bucketheadtsx

Hi all,

I am having a major problem with my '06 TSX's Milano Red paint. I could really use some feedback! I have looked around and noticed many threads about TL paint but not many about TSX paint issues. Here is the situation...

Recently I had spent a considerable amount time (nearly 8 hours) detailing my paint. The clear coat on the car had more swirl marks in it then I would expect to see on a neglected 10 year old car. From the first several months of owning this car I noticed the clear coat seemed to swirl very easily. That is just the beginning...

I then began to notice an abundance of chipping (not just being overly sensitive). At first, it wasn't enough for anyone at the dealership to take seriously. However, now I have noticed chips all over the car. The paint on the hood has so many chips in it that it appears speckled (can you say Milano Red Pearl?). The roof is chipping as well as both sides for the car. My first car was an Oldsmobile Cutlass that was 10 years old when I got rid of it. Needless to say, the paint was in better condition on it...

Lastly, the paint on the trunk lid (no chips, thank God!) appears to have faded spots in it. It is difficult to notice at first, but, if you look close, it appears there are several 6" to 8" spots that have a pinkish tone to them and do not match the paint.

Sorry for the long windedness of this post but the value of this car is in the dumper and I am really frustrated... At this point I am throwing money away, I would have trouble selling this car in "good" condition. I have an appointment with the dealer, how should I approach/handle this?

Thank you for taking the time to read all this!

rx280

Actually, there have been many threads on the lousy-paint problem. Here's just one, which I chose partly because I've always been amused by the wisecrack in post #12: "I swear this paint chips from rain."
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...int+rain+chips
My black '04 TSX just turned five years old about 10 days ago, and there were more chips on the hood and front bumper after a year -- maybe even just six months -- that my previous car (1990 Mazda RX-7) accumulated in 14 years and 199,000 miles. I had my front bumper replaced after a year (after a late-night encounter with a deer) and at that point had paint-protecting film (a.k.a. clear bra) applied to the car's front end. It's made a big difference, obviously. (Although the film doesn't look new forever, the slight haziness that develops, and the impact marks that occasionally appear, are definitely preferable to the abundant white specks of stone chips.)
It's sounds as though your paint is so ravaged that it's way too late for clear bra.
One other thing -- and this won't make you feel any better -- I've gotten the strong impression that the chipping is most severe on Milano Red cars. That impression comes from Acurazine posts AND from the service manager at my local dealership, who has acknowledged that most of the bad-paint complaints he's heard or heard about have been from owners of Milano Red cars. Why that color paint is so fragile, I don't know.

bucketheadtsx

rx280,

Thanks for the post. That quote is dead on, it does seem to chip in rain. Unfortunately, I am way beyond the point of a clear bra and unless they can wrap my car in plastic wrap I am SOL!

I would love to post some pictures on here when I get the chance. If for no other reason than a good laugh or cry...

Honestly, this will keep me from buying another Acura. You expect a certain quality level when you purchase a car like this and when it ends up costing you more than it is worth it is disappointing. I think my TSX's days are numbered...

Any other suggestions are welcomed!!!

MMsTSX

don't buy any other foreign cars either.
I own an infiniti as well, and all the owners claim the same thing.

it's not Acura's fault.
it's the US's EPA's fault.

they made them make the paint like that.

Red@8

Agreed! A lot of people dont know this though. My IS350 was just as terrible as my TSX.

nj2pa2nc

My 06 Milano red, bought new, 11/17/06, is covered with paint chips, thanks to driving on the highways. I agree I would need a complete clear bra on the car. Luckily there are no fade spots. It is garage kept and I wash and wax it often. It is not acura's fault for the lousy paint blame the epa for it's rules. Older cars had stronger paint. My tsx has 65,000 miles and I plan to get another acura when the 2010 arrives. (have not decided which one)

bucketheadtsx

What kind of restrictions does the EPA place on foreign automakers? Do the U.S. manufacturers fall under these same restrictions (i.e. all car paint is S*$%). If I had it repainted would that correct the problem?

scheißterhöffer

I have an '04 Milano Red with about 48K miles. It's absurb how bad the paint chips. I stopped caring long ago because there's nothing I can do about it. I honestly think there are thousands of paint chips on the hood. Those blaming the EPA, my wife's 02 BMW with ~85K miles has like 4 paint chips. I had a flamenco black pearl 99 civic si prior to this and it was pretty bad too. I look at other Hondas/Acuras and don't think they seem as bad but it's not like I'm driving off road 5 feet behind a semi. I think you just have to let it go.

