Exterior Paint

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

This question concerns the exterior paint. I have always waxed my car every three to six months. However, the original manufacturer?s paint seems not to stand up to anything. I have permanent spots from sprinkler water, bird droppings, tree residue, and some things I don’t recognize. I wash my car frequently and remove the contaminants as soon as they are recognized; nevertheless, there are permanent spots in the paint that can not be removed by a professional car detailer. In addition, the stripes (stripes applied to the body that extend from the tip of the front end to the trunk) on the car are peeling. I will need a new paint job soon.



My car was pulled from a dealership that is fifty miles from my hometown and transferred to the local dealer. When I asked the original dealer two years ago about the peeling stripes, management stated that there is no record of stripes being installed on my car. This ?I don?t know anything? attitude seems suspicious and has me wondering about the entire exterior paint. Honda says the stripes were not installed at the factory and will not warranty the stripes. Honda says the dealer is responsible. The local dealer, where I purchased the car says the stripes were installed before the car arrived at that dealership; therefore they will not warranty the stripes. My questions are: (1) how can I tell if the paint on the car was quality paint installed by the manufacturer and not repainted for some reason by the dealer before it was sold to me? (2) What is the difference between an $800 paint job at Spraynglow and a $1,700 paint job elsewhere? Spraynglow gives a two-year warranty. The owner of the shop that quoted me $1,700 gives a life time warranty on his paint job. The life time warranty is impressive, as I want to keep my car for at least five more years. But in today’s economy the owner could go out of business the month after I get my car painted. What should I look for when shopping for a quality paint job at a reasonable price?



Thanks for your assistance

2

Pinstripes are usually applied by a semi-independent contractor at the dealer. I new a guy that did this. He would work at several dealerships that were almost within walking distance.

How old is your car? How many miles when you bought it?

  1. A trained eye can spot a repainted car.

  2. The difference between an $800 paint job and a $1,700 job is in the preparation: Careful sanding, fixing little dings that stand out under shiny new paint, careful masking and trim removal. Those things can take a lot of time.

3

Thanks for your response.

My car is a 2005 Honda Accord. I bought it new. The paint job, although well taken care of is showing signes of deterioration that surpasses the age of the car. Could the paint be poor quality? Do you have suggestions that can explain the condition of the paint?