Anyone ever heard of this? Paint issue.(Long)

[Blessyouboys13]

I bought my car brand new off the lot last July. A couple of months down the road I start seeing a lot of swirl marks on the car, especially in direct sunlight. I thought it may be from improper car washes and taking it through the drive through washes. Learned the hard way. I talked to a couple detail guys who said it wasn't a big deal they end up on most cars. But this is my car. I didn't like it. After awhile it would appear as if the entire car was covered in swirl marks. Pretty much any spot you could see on the car would appear to be scratched. I did some research and found a good detail shop by my work. Talked to them and showed them them car. Said no problem we can fix it. They said compound, polish, and wax, and most of the marks should come out. Well I finally bit the bullet and they took the car and worked on it for the entire day yesterday. As soon as they pulled up I immediately noticed a big improvement and most of the marks are gone for now. Once we started talking tho, they raised some concerns. One of the guys immediately asked me if the car had been repainted, and of course I said no since I am the only owner. This is getting long so I'll get to the point. These two guys have been in detail for over 10 years a piece and they both fully believe that this car has been repainted at some point, more then likely by hand. They said no way washing the car so often could've caused all the marks in the paint. They showed me a few spots on the car to point out showing how to tell that the car has been painted more then once. They had 3 or 4 guys look at it as well and they all said the same things. Even one of the guys with almost 30 years experience said he has never seen anything like it and called it one of a kind, not in a good way! They all agree this is an issue stemming from a repaint job, a bad one. Which means this happened at the factory. I am going to the dealership Saturday. The two detail guys said they would go with me. They can explain in detail this issue much better than I can. Is there any chance they do anything to fix this? Is this still covered with my warranty? Has anyone heard of anything like this?

[TheHorse13]

This could have been dealer lot damage/transit damage that was fixed by the dealer body shop. This happens often and in some states, they have no requirement to disclose the repair to you.

Good luck.

[Fish-man]

Originally Posted by TheHorse13

This could have been dealer lot damage/transit damage that was fixed by the dealer body shop. This happens often and in some states, they have no requirement to disclose the repair to you.

Good luck.

^true. Has there been any history of storms in your area? Perhaps a hail storm blew through and messed up a bunch of cars?

also, know that the factory can and will do paint repairs, but not complete multiple repaints... that's absurd.

[sprtplt]

Paint thickness gauge. How is it these so experienced guys have no paint thickness gauge?

This will immediately reveal any variance from the factory paint job.

[Blessyouboys13]

Originally Posted by sprtplt

Paint thickness gauge. How is it these so experienced guys have no paint thickness gauge?

This will immediately reveal any variance from the factory paint job.

They are a detail shop not a body shop. I'll have to grab one after work. Thanks

[Blessyouboys13]

Is there a factory spec sheet or something I can use for comparison?

[BigRedViking]

As a Refinishing Technician I hate to hear about stuff like this. Back in 2009 I almost bought a new Ram 4x4 Crew cab but realized the front half of the car had been repainted. It can be very difficult to detect in the bright sun. Needless to say, I passed on that one. They don't really have to do anything. Best bet is to try to play nice, and trade for a new car with one factory paint job. You don't want one with 3 paint jobs, pay some kind of fee/deductible. it could be stripped then repainted, but there's probably body filler here and there. Sorry to hear about this but it's probably going to cost you. You may have some recourse with an attorney, or the local attorney general good luck!

[Blessyouboys13]

BigRedViking- Is there anything I can look for that could point to a sure sign of repaint?

[Russell James]

Originally Posted by Blessyouboys13

BigRedViking- Is there anything I can look for that could point to a sure sign of repaint?

Take it to the dealer's body shop. It will be obvious to an experienced painter.

Paint defects are covered by the bumper to bumper warranty. Damage no.

It's like looking at a weld and asking if a weld is good. If you're not an experienced welder, it's a random opinion.

['01LS1]

If it has been repainted you should be able to see differences in the orange peel look. Tough to explain, but if one area is glass smooth while another area is NOT can be a way to know. Orange peel generally will not buff out without wet sanding. So cannot imagine the detail guys would have gotten rid of it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_peel_%28effect%29

Also, just in case, stop by another dealer & ask them to run your full 17 digit VIN in their system. If by chance it was recorded(probably not) in GM's system it may answer your question.

[Blessyouboys13]

Good advice thanks guys

[Ryanbabz71]

Look at the door jambs and see if your notice anything out of the ordinary


Ryan

[JLSuperfly]

Remove one of the door sills. You should be able to tell the difference.

[Blessyouboys13]

Originally Posted by JLSuperfly

Remove one of the door sills. You should be able to tell the difference.

So I'd compare the door sill to the rest of the car?