BG74

I was under my car today changing the 6MT fluid (more on this in another thread), and I noticed overspray all over the driver's side underbody plastic. I posted earlier this week that the paint of my front bumper was coming off in large flakes, and now I see that it was definitely repainted, and very poorly at that.

The car is 5 months old and has 8K on it, and has never been out of my possession. It had 6 miles on it when I picked it up. The dealer at which I bought it is 3 hours from me, so I don't think it's reasonable to go back there.

What should I do? If I bring to the local dealer for a warranty claim on the paint, they are going to say the bumper was repainted, which it obviously was. They can either blame me or the selling dealer, but in any event I can't see them fixing it on their dime. Any ideas?

frenchnew

Here is a strong possibility of what has happened ;

The car's bumper was damaged on the carrier (transport) between the manufacturing plant and your dealer because the guy that loaded the car on the trailer did not leave enough distance to the other car and during transport with all the potholes and bump, the car acually moved a bit up and down and damaged your bumper.

While you are not tempted to go back to the dealer where you bought the car, it is that dealer which is responsible for it since it probably got it repaired after they took delivery of it at that dealership. How do not see how another dealer would be able to accept responsability for something they did not do.

Then there is the fact that your dealer never mentioned to you that your car's bumper was repainted because it was damaged before you purchased the car.

Your only viable option in my opinion is to go back to the selling dealer

Best of luck to you and hope this gets resolved to your satisfaction.

Frenchnew

Brewmaster

I would start at your local dealer (only because of convenience). Have them confirm that it was repaired. Have them tell you it is not a warranty claim (it is, but more on that later) then begin working with ACS and/or the regional Customer Service manager.

Quite simply the vehicle that you purchased is under warranty for defects. The fact that it was repaired while still under Acura's control means that it is a warranty repair.

My wife's Honda had the same problem.. door scratch was repaired badly causing paint bubbling under the clear coat. It took a bunch of my time and a whole lot of phone calls, but the regional Service Manager finally made things right.

mickey3c

Go the the local dealer... Tell them the paint job is defective and ask for it to be repaired. You would have the same discussion with a new dealer as you had with the original dealer. Acura pays for the warranty work, not the dealer. They will inspect the car for signs of damage/repair. They will most likely repaint it and not ask too many questions. What you say makes sense. I have had two cars with bumper damage from acura.

BG74

UPDATE:

I called and emailed the salesman and have gotten no response. I am not surprised. I guess I shouldn't have said why I was calling.

I called Acura an they told me they could do absolutely nothing because "each dealer is independently owned and operated", which to me implies that it wouldn't be something Acura would even consider for a warranty claim to begin with.

I don't know what to do now...live with it? Pay to have the bumper repainted?

acura101west

i guess i will help you ,im a dealer,
its called lot damage
dealer did it,with hundreds of cars on a lot they are bound to get hit,
i have damaged about three cars in 10 years of sales

now the hard part,,
you will need to take it to a body shop to get a estimite
and then take the org dealer to small claims or get a lawyer
sorry but this is hard,the reason for a body shop is to show proof that its been repainted/called touched up
the dealer will play hard ball,but i promise you that there is paper work in dealer org file on the car that show proof it was damaged,its there for accounting
cause they paid a half ass guy to touch it up for the cheapest price
again hold to your guns but it will be hard,just like acura with trannie problems,they will go the cheapest way out ,and they dont want to pay out much,its comes from profit,
good thing is after all of this the dealer will have to pay for your lawyer,but it will come from your pocket first,dealers are scum(not me) lol

acura101west

had to add this,there is a reason dealers have touch up guys
for your sales person,he might not have known,could have been any body,porter,test drive ,any thing
beleve me happens alot
dealers spend about 20k per month fixing things,touch up ,missing items ect....
i say stick to your guns,but it will be hard--meaning a headache
best thing to do is call the dealers general manager and tell him you plan to sue them,if hes smart he will just fix it,cause he knows he will pay more if he gos to court,but some dont care cause its he not the owner,not out of his pocket

good luck

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

If I remember correctly, damages prior to purchase/delivery that costs less than 3% of the MSRP is not legally required to be reported.

But that also makes the damage repairs part of the warranty, I believe. Check with the dealership you bought it from and see if they will cover it under warranty. If they would, then there's no reason the dealership closer to you wouldn't cover it, either. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

acura101west

Pure Adrenaline,your not correct,has nothing to do with warranty
lol
his local dealer will tell the same ,please read more carefully

acura101west

one last thing,
the acura tl is built in usa,so no port for this car,its get to ride the train,
built in same plant as accord ,we americans cant build cars very well ,,,,,lol

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

I did read carefully. And I stated my opinion on the matter.






BG74 --

If you want to find out, then I can have someone look up the car's history for you using the VIN. He will be able to tell if there has been a transportation claim filed on your car to see if it's been damaged and repaired prior to purchase/delivery. Send it to me via PM if you want.

gsxr60097

I had the same problem with my 2000 Celica GTS. I had to sue them. Very stressful but after a year and a half I got $1500. Hopefully they accept responsibility and fix it or you will have to go with a lawyer. I used a free lemon law lawyer so I didn't have to pay out of pocket. I got $1500 and the lawyer got $2500. If they ever offer to settle out of court bargain with your lawyer to get more of his share for yourself. he had a total of about 3hrs of work. I hate lawyers.

mickey3c

A bumper repaint might be like 250 and you lose the car for the day. If it is not too bad, I would wait since you might be one of the lucky people to get bumped or bruised along the way. Then it is either an insurance claim or you will want to get it done.

Lot/transportation damage happens fairly frequently and I would think the dealership would do it this once. But if they do not, you can hire the lawyer and all but at what cost? Better to chaulk it up to one of life's unpleasant experiences. Sucks but... if you have driven the car for a while it could have been from the road.