Tweet
I have an '09 Acura TL. There was slight pitting on the roof that a bodyshop guy told me was "checking" - that the paint underneath was cracking.
I have Coral Black Pearl paint, and I read on an Acura forum that this is a known problem with the either '08 or '10 CBP paint.
My 4 year warranty was coming to an end, and the Service Manager - Joe - at a local Acura dealer where I get my work done was first telling me that it's not checking but something had gotten on the paint causing that.
His solution was to have his detailing guy work on it to try to get it better.
The detailer told me he wouldn't be able to help that.
Joe then changed his mind, and told me to bring in the car and he'd have the roof painted.
When I brought it in, I happened to see him. He told me that I wouldn't get the car back for about 3-4 weeks.
This took me by surprise, and when I asked why, he said they were having the car totally repainted.
This didn't really make sense to me - why they were going to do the whole car rather than repaint.
However, I'm planning on keeping the car, so an effect on resale doesn't bother me.
And the car had some light scratches in a few places which he'd originally said he'd have his detail guy work on them, but this sounded like a good deal to me - having the car repainted after 4 years, so why not.
He said they're going to take off the doors, go down to the bare metal, etc.
I saw the car for the 1st time last Wednesday, and it needed a cleaning - it had been outside for about a week after being painted.
But I could see that it had as many swirls on the trunk lid as it did when I brought it in after owning it for 4 years.
I even wondered if it had actually been painted - as mentioned, it needed a cleaning from dust and water spots especially from recent rain, so I couldn't see the shiny new car paint job look at that point.
He looked at it and said "I'm not happy right now", and there was also an issue with a fender having a slightly larger gap than it should where it meets the side body, so he sent it back to the body shop.
Meanwhile, I researched swirls, and most of the top entries on Google brought me to this forum and previous threads relating to swirls.
I called Joe 2 days later - last Friday (2 days ago). He told me that it's back from the body shop that did the paint job and ready to pick up.
I told him what I'd read - that a fresh paint job should have no swirls.
I also told him that based on what I'd read, I was afraid that the body shop may have just put glaze on the car to fill in the swirls.
He told me that anyone can say anything on the internet, it means nothing. (He's said the same thing in the past if I bring up something I've read on the net).
He said he doesn't know what glaze is, that new cars on his lot have swirls, all cars have swirls.
He said the bodyshop buffed it and the swirls are less, and they polished it.
QUESTION - (Can a paint job 1 week old be buffed?).
He mentioned a lot of irrelevant items - How long he's been doing this, that it's a professional bodyshop that did the job, how much Acura spent on the paint job (before it went in he said Acura was going to pay 6k, and he now says with some additional body work they had to do when they got to the metal, and new emblems and other parts they replaced, that they spent 8k).
He said "It is what it is".
I know from a number of swirl articles I read on this excellent site, that the point of view here is that a fresh paint job has no swirls.
That swirls are scratches in the clear coat, and they are usually caused by rubbing the car with a cleaning cloth which is dirty or the car has some dirt.
He finally said, "Come in and see the car and we'll talk after you see it".
So what would you guys advise?
I've had a good relationship with Joe the service manager and the service department (did not purchase car here).
I know they are very concerned with getting a "10" approval rating on work they do - Joe sends out an email after getting the car serviced there, stating that if there is any reason that the customer would not give a "10" if they are called for a survey by Acura, to call him personally and he will do whatever he can. And he's mentioned that once or twice to me also.
He finally said, "Come in and see the car and we'll talk after you see it".
My conclusion based on my reading here and elsewhere is that the best solution would be to have his detail guy spend as much time as it will take (a lot) going over the car with clay to work out the swirls.
I asked him if the body shop worked on the car with clay when he brought it back to them - he said "You can't use clay on a fresh paint job" but then as mentioned he told me they buffed the fresh paint job.
How would you guys approach it?
