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New Factory Paint Defect

Jnt4225

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A few days after I bought it I noticed a paint flaw. It is about the size of a baseball and you can only see it at certain angles and certain times of the day. Some of the pics where it looks terrible is under an LED at night. I’m pissed off that I spent what I spent and it’s not perfect.

My question is should I try to get this fixed though the dealer and use a reputable shop to repaint, is breaking the factory paint detrimental? My opinion is I should live with it becuase of the process factory paint jobs go though. It is a much thorough process than an aftermarket paint job.I would be way more devastated if the door doesn’t match after repaint or the texture is different or if it doesn’t hold up after a couple of years.
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Just want some opinions on after market repaint vs factory. The spot is on my rear passenger door. Looking for a professional opinion.


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Best leave it be, aftermarket touchups will never hold up as well as factory paint. Just seeing it online, it may be that only you will ever notice it. Focus on the 99% good, and forget the rest.
 
Best leave it be, aftermarket touchups will never hold up as well as factory paint. Just seeing it online, it may be that only you will ever notice it. Focus on the 99% good, and forget the rest.

I agree. It just kills you when it’s brand new.

There are a ton of people on other forums saying after market body shops have come leaps and bounds and are professionals that can make it unnoticeable, but it scares the **** out of me that it would make it that much worse. I worry about durability and matching. The factories have such a longer process than simple sanding/primer/clearcoat…


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It could very well be an aftermarket touch-up that happened during delivery or at the dealership. There is a whole cottage industry of body shop repair that fixes vehicles after manufacturer and before sale.

That being said, it could also be factory flaw, I have a worse paint defect on my roof, which is why I never bothered since it never got worse and no one will ever see it.

However, I highly recommend you have a good paint detail person get a good look at it, it could just be on the clearcoat surface and can be buffed out instead of touched up. That could have been a sanded nib they forgot to finish buffing. I've seen defects I would swear were deep inside the paint and turned out was just on the surface and easily removed with a buffer.
 
It could very well be an aftermarket touch-up that happened during delivery or at the dealership. There is a whole cottage industry of body shop repair that fixes vehicles after manufacturer and before sale.

That being said, it could also be factory flaw, I have a worse paint defect on my roof, which is why I never bothered since it never got worse and no one will ever see it.

However, I highly recommend you have a good paint detail person get a good look at it, it could just be on the clearcoat surface and can be buffed out instead of touched up. That could have been a sanded nib they forgot to finish buffing. I've seen defects I would swear were deep inside the paint and turned out was just on the surface and easily removed with a buffer.

Yeah I did this… brought it to a guys business I trust that specializes in paint correction. He tried and told me it couldn’t be fixed with paint correction and that it was under the clear coat. He also put a gauge on it and noticed the paint was thinner.


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Yeah I did this… brought it to a guys business I trust that specializes in paint correction. He tried and told me it couldn’t be fixed with paint correction and that it was under the clear coat. He also put a gauge on it and noticed the paint was thinner.


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Gotcha, so he noted the paint was thinner in that area, could be an after factory repair. I would talk to the dealer and see if they have any record of it, it doesn't have to be disclosed unless it was over a certain amount, and since they can charge themselves whatever they want, these things rarely get disclosed, but they may have a work order somewhere.

If that's the case, I would get it touched up. Good paint shops can match paint very well.
 
Gotcha, so he noted the paint was thinner in that area, could be an after factory repair. I would talk to the dealer and see if they have any record of it, it doesn't have to be disclosed unless it was over a certain amount, and since they can charge themselves whatever they want, these things rarely get disclosed, but they may have a work order somewhere.

If that's the case, I would get it touched up. Good paint shops can match paint very well.

Do you think they would be able to touch up the area or the whole side of the car would have to be re-painted?


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Take it to a good quality body shop, and the take the quote to dealer. Most dealers don't have their own body shop. A good body shop can do a better paint job than the factory. Definitely get it fixed.
 
Take it to a good quality body shop, and the take the quote to dealer. Most dealers don't have their own body shop. A good body shop can do a better paint job than the factory. Definitely get it fixed.

You don’t think breaking the factory paint would open a whole new set of problems?
Not matching, won’t last, aging differently etc…?


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Do you think they would be able to touch up the area or the whole side of the car would have to be re-painted?


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Considering it's newer paint, and a small defect within a larger panel not too near the edge, I don't think they even have to paint beyond that panel and still get a good match.

But definitely work with the dealer first since this should be covered under warranty.
 
You don’t think breaking the factory paint would open a whole new set of problems?
Not matching, won’t last, aging differently etc…?


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The factory paint isn't some special application. Most are single stage paints sprayed by a robot.
 
Contact the dealer! I purchased my truck from Mark Dodge and had it shipped to my house. A few days after arrival, I noticed a paint blemish (run) on the rear bumper and a couple of small scratches (not deep) on the top of the driver’s door. I called my sales person and they told me to get it fixed and they would pay for it. I took it to a place that does bodywork and paint on BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes, etc. that I know has a stellar reputation. They fixed it and sent the bill to Mark Dodge. Paint looked perfect, it was an easy process, and I didn’t pay a penny.
 
Do you think they would be able to touch up the area or the whole side of the car would have to be re-painted?


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Worst case scenario is that they would blend the paint on the panels on each side of the door. That’s no big deal and is very common. If done by a reputable painter, you will never know it was done. Most likely, with it being a brand new truck, the paint will not be faded enough to need it blended.
 
Touchups and blends can appear perfect initially. You can bank on the fact that the repainted area will age differently from factory paint. The greatest challenge is the clear coat, not the base, though the base will fade differently. No body shop that I've seen in 35 years has the process to apply clear coat with quality or durability of the factory that will stand the test of time.

I agree a touchup can look perfect on day one.
 
Touchups and blends can appear perfect initially. You can bank on the fact that the repainted area will age differently from factory paint. The greatest challenge is the clear coat, not the base, though the base will fade differently. No body shop that I've seen in 35 years has the process to apply clear coat with quality or durability of the factory that will stand the test of time.

I agree a touchup can look perfect on day one.
I think you have that flipped around. I see 5-10 year old vehicles, and pretty much most cars since the mid 80s with clear cost issues on factory paint jobs.
 
Not flipped around. Factory clear coat is the gold standard. No body shop comes close in terms of durability. Many look nice day 1.
 

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