CGTSX07

^^I have noticed the same thing with BMWs and other german cars. Their paint seems to be very hard. our paint simply sucks...

LuvMyTSX

My 2004 only has a couple chips and no fading at all. The chips were there when I bought it so I don't know how they happened, but even so, it's not bad at all.

78transam

Cars manufactured in foreign countries must comply with US emission standards. The EPA has no jurisdiction within a foreign country with regards to the type of paint utilized during manufacturing. That's not to say that the Japanese equivalent of the EPA is placing restrictions on Honda manufacturing influencing them to use environmentally friendly paints. Repainting your car would only solve the problem if the paint currently on the car were removed ($$$).

bucketheadtsx

That's interesting MMsTSX made mention that maybe the US's EPA had something to do with this. I am wondering if it would be worth it to attempt to pressure the dealership into repainting the hood and the trunk lid?

CGTSX07

that will not work, it is considered regular wear and tear.

nj2pa2nc

Even tho is is considered a wear and tear item, try going to the dealer and find out. No pressure, just tell them to look at it (especially the faded areas), You will never know until you go there. (just expect a no but then again)

bucketheadtsx

I will be cool about this, but I don't consider this normal wear and tear by any stretch. My feeling is that if they will straight up sell you on the fact that you are buying quality and that you should pay a premium for it; Then I plan on holding them to that.

Honestly, I'm not really sure what the acceptable solution is here. I would be afraid to have it repainted, everyone has heard horror stories about aftermarket paint jobs gone wrong. I may push for them to simply replace the hood and trunk lid. I guess I can touch up the roof if they would at least do that.

So I have been doing some research and poking around. It seems like there are many people out there with Acuras and Hondas that are having a lot of paint issues. In my opinion, this has nothing to do with restrictions on automotive paint. Bottom line here is that Honda seems to be cutting corners to save a little cash. It seems there was a class action lawsuit against the company, filed in India, and Honda was forced to put out a recall.

If you ever have issues with your dealer, ask to take their survey for consumer satisfaction. A dealer's Consumer Satisfaction Index (C.S.I) is a major deal to them. Giving them a poor rating will surely get you noticed. Most of you probably took this survey after buying your Acura. My dealer followed up with me the very next day after I took mine.

I am going to give the dealer a chance, then American Honda. If neither get me anywhere, I am going to file a compliant with The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov). If this problem is as widespread as it appears we shouldn't be grabbing our ankles on this.

Hopefully, it doesn't go that far... Appointment is next week! I will keep you posted.

nbtx

The US EPA has no control over foreign products. Since our TSXs are painted in Japan, Japan controls the process, if at all.

Some years ago (about 10) Corvette owners complained on a forum about the poor paint from the Corvette factory. Finally the guy in charge of the paint shop had enough of the bi*tching. He said they were doing the best possible job with water-based prints given the US EPA regulations, and that Lexus and Acura could still use solvent-based paints in Japan which could no longer be used in the USA.

I was initially very impressed with the quality of my TSX's paint, but 2 years later I have changed my mind. Its durability is terrible.

bucketheadtsx

So I had my appointment Wednesday night. I got an expected run around about how I must drive right behind semis everywhere I go. So they seem to be convinced I drive around like an @$$hole on a daily basis. As for the fading/clouding paint on the trunk lid, it seems that I never polish/wax my car either... They have it all figured out.

Anyway, to make a long frustrating story short, I have an appointment with the dealer's Acura rep next week. We'll see where that gets me.

P.S. Still trying to get some pictures up, just haven't had much time. I need to reduce there size or something because the upload keeps failing.

bucketheadtsx

Sorry for the delay in reply. I have met with the my Dealer's Acura representative. It was much different than I expected it to be. He did not treat me like some moron that didn't take care of his vehicle. He seemed to genuinely care that I had purchased an Acura and that I wasn't satisfied with how the paint was wearing.

The appointment took about 3 hours in total. The dealer cleaned the car, then the Acura rep and the head of the dealer's service department gave it a going over. This process took about 45 minutes. Then the rep and I walked through what I thought the issues were. He said that my radiator, headlights, and windshield were showing signs of rock damage so he wasn't inclined to authorize a repair of the hood. I wasn't totally convinced that the hundreds of tiny chips were considered "normal" but I went with what he was telling me.

