protection from the elements
 

Since it's warmed up enough to get the car washed, I figured I get it a quick once-over to to see how everything held up through all the salt of its first winter...

The stock rotors do seem to rust-up rather quickly, even on dry days. I'm afraid that it may be decreasing braking performance and part longevity beyond the normal wear & tear...
Any suggestions on a good pad/rotor combo come replacement time? I'd imagine slotted/drilled rotors would be a good option, but isn't that overkill for everyday driving?

The other point of concern is the calipers. Having 5-spoke rims certainly makes visual inspection of the brakes easy, but it also exposes parts normally hidden... Right off the boat, the calipers looked pretty plain and un-dressed, but after collecting a winter's-worth of oxidation, I think I really need to do something to make them at least look somewhat presentable...
I'd be interested to see/hear about what others have done on this front.

^ what kinda car? sent you a pm on what i'm doing :)

...felt like I was forgetting something...

fixed now ;)

Let us know what you do in the end, and if it fixes the problem.
My 07 also suffers from the same problem. After just sitting overnight, the rotors start to build some oxidation and the first 1 or 2 stops the next morning are quite rough. Brakes grab like crazy and you can hear the loud brushing as the pads wear off the oxidation. Once a few brake applications are made the brakes return to normal and the sound of pads 'cleaning' the rotors is gone.

Well, since it's the brakes, I doubt there's a whole lot I could do.
The way I see it, I could just replace them outright, or wait until it's replacement time.
Since it's a relatively minor concern, I think I'm just going to wait. It may be pretty annoying to hear that raspy sound in the first few stops, but I don't see a need to replace what are otherwise functional brakes.

The other thing that came up while I was considering all this, was if completely spraying down a new set of rotors with hi-temp paint is worth the trouble. Obviously, I'd avoid the braking surfaces and the studs....but what about the vent spaces? Would they retain heat longer as a result?

I also was likely planning on just waiting until new rotors would be required. Have you approached Mazda about it? I asked them to do a visual inspection at my last service - the tires were off for rotation anyways. Of course they said they say nothing wrong and on the road test afterwards - felt nothing wrong. Pretty much as I expected. They did offer to do another check if I left them the car overnight so they could experiance it after it sat all night. I may eventually take them up on that, when I can afford to be without the car that long. I was actually testing to see if they had had any other compaints similar to mine, but they wither have not, or at least did not bite to give any secrets away to me.

I'm thinking it must only be a problem that has appeared on the 07's. And am wondering if it is a materials problem with the rotors they are using. A good fix may entail just going to an after market or 3rd part part supplier (non-OEM) for the rotors.

But then again as you say - so long as it doesn't get any worse, I also may just live with it - for now anyways.

nah, I haven't been back to the dealership since I cleared up some lingering issues from the "shipping tape"... The 5k checkup is coming up soon, so I'll probably mention it when I take it in.

It seems like more of a cost-cutting measure. They did such a fine job everywhere else IMO, that I can overlook going the cheap route on what is ultimately a consumable item. Since I don't really plan on taking the car to the stealership for much beyond the first service visit, sourcing better parts shouldn't pose much of a problem ;)