Sorry for my rant, I need to blow off steam!

So, yesterday I left my car at Bill Vince's Bridgewater Acura to have their Acura Factory Rep look at the paint on my 2004 NBP TL. The clearcoat on the whole hood is failing and cracking, and the left front fender is starting to spread across also with the clearcoat cracking. I had some paint work done in 2006 for dings in the lower rear of the right front fender and right front door. So, the Acura Rep looks at it and he calls me up and tells me that the front edge of the hood and the right front fender have been repainted and that their not responsible. I tell him that yes the right side was painted, but not the hood and the left front fender which is where my problem is. After I said that he tells me "Oh, that fender has been painted too." I said no only the right side was painted and that side is perfect. You can see where that ends and the factory paint that's cracking starts. He said, nope it's been repainted and Acura is not responsible. I said the only way that's repainted is if I bought it new from Bridgewater Acura like that, and he said, "Well, you can't prove that." What a scumb@g! He was ready to say anything to get out of fixing their horrible paint! The dealer said that we never seen factory paint do that before. Well, it did and nobody wants to step up and take responsibility for ACURA'S DEFECTIVE PAINT! $40,000 for a car and the paint doesn't last 6 years (that's when it started cracking). I keep my 2001 Mercury Mountaineer parked right next to it and the paint on that is perfect! I'm done with Acura, I'll never buy their crap again!!!

 

threatening to never buy again is lame.
especially for a paint issue.

I can understand your frustration with the dealer, but thats not Acura's fault.
my 2004 nissian frontier's clear coat has failed. it left "crows feet" all over the hood.
does that mean my truck is no good? No, the truck is great. your TL is great.

Go to a different dealer and have a calm head.
See what they say.

Also, when did you start to notice it? maybe should have taken it to the dealer as soon as you noticed.

*edit. whoops I misread.
looks like Acura factory rep took presidency over the dealer.
sorry for your hood.
get it repainted, at a local paint shop!

 

The paint was factory paint and the Acura Rep was a liar. The Rep works for Acura, not the dealer, and covers my local area. I noticed it last winter. I was going to take care of it in the spring, but I had to respond to the Gulf Oil Spill and I'm finally getting a chance now to take care of it.

Honestly, I've had several issues with my TL including having a fuel line burst near the fuel tank and dump gas all over the exhaust. Luckily, I had just started driving the car and smelled the gas. If my wife had taken the car, it probably would have burst into flames, since she can not smell. BTW, I had to pay for towing, because Acura's Roadside Assistance would not tow the car because of the gas leak. A local company towed it no problem. Let's see, windows not rolling up, several interior noises from the dash and rear deck. Also, I have an oil leak that the dealer said is "normal seepage". I can keep going, but I'll stop here. Good thing I bought the 7year 100,000 mile warranty!

 

Did you purchase the car new? If you did and it was never repainted, it would be very unusual for the clear to start delaminating, but stranger things have happened.
Also, let's not forget that the car is a 2004, now 7 years old and no manufacturer is going to cover any paint defect after that length of time.

 

Yes, I bought the car new which cost me about $40,000. It started at 6 years, even 7 years is not old for a cars paint. Automotive paint should last at least 10 years. The passenger side was repainted in 2006 and that side is perfect. Your telling me that you wouldn't have a problem with it if it happened to you? Why isn't the paint on my 2001 SUV cracking? I'll tell you, because it's not crap!

 

I have a feeling you either abused your car, or never properly maintained it. Just an assumption, but even if your clear-coat is thin, the paint should last nearly 10 years without any signs of true wear or oxidation.

I bet he even thinks dish-washing soap is normal.

Also, yes any normal person would have a problem with this. I don't think you handled it correctly even if I wasn't there. You can call Acura Client Services/Corporate and/or go to a different dealership. Basically, stop ranting and try to get it fixed from Acura unless you wanna spend some of your own Benjamins.