I then brought the trunk lid to his attention. He didn't seem prepared for this, I don't believe the dealer mentioned the fading paint. Both he and the service manager recognized that there was subtle clouding on the truck and upper rear quarter panels. So again, I waited while the dealership detailed the paint (an attempt to remove the clouding). He had asked me if I had had the paint detailed. I told him that it was professionally detailed about a week prior.

After about an hour the car was back from the detail shop. Again, they went over the parts of the car that were in question. Then once again, I was called back to look at the rear of the car. They had only slightly improved the clouding. He did mention that the paint was not covered under the warranty but conceded, given the age of the vehicle, the paint should not be fading. Consequently, he authorized the dealership to have the rear of the car painted! As a bonus, the body shop that does the paint for the dealer guarantees their paint work for life! He also asked the service manager to get a quote for the hood as well (a win on all accounts for me).

I thanked the rep for his time, scheduled my appointment with the service department and was gone.

Needless to say, I was in pretty good spirits as I traveled two hours to get home (yeah that is the closest Acura Dealership). When I got back in to town I stopped to gas the TSX back up. As I was filling up I noticed something odd on the roof. I thought that the detail shop had left some excess wax/polish on the roof of the car. After closer inspection my heart sank. More clouding! I had never noticed it on the roof before, but under the neons of the gas station it was clear as day. Apparently, my service tech, the service manager, and Acura rep had all missed it also. Either that or they didn't say anything about it.

I called the service department informing them of this new issue. My appointment for the repaint has been canceled and I am currently waiting to here back from the Acura rep as to the next step in this process. I am however guarded optimistic that this whole thing will eventually get resolved.

I will update the thread when I know what happens next. Thanks!

davidspalding

Wow. I'm impressed that they spent that amount of time trying to resolve the finish, including detailing,etc. Maybe that was low-cost, or some wax monkey had nothing better to do, but from your account the rep(s) invested considerable time evaluating it for you and offering some resolution. Hope it works out.

Yours is the same year as mine, so I'm a little worried about the paint. Fortunately, only 2-3 chips on the leading edge of the hood, which touch-up paint resolved adequately. I avoid dump trucks (the dump trucks in RTP are horrible) and service vehicles with crap in back, though.

rx280

Even though paint-protecting film (clear bra) has minimized the stone-chip problem on my black ’04, I still get the occasional chip in the unprotected areas, so I’m always looking for the best way to conceal the blemishes. I’ve tried Langka and I’ve tried Quixx, and both have worked pretty well. (Basically, you use them to level the touch-up paint after it’s dried. It’s just about inevitable that if you apply touch-up paint to a chip or a scratch, you’ll apply more than you really needed; thus the need for leveling.) You can find out more about Langka and Quixx by checking their Web sites. However, I think the typical TSX owner, dismayed/disgusted by a slew of stone chips dotting the front end of his or her car, may want to focus on this product, which looks pretty promising. I haven’t tried it, but I’m thinking I will. I noticed an ad for this company toward the back of the last several issues of Car and Driver magazine and just a day or two ago finally got around to taking a look at the Web site. What I saw and read makes me think it might well be the best way to attack a large number of tiny chips in a relatively small expanse of paint – what they refer to as “road rash.” Take a look and see what you think. Maybe someone else – a Milano Red owner, perhaps? -- can be the guinea pig and then file a report. Here’s the link:
http://drcolorchip.com/
(By the way, one of the pluses to having a black car is that you can use a black Sharpie on stone chips. (The pens with a fine point work best.) You can wield a Sharpie MUCH faster than you can apply touch-up paint with a brush or a paint pen, and there's no need for follow-up "blob" removal, but those advantages are largely canceled out by the fact that the ink, although labeled “permanent,” really isn’t, at least not when being put to this use; it probably just gradually wears off. Still, because of the speed advantage, I use a Sharpie far more often than touch-up paint. Maybe the Dr.ColorChip system will change that, if I get around to trying it and find that it works as advertised.
If you’re interested in finding out about Langka:
http://www.langka.com/
If you’re interested in finding out about Quixx:
http://www.quixxusa.com/

Sock

buckethead, I look forward to hearing what the resolution is for your issue, specifically the fading / pink area on the trunk. I discovered the same problem on my trunk today.
I've learned to live with the chipping (I had a San Marino Red Honda Accord that did the same thing) and don't believe it to be a paint defect, however the fading / pinking is obviously a basecoat or midcoat failure and I'm afraid of what it might look like in a couple of years.

