chriscookson

Has anyone had problems with paint on their 2003 TL? Paint has broken down all over my car, especially surfaces facing upwards. Took it to the dealer service manager who said it was because I'd had it repainted (haha). I pushed further and the Acura rep checked it out and agreed with the service manager. I pushed further and they changed their minds, now I've over-polished it (haha). Offered me 50% to repainting (haha). I declined and had it checked out by 1) a body shop 2) DuPont 3) Sherwin Williams all of whom said it's clearcoat breakdown by UV. I've taken it to the BBB with these reports and Acura are still denying it!!!! Waiting for a BBB inspection to validate.

fsttyms1

??? where are you located? are you first owner? there are many things that would/could cause that. Havent seen that here. Just the usual paint chipping easy from stones

chriscookson

California. Yes first owner. One panel is perfectly OK. The one the dealer repainted when I bought it 'cos it was scratched.

fsttyms1

Humm. its weird that the clearcoat is breaking down. Have you contacted acura client services??

chriscookson

Yes - Unfortunately they said that the Area Service Rep was the last point of escalation. Hence I had no choice but to take it to the Better Business Bureau. The crazy thing is that the Service Rep is only 4 months in the job and he didn't have anyone who knows paint even look at it. I'm sure this is not typical Acura (not the service or the paint) but my service experience has been horrible.

vzuptnguyen

yea my clear coat is fading as well. leaving brown spots and crap.

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

If I was Acura and the car was more than a year old or you are the 2nd owner I'd tell you to go pound sand. There are way too many variables that can effect the paint on our cars. My 7 year old TL's paint, except for some rock chips, looks as good as the day I bought it.

DiveforTL-s

I hate to rain on your parade of bitterness but if you look at it from their (Acuras) standpoint, you could have done anything to that paint. Unless they recall their paint or clearcoat (happened to me on my first car in high school but that was GM) they have to assume that something has happened to the paint that is not their fault. I am not saying that you may not have a crappy paint job, but how many crappy paint jobs do you think Acura sees? Mine is an '03 and the only thing wrong with it is a couple rock chips.

chriscookson

I understand both of the last comments and appreciate your perspectives. Acura must not and can not accept liability for their paint or they'd have a bigger problem on their hands as would any automotive manufacturer. However that does not aleviate the pain felt from an individual consumer stand-point.

My consternation comes from three additional facts. Firstly I am the original and only owner so I know the history of the car and the treatment it's received. Secondly the drivers side rear quarter-panel was repainted the week I bought the car by the dealership and to this date that paint is in excellent condition wheras every other panel is in awful condition. Thidly I have had the car inspected by three independent experts. A body shop owner, and specialists from DuPont Automotive Finishes and Sherwin Williams Automotive Finishes. I have provided Acura and the BBB with two written reports and one provided in person. All of these experts concluded "manufacturing problem". All of which Acura has ignored, even though no-one with a specialist knowledge of paint from Acura has even looked at the car.

Acura has indeed continued to tell me to "pound sand". Currently I am with the Better Business Bureau who conducted their inspection last week. Their report should be available this week and I am very confident they will rule in my favour. If any one wants copies of the independent reports, pictures of how bad the car is or the BBB report (assuming they allow me to publish it) send me your e-mail address.

I chose an Acura because of the company reputation. My TL S-type is easily the best car I've ever owned from a performance and comfort stand-point and I still think that Acura is a great company. What has transpired in this case from a consumer point of view is clearly a manufacturing exception and not the rule. I have done my research and Acura does not have a generic "problem with paint", however as anyone in manufacturing knows; problems do occur. My issue is that Acura has failed to perform from a customer service stand-point by basically starting off and continuing to call their customer a liar regarding the treatment of the vehicle. Each "reason" they have come up with (re-painting and over-polishing) doesn't stand-up to a logical inspection (thickness and position of breakdown etc.) so I am sure you can understand my frustration.

I will post the ruling from the BBB when it comes out. To anyone who has a problem with paint (irrespective of manufacturer) it's really an uphill battle to have your rights proteced and have the manufacturer honor their warranty. However, stick with it because no matter how long it takes (6 months so far) if you are in the right you will prevail!

chriscookson

The Better Business Bureau decision; "The unavoidable conclusion is that the manufacturer is responsible for the improper or uneven application of the clearcoat over the entire vehicle at the factory. Since there is no evidence of other than normal use of the vehicle, the paint deterioration is found to be the result of defective material or workmanship under normal use, and it is covered by the warranty."

