Interesting that the OP never updated this thread after all the noise. :rolleyes:

Update, please! We wanna hear the last of it. Did the dealer respond properly?!

So what happened, did nissan repaint the car?

Reminds me of when I bought a brand new 1989 S-10 Pickup. Aspen Blue, I think. I was 17 yrs old, in high school, and working to pay for it myself. The paint started delaminating from the primer within a few months of delivery. Dealer first accused me of using the "new high pressure" car washes, and refused to do anything. Had to work with GM directly, and best I could get was multiple repaints over the years after the paint periodically pealed. Local newspaper (small town) wouldn't help me out - the didn't have the might to deal with GM, nor wanted to tick off the local dealership because they were an advertiser.

Turns out this was a problem that ultimately plagued GM and Chrysler and was a result of new govt regulation limiting the use of lead in paint, and paint adhesion.

So to this day, I've never bought another new GM car, and certainly never dealt with that dealer again. Not because the problem occurred, but because of how it was handled.

Hopefully flashburn didn't compromise too much. Personally, after first contact with dealer and Nissan with no quick response, I would have contacted my lawyer asap to understand my rights and best way to proceed.

You would have to get nissan to determine the paint as manufactures defect.

Paint is not covered under warranty. If it's environmental hazards you are probably SOL, unless you cause enough stink. (lawyer)

.....yeah, and at this point I would think it becomes an auto insurance claim, assuming it was not blistered at delivery.

Maybe the Nissan Mafia took him out?

:icon18:

Id say that, except he was here posting on Christmas eve.

Absolutely no mention of his alleged paint issue. In subsequent posts. Much ado about NOTHING? :mad:

Should we spam his PM inbox until he responds???:excited:

Nah we'll just get into trouble. But no harm in bringing it up now and then. :tiphat:

:rofl2: Give me a few, I'm writing up the saga now. :)

Sorry guys, I actually meant to update the thread this week.

This whole thing has been a huge pain in the butt, but luckily it is almost over. After going back and forth with Nissan corporate for weeks just to try to get a date setup to have a technical specialist look at it, I got fed up and sent an email to a ton of people at the top of Nissan Corporate (CEO, board members, etc). A day later I get a call from someone at the Executive Corporate office. He was extremely apologetic and said that there is no reason why it should've taken this long to have someone look at it, and that my case file was a mess and that the person that was working on it has been removed from the case and I would no longer have to deal with them. He also said that he had talked with the service manager at the Tampa dealer and agreed that there was definitely a real problem with the car that needs to be addressed.

So a day later he calls me back, and has a date setup to have the specialist look at my car. On 12/9 the service manager came to my office in Orlando and picked up the car, and dropped off a crappy 06 Altima. The next day I get a call back from the Executive guy and he said that the specialists found that there was a factory defect with the paint, and that all of the metal parts would need to be repainted.

Of course I immediately objected and said that I didn't want to accept repainting a brand new vehicle because they failed to inspect the vehicle properly after it was painted at the factory. He said he would give me a call back on getting a replacement vehicle. He calls me back and says that after talking it over, they have denied doing a vehicle replacement and said legally all they have to do is repaint the vehicle, and thats simply all they cared about. They offered me as "goodwill" a 2 year maintenance contract on the car as well. They also agreed to repainting my bumper since it had many rock chips on it and I was supposed to get a clear bra installed on my front end but couldn't because I found this problem. Begrudgingly I accepted this deal, since I really didn't want to have to deal with trying to get a lawyer to get it resolved, I just wanted the damn car I paid for! Later I get a call saying that they are going to up the maintanence contract to 3 years.

So they were able to finally start work on the car on the week of the 21st. Because of the holidays it isn't scheduled to be finished until hopefully the end of this week. Oh, and I also allowed them to replace my hood so they could cut the old one in half and send half to Tennessee and the other half back to Japan so they can try to figure out what the hell went wrong. As of right now not a single person at Nissan has seen t his problem before. I sure did pick a winner!

So anyway, hopefully by the end of this week everything will be resolved and I can move on from this epic pain in the butt. I will say that the service manager at Ferman Nissan (Eric Green) has been extremely courteous and helpful in trying to resolve the situation. I really can't say the same about Nissan Corporate. Nissan Corporate has this rediculous system in place where the person assigned to your case NEVER actually answers the phone (literally), and only has to call you back every two days. So if you leave a message on Monday, they won't actually call you back until Wednesday, and then they will only try once that day, if they miss you, they will simply leave a message and you are stuck calling back, leaving a message and waiting another two days, f'ing stupid.

Anyway, I guess that's about it for now. I told you it was a f'ing saga!