Thanks for any advice you can give - the sooner the better, as I'm planning to go there tomorrow (Monday).
I have Coral Black Pearl paint, and I read on an Acura forum that this is a known problem with the either '08 or '10 CBP paint.
My 4 year warranty was coming to an end, and the Service Manager - Joe - at a local Acura dealer where I get my work done was first telling me that it's not checking but something had gotten on the paint causing that.
His solution was to have his detailing guy work on it to try to get it better.
The detailer told me he wouldn't be able to help that.
Joe then changed his mind, and told me to bring in the car and he'd have the roof painted.
When I brought it in, I happened to see him. He told me that I wouldn't get the car back for about 3-4 weeks.
This took me by surprise, and when I asked why, he said they were having the car totally repainted.
This didn't really make sense to me - why they were going to do the whole car rather than repaint.
However, I'm planning on keeping the car, so an effect on resale doesn't bother me.
And the car had some light scratches in a few places which he'd originally said he'd have his detail guy work on them, but this sounded like a good deal to me - having the car repainted after 4 years, so why not.
He said they're going to take off the doors, go down to the bare metal, etc.
I saw the car for the 1st time last Wednesday, and it needed a cleaning - it had been outside for about a week after being painted.
But I could see that it had as many swirls on the trunk lid as it did when I brought it in after owning it for 4 years.
I even wondered if it had actually been painted - as mentioned, it needed a cleaning from dust and water spots especially from recent rain, so I couldn't see the shiny new car paint job look at that point.
He looked at it and said "I'm not happy right now", and there was also an issue with a fender having a slightly larger gap than it should where it meets the side body, so he sent it back to the body shop.
Meanwhile, I researched swirls, and most of the top entries on Google brought me to this forum and previous threads relating to swirls.
I called Joe 2 days later - last Friday (2 days ago). He told me that it's back from the body shop that did the paint job and ready to pick up.
I told him what I'd read - that a fresh paint job should have no swirls.
I also told him that based on what I'd read, I was afraid that the body shop may have just put glaze on the car to fill in the swirls.
He told me that anyone can say anything on the internet, it means nothing. (He's said the same thing in the past if I bring up something I've read on the net).
He said he doesn't know what glaze is, that new cars on his lot have swirls, all cars have swirls.
He said the bodyshop buffed it and the swirls are less, and they polished it.
QUESTION - (Can a paint job 1 week old be buffed?).
He mentioned a lot of irrelevant items - How long he's been doing this, that it's a professional bodyshop that did the job, how much Acura spent on the paint job (before it went in he said Acura was going to pay 6k, and he now says with some additional body work they had to do when they got to the metal, and new emblems and other parts they replaced, that they spent 8k).
He said "It is what it is".
I know from a number of swirl articles I read on this excellent site, that the point of view here is that a fresh paint job has no swirls.
That swirls are scratches in the clear coat, and they are usually caused by rubbing the car with a cleaning cloth which is dirty or the car has some dirt.
He finally said, "Come in and see the car and we'll talk after you see it".
So what would you guys advise?
I've had a good relationship with Joe the service manager and the service department (did not purchase car here).
I know they are very concerned with getting a "10" approval rating on work they do - Joe sends out an email after getting the car serviced there, stating that if there is any reason that the customer would not give a "10" if they are called for a survey by Acura, to call him personally and he will do whatever he can. And he's mentioned that once or twice to me also.
He finally said, "Come in and see the car and we'll talk after you see it".
My conclusion based on my reading here and elsewhere is that the best solution would be to have his detail guy spend as much time as it will take (a lot) going over the car with clay to work out the swirls.
I asked him if the body shop worked on the car with clay when he brought it back to them - he said "You can't use clay on a fresh paint job" but then as mentioned he told me they buffed the fresh paint job.
How would you guys approach it?
Thanks for any advice you can give - the sooner the better, as I'm planning to go there tomorrow (Monday).
Comment