I've had my AWD-Advance TLX for less than a week and yesterday I noticed that the factory paint below the right rear door handle looks like the paint wasn't mixed thoroughly before it was painted at the factory. Hopefully you can see it in the picture below, look very closely just below the rear door handle.





I showed this to the Dealer's General Manager shortly after I discovered it (I happened to be going there for another issue) yesterday and he thought (as expected) I'm better off leaving it as it is because repainting it would leave me with a non-factory finish on that door. The more time went by, the more I didn't like either leaving it as it was or repainting it. With the accessories I purchased, I paid over $50,000 for this car and it's already defective and it's likely going to negatively impact the resale price (if the buyer notices it) when I sell the car.

What I'd like everyone's opinion on is are there any other options that I have available to me? There are about 158 miles on the car at this time. Exchanging the car for another one would be costly for me because I've already had the Paint Protection Film and tinting installed, plus, I'm not even sure that's an option. So please provide me with your thoughts on what options I do have with Acura. Thanks in advance for your assistance.

 

Really sorry to hear about this. I guess that's one reason why many of us on this forum really stress about giving the car a serious examination before you take possession. I am the guy that refused the car after they installed the mud flaps and gave it a final wash and then the car showed up with a small ding on the trunk. Hope it works out for you one way or another. Car looks really nice though.

 

you should get the door handle repainted and blended in, properly.

you would never known it was there if its painted properly.

 

Thank you, I remember reading your problem as you were going through it, I was in a hurry and I guess I'm paying the price of being in a hurry for such a big purchase. I figured the dealer could handle any issue that came up, but I never expected this, and I obviously didn't think of your issue at the time.

 

Unfortunately it's not the door handle that's the issue, it's an area about 1 foot directly below the handle. If you look at the picture closely, you can see what looks like smugs, it's not smugs, it's really the paint that wasn't mixed thoroughly before they painted it. The GM agreed that that's what happened. I don't know if I have any options, I really don't want the door repainted because the repainted area is never as good as the factory finish.

I'm going to talk to the Service Manager and see what options I have when I take the car in Thursday for an unrelated issue.

 

you're thinking of yesteryear.
a great painter can and will blend that door like nothing was ever there.

butt, that's the rub. Finding a great painter.

 

+1

I agree, you will never notice a good paint job. So the only practical alternatives are live with it or get it repainted.

 

justnspace and Quandry, thank you both, it's been several years since I have had any auto paint work done, so I'll have to look into that.

 

A proper repair will be nearly invisible - but - there are two things to be concerned about.

1 The picture makes the whole door look a slightly different shade. Are you sure it wasn't already re-painted - in-transit perhaps?

2. If you decide on a respray, then keep documentation of what was painted and why. A respray only affects resale if there was an underlying accident that was repaired. Resprays for door dings, parking lot bumper dings and so forth will not affect resale but you'll need paperwork to prove it. While the respray may be invisible to the eye, many dealers use a paintmeter to check for resprays.

When I last traded my car, the dealer checked for curbed wheels and paintmetered (I just made that word up) each panel. Never popped the hood or anything. BMW had resprayed a panel because of lot damage. The dealer asked me about it and I showed him the work order. He offered far more than other dealers so it clearly had no negative impact on price.

 

I think they should swap out the panel or door in some way. This isn't like a dent or a scratch that could have easily happened since you bought the car. How could you possibly mess up the paint like that after the purchase, right? I think you should insist that the dealer contact Acura and tell them about the very obvious quality issue. They need to make this right as this was very obviously not caused by anything on your part. You should not be punished for missing this issue. They should be for not catching it before they sold it. Best of luck!

 

it could be holograms/paint damage that occured during the new car prep. Some dealers like to wax/seal the cars before delivery and an incompetent person with a rotary polisher could have left defects that make the appear seem flawed.

I'd have the area polished out first and see it. If it doesn't help the issue, the best thing is to have the whole door repainted. Spot repairs won't stand the test of time. Don't go to a dealership bodyshop, rush in, rush out.

 

I feel that a good painter will make a job that will be undetectable to the human eyes although I don't think that the paint will bond as well as the process used in the manufacturing process, but I could be wrong.

 

I am currently dealing with a factory paint defect on my TLX as well. I took mine into the dealership and showed it to the Service Director. There's a defect in the pearl coat on the rear deck lid on the down angled slant. There's also an uneven run in the clear coat below this as it's going down the trunk.

He immediately scheduled an appointment with the Regional Acura Representative who will be there on the 30th. Any paint defects should be brought to Acura's attention. I would at least recommend having a conversation with this person in your zone. Perhaps Acura can offer more options than the dealership did other than "You're better off living with it." After shelling out 50k for a vehicle, I don't consider that to be a reasonable option.


Regardless of where the defect is any warranty claim for paint repair must be authorized by Acura and the Regional Rep has to see it.

 

MedX172, thanks, I'll talk with them tomorrow about this when I take it in for service.

 

First of all I know what you are all going through. I bought a new 2002 TL with blue pearl color. My whole car had defects under clear coat that where visible under certain sun light conditions. The whole car would have to be repainted to fix the problem. I did not want a brand new car repainted . So I worked a 8 year/100,000 extended Acura warrantie in place of painting whole car. It looks like they still have paint issues coming out of marysville factory. Best of luck to everyone with an issue Acura will make everyone happy.

 

My GLM TLX has a few small pieces of dust in the paint (trunk, rear bumper, and LR door) and you can see some spray lines on the hood through the clear coat. None of the issues are very noticeable to someone who isn't looking so the risk of having them fixed is MUCH greater than living with them.