As an aside, the two red Honda products I've owned (Accord & TSX) have had the same "chips in the rain", "swirls in the wind" soft paint. However, the paint on both my silver moss metallic CR-V and my parents' ocean mist metallic Oddysey is hard as a rock.

LukeaTron

I've got an MR with a few rock chips (less than others it seems for whatever reason) so I'll be your huckleberry. It's not going to happen till the spring though. If the product works as described, it looks like it could be just the ticket.

bucketheadtsx

For starters, I hope everyone had a happy holiday. So I was finally able to get the ball rolling on this paint fix. The dealer neglected to call me back after the claimed to have talked to the rep again. I was told that they would not authorize a fix of the roof.

I went ahead and made my appointment for the trunk repaint. It took about three days to do. The dealership gave me a loaner for the duration of the time. Got the TSX back last Friday and I was pretty satisfied with the work. They blended the new paint into the quarter panels well. The only real complaint I have was the wet sanding work, it wasn't great and if you look at the trunk just right you can see the paint isn't flat. But I am tired of dealing with it. At least there is no fading on the trunk.

I guess in conclusion, the key for me was to talk face to face with the Acura rep. I wish I would have caught the fading on the roof beforehand, this probably cost me in retrospect. In the end I am not totally satisfied because I didn't get everything that needed painted fixed. But something is better than nothing. I'm not sure if I would buy another Acura in the future...

Happy New Year!

superwspfreak

I am having the exact same issues as described below on the hood and trunk on my 05 Red TSX. Looks like a visit to the dealer in order.

"Lastly, the paint on the trunk lid (no chips, thank God!) appears to have faded spots in it. It is difficult to notice at first, but, if you look close, it appears there are several 6" to 8" spots that have a pinkish tone to them and do not match the paint."

RedsRuby

I recently bought an 06 Milano Red TSX and hate to admit that I have the same faded paint problems mentioned above... I'm hoping someone can offer some suggestions on repair? Luckily I don't seem to have the paint chip issues so hopefully that will continue to be OK!


So it was previously owned in FL and whoever had it obviously did not drive it often (extremely low miles- bonus!) or care for the exterior well. The fading looks sort of purplish more than pink really and appears cloudy at night but not hardly visible during the day. The top of the trunk is the worst and it fades over a little onto the quarter panels. The hood is not completely faded but rather has faded spots, like it was often parked under a tree or left there for a long time and the sun only hit certain spots of the hood. Also, the roof has some fading and the edges at the bottom of the window where there is a curve before the wall of the door goes straight down is also faded. I will say the fading is fairly uniform at least... what can I say, I'm an optimist!

Has anyone been able to repair or restore faded red paint or specifically faded MR paint? Could some good polishing compound and a buff and wax help? I am willing to pay a bit if there is a solution that will work- I wouldn't do the work myself anyway but take it to a detail or body shop. Or is the only solution really a new paint job? The thought of repainting is just not appealing to me because I feel like it will never be as good as the factory paint- have I just heard too many horror stories?

I have been extremely diligent about parking in the shade or under cover when possible and keeping the car clean with a clear coat protectant and/or wax as much as possible in order to at least maintain the state it is in now. If there is no fix, what do I need to do to best maintain at this point?

Thanks all!


As a side note- I have to say that I would have never bought the car if I knew the paint was faded! I am one of the most detail oriented people you will ever meet so for me to not notice this issue after looking at the car twice, on different days and in different lighting mind you, I have to believe that the dealership duped me somehow and managed to cover this up. It was only after they washed it while I did the paperwork and I drove it home that it was noticable. I literally noticed this the second I stepped out of the car at home! It had gotten dark on the way home and it is more noticable in the dark. I did take it back and try to work something out but since it was used, they pretty much told me I was SOL and they would detail/wax it for me to try and fix. Needless to say it did not fix it and I think it was all BS because there was hardly any wax on it. Jerks! Oh well, live and learn!

LuvMyTSX

I'd check out the Wash and Wax forum in Off Topic. There are pros there who may be able to help you.

renedcruz

iTrader: (8)

I have an 04 carbon gray tsx, and there were so many paint chips on the front bumper and the hood, that I had to get it resprayed. It sucks because I tried so many alternatives (waxing, touch up paint) but nothing worked at the end, so I had to spend $500 smackaronnies to get it resprayed. It was worth it at the end, the car looks perfect now..... :-)