GM not honoring my Camaro paint warranty; paint cracking and peeling all over the car

[dwebster]

Originally Posted by dragonZ28

I have a 2001 Trans Am WS6 still in my driveway. These cars were notorious for the roof bubbles in the paint. And there was even a Technical Service Bulletin issued on the issue, which instructs the repair shops exactly what steps to take for repair. After calling and getting tossed around from one customer service person to another: Case closed, and reponed: etc... for 8 months, I finally got them to agree to pay for 1/2 the cost.
I placed it in the GM paint repair center, and when it was complete they denied ever making that offer. Sticking me with the $1,000.00 repair bill. Do not believe anything they say, get it in writing, Or they will screw you out of it. I like GM products, and I Also have a ZO6 here to prove it. However, the customer service poeple are just a joke, Do not belive anything they tell you. GET IT IN WRITING UP FRONT!!!!

I had a black 2001 Z28 with bubbles in paint on top. After GM painted the top it did it again. I went to the local body shop (GM outsourced painting it to them), they told me to do it right they would need to replace the entire top. Yes - cut the entire roof off of the car, replace it, and then repaint it. That was done at GM's expense, took over a month. Car never was right. Wind noise, etc.. traded it in at that point.
Obviously not bitter against GM - have a 2010 2SS Orange and love it. Just mentioning as they were VERY relunctant to admit fault. Even claimed I had car repainted (total false-I bought new with 2.1 miles on it).

[Eric's Blue]

I ll add them to my shady Atlanta GA dealer list... I m really tired of this market to be honest.

[SS Mike]

Originally Posted by jackr67

As a part of my research, PPG was kind enough to send a representative to my home to measure the thickness of my Camaro’s paint with a digital gauge. A typical factory paint job will be between 3.5 and 6.0 mils, with variation of no more than 0.5 mils all around the car. He took 60 individual readings with results between 6.7 and 9.5 mils. This is about twice what would be expected, and suggests that part (or all) of the car may have been painted more than once. It was his opinion that the observed variations in thickness would not be consistent with a robot factory paint job.

For clarity, I created a map of the paint thickness around the car. Notice the roof, which has 2.8mils of variation across the surface. Notice too that each side of the trunk lid was painted separately, resulting in overlap in the center – rather than in one side to side pass.

Furthermore, the PPG representative pointed out what appears to be overspray beneath the clear coat on the rear passenger quarter panel. Again, this would not be typical of a robot factory paint job.

Just out of curiosity, if a PPG representative came out and told you that NONE of his findings were consistent with a factory robot paint job, why then would you continue to look to GM to fix the issue? It sounds to me like all signs point towards someone else repainting the car after it left the factory and before you purchased it. Have you even talked to the dealership about this, or investigated them? I would seriously consider it.

Good luck either way, sorry you're going through this.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by SS Mike

Just out of curiosity, if a PPG representative came out and told you that NONE of his findings were consistent with a factory robot paint job, why then would you continue to look to GM to fix the issue? It sounds to me like all signs point towards someone else repainting the car after it left the factory and before you purchased it. Have you even talked to the dealership about this, or investigated them? I would seriously consider it.

Good luck either way, sorry you're going through this.

I was wondering the same thing...All the signs seem to be pointing towards a post-factory issue (something GM shouldn't be expected to cover under warranty unless documented by a certified dealer)...but where and why is the question? Something's fishy....

[motorhead]

Originally Posted by SS Mike

Just out of curiosity, if a PPG representative came out and told you that NONE of his findings were consistent with a factory robot paint job, why then would you continue to look to GM to fix the issue? It sounds to me like all signs point towards someone else repainting the car after it left the factory and before you purchased it. Have you even talked to the dealership about this, or investigated them? I would seriously consider it.

Good luck either way, sorry you're going through this.

you beat to the same conclusion.


You only seemed to prove that your car doesn't have a factory paint job.

[Xxrford426xX]

Damn sorry to hear all your troubles nice job on the documentation!

[formare]

It appears to me in the picture showing "chipping" that the paint is flecking off from poor adhesion, also it appears to be paint under the flaking, no?

[Berean]

Seems like GM SHOULD help him though, figure out what the dealer did to the car.

[skuttduck]

Those pictures look like images I saw that junkman posted when you wax the car too soon after it was repainted. The paint gets delaminated.

What seems wierd, is that the car had 8 miles on it.
Wasn't there an issue where some cars got hit in the railyard with a hail storm sometime last year?

Would this thread help? http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71421

[Berean]

Hail storm - good call.

Exactly the sort of thing that would cause the dealer to repaint the whole car.

I'll bet that's exactly what happened.

[busaboy]

Wow. All I can say is good luck. It sound like you have a good case. Great documentation.

[KnightRiderSS]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I guess I know what I have to look forward to. I just bought a brand new black SS Camaro at a dealer three hours away from my house. I took the car to my brother-in-law's dealership to get it xylan coated. The guy that does it refused to do it until I signed off on it because he found several fisheyes, specs, and other imperfections in the paint on the hood, both rear quarter panels, and trunk. I declined the xylan for now until I can figure out what I should do. The dealership that I bought it from said they would fix it for me at no charge...but they are three hours away. The local dealership told me they would look at it over the phone...why did you initially decide not to fix the problems? I am trying to decide what to do because I thought the factory paint job would last longer than the body shop's fix?

At any rate, the guy that does the coatings at my bother-in-law's dealership said he hasn't seen a new car with so many problems in the paint. He has been doing it for quite awhile too. Hopefully Chevy won't give me any hassle's about it and I know now that I am not the only person out there with this problem!

[x626xBlack]

He stated that he bought it "NEW" The Dealership and GM are the only place he can or should turn for to pay for the repair.

If he had bought it second hand then I would say different.

Possible scenario:
Car was damaged on a lot some where by hail.
Car damage was repaired, car was poorly prepped and repainted by the dealer in their body shop. Which probably had 30 other cars in line to be repainted after the hail damage.
Car was traded to another dealership.
You bought it.

Dealerships swap cars all the time. LoneStar here in Houston sent an Orange 2011 to Pasadena in exchange for the Black 2011 I have now.

[Eric's Blue]

Originally Posted by stieger

I had problems with my brakes that GM wouldn't fix. The solution is 3 words. "Better Business Bureau." Call them, open up a case and they will take care of the rest. I'll tell you now after they get involved Chevrolet will be begging you to let them paint it.

Also consider placing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/