 

Great point.

In fact you may even want to take it to a reputable detailer in your area to have them look at it and give you their opinion.

If it needs some simple (a compound and polish) correction push for the dealer to pay to have it done at a professional detailer shop - don't let their "guy" have at it!

 

I have a couple of paint defects, one of which I posted in the other paint defect thread. The picture I didn't post looks like yours and is interestingly in nearly the same spot but on the driver's side. I'm out of town but will try to capture that and post in a day or two.

Oh, and mine is the same colors as yours as well. I've pointed out both defects to the dealer and we've agreed I'll bring in at some point for further investigation.

 

I have a couple of paint defects, one of which I posted in the other paint defect thread. The picture I didn't post looks like yours and is interestingly in nearly the same spot but on the driver's side. I'm out of town but will try to capture that and post in a day or two.

Oh, and mine is the same colors as yours as well. I've pointed out both defects to the dealer and we've agreed I'll bring in at some point for further investigation.

 

From that angle, all I see are dealer installed swirls.

Are you sure a detailer, or polishing wouldn't take it out, and it is in fact a paint defect?

 

Does the dealer do some sort of preparation that would cause this? I assumed they just removed the protective tapes, cleaned up the car, and changed some fluids.


I actually have no idea of what the new car preparation process involves. I'm sure they do more than I imagine!

 

No, this is definitely not something the dealer did. It really doesn't show well in the pictures, I've tried to take other pictures and it just isn't as visible through the lens as it is in person. Don't get me wrong, this isn't something that everyone who walks by notices it, you have to be looking for it or catch it in just the right light to see it.

Actually the detailer that tinted the windows and applied the Paint Protection Film is the one that pointed it out to me. It looks like the paint wasn't mixed thoroughly in an area slightly larger than one square foot. Even the GM of the dealership agreed that it looks like the paint wasn't mixed thoroughly in the one area.

 

Some dealers end up polishing cars or apply a "paint sealant" onto every car on the lot to help them shine and sell better. Also some cars need to have paint correction because the guys removing the films from transport leave marks/ glue behind.

I'd honestly get the area looked at by a detailer and get it polished first before a whole respray. No harm in it.

 

I agree, from that angle all I can see is the swirls or what might be a buffer trail ..

And the suns reflection hitting the rear quarter in the general area of the defect (note the suns reflection the rear quarter window) is also not helping, it makes the whole area look much lighter. Not saying there's no defect, just saying I can't see it in that pic.

OP I hope it gets corrected to your satisfaction..

 

my glm tsx wagon had 'halograms' upon delivery.
although it was painted in japan.


i went to the best detailer in town, he used Menzerna Polish PO85RD, Mernzerna 85rd, Menzerna finish po85rd to remove all the halograms.

the halograms were only noticeable in sunlight and certain angles.....if under flourescent in garage almost imposssible to see.

GL

 

^that's from dealers washing it.

no matter where its painted, if it gets washed by a mass machine, it'll likely have swirls.

 

I would say this simply isnt true. Sure if its not done properly, but a properly dont job would A. not be noticeable, and B. bond every bit as good as the factory job. Especially considering they wouldnt take the panel down to bare metal, they would use the existing primer/base that is already bonding well to the panel and blend the color and clear over that so there would be no bonding issues.

 

After owning over 40 new cars and Acura for the last 16 years, in my opinion I would also request a District Service Manager (DSM) inspect the car and Don't agree to anything and do not let anyone touch the car prior to the DSM inspection. .....Be present during the inspection, speak to him/her personally and rationally then agree to a resolution to everyone's satisfaction including yours. This purchase was your financial investment and good faith in Acura. Corporate has already demonstrated they are doing their best to have customers happy with the TLX because they know their future reputation now depends on public approval and satisfaction of this platform.

 

Thank you everyone for your input and suggestions, I really appreciate it. After living with it and thinking about it for a couple of weeks I've decided to live with it as it is. It's very difficult to see unless you are really looking for it, in normal every-day driving you don't even notice it. I've weighed the risk vs. reward and to me it just isn't worth the potential risk I run of repainting the door panel. The dealer agreed to do whatever was necessary to satisfy me, but I just think I'd rather have the factory finish on it vs. a repainted door panel. I understand that not everyone would go this route, but I've decided to just enjoy to sit back and enjoy the ride.

 

I have the Belanova white TLX, there were 2 paint imperfections that were sanded out and you can not tell! One was a finger print that was also mentioned previously by another owner. Mine was on the hood on the left side by the grill! Tuff to notice unless you are a car buff, the second one was located on the driver's door and the fender, a paint run or drip. I drove it the dealers body shop, and it was done within 15 minutes! I was lucky!

 

Looks like it is already repainted, that's not really a factory issue. The car is sprayed all at once in even strokes so its not like the factory just decided to paint that little area at one given time.

 

I had previously reported a couple of paint defects and have been following this thread closely. One thing I just realized is everyone on this thread with a problem seems to have a Graphite Luster Metallic. I have that same color as well and have issues with paint that looks like it may not have been mixed right, a drip in this same area, and recently noticed some areas on the rear plastic bumper, generally above each exhaust pipe, that have what looks somewhat like water spots. I have tried to use various cleaning agents and a clay bar to remove, but nothing is effective. I'd note this last issue is only present on the plastic. The metal areas above and to either side do not show these same contaminants or defects.

Wonder if there's any issue related to early builds of Graphite Luster Metallic? Mine is a 39XX build.