Paint Quality Issues?

Originally Posted by dbs600

Good to know!

Paints today are pretty complicated - some issues the time to show. Definitely some sort of contamination making its way to the surface....but I'd expect BMW to correct it ASAP for you, and done properly it should be hard to detect.

Should I require a new hood pre-painted from the factory?

I don't think that's a feasible request they would honor

However if repainted properly the un trained eye shouldn't be able to detect it. I wouldnt be overly concerned unless your dealer doesn't use a decent paint facility...but again being BMW there should be no worries. That being said based on your other paint issues I'd be paying close attention to the rest of the car!

dbs600: This is not the first time I saw that. A buddy of mine runs a detail shop in Irving TX. He gets so many deals from both BMW Dallas and BMW Arlington to fix this issue on brand-new cars on their lot. The warranty should cover that. He told me that in any events, you should NEVER get another painted hood from Germany. It seems that those painted parts are more prone to defect after a long distance travel. My wife car, the 2011 F02, had the same defect on the low front bumper when we picked it up. The "burn" defect was too small to be noticeable so we didn't make a big deal out of it. After putting a clear bra on, nobody could tell that there was a defect there.

Another thing, if you didn't know already....post your pictures on this forum http://www.autogeekonline.net to get a second opinion. There are thousands of professional detailer on that forum. They will surely let you know what could have caused the problem in the first place.

Originally Posted by dbs600

Should I require a new hood pre-painted from the factory?

No. What would be the difference? It's not as though they would paint it on the production line. They would paint it the same way they would locally.

Plus if they wanted to blend the paint into the fenders, that wouldn't be feasible.

Get it done at a reputable shop and you won't be able to spot the difference - it may even be better, since they do it manually by hand and not with an automated process.

Wow; thanks so much for all the great info HD!

I've posted here as well:

http://www.detailingbliss.com/forum/...nt-quality.htm

By chance, did you retain any photos of the damage to your wife's auto?

Originally Posted by chrischeung

No. What would be the difference? It's not as though they would paint it on the production line. They would paint it the same way they would locally.

There's no way to reproduce the quality and durability of a factory paint job, no matter how good the shop is.

But yes, my concern would be its matching the front bumper and fenders.

Originally Posted by dbs600

There's no way to reproduce the quality and durability of a factory paint job, no matter how good the shop is.

But yes, my concern would be its matching the front bumper and fenders.

You're correct unless it's a flat paint like say jet black which is easy to match but not the case with metallic paints. It's impossible to match metallic to the original paint but a good shop can come close but that's about it.

Originally Posted by dbs600

By chance, did you retain any photos of the damage to your wife's auto?

Unfortunately no. I took a pic of the defect with my iPhone and misplaced it somewhere. It looked like the paint was etched by either some kind of solvent, IPA rubbing alcohol, or acid underneath the clear coat. Over a short period of time, it will quickly burn the paint and spread out.

Originally Posted by dbs600

There's no way to reproduce the quality and durability of a factory paint job, no matter how good the shop is.

But yes, my concern would be its matching the front bumper and fenders.

I think you're missing my point. I've been to the factory. They paint the whole body shell at once - not the hood separately. So by ordering a painted hood from the factory, it would be one that is hand painted - unless you're thinking they would paint a whole body shell, then just take the hood off for your car and dispose of the rest of the body shell. And even then, the paint color won't likely match, since there is variance in color between batches. I saw that at the factory as well. That's where the blending comes in - they'll paint into the fenders so that you won't notice the color change.

Originally Posted by chrischeung

I think you're missing my point. I've been to the factory. They paint the whole body shell at once - not the hood separately. So by ordering a painted hood from the factory, it would be one that is hand painted - unless you're thinking they would paint a whole body shell, then just take the hood off for your car and dispose of the rest of the body shell. And even then, the paint color won't likely match, since there is variance in color between batches. I saw that at the factory as well. That's where the blending comes in - they'll paint into the fenders so that you won't notice the color change.

Thanks for the input Chris, but it's common sense that nothing can match the quality or durability of a factory paint job; the type of paint used (with Xirallic, not likely found elsewhere) and the time and temperature at which the panels cure. I've been to the factory too and of course don't think they paint whole cars only to part them out (that'd be ridiculously silly)! To the extent it's possible to order painted parts from the factory, obviously there's an area they paint individual parts in one off fashion, which should be of even higher quality! Otherwise, a paint job anywhere else, with the way it is sealed, the chance of drips, lines from masked areas, paint depth etc. would all reduce the integrity and value of the vehicle, as if it had been in an accident...

Let me flip the question around - what do you think or know that they do differently, in terms of process or materials, at the factory or VPC that is different from a reputable body shop in regards to one off parts? I don't recall seeing them paint one off parts at Dingolfing. Do they even offer painted metal panels from the factory? How would they match the color (remember it's been aged a few years on your car)? I also wouldn't point to Bruno's experience with his painted bumper - they arrive at the factory from the supplier already painted - so it is highly likely they would be available as painted spare parts. As opposed to metal panels, which are painted on site as a complete shell.

Please let us know your experience - if you can even get a painted panel from BMW Dingolfing (color matching, cost, time etc.). I personally doubt it, but wouldn't mind to be proven wrong. There's no harm in asking - right?

Originally Posted by chrischeung

Let me flip the question around - what do you think or know that they do differently, in terms of process or materials, at the factory or VPC that is different from a reputable body shop in regards to one off parts? I don't recall seeing them paint one off parts at Dingolfing. Do they even offer painted metal panels from the factory? How would they match the color (remember it's been aged a few years on your car)? I also wouldn't point to Bruno's experience with his painted bumper - they arrive at the factory from the supplier already painted - so it is highly likely they would be available as painted spare parts. As opposed to metal panels, which are painted on site as a complete shell.

You may be right that the only pre-painted parts from the factory are the bumpers. Hmm... :|

I called a number of dealers and bodyshops today and have determined pre-painted bumpers are not available in the US, only Europe, and only for certain models. The only pre-painted parts we might be able to source in the US are door handles and side view mirrors. Thanks for the insight, Chris. Now the question is whether they sand down and repaint the entire hood or only the damaged area. Oh well...

@dbs600

if you repaint a hood, there is no blending needed on bumpers and fenders as any color mismatch will be very hard to notice unless the paint match is really bad. this is a different case when painting a door or a fender where blending will be needed.

there are 2 options, its either they spot paint the color on the hood and clearcoat the entire hood, or they paint and clearcoat the entire hood. either way, it will still be painted as a whole. it can be spot painted and clearcoated but prolly a year or two, the blended areas will show.

and yes, the factory only sells prepainted "plastic parts"

I imagine with direct sunlight hitting the hood throughout the day - as well as heat from the engine - it will be the first part of the car to fade unevenly, not to mention, most obviously so, as it's the first thing on sees on a car. All in all, I'm seriously concerned with the outcome and 'depth' of the metallic used, not being OEM in material or application. Xirallic is what makes BMW Individual paint so special... :|

Just found this of another person's car:

When the car is under sunlight or lights in the garage you will notice that the paint has waves to it. While at the dealer today I looked several cars and they are all that way. The salesman told me that they are all like that because the paint is baked on.

I'm with Chrischeung. Warranty claim is a logical remedy.
How will that affect carfax report?