Hi Folks,

I'm new to the Mazda family, having just acquired a 2018 CX-5 Touring, CPO, in May. I've noticed a strange condition in the paint, and am wondering if anyone knows what this is or if you've seen it before. Around the driver side rear door handle, there are slits the paint, and some ripples. It almost looks like the paint layers split apart and slid aroud.

I don't recall seeing this when I bought the car, but can't rule that out... I must admit I probably didn't examine the car as carefully as I should: I'm not a great car buyer. But I've also not done anything or know of anything happening that would cause damage here. Incidentally, or perhaps not, I've noticed that the covers over the window column on that door are loose, inside and out. This is the vertical piece between the operable window and the fixed one.

The car had a clean carfax, but I wonder if these issues are related to some unreported damage? Anyway, I'd appreciate any insight you can offer.

Thanks,
Alex

 

While I am not an expert. It looks to me like the door was repainted by a low quality body shop. At the edge of the door, I also see what appears to be runs in the paint. With a low quality of the paint job, if it was repainted, I would bet there are other more obvious signs of a cheap repaint. I would look at the inside of the doors, trunk, hood and around the trim and windows looking for over-spray. A low quality body shop would likely not take the time to perfectly mask off places that should not be painted and I bet you can find paint on parts that should not have paint. This will give you a clue of the extent of the damage.

I would take it to a body shop and get our suspicions confirmed. Ask them if there are any other areas of the vehicle that appear to be repaired / repainted. Get an estimate to fix it. If they won't give you an estimate without charge, ask them for a ball-park estimate and their guess at the scope of the work needed.

You will have the evidence you need to go back to the dealer and Mazda. You bought a Certified vehicle, the dealer should take care of you and if not Mazda should take care of you. Having the evidence from a body shop will make the conversation much easier.

 

Yikes, now that I look close, I see signs that nearly the entire driver's side has been repainted... I got scammed. Teah me to trust CPO and a clean AutoCheck. Yeah I'll have to look into getting a third party opinion. Thanks for the insight!