I have a black 2002 TL and it seems if the wind blows right I get a nice scratch on the black paint. The scratches appear to be white at their depths. Is this actually below the layer of black paint? I find it hard to believe because the scratches come so easily and lightly. I have tried to rub one out with no success. What is the deal? Older cars could be tapped with a hammer with no effect to the paint while this one is untouchable.

 

sorry to hear about your paint problems...here's my 2 cents' worth...

i brought my TL (2001 Naples Gold) for the 3rd scheduled maintenance and pointed out an "imperfection" on the driver passenger door paint job...it looks like a semicolon (for lack of a better word)...in other words, two aligned black dots beneath the clear protective layer (the surfact above the two dots is smooth)...

my dealer said that he would have to call in the district service manager...seems they think i repainted the door before...

i remember past postings regarding paint problems...i would appreciate other comments if available...

THANKs

 

The paint on my Firepepper Red '00 is like that as well, although it's not so much the scratches as the little pit marks and such in the bumper and on the hood. I think the paint sucks personally.

 

I just got my 2003 SSM TL-S last Friday and I didn't notice a paint imperfection on the driver door until yesterday.

I thought it was a scratch at first, but the more you look at it, you can tell that it is under the clearcoat.

I took it to the dealer today and he concurred that it was a defect during the build process. He said it looked like a piece of hair was stuck in the paint and therefore caused the bump. He said it was rare for Acura to have these imperfections (don't know if that's really true) because the factory paint is done under a controlled environment and by robots.

Anyways, he said it would be under warranty and that he would get someone to buff down the paint to fix it, and if that didn't work, they would have to repaint the whole door. He said that that would be the last resort since the factory paint is a lot better than aftermarket paint jobs.

 

I would live with a minor imperfection. I would not repaint the door. I was in an accident a few years back, half the car needed to be repainted. Sure enough, by the time I got rid of it (2 weeks ago) you could see with an untrained eye that the car was repainted.
If you only plan on keeping the car for a couple years, then go ahead and repaint the door, it wont be your problem.

 

thanks for the wise advice RTYPE...I agree...

my guess is that paint "imperfections" are not uncommon (i.e., one can't expect absolute perfection)...I literally have two pin size "imperfections" (as if someone pressed a pin into the wet paint - one dot above the other like a : semicolon)...you really have to look hard and neutorically to spot it...is it worth "fixing" ? (I'm concerned that the repaint patch would be much more visible)...

further comments would be appreciated...can anyone specifically comment if paint imperfections are just part of the paint process?

 

Bottom line, nothing is perfect

 

I feel for ya. I have a '99 Black TL and if look at the paint the wrong way a new scratch will appear. The paint is so soft you can easily scratch it with your thumbnail.

 

Actually, the ":" is a colon; if it (the imperfection on your car) really looked like a semicolon, it would probably look a bit worse, relatively speaking...

Tony

 

My NBP '00 TL had paint overspray on the left rear door, it took them 2 tries to get it out and they have still not been able to remedy the entire situation.

I just might have to go back, drop the car off and pick up a loaner AGAIN.

I have also noticed a large gap between the plastic trim above the center vent and the dash. Not cool in my opinion.

I've had many cosmetic imperfections in this car, yet the mechanical portion seems perfect.

Too bad the rest of the car isn't.