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Thin Milano Red paint, chips that rust!

4K views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  Ackman 
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#1 ·
I live in San Diego, CA. Not exactly the rust belt. I'm shocked at how thin the Milano Red paint is on my TSX and how easily it chips. Now the chips are rusting after a few days.....in San Diego! I'll take it in to the dealer but I think they will just say the paint chips are not a defect. But I have never owned a car that chips so easily except for my Mom's 1983 Chrysler LeBaron K Car that was horrible. It eventually got blacklisted by Consumer Reports. Is my car a freak or are other Milano Red guys having paint problems? Also, I have had my car two months and the plastic bumper parts are a couple of shades darker than the rest of the car. I know after a couple of years this would happen but after two months? Feedback appreciated.

IB
 
#3 ·
I've seen that complaint with pretty much all colors of Acura paint, as well as just about every other auto manufacturer these days.

Environmental concerns have prompted changes in the way that paint is manufactured, and the new latex based paints do go on much thinner and are far more prone to chipping. It's probably going to take a while before they perfect the new paints.

I'm confused about the rust though. Are these chips deep enough to go through the primer as well? I only have one chip on my car, (well, two-one on the front lip) and I dragged my feet on getting touch up paint for it, so it was exposed most of the winter. I finally found an OEM paint pen for SSM and touched it up last week, and it was not rusted at all, even through the CT winter with lots of salt and snow.........

I feel bad for you; you have had more problems with your TSX then I've had with my last ten Honda's combined.
 
#4 ·
All the Acura colors are two-stage paints, except for Milano Red and PWP which are three stage applications! (And they are extremely difficult to match.) (I've tried gone blind trying color matching on chips and I might as well have used a totally different color.)

The TSX paint sucks much much worse than my wife's Hondas.

You can blame the environmentalist lobby for the environmentally-friendly, owner-unfriendly paints today.

I was annoyed enough by the bazillion stone chips on my Volvo that I had a "clear bra" material http://www.invinca-shield.com/main.htm applied over the leading edges of the hood and fenders and the mirrors as soon as I bought the TSX.

At least the Volvo didn't rust under the chips.
 
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#5 · (Edited)
LannyM said:
I've seen that complaint with pretty much all colors of Acura paint, as well as just about every other auto manufacturer these days.

Environmental concerns have prompted changes in the way that paint is manufactured, and the new latex based paints do go on much thinner and are far more prone to chipping. It's probably going to take a while before they perfect the new paints.

I'm confused about the rust though. Are these chips deep enough to go through the primer as well? I only have one chip on my car, (well, two-one on the front lip) and I dragged my feet on getting touch up paint for it, so it was exposed most of the winter. I finally found an OEM paint pen for SSM and touched it up last week, and it was not rusted at all, even through the CT winter with lots of salt and snow.........

I feel bad for you; you have had more problems with your TSX then I've had with my last ten Honda's combined.
Lanny, thanks for the sympathy. Yeah, I've had a bunch of bad luck with my car from getting rear-ended, etc. The chip I got on the roof of the car went through the primer and is rusted over so I have to figure out how to get rid of the rust before touching it up. The paint on the hood is pretty thin but the roof seems even thinner. I know the environmentalist thing has hurt paint but my 98 Toyota paint is very rugged. My Subaru is not as good as the Toyota on paint but it still seems to be a bit more flexible, where the Acura paint seems brittle. t-boned in my Toyota P/U and the whole side go smashed but the paint was all attached to the sheet metal. Rugged paint.

Anyway, do you know of something to treat the exposed metal before touching up? I was thinking of throwing a dab of the green self-etching bare metal primer, then putting the red touch-up paint. Any suggestions?
 
#6 ·
I am also very dissatisfied with the durability of my MR paint. After no more than 4 highway trips the front bumper is littered with chips, and I am careful about following ppl on the highway too. Major decision now is what to do about it, whether to touch it up or have clear bra put on over the ugliness of the chips ehhhhhhhh ...almost doesnt make sense for the bumper paint to be soo thin, they shoulda made the bumper red plastic, or whatever it is, so that chips arent so visible..gonna take it to the dealer and see what happens.
 
#7 ·
nachob said:
Lanny, thanks for the sympathy. Yeah, I've had a bunch of bad luck with my car from getting rear-ended, etc. The chip I got on the roof of the car went through the primer and is rusted over so I have to figure out how to get rid of the rust before touching it up. The paint on the hood is pretty thin but the roof seems even thinner. I know the environmentalist thing has hurt paint but my 98 Toyota paint is very rugged. My Subaru is not as good as the Toyota on paint but it still seems to be a bit more flexible, where the Acura paint seems brittle. t-boned in my Toyota P/U and the whole side go smashed but the paint was all attached to the sheet metal. Rugged paint.

Anyway, do you know of something to treat the exposed metal before touching up? I was thinking of throwing a dab of the green self-etching bare metal primer, then putting the red touch-up paint. Any suggestions?
I'd let the dealer deal with the rust issue-if you prime it and it comes through they're going to blame you, so let them get it professionally fixed.....
 
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#12 ·
Paint Chipped TSXs unite!

I also have a milano red TSX (2005). 10 months old, 8400 miles, very little highway, and I have at least 10 paint chips. My theory is that if enough of us call Acura (1-800-382-2238 - I already called) and register a complaint, they might actually do something about it. So start dialing!!!
 
#13 ·
Hmmm, I'm over two years of fairly high speed driving on crappy CT highways, especially the crap that passes for sand in the winter, and I tend to tailgate as well, and at this point I have still had only two chips on my car.

The first one is on my OEM front lip, and I heard the hit it took. The second was inside my rear door and I doubt it was caused by a rock. Certain colors must hold up better...


My buddy with an '04 NBP had tons of chips on his front, but he was doing over 100 miles a day on the highways.
 
#14 ·
^^^ yup, my PWP also not that bad on chip. I drive quite crazy on hwy when I am in a rush to pick up my kids from daycare. And we have tons of trailer running on hwy in Toronto too. And I have less than 15 chips on my hood, front bumper and front lip after 2 yr and all of them are not that visible. And I have no chips on the rest of the car(keep the finger cross). I am quite satisfy with it. Well I can tell and feel the paint on my BMW is higher quality but doesn't meant the BMW paint won't chip. My BMW is really chipped like crazy that I am seriously thinking I should repaint it.
 
#15 ·
I feel you have the same problem. I am going to get the entire front end painted soon.
 
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