"Manufacturer shall completely repaint and reapply clearcoat, over entire exterior of vehicle..."

To anyone else who has this problem, even though Acura will never admit liability, keep pushing back through their denial, use the BBB, present the facts, you can win.

acurabum

What's next for you ????What are U gonna do ?

chriscookson

I am going to accept the ruling. Acura is bound by the decision and has to repaint the car at their cost. If it's not done properly or they continue to treat me like crap I'm going to take them to court. In addition I'm going to continue to post my experience so others in the same situation can see to keep on at them until they get resolution. I'm keeping the car because despite this experience it's a really good motor.

RobDDD

I have a 99 TL (Heather Mist) 110k miles that is really showing pade fade on the hood, roof, and trunk of the car. Is this normal? Do I have any recourse given the mileage on the car? I am quite suprise that the paint is fading as it is on what I assumed was a quality car.

93LT1

Yep, My 99TL is showing lots of fade. I'm the 1st owner and have applied wax at least once a year. Definitly UV related.

chriscookson

I researched this. All paint will eventually fade over time with UV exposure. The experts I spoke with said it could occur as early as 6 years depending on paint/clearcoat quality and amount of UV exposure. As your 99's are out of warranty you probably have no recourse. There are not sufficient cases to declare a "problem" requiring a recall or service bulletin. A few years ago when Ford and GM were having so many problems it became a big deal so they were fixing the problem as late as 6 years old, outside of warranty.

DiveforTL-s

My dad tried to get his in on the GM recall, but if tey find any part of the car that is repainted (his was a small accident that was not my fault, no matter what the cop said) they will not repaint it.

seattle dale

I'm curious, you said you live in California, do you live by the coast? I know a salt water enviornment does a number on car paint jobs?

seattle dale

Couple of rock chips? The front of my blue 2003tls, looks like a snow storm. Should have bought a friggin Bra I guess. At least with my Lexan fog light lenses, I'm not breakin the glass anymore!

chriscookson

No I live in-land in the East San Francisco Bay area. No salt water here.

Automakers have to design products that could last their warranty period anywhere in the US. I can imagine it "sorry sir you live in New York, the weather there's so extreme that there's no way we can honor your warranty".

Phrosttz0

i live in new york, i have a 99 WDP, and my paint is immaculate, it really looks showroom shape, i am also the 2nd owner, i donno if you dont take care of your car, the paint will look like crap, i dont think theyll do a thing for you to be honest.

tkerri1

The seal coat on my 99 tl is rapidly coming off in many places. This started in the last 6 months. I am 2nd owner (I think, bought certified acura from dealer). I don't expect Acura to do anything for a 11 year old car. I am just suprised and wondering if there is a solution other then repainting.

ACEE-TL

this sounds like something toyota had a problem with. They didn't put on good clear coats on their red vehicles. My truck actually started turning pink. And toyota would do NOTHING despite how far people went to get it fixed.

bl3ujay07

Paint problems on an 03? I have a 99, and am the 4th owner. The third was my older brother and i took care of the car for him. Paint is in awesome condition besides typical rock chips. When he had the car, it was waxed 4 times a years (one per season). Since i have had it, its been washed at least once a week, if not then more. I usually try to "detail" the car at least twice a year myself by hand since im not comfortable using buffing machines and dont have that extra money to have someone else do it for me. It consists of a wash, clay bar, polish, and then three layers of wax. Besides the rock chips and small dings, oem paint jobs looks better than most cars i have seen!

To op, what i dont understand is if you were the first and only owner of the car, why did the 1/4 panel repainted? Damaged during transfer? I know for a fact that the acura integras had the clear coat problems from the 94-96 (i believe) but the clear coat on the newer integras differed and didnt have the problem anymore.

Hopefully your paint job turns out awesome. I know not everyone has the time like me to wash and wax the car as often as i do, but it will definitely insure your paint job.

gold2003tl (90)

my car was rarely washed, only in a car wash, the first 6 years of its life. paint had all kinda of crud on it, and was full of tar and dirt/salt. my car never spent a lot of time baking in the sun either, so.

cleaned up and it its been looking brand new for the past 3 years. i use a car wash with UV protection, and wax/spray wax every few months. no problems.

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

Resurrection!

djescobar973

LOL.. Same thing I was thinking. But if there is one car outhere that I always see with paint related problems is the Jeep Cherokee. The older models. Their hoods are always faded. Other than some chips my 2000 seems ok. I'm always waxing it or using some type of quick detailing spray.