The EPA has put tougher requirments on the car companies. As part of that, a lot of them have gone to a water based paint which is supposely better as in a EPA standpoint. However, it has some problems. Chipping and denting the paint is much easier with the water based paints. So a year old car with water based paint can look worse than a car that has several years on it with the other paint. Also, there has been a concern about some peeling of the paint (not orange peel). The Maxima guys have been trying to get a petition or something going to get Nissan to fix the paint. I'm doubt anything will come of it. There has been a lot of things on the net about the water based paints. I have only read a few things here and there and by no means am I an expert on it. I hope that helps.
