| Phatty McPatty |
Hi all. I got my MO back from the detailer and immediately noticed 4 patches of paint that were lighter than the rest of the hood. The largest spot is about the size of a half dollar but irregularly shaped. The finish feels smooth and doesn't feel like there is damage. It seems as though it's deep in the paint layer or something. After checking the TSBs, there is one about discoloration caused by the protective plastic they apply to new cars (NTB99-060c), but my MO is almost 3 years old. I was trying to tell myself that maybe I just didn't notice the spots since buying the MO 6 months ago, but that's just impossible.
Is anyone familiar with this problem? Could this have somehow been caused by the detailer? If not, would it be covered under the Nissan warranty?
I'll attach a couple pics that I've boosted the contrast in order to highlight the spots. |
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| Phatty McPatty |
| A close-up of a spot. The 2 small, black spots are nicks from pebble strikes. I don't think this is the cause of the discoloration because the other 3 spots have no damage nearby. |
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| benhui86 |
wax/polish residue?....
it doesnt look like etching..... it doesnt look like clear coat failure..... it doesnt look like touch up paint repair....
maybe you should go back to the detailer and ask him wtf is it..... that is just strange..... |
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| Phatty McPatty |
| Yeah it's totally weird. It doesn't seem to be anything residual from the wax or polish. The finish feels as smooth as glass like the surrounding paint, it's only visually different. Maybe heat related? Could they have seared the paint somehow by over-buffing? I don't know, I've never seen anything like this, especially on a relatively new vehicle. I'm dreading the hassle I'm going to have to go through to get this resolved. :cursin: |
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| benhui86 |
rotary buffer burns are generally just whitish..... and you wont be seeing the metalic flakes.... and they would be on the edges and corners usually before they would happen on flat surfaces....
you dont happen to have a clear bra on there do you?....
anyways you might want to go on the meguiar's forums and ask them if they know anything.... lots of professionals there with lots of experiance
www.meguiarsonline.com |
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| Phatty McPatty |
Ben, no I don't have a clear bra. Thanks for the meguire's link. I'll see what they think.
After some more thought about it last night, I have a theory. I think moisture has seeped into the finish. TSB NTB99-060c, PAINT SWELL/STAINS/SPOTS UNDER PAINT GUARD FILM, states:
quote:
NTB99-060c
"If a Nissan vehicle exhibits swelling, stains or spots on the paint finish which appear milky or whitish on dark colored vehicles and dark-shaded or coffee-colored on light colored vehicles) immediately after the PGF is removed, the cause may be moisture collection under pockets/creases of the PGF. The paint may absorb moisture which may cause the affected paint finish area to temporarily discolor... The size of the swell, stain, or spot may range from a dime to a clinched fist and have an irregular shape..."
The detailer used pressurized water when they washed it, which might have forced moisture under the finish. The bulletin basically says to let it dry out in the sun (if it's warm, which it isn't) or use a heat gun. The bulletin says that it must be repaired within a short time or it will be permanent. I really don't want the detailer, who is not a paint technician, to try to fix this. I can only see them making it worse. I wonder if I could bring this to Nissan? |
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| benhui86 |
blow dryer maybe? if you are afraid of the heat gun.....
that sounds exactly like your problem.... i would try blow drying it and also maybe throw in a nice hot halogen work lamp at it too..... or also the dish style heaters..... hahahha |
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| njjoe |
Phatty McPatty-
Have you brought this to the attention of your detailer?
-njjoe |
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| Phatty McPatty |
I talked with the detailer yesterday. He said that one of his guys did mention to him (only after I called) that they noticed the spots. Understandably, without seeing the spots himself, he can't really say what caused it. He gave me a few generic reasons, like maybe it was there before but it wasn't noticable bc it was covered up by a lot of oxidation. Of course I told him there wasn't oxidation bc the car has been well maintained. He did use a high powered water gun but with a diffusing tip. I suspect one of the guys used it too close to get off a bug splatter or something and forced water underneath the clear. Anyway, he told me to bring it in and he'll see what he can do about it. I'm hesitant to let him try to fix the issue. I'm afraid he will do more harm than good.
The spots are as glossy and smooth as the surrounding paint so I don't think the clear coat has been buffed away. Could they repair it that well if they had? It's hard to show in the pictures, but up close the difference appears to be deep in the layer. The thing is, the paint doesn't look messed up besides the color being lighter. The "glitter" in the paint looks identical to the rest of the car. If my car were painted entirely like the spots it would look great! It's hard to tell from the photo but the car is a dark gray color, but the spots are light gray. The two shades blend together at the edges irregularly. The reason I'm really thinking it's water damage is that it looks a lot like a coffee stain that crawled outward across a napkin.
I wanted to use a hair dryer but it's been raining every since. I'm planning to go to the dealer tonight and see what they think. If they don't have an answer, then it's time to get some opinions of other body shops. :headshake |
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| njjoe |
P McP-
From my experience, dealers nowadays know very little about troubleshooting a problem. They would rather swap out an assembly instead of repairing a component. Your average dealership knows absolutely nothing about paint finishes. If they did they would not be offering paint protectants and undercoating as part of their final sales pitch. The dealer may recommend replacing/repainting the entire hood.