 

 

Its easy to lose your cool over this and I would be disappointed if my painted was doing this.

However; There is a reason that the Factory Warranty is only 3 years...

 

I'm going to correct you in a couple of spots here

A) You can't tell me he abused his car unless you lived next door and spent 24/7 with him.

B) If clear coat it thin for some reason .. eg. too much polishing done wrong the UV protection in the clear layer is compromized and clear failure can occur.

C) All paint oxidizes starting right fron the day it was painted.


Also his car may have been repainted in those areas "prior" to delivery to the dealer. Its not uncommon. My TL had the right front fender painted and they don't even have to report it to the dealer. I knew because of overspray on the A Pillar and underside of the hood.

 

1) It was an assumption, I wanted his response if he properly maintained it. Situations like this usually are the users fault.

2) Of course.

3) Yes oxidation occurred the day it stepped outside. I'm saying it wouldn't oxidize to the point where the paint thins and fades/rust.

 

Ok .. I was just wondering how you became such an expert in paint maintanance when you posted this just on the 31st of oct.

I've never detailed a car, and completely new to the scene (minus the occasional wash).

And on 1 Nov you posted this "My car is FULL of spider-webs, scratches, etc... The only time it looks good is at night because you can hardly see it at night, but it in the morning there is hazing, scratches, and about everything. " so that prolly would make you an expert on paint abuse.


Sorry but I don't think you should be assuming others treat thier cars like you do ..

 

owned.

 

Sorry to hear this Nythawk. I don't blame you for being pissed. I always find it funny how people on here are so quick to blame the victim (calling it owner abuse) or tell them to stop whining and just get over it.

That all depends on the situation. In this case, I don't think it's unreasonable for an Acura owner to expect his paint to last more than 6/7 years. Plus, OP was up front with us (and Acura) as to what other paint work was done on the car. Would you be so willing to just take it in the azz if you had issues with your car?

Anyway, as much as this sux OP, does the Acura warranty cover paint after 6/7 years? If so, keep hounding them until you get resolution. You are lucky in the sense that your car is still driveable, and you can afford to spend 6 months fighting with them. If it was a more serious issue, I would say just get it fixed and minimize driving downtime (within reason of course).

If the paint is not under warranty, you may be out of luck. But, on the flip side, I can't imagine an indie paint shop will be that much (~$500?) to fix it.

Good luck.

 

Yes, I take car of my vehicles.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/575387...stockton-nj-us


Here's some photos of the cracks. Sorry, the pics in the sun aren't the greatest and cars a little dirty. Haven't washed it since last week. I had a bra on, but that is not the cause. The cracks go all the way up the hood and right fender.






My dealer told me that that Acura Rep covers the region that I live in. I don't feel like traveling to see if I can get Acura to paint my car. Sorry if you guys think I'm whining, but I'm pissed. There is no reason that my paint should fail like this. I'll probably just sell it and get something else before the rest of the cars paint starts cracking.:thumbsdow

 

exactly what my nissan frontier looks like. the clear coat failed.

Jesstzn is our resident paint/detail guru.

 

Quick question for the OP, Did the cracking clear begin after your repairs on the front fender and door?

The reason I ask is because when a body shop color matches a fender/door to the other panels they are not painting on the vehicle they often (especially on such a hard to color match, most Honda's/Acura's) will dust color onto the panels around the panels being painted, then apply clear coat over the entire panel that they dusted. The reasoning behind this is to have a gradual transition from their color (probably not absolutely perfect match) to your factory color instead of a sharp edge. If this is the case you should go back to the original body shop who performed the repairs, and let them know what is going on, they should make it right if they are reputable.

If the cracking was there before you got the paint work done, I would guess it was painted by the dealership you bought it from, case in point:

The honda dealership I work at just received 20 brand new cars from another dealership that was reducing inventory because of lack of sales, 3 of the 20 cars had work done to them. Two had the back bumper repainted, and the other had a front bumper and fender repainted. Unfortunately this is something that happens, which is why it is good to have a keen eye when buying even a brand new car.

