Had It 72 Hours... - PY Online Forums

455HOGT37 · #1 07-08-2005, 10:52 PM

... and I need to have it repainted! I washed it for the first time and took a good look at it. Major shipping damage to the paint including two scratches running the length of the hood that will catch your fingernail! I have a scratch running the length of the drivers side at the beltline, and lots more smaller scratches scattered all over. The paint also has lots of "stains", blotches and dirt under the clear. This car is silver and I see no way they could do a spot repair, so I will weld up the holes in the trunk lid where the spoiler and arrowhead were and get the trunk cleaned up as part of the deal. They can fill the holes in the front facia where the licence plate bracket was also (told them not to put it on).

I realize most of this damage was shipping or prep related, but the blotches, stains and dirt are clearly a Holden problem.

Fun stuff.

Jeff R · #2 07-08-2005, 11:31 PM

Sorry to hear that. The factory paint does suck. I know it's a pain in the ass, but it is under warranty so consider it a blessing in disguise. Now you can have it prepped and painted right. Just make sure it's done by a good shop so you won't have issues again. I've had several issues with my paint too. The dealer sent it to the shop they normallly contract their work to, and it came back horrible. Now it's going to the shop of my choosing so it will be done right. Mine's just a toy, not a daily driver, so it's not a big deal to be without the car for a few days...just an inconvenience because I love driving this thing.

455HOGT37 · #3 07-09-2005, 08:57 AM

Well, I agree, it could be a blessing... But I know the dealer/GM is going to do the absolute minimum to get by. This thing needs a new paint job, plain and simple, and we all know there are shops that will do it for $300.00 (bad) and shops that will do it right, which in my mind is $3,000.00 minimum. What path do you think the dealer is going to push for?

I know what I want, and I also know it is going to be a battle to get it.

red70goat · #4 07-09-2005, 12:21 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by 455HOGT37:
... and I need to have it repainted! I washed it for the first time and took a good look at it. Major shipping damage to the paint including two scratches running the length of the hood that will catch your fingernail! I have a scratch running the length of the drivers side at the beltline, and lots more smaller scratches scattered all over. The paint also has lots of "stains", blotches and dirt under the clear. This car is silver and I see no way they could do a spot repair, so I will weld up the holes in the trunk lid where the spoiler and arrowhead were and get the trunk cleaned up as part of the deal. They can fill the holes in the front facia where the licence plate bracket was also (told them not to put it on).

I realize most of this damage was shipping or prep related, but the blotches, stains and dirt are clearly a Holden problem.

Fun stuff.

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's too bad about the paint, really I mean it. That is one of the reasons why I didn't get one. The one I saw @ Jerry Seiners had sheephair in the finish along with some orange peel. That along with a few rattles I couldn't live with I decided not to purchase at that time. A "red neck BMW" is the best description I've heard of this car yet. And actually that's not meant as an insult. When I first saw the front end / head light treatment I thought BMW 6 Series. Perhaps the boys from down under could spend a few days learning some German quality control.

red70goat · #5 07-09-2005, 12:23 PM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by red70goat:

455HOGT37 · #6 07-09-2005, 01:12 PM

Thanks Red,

I don't mean the term "red neck BMW" as an insult either. It took just a little bit to own it to see it that way. I suspect the people who think this car is BMW competition are people who are upgrading to the Holden from Honda Civics. I also have to agree though, that you are not going to fine this level of performance and refinement anywhere near this kind of money. Besides, 30k is not much to spend on a car these days anyway.

Anyway, monday starts the fight with the service manager.

superdutybob · #7 07-09-2005, 02:35 PM

If your car was clean when you picked it up, why did you not see these paint flaws? I wouldn't have taken delivery of it in the first place, especially if it wasn't presented properly upon delivery.

I hope it works out for you.

pont3 · #8 07-09-2005, 04:36 PM

Hey Red70goat, you were able to surmise that the GTO has bad paint after looking at only ONE? I've had mine since September and have washed and waxed every inch of it and cannot find any flaws in the paint. Did I just get lucky? Mine does have one very minor rock chip on the header panel but otherwise still flawless. I was actually hoping for a reason to upgrade to the '05 hood but so far, can't justify it. So, when you gettin' yours?

