Paint despair
 

Hi folks

I'm reluctantly trading in my 2016 Soul Red Mazda 6 because rust is starting to appear on the roof underneath previously repaired stone chips: I've never had a modern car develop rust in my 30 years of owning a variety of European models. Part of this I'm sure is the nature of Soul Red, the other is likely due to the process that Mazda use to avoid the "need for a primer". They celebrate this as a way of reducing vehicle weight and VOCs in the trade press. The other issue I have is finding a bodyshop capable of working with Soul Red. Owners with Crystal Soul Red or Machine Grey, you have my sympathy.

Before I abandon the marque altogether, I wonder whether Artic White is any better in terms of chip resistance. Clearly it will be easier to work with in the event of any damage, but I assume the thin nature of the paint is the same across the colour ranges. I measured my 6's paint to be an average of 70 micrometeres, compared to 150 micrometres on the European brand on the driveway.

Any help appreciated.

I can't speak to all colors, my 2015 dark blue has held up extremely well after 75,000 miles of bad roads. I have not heard problems with any color other than the red.

I have only had one chip that is large enough to find without washing the car first. The impact that caused this chip dented the hood. I applied touch-up paint to this chip and have not had any rust issues.