I know this has been posted somewhere before but since I am somewhat new I figured I would ask anyway!! Just back from somewhat of a long trip and of course I got the usual bugs and tar on the nose of my TSX. However, I knew I would find a nick or two and of course I did. I also noticed that under normal circumstances the paint should have held up a little better. Any suggestions on a good product to protect the paint? Should I get a nose mask? Do masks hurt the paint as well?? (Little pebbles get underneath it). Any advice would be appreciated.
T10

Two Week Old TSX/SS-Ebony/AT-NAVI

 

Get the clear bra installed. I was afraid to even go on the freeway before getting it. Now I go anywhere any time and not a nick or scratch yet.

 

Yeah I hear ya. Is thin paint a TSX problem?? I had a clear bra on my Nissan. Think I'll have it done on the TSX too. You have it on the bumper as well as the hood?? What price you get??

 

Bumper, hood and mirriors. $325.

 

Thanks much bro!
T10

 

I also have paint problems and i thought it was a problem because our car is red and acura have discontinued that colour after the 2004 model and before I write to the company rep I need to now if anyoune else has the same problem. Our car is 1 year old and and loooks like it was 10 years old.I also had a 2002 TL that I sold recently and it had about 10 % of the hood knicks the tsx has.My son has 1993 red Subaru that has less knicks plus muy sister in-law has a 1995 volks
red cabriolet that looks like new beside the tsx

Help

 

I've got the exact same problem. My TSX is also red, and even though I have the clear bra on the front, my entire hood has little chips all over it. I just bought my car at 30 000 kms from a person who lived up the street, and originally i just thought that they must have been driving too close behind other cars through the winter. But i'm starting to have doubts, the rest of the car was in perfect shape, not usually an indicator of a slummy person who doesn't take care of their car. Looking at the chips as well, the paint does really seem thin compared to my previous VW. I talked to my local Acura dealership about covering it under warranty. They said they didn't want to do anything about it, and that I would have to contact Acura Canada and file a claim. I think I will, considering I have heard many other complaints of the same nature on here!!

 

It Really Does Have A Thin Paint Job. My Paint Chipped On The Side And Its Rusted(small). Can I Use Touch Up Paint Even Though Its Rusted.

 

I bought the touch up paint for mine and tried it on a few of the chips on my hood, but even the ones that i did really well just didn't look quite right. I can't notice the chips as much when it is done, but the paint just doesn't have the the sparkle and shine that the original does. After trying it I just left the rest undone, because I didn't want to make it any worse. I hear that the touch up pens do a better job though, so I might try those.

or even better, I might just get a carbon fiber hood. Then i won't have to deal with the problem. That's if I can't convince Acura to fix it under warranty.

 

I would love to see pics of your hood.

I can't imagine it looks as bad as this:
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23039

 

I don't have chips that are that large in diameter, but I have at least 40 smaller ones all over my hood. You can't really notice them until you get right above the hood and look straight down, from angles the red colour seems to mask them a bit.

 

I have a red one and have the same problem. I had a HUGE problem with 4 local Acura dealerships here. Basically, they didn't think I had cash to buy the car so they kept wanting to run my credit before talking numbers. So, I purchased my car from a guy that only had 2000 miles on it. (VERY GOOD PRICE!!) After around 4500 miles, I started noticing chips all over the bumper and hood. I called Acura (Jeremy was such an A-HOLE to me) and they told me since I bought it used, there wasn't anything they could do. This BLOWS!!! Now, at 40000 miles, my bumper, hood and A pillars look as if I've been riding behind a dump truck since I bought the car!! I mean, it is BAD!! So bad that it's starting to get embaressing to drive. I make it a point to stay WAY behind other cars because of the softness of the paint. Even the inside of driver's door shows primer where they didn't shoot enough paint on it. (I guess they figured the door panel would cover it better than it did)

I was at the Acura dealership yesterday and told the parts guy about my situation. He claimed that the local Acura rep could come out and look at it to decide weather it was a defect or not. We'll see...............

 

I'm seeing Acura regional manager tomorrow. We'll see what comes of it

 

I knew a guy who put tape all over the front of his Civic for road trips. This kept the bugs off, and kept the paint from chipping. It was like easy removable painters tape i think? it was like baby blue color. anyways, seems like a good cheap alternative that looks ridiculous for those long road trips. Hope this helps

 

it's a no go! Regional manager attributed it to the seasonal road conditions in our area. Even though I told him that many people were experiencing it in areas that weren't half as bad as ours. Also told him that my 01 Jetta that had 175 000 kms on it before it sold, only had 2 rock chips with the same driving area as the TSX. He didn't really have anything to say about that, just that there was nothing he could do as far as warranty was concerned. Just the way the cars are made. At least he was nice about it.

 

how many times does this have to be covered...

The paint chipping is attributable to the new paint formulations required of all auto manufacturers by the government. This new paint is supposed to be water-based and water soluble. While this is good for the environment, this type of paint is also substantially more brittle than the old style organic solvent based paints.

Volvo was the first company to use this new paint type a couple years ago and their owners were the first to complain about the excessive paint chips.

The only way to completely avoid the chips is to use a clear bra. If you don't want to install a permanent clear bra, then you should be more careful where you are driving.

I have 25K miles on my TSX and only a couple small chips so it can be avoided.

 

First of all, I have clear bra. Second, I completely realize that this is due to the water based paint. Third, I drive very careful. My Jetta with 170 000 didn't have a scratch on it. Just because a company utilizes water based paint, it doesn't mean that I should have to suffer with a chipped up car. Maybe the reason you can avoid getting chipped might be attributable to my climate versus yours. Some of us have a lot more winter than summer.

 

I have a question. How is the clear bra supposed to affect the paint chips that I am suffering on the bumper, top of the hood, roof, a pillars, and doors? Am I supposed to cover the whole car in the clear tape?

Let's face it guys. The red paint had to have a defect in it. You might laugh, but I'm pretty sure bugs are chipping the paint. I have a friend that has a black TSX, has more miles on it and only a few paint chips. We both do the same thing for a living- territorial sales reps and drive in the same areas. I could care less for what the paint is made of. The fact is that the other colors are holding up MUCH better- and they discontinued painting the cars with red. Sounds fishy to me.

I'm so frustrated that I am probably getting rid of the car and getting a new 3 series.

 

Well don't be upset when you see chips on your new 3 series. They seem to be using water based paint too.

http://www.bimmerwerkz.com/forum/ind...howtopic=20519

If you already have alot of chips I would get them fixed and then get the clear bra installed. A board vendor has clear bra kits for the TSX that covers the full bumper, part of the hood and side mirrors.

 

I heard Mercedes use a special paint that resist chipping. Is this true?

 

Yes, I understand that the paint on newer cars is softer due to the chemical change- I'm not doubting it. My thing is that my RED TSX obviously have a problem with the paint- along with most if not all other RED TSX's. Weather it was not mixed right, applied right, or whatever the case may be, it still has a defect in my opinion. I forgot to mention that I have the factory ground efects- painted and installed at the dealership, by the dealership. Guess what? Not a chip in the front spoiler, but the bumper, hood, and roof look like I drove behind a gravel truck for a couple of hundred miles!! That should prove something right?

I'm looking at the BMW because they seem to stand behind their workmanship much better than Acura. I have a friend that purchased a 3 series 1 year ago. It had 25000 miles on it. The paint had a swirly look on the hood. BMW didn't bat an eye. They simply re-painted it, no questions asked.