in Paint and Autobody and Custom Paint.
I am confused by what you say Tri Stage Paint one color on top of the other? Are you referring to the base coat then a pearl coat and then the Clear Coat???????? Let's not confuse the people out here with this kinda stuff
BASE COAT COMES FIRST
CLEAR COAT LAST

Single stage will not be as smooth on a new car as it would be on a custom paint job that was buffed.

 

It isn't always a base and then a pearl coat. For the SE Miata that is what I was referring to. I believe its Milano Red on the civic SI that is a "tri stage" color and its a bright red, like Mazda's Classic red. I have never seen a worse OEM paint job than mine by the way. There is a ton of orange peel which to me is unacceptable. All the Protege5s have it though. I was even able to find it in my friends '02 silver ES....ridiculous. I hve never heard of another term other than tri stage by the way....what do you call it? What kind of paint do you use/sell at your shop?

 

Simple fact, you will have orange peel on ALL kinds of cars, BMW, Meredes, Mazda, Chevy, etc. Ive seen it on all these cars.

 

I can paint with out orange peel. They need to learn how to paint. I have never seen an $80K car with orange peel.