Good Luck!

 

I used to work in a body shop several years ago. My TL did not show signs of being repainted when I bought it. The shop that did the work was where I went to first. They showed me an itemized list of all the work they did, and the right front fender was blended, no work on the hood front bumper or left fender. They only repaired a couple small dings behind the right front tire on the right fender and door, and blended the fender and door. The paint on the repaired side is perfect. The work was done in 2006, I first noticed the cracking last January, but like I said, it's on the whole hood and the left side of the car. The body shop said the factory clear was bad and failing, and that it was a manufacturer defect in the clear coating that Acura used.

 

And i wouldn't consider your Acura Rep a liar, he is just doing his job, and he can't give a free paint job to everyone, especially if the car has had previous paintwork done.

From what he knows you could have painted your fender in your backyard.....

 

Well that's a positive for you, I didn't realize they were blending INTO the fender, rather than repainting both and then perhaps blending into the hood.

Well who knows, it could be a factory defect, errors happen , hopefully you can get something worked out, maybe have the body shop owner/manager come with you with that paperwork?

 

[QUOTE=3g_ace;12483014]And i wouldn't consider your Acura Rep a liar, he is just doing his job, and he can't give a free paint job to everyone, especially if the car has had previous paintwork done.


Nevermind, Sorry, I guess you posted without seeing my last post.

 

^i resent that.

 

[quote=NYTHAWK;12483028]

 

Easy killer

 

LOL. What I'll probably end up doing is getting it fixed and getting rid of it. I'll be damned if I'll take my chances with another Acura. Now I'll need to figure out what to buy next. It sux, because I like not having car payments, but I'm not going to wait for the roof, deck lid, etc. clear coat to start cracking!

 

^again another lame excuse to not buy acura again.
it happened to my nissan. it could happen to your future car.

 

I know this sucks and I would be pissed too.... But the car is getting older. It's a little premature to be doing this but do you honestly expect Acura to repaint it at this age?

 

Ya it sucks, I had an old Impala SS that had some contamination in the hood paint, definitely dropped the value a lot, you may try, or have someone try, wet-sanding and polishing the hood and fender, may improve the look of it for selling , definitely put the bra back on too, haha

 

Dang that Crows Feet is bad! I would consider just paying out of pocket to get it taken care of. even if you want to sell the car now and get away from Acura's that will bring the value way down. do you have it anywhere else?
Like said a few other times it could have been painted before you even got the car delivered and unless you ask the dealer wont disclose that. i worked at a shop for 2 years as a painter and we serviced a toyota dealer and if they got 10 new cars in we painted something on at least 4 of them! Good luck

 

Wet sanding will make it worse! Dont try that!

 

That really sucks. I bought my car new too and have always noticed how crappy Honda paint is. It just looks thinner than other brands. Most other Jap cars have better paint. My wife's 2005 Subaru gets nowhere near the attention my paint gets and it holds up WAY better. It just looks thicker and more lustrous. I knew this going into the purchase, but I love the 3G so much. I know that this car will last me a long long time. Buying a new car usually puts a lot of your hard earned cash into someone's bank account.

I'd jump at the chance to justify a new, thick, twenty coats of clear paint job on my TL. The problem being, the newer it is, there is no reason to repaint, when it gets older, it's hard to justify dumping in a few grand for aesthetics.

A lot of people on this site LOVE their TL. I plan to keep mine for another 11 years. I just love how it looks. Edgy without standing out. And, I can tell you love your TL too by the way you express your disappointment. Just take into account how much it will cost you to change cars (loans, dealer fees, new registration) and maybe, once you weight all the pros, cons, and costs, you'll see that having the paint fixed is cheaper. And, that you're doing it because you've taken care of that car from the start and you still love her.

