NewTSXDriver

I bought a new Graphite Luster TSX on July 8, 2012. Found a major scratch on hood, which dealer fixed in detailing. Now, under strong sunlight, there are scratches that are circular (large) and horizontal all over the hood and trunk. I've been emailing and calling the dealer to see what they will do.

KrylonBlue

Holy crap! My dealer scratched the whole rear of my TSX (Both rear panels, trunk lid, rear bumper) and I had to have a body shop remove most of them. I can still see a couple but that's because they were a little bit too deep and just able to feel them.

Check with a local but reputable detailer and see what can be done. I would not let the dealership touch it because they have no idea how to do it. You can view my nightmare in this thread. As I said, I was able to get most scratches out and I only have to live with a couple so I deal with it. The dealership gave me a TSX Wing for free and installed it for me which was close to a $700 value so I can't complain. But I pushed hard on this or I wouldn't have gotten it.

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tsx-problems-fixes-145/new-car-experience-blows-862170/

Good luck bud.

KrylonBlue

Just a note, I demanded a respray if EVERY scratch could not be removed.I don't suggest going through with this though. I also asked for a heavy discount on the wing since I've been through so much with these Acura cars in the last year. Their solution? Try and buff (and fail) and give me a free wing.

Be firm. Be sure to get what you want and if it can't be removed and it's documented well enough to prove it's their fault, fight for something for free and have a detailer fix it.

gonzo08452

wow, that looks bad. Defenitely go through a professional detailer and have the dealer reimburse you. GL

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

DO not get the car resprayed. that will damage your resale value later.

its easily fixed by a detailer that KNOWS what he is doing.
those HACKS at the dealership did exactly that....HACKED that paint job up.

opboarding

Does it really hurt the resale value if a panel is repainted? If it is a good job I dont think it would matter. I had my door repainted after I tried(and failed miserably) to touch up a rock chip on it. The job looks perfect compared to the rest of the car. I also plan on driving this car for a long time so resale doesn't matter as much to me anyway.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^potentially.
if it gets reported to car fax, then potential buyers will see this and question why.

those swirls look like they can be polished out, or at the very most, wet sanded out.

opboarding

From my few articles of reading, sounds like if you don't report to insurance and pay cash for it at an indy shop (which I did), then it doesn't go on carfax. I don't really know anything about car politics though.

ceb

Any actual paintwork will affect pricing negatively.

On my BMW, the dealer nicked the door while it was in for service. They tried to fix it and it looked worse so they sent it to their bodyshop for repair. I assumed that they just did a great job blending it but it turned out that they resprayed the panel. I couldn't tell until it was time to trade it in and a dealer tried to ding me for a respray of the door. It wasn't on carfax, there was no visible evidence but paintmeters don't lie - the panel had been resprayed.

Dealers (and savvy private parties) will pick on any defect to reduce the price and paintwork is one of those defects.

ceb

Correct. Those swirls are insignificant and can be easily corrected by a decent detailer. Once fixed, they won't reappear but you'll just get new ones the first time you drive through an automatic car wash.

A dealer will "fix" those by pouring glaze on the car. It'll look great for a few weeks or a month until the glaze wears off with rain and car washes.

Find a decent local detailer (ask in the regional forum) and get a quote - then ask the dealer to pay.

Dealers won't fix this, they'll just cover it up and call it a day because most customers don't care.

Spend some time on a detailing forum and invest $300 in the proper tools and supplies and you can fix those issues yourself in a few hours (for the whole car.)

opboarding

So does this mean that getting an OEM sports bumper or spoiler will reduce too? Since those pieces might not completely match (under the paint meter) the original body panels?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^all original bumpers have matching VIN numbers attached.
the sport bumper you replaced doesnt have that

if some one were to look at your car as a potential sale, they'd question why the original bumper was switched

ceb

There are a couple of issues there.

First, the paint meters don't work on plastic. More importantly, if it is an Acura part, you can explain it by wanting to (legitimately) change the design. It shouldn't have a negative affect if it the OE aftermarket part.

ceb

Correct

KrylonBlue

This.

My recommendation was only as a bluff to the dealership. I used it as a possibility but I didn't want it done. I just wanted them to know that I meant business and would cost them as much as needed to get this made right. It worked so I can't complain.

However, while resale will take a hit, any good body shop will do an excellent job. However, if you do decide to go this route, CHOOSE your own shop and demand they use it. The shops these dealerships use are not great more often than not.

iSeeYouTwo

Then you must destroy this post, erase your search history, delete your cookies, uninstall your interwebz explorer and you should be fine.




I have swirls in my paint, but it's cool, because i'm swerving on these hoes.

NewTSXDriver

I'm looking for a dealer in Southern California and have posted in the regional forums. I will go back to the dealer and ask for a credit or some car mats, trunk mats, along that line. I've seen a lot new cars with these swirl marks. What do the dealers do with the new cars, drive them through automated car washes?

ceb

Yes. Most of them use an automated car wash as part of their new car prep.

potmilkz

get yourself a PC7424XP, M105, M205 and some LC pads and go crazy.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

^what this man said.

MaXKiLLz

Repainting for those minor swirls would be insane. Check out this 5 part video series[/URL] I found on YouTube. Tells you exactly how to fix it. Don't ever let the dealer touch the car's paint.
[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP-eAddv2sk&feature=g-user-u"]

ceb

Yes, even if it isn't reported to CARFAX. More and more dealers (and places like CARMAX) are using paint meters.

You have swirls in your paint. Probably caused by automatic carwashes or washing the car with a dirty cloth.

Those swirls are not the dealer's responsibility and can be easily removed by a detailer. All a dealer will do (if anything) is pour glaze on the car making it look great until it wears off (after a few weeks.)

You guys need to learn more about paint before you start blaming the dealer. Complaining about insignificant issues does you no good. Pick your battles wisely.

BobbyC

ouch.
id try to make the dealer pay for a professional detail.
those scratches can be buffed out.

you should have never let your dealer "detail" your car.
they do nothing but make it worse and cover it up with filler wax.

gonzo08452

OP, if you want a great detailer in socal, check this place out..... ultimateautocare.com in Orange County

Pursuit2550

First off these can be polished out, not a big deal. Second be glad it isnt black you would see these scratches all the time unless you are on top of it. All cars get these scratches its just on different colors you see it less or more. Also keeping your car polished and waxed will prevent this from happening but it will happen. You can scratch your cars clear coat with a microfiber cloth is you scrub to hard. While your washing your car you might not notice but when you clean the bottom edge of the car you are picking up dirt. In turn that dirt is in the rag or sponge you are using and that dirt it scratching up your clear coat. Car wash are the biggest no no if you dont want this to happen. Also pre rinsing down your whole car especially the bottom where the most dirt and sand collects. You have to be on top of your paint for this to not happen or atleast minimize it.