issue Paint flaw a warranty item?

ZacInLV · January 28, 2014

I can't believe I didn't notice this before (had the truck 1 month) but there are black dots under the clear coat on my truck. The dots cover an area of apprx 3" x 6". I've polished this with a buffer and everything and I'm completely convinced this is in the paint (diamond white). It's on the hood, right above the grill.

So, is this a warrantable item? Anyone with experience?

TxTruckMan · January 28, 2014

I would think so. The problem is that WDT is supposedly hard to blend. I'd bring it in. That's bad.

Danthaman69 · January 28, 2014

Yes that's manufacturing flaw. It happens in paints process sometimes. Its actually common more than you think. Take it to the dealer and show them where at it has the spots. Make sure you show them all the spots. So look over your truck real well. Dealer should repaint it without any hassle. No charge to you.

haider320 · January 28, 2014

Have you tried a clay bar? I would try claying that spot before you have the dealer repaint the hood.

ChevyZ71LTZ · January 28, 2014

If its what I think it is my 01 Trans Am has bubbles in the paint in the b pillar and I have had a body shop sand it down and repaint and the bubble keep coming back...maybe its different cause I think where mine is bubbling it is made out of fiberglass.

gmc1 · January 28, 2014

I've found dust particles (embedded in paint then clear coated over) all over my new (2014) black truck. Now when I say "all over" I mean I've found 1 - 3 contaminates per body panel. I wasn't very happy with it but after looking very closely at my father's black 2013/14 2500 sierra I found two similar flaws on the front drivers side fender (then quickly gave up out of dissapointment). I have since concluded GM's newer paint jobs are just that terrible. I complained about a local body shop leaving the exact same type particles in the paint after repairing and re spraying a door of a pearl type white Maxima. They repainted it, with more care apparently, and did it without fault. Perfect.. Why GM can't maintain a clean painting environment now (this is my 4th sierra) I have no clue. Anyways I am particularly anal when it comes to paint finishes considering I've done (not quite as good but) close too the quality in a regular home shop/garage on a pretty windy day? I mean, really?

pm26 · January 28, 2014

Have you tried a clay bar? I would try claying that spot before you have the dealer repaint the hood.

If it cannot be removed with a polishing compound and buffing, clay bar will not help. Clay bar only works to remove impurities on the surface, such as paint overspray.

GTD · January 28, 2014

I feel for you. Worse of all that's a premium color choice for another 1K!!!! Where's the QC? Of course it's a warranty item! Don't accept anything baloney that it's not.

Sent from my VS840 4G using Tapatalk

Cmillerjr · January 28, 2014

I had what looked like cheap primer shrinkage on my bedside. Took it to the dealer where I got it. They repainted the whole bedside, gave me a rental and it was all done back in my garage in 3 days.

mike94silverado · January 28, 2014

I had what looked like cheap primer shrinkage on my bedside. Took it to the dealer where I got it. They repainted the whole bedside, gave me a rental and it was all done back in my garage in 3 days.

thats the thing right there... are you bringing it back to the selling dealer? Paint issues are tricky for dealerships.Your issue is bad but many dealerships look at customer complaints about paint as pickiness and don't want to touch them because they are afraid you will be too critical of the repair as well (It's BS I know but I've worked in 6 different dealerships and it was the same in all of them) selling dealer seems to want satisfaction more than the non selling dealer who may try to tell you its not warranteed to have you go away and not have to deal with it. Get GM Involved. they are active on this forum (Shocked they havent chimed in here yet)

TJay74 · January 28, 2014

If its what I think it is my 01 Trans Am has bubbles in the paint in the b pillar and I have had a body shop sand it down and repaint and the bubble keep coming back...maybe its different cause I think where mine is bubbling it is made out of fiberglass.

there actually was a TSB out for this from GM. I had a 2001 Formula that had this issue as well. The only correct fix was for them to remove the roof panel and bond in another one then repaint it. The stock panel had problems with the bonding paste leaching thru the roof panel, no amount of painting will fix it. You have to remove the roof panel and replace it and use the newer bonding product to stop it.

pm26 · January 28, 2014

Repainting a part of a new vehicle is always a dilemma. If the paint defect is hardly noticeable, it is sometimes better to leave it alone.

CorvetteOJ · January 28, 2014

First, let me say, these painted bumpers on the Denalis is not a smart concept. As a matter of fact they suck! I told the body shop manager, I would prefer to have mine replaced with chrome ones, but he said GM would never go for it under the warranty. As I mentioned in a previous thread I received some rock chips during a recent road trip to have my Denali tuned.. The two chips in the leading edge of the hood were normal rock chips. They are not a problem, I can deal with those myself. The four in the bumper were the results from a bad bumper paint job in the factory. On each of the four paint chips, the paint literally bubbled or flaked all around the chip, so a simple pin head chip turned into a dime size loss of paint. The dealer is fixing it under warranty. The body shop manager said he had never seen anything like it before. He said it looked as if the bumper had been painted twice in the plant. He said it probably had dirt or some other flaw in it the first time, so they sent it back through and didn't re-prep it properly. His painter is trying to repair it with a long drawn out touch up process. It is requiring about 6 trips to the body shop. The first visit, he put three coats of touch up on each one followed by a coat of cleart. This was over a three hour period. The second time he put another coat of clear on each one. He said maybe two more visits with adding clear until he gets it built up enough to sand each spot smooth and finish with a final clear. I wanted to try this before painting the entire bumper. If we can get it smooth enough, I am going to invest $1000 in covering the bumper with 3M Clear Bra. The body shop manager knows a guy who does it for a living. His shop is 130 miles away but he is supposed to be the best in the state, and he will come to me to do it. I still have the option of getting the entire bumper painted, if I am not happy with the current effort to touch up. So far it is looking pretty good. It will all be under warranty, except for the clear bra. I just received the chrome AVS Aeroskin to install on the leading edge of the hood as soon as the weather warms up suffciently. Just thought I would share my current experience with warranty paint repair, although it won't be complete for another week or 10 days. Best of luck with yours.

2017SierraSLT · January 28, 2014

I have nothing but good things to say about the paint and panel fit on my '13 Sierra. I examined the thing from front to back the day I bought it, and the only defect, which was a etching in the Z71 decal due to bird crap. It was taken care of by the selling dealer without hassle.