Jeff R · #9 07-09-2005, 04:40 PM

I wouldn't fault him for not seeing these things at delivery. #1, by the time they finally get all the paperwork done and they hand you the keys, you just want to get out of there. #2, silver doesn't show flaws or dirt very easily. Every new car I've ever purchased has been delivered either at night or in full sun, and unless the car is a very dark color it's really difficult to see flaws in those conditions. I didn't see my paint flaws until I had it home. I detailed every nook and cranny and inspected every surface from every angle. That's when I found issues.

455HOGT37 · #10 07-09-2005, 11:09 PM

Several reasons I missed at the damage: I picked it up at night, I wanted to get the hell out of there and get to bed, and I never would have expected that extensive damage on a brand new car.

455HOGT37 · #11 07-10-2005, 09:34 PM

With the idea that I was going to spend tomorrow arguing with the service manager about my ruined paint, I spent a great deal of time washing and inspecting the car today. Guess what? The paint is not all that bad after all. Most of the "scratches" were in fact the remains of glue that attached all the protective covers. They sure looked like scratches and even cought my fingernail, but with some elbow grease and a bottle of Maguires, they came off. Even the millions of little black spots could be scraped off and polished away. I still have some paint quality issues that can't be resolved with polishing compound, but at least I feel a little better about the car now.

Clearly, the worst dealer prep I have ever heard of!

red70goat · #12 07-10-2005, 10:17 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by pont3:
Hey Red70goat, you were able to surmise that the GTO has bad paint after looking at only ONE?

One car actually looked at. It wasn't just the paint. Several posts on this forum and others from current owners have voiced similar problems with the finish. Perhaps a broad generalization and erroneously so on my part, but if these damned kangaroo jockies can't even paint a car right then the attention to detail IMO must be lacking also.

So, when you gettin' yours?

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

When GM gets serious about building a modern day interpretation of the Pontiac GTO. I thought the original rendering(s) were somewhat good. Like I said, reminisent of BMW 6 Series, which although not a GTO, I could have lived with. By the time Beavis and Lutzhead Inc got finished with it, I found the actual car quite disappointing in finish, quality and exterior appeal.

Jeff R · #13 07-10-2005, 11:38 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by 455HOGT37:
With the idea that I was going to spend tomorrow arguing with the service manager about my ruined paint, I spent a great deal of time washing and inspecting the car today. Guess what? The paint is not all that bad after all. Most of the "scratches" were in fact the remains of glue that attached all the protective covers. They sure looked like scratches and even cought my fingernail, but with some elbow grease and a bottle of Maguires, they came off. Even the millions of little black spots could be scraped off and polished away. I still have some paint quality issues that can't be resolved with polishing compound, but at least I feel a little better about the car now.

Clearly, the worst dealer prep I have ever heard of! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Glad to hear it wasn't as bad as you thought. Did you use a clay bar? Clay bar rules for cleaning paint and removing contaminents without leaving scratches or swirls. It's unreal how much crud gets embedded even in brand new paint. Following an anal-retentively-thorough wash I was amazed at how much junk came out of my paint and how incredibly smooth the finish was afterward. It doesn't take much elbow grease at all, but it is time consuming. It's time well spent though. I had never used clay before, and I was so impressed with the results I did all of our other cars too. Wash, clay bar, then a few coats of polish. They all have finishes like glass now.

theamcguy · #14 07-11-2005, 06:01 PM

Same deal on mine. Thought I had scratches that turned out to be residue from the shipping paper. I used quick detailer, some elbow grease, and they cleaned right up. I also have a Quick Silver and there is a spot on the front of the hood that is darker than the rest of the car, but it is only noticable in the right light, and if you really look for it. I'm just gonna live with it. There is nothing like factory paint for longevity. Most repaints I have seen and experienced start to break down in 3-5 years (not counting restoration level jobs but production accident repair which is what the new GTO will get). My advice if you can polish and fix it, then live with it, because a repaint will break down over time.