Oh, and my car has to wear a damn bra for 2 months while I wait for the paint to cure before I can install a clear bra. *sigh*

When you get your car back, stick it in your garage and don't touch it for those 2 months. Don't give them any reason to deny the claim if it happens again.

That said, it's not that big of a deal for them to repaint your car. It'll look as good or better than new, and with it being the same color, there won't be any reason for depreciation...as least as far as I can see for there being any reasons...

If you haven't signed an agreement don't until they agree to remimburse you for the diminshed value of your vehicle. Spend a few bucks for an attorney to write a letter.

I would do a custom color, like lambo orange. :yum:

Maybe I missed it, but does the OP have any pictures of the bad paint?

I've been reading that it kind of looks like sap, but it's not on the paint, but under it, like there was something on the car when they painted it.

I've noticed a spot on mine the other day, and just figured it was a minor paint flaw.

That said, I also have a spot that looks like a hair in/under the paint near the rear spoiler.

Hmm...

No pictures, with my camera I wasn't able to get a photo of the issue. The service manager does have some, I'll see if he can send them to me.

It looked like slight bubbling underneath the clearcoat. It only happened on the metal surfaces, but was on every one.

Yeah, I won't be doing that. I do have to get to work after all. :) The paint work does come with a lifetime warranty from the dealer though.

i had paint defects on my rear bumper looked like black overspray on my red car, nissan simply repainted it and i haven't had a problem since.

I actually did think about asking for a custom color, but since it wasn't an entire repaint, I didn't even want to try to ask for that, since I knew it would get shot down.

#1 Rule in sales, you will never know unless you ask.
I am glad that they stepped up and took care of you. Nissan doesn't have the best customer complaint center.

Gotta disagree, the first appraiser that puts a paint thickness tester on it and looks at the paint edges will bust the value down big time!!!!!!!!!!

Why?

Many reasons, some legitimate as most people shy away from late model expensive cars that don't have a clear car- fax. And in very general terms a dealership paint job is not as good as a correct factory paint in either appearance or durability.

Everything I have read is that unless you are looking to sell/trade-in a new car after only a year or two of ownership, a repaint won't really affect the depreciation of a car.

Also as far as the quality of the work, that seems highly subjective. It has a lifetime warranty and if it doesn't look perfect then I won't accept it, which they know.

If your happy-I'm happy-good luck:tup:

Car should be ready to pick up on Monday or Tuesday. Can't wait.

Congratulations!

btw I agree about depreciation you should check with a lawyer and/or our insurance company about diminished value.

Good luck, car looks great in that photo.

I had to jump into this thread...I debated, but it was killing me:

Flashburn - Sorry for your troubles. It sucks when good money is spent (any amount) on an emotional purchase and something is wrong beyond your control. Although everyone that responded had their own way to go about it, I can understand your confusion...because who goes through this kind of crap on a regular basis?

Although it sucks to hear, Nissan Corp is right...all they have to do is repaint the car. They didnt have to offer you anything extra. I live in FL as well. FL lemon law would require the same instance numerous times before you could get remedy based on prorated scale. Be glad you didnt have to do through this.

At the end of the day, you got your car and an extra warranty. Score!

As for 370Z Steve - You are sincerely misinformed. If you really, honestly feel that dealerships or the Factory paint/repaint cars to a premier level, you are for lack of a better word, a moron. There are a substantial amount of steps that a private body shop will go through to make the paint job pristine...sanding, blocking, sanding, blocking, etc...there is an old saying about painters...the more time spent on prep, the better the paint job. Do you really think the dealership or the Factory will spend as much time on perfection? While I cant specifically say yes, I am going to say no. Now, Im not talking about Maaco or some crap like that. There are plenty of really good body shops out there that take pride in their work. Most likely, they are know to be the most expensive in your neighborhood. Its for a reason.

So based on one of your snide remarks about German cars...go buy a German car, I own 3 of them. Not Volkswagons either...3 super fast 2 door ones with lots of heritage. One of them is black and you can see some waves...from the factory.

Regarding the value of your "blemished" Z...I say BS. Its not going to show up on a carfax or anything like that because its not a insurance job, etc...Nissan is just going to strip and paint it under the wire. While your VIN may be in the Nissan Service log, its not gonna show up on any other reports.

The guy who mentioned the paint magnet and will be able to prove that a few millimeters more/less is on the car is 100% correct but someone has to see it/look for it. With the damage not on carfax, unless its a crappy paint job (which you are not going to stand for) wont see it.

Enjoy your car, drive it hard and have fun.

I had to jump into this thread...I debated, but it was killing me:

Flashburn - Sorry for your troubles. It sucks when good money is spent (any amount) on an emotional purchase and something is wrong beyond your control. Although everyone that responded had their own way to go about it, I can understand your confusion...because who goes through this kind of crap on a regular basis?