 

I worked for a bodyshop for 5 years. Worked on all high end cars...Benz, porsche, Aston Martin...etc etc etc. Twice I saw Benz paint all fuked up like your car is. The Benz dealer told the people the same shot the Acura people told you and they had to pay themselves.

Bridgewater Acura is a horrible dealer. 5 moms ago I went there to buy a car...found a KBP up there. Took it for a test drive and first it had some shitty ass tires on that made all types of road noise. So get back and I'm walking around the car an every panel has some kind of dent scratch or ding. But the kicker is I saw the rear quarter looked a little funny. Only because of my bodyshop exp. I noticed it. The average person would not know. I asked the guy Dave English was the salesman, this was in an accident? He tells me NO it would not be on our lot if that was the case. Boom, I said lemme see the carfax, sure enough that bitch was smacked up from the back up!!! Lol dude was gonna take 10k off the price to try and get me in it. They wanted 30k for it with 45k miles. Suck a fat one!!! Lol moral of the story is that bridgewater Acura is a shit dealer. The place looks nice and they have free drinks but it's still shit. You an polish a terd but it will still be a piece of shit!

 

Been there, done that, with Grand Cherokees that cost more than $40k, especially the deterioration of the plastic body moldings. If Acura or the dealer won't repaint, just got to suck it up and have it repaired on your dime.
We have a '89 that we purchased new, paint perfect, but of course it doesn't have clear.

 

Bridgewater Acura is pretty bad and so is Clinton Acura. I ended up at Princeton Acura the second time around and while not the best dealer in the world, they were 10x better than both Bridgewater and Clinton and have treated me pretty well!

Its good you didn't take that car man, that price of 30k with 45k was so ridiculous its not even funny. They were price gouging at its extreme. No way a TL with that many miles on it is worth 30k!

 

I had no idea the Jeeps had that problem. My friend had a Grand Cherokee but just for a couple years.

I may have low standards when it comes to paint. My other car came from the factory with lacquer which lasted about 2 years if it saw any kind of weather.

 

my bmw has paint problems too, it looks like a orange peel all over -.-

 

Well, they all know it is a 2004 and the dealer took it in to have the Acura Rep look at it. The Rep did not say anything about how old it was, he just lied about it being repainted. I worked in a body shop for several years back in the day, and I can tell the difference in paint work. Where the paint is cracking, is factory paint. The only paint work on the car is the right door and right fender. The cracking started on the hood and now also the left fender. I don't want to fix it and few months down the road have some other panels start cracking. Time to get rid of it. Since it's cracking, the clear will need to be stripped off before it's repainted.

 

warranty on paint is normal warranty 4/50. perforation is 5 yrs regardless of milage. your vehicle is 6+ yrs old. why would you expect they would cover in the first place? looks like the clear is cracked from road debris. unfortunately honda paint is very soft and this happens alot, especially black.

 

The whole hood and spreading on the fender? Nice try, but it's not from road debris. I have a 7 year 100,000 mile warranty and the paint doesn't even outlast my warrant??? BS!

 

I've been driving Acura's for about 5 years now and worked at a dealership for 2 years and the factory paint on these cars leaves much to be desired especially when you consider what all of us have spent on our cars. I would gladly spend 6 or $7,000 to repaint my 04 tomorrow , but I'm saving up to move and if I get the place I want, the monthly payment is $200 more. That paint looks bad for an 04, probably the worst I've seen so far. If Acura wont do anything, then I'd go get some estimates.

 

I detail mostly newer cars and a lot of high end stuff and I have seen this on all makes. So the Acura isn't special.

07 Jag , 09 Focus, 2000 Explorer , 08 Dodge P/U etc etc ....

A lot of things can cause it from poor prep under the clear, polishing the clear too thin and eliminating the UV protection to wiping down with some of the bug gut removers that contain things like Xylene.
And the results don't show up immediatly ... can be months down the road.