Although it sucks to hear, Nissan Corp is right...all they have to do is repaint the car. They didnt have to offer you anything extra. I live in FL as well. FL lemon law would require the same instance numerous times before you could get remedy based on prorated scale. Be glad you didnt have to do through this.

At the end of the day, you got your car and an extra warranty. Score!

As for 370Z Steve - You are sincerely misinformed. If you really, honestly feel that dealerships or the Factory paint/repaint cars to a premier level, you are for lack of a better word, a moron. There are a substantial amount of steps that a private body shop will go through to make the paint job pristine...sanding, blocking, sanding, blocking, etc...there is an old saying about painters...the more time spent on prep, the better the paint job. Do you really think the dealership or the Factory will spend as much time on perfection? While I cant specifically say yes, I am going to say no. Now, Im not talking about Maaco or some crap like that. There are plenty of really good body shops out there that take pride in their work. Most likely, they are know to be the most expensive in your neighborhood. Its for a reason.

So based on one of your snide remarks about German cars...go buy a German car, I own 3 of them. Not Volkswagons either...3 super fast 2 door ones with lots of heritage. One of them is black and you can see some waves...from the factory.

Regarding the value of your "blemished" Z...I say BS. Its not going to show up on a carfax or anything like that because its not a insurance job, etc...Nissan is just going to strip and paint it under the wire. While your VIN may be in the Nissan Service log, its not gonna show up on any other reports.

The guy who mentioned the paint magnet and will be able to prove that a few millimeters more/less is on the car is 100% correct but someone has to see it/look for it. With the damage not on carfax, unless its a crappy paint job (which you are not going to stand for) wont see it.

Enjoy your car, drive it hard and have fun.

Since I never stated that dealerships paint cars to a premium level, may I suggest that you are the moron?

I own a Mercedes Benz. It has the finest paint job of any car I've owned in my entire life. Keep talking, I'll bring the popcorn and a shoehorn to remove the misplaced appendage from your mouth. Oh, and it's spelled Volkswagen, another brand with outstanding paint, sorry to hear about the crappy paint on your Porsches, perhaps now that VW owns the marque, things will get better. :drama:

Oh and caj, double-post FAIL.

:wtf2:

*sigh* No car for me yet. Drove all the way down there after it was supposedly done and "perfect". We drove it into the shop and almost immediately I noticed some fisheye type imperfections in the clearcoat that you could see and really feel. Also noticed a few other blemishes and crap. They seem to think they can get it out without having to repaint or do anything else drastic, we shall see. FML.

Luckily the service manager is going to drive it the 2 1/2 hours to my house once it is finished "finished" so we can look at it under my flourescents to make sure everything is definitely good. At this point I really blame this being such a huge pain on Nissan Corporate as they were the ones that basically forced me to have to deal with the Tampa Nissan dealer and not my local Deland Nissan, even though they acknowledged the problem as a factory defect.

wow. you are a patient person. if it was me, i would have got me a lawyer to get me out of the deal.

I sincerely take no pleasure in being the one to say I told you so. And I would bet that the obvious things you initially saw wrong are the tip of the iceberg. I've personally experienced similar situations as well as first hand observation of other's misfortune with repaints of a new vehicle-coulda woulda shoulda but you should have gotten a good attorney. No one should be so naive that they believe nissan is looking out for their interest over their own-

What exactly do you mean by "tip of the iceberg"? Honestly other than the fisheye spots, which there were only about 4-5 and only on the A-pillars, there were just a few other blemishes. Other than that the paint job did look perfect.

The messed up thing is that they pulled in a brand new red 370Z that was on sale on their lot, and we found similiar blemishes in the clearcoat, just not to the extent that was seen on my original paint job. I think that if any of you guys pull up under some good florescent lighting you are going to see similar imperfections in the clearcoat, just hopefully not to the extent of my original paint job.

There was one very small and hard to see stain, similar to what you're describing, on the hood of my red 370. You could see it only when the light shined on it at a certain angle. I thought it was a tree sap stain or something. Unfortunately, I didn't detect it until I got the car home. Took it to another (closer) dealer a few days after delivery and they promptly and courteously "repaired" it under warranty. They used wet sand and other techniques I know nothing about, except that the car is now absolutely perfect without having re-painted the hood. Fair enough.

Yeah unfortunately they tried wet-sanding, buffing, etc, but nothing was able to remove the original problem.

So they delivered my car to my house last night. I gotta say, it looks pretty damn perfect now. They were able to remove all of the problems I spotted the other day, and I'd even go so far as to say it looks better than the factory job (one that isn't defective that is) on a Z. Especially after we looked at the red Z they had on their lot under the florescents, it had many blemishes and imperfections in the clearcoat.