If it was my car, I would take it back to the detailer and make it very to clear to them that the blemishes were NOT there when you brought the car in to them. I also would want to know ahead of time what they planned to do to correct their mistake.
If you don't feel the detailers are competent enough to repair their damage then find a reputable body shop in your area.
Good luck.
-njjoe |
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| Phatty McPatty |
quote:
Originally posted by njjoe
From my experience, dealers nowadays know very little about troubleshooting a problem. They would rather swap out an assembly instead of repairing a component... The dealer may recommend replacing/repainting the entire hood.
-njjoe
Would that be a bad thing? It's still under the full manufacturer's warranty, so wouldn't this be covered? Or would they try to say it was caused by abuse?
It finally stopped raining so I tried out the hair dryer. The TSB says to keep the temp between 175 and 190. I couldn't get the temp past 136. Oh well. :8: |
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| njjoe |
quote:
Originally posted by Phatty McPatty
It's still under the full manufacturer's warranty, so wouldn't this be covered?
I do not believe paint discoloration is covered by the warranty, not unless it is discovered soon after initial delivery.
-njjoe |
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| Phatty McPatty |
| Just heard back from the dealer. He said that they're going to take care of it! :D He said they'll need it a couple days to refinish the hood. Fortunately, this type of paint/clear failure is covered under warranty. I didn't ask too many questions about what they think happened. I'll find out more on monday. Thanks for all of your help. |
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| njjoe |
Phatty McPatty-
You are one lucky SOB. :4: I would have bet the ranch that there was no way a Nissan dealer was going to warranty the paint on a 2-year-old MO. No way. I figured they would have blamed the environment, car washes, acid rain, bird dropping, etc.
-njjoe |
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| Phatty McPatty |
quote:
Originally posted by njjoe
I would have bet the ranch that there was no way a Nissan dealer was going to warranty the paint on a 2-year-old MO. No way. I figured they would have blamed the environment, car washes, acid rain, bird dropping, etc.
-njjoe
You and me both! They actually didn't ask any questions. I dropped it off last night in the night drop and got a call today saying they'd take care of it. He said they sent digital pics of it to HQ and they instructed the dealer to refinish it. I think they saw what I saw. It was too smooth to be anything but some sort of clear failure.
What a relief! |
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| Phatty McPatty |
Got the MO back with a refinished hood!
I haven't yet talked with Service Manager Jeff to find out what caused the spots. I'll give him a call tomorrow.
But so far, I'm very pleased with Passport Nissan of Alexandria, VA (gotta give a shout since they seem to be
one of the few good dealerships!).
Patrick |
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| benhui86 |
| is it good idea to put clear bra on it since its a brand new paint job on the hood and perfect..... but you have to wait 30 days or so for paint to air out or else it'd look darker or something than the rest of the paint..... |
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| Warhammer |
DAMN...that's a good looking vehicle! :29:
Must be a MURANO or something. |
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| Phatty McPatty |
quote:
Originally posted by benhui86
is it good idea to put clear bra on it since its a brand new paint job on the hood and perfect..... but you have to wait 30 days or so for paint to air out or else it'd look darker or something than the rest of the paint.....
Yeah I think that's the plan. Besides the discoloration, the paint also had some nicks from pebble strikes so it's obviously an issue. I'd like to keep it as flawless as possible!
quote:
Originally posted by Warhammer
DAMN...that's a good looking vehicle! :29:
Must be a MURANO or something.
Thanks man! |
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| Phatty McPatty |
quote:
Originally posted by njjoe
Phatty McPatty-
You are one lucky SOB. :4:
-njjoe
:3: :3: :3: :3: :3: :3: :3: :3: :3: :3: :3:
8 dump trucks merged onto the highway in front of me. I didn't have an opportunity to pass them. The one directly in front of me hit a bump and the rear door of the bed opened just enough to let dozens of medium-sized gravel chunks pour out of the back. All I could do was watch in horror as they peppered the front end of the MO.
My virgin paint job is no more. Nicked it right down to the metal. Plus it nicked up my fender, grill and windshield. It wouldn't be so bad had the hood not been painted just three weeks ago. Now I have a claim into my insurance and will get the hood repainted for a second time this month, and on top of that, the left fender. I am one prickly pear right now... |
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| benhui86 |
quote:
Originally posted by Phatty McPatty
:3: :3: :3: :3: :3: :3: :3: :3: :3: :3: :3:
8 dump trucks merged onto the highway in front of me. I didn't have an opportunity to pass them. The one directly in front of me hit a bump and the rear door of the bed opened just enough to let dozens of medium-sized gravel chunks pour out of the back. All I could do was watch in horror as they peppered the front end of the MO.
My virgin paint job is no more. Nicked it right down to the metal. Plus it nicked up my fender, grill and windshield. It wouldn't be so bad had the hood not been painted just three weeks ago. Now I have a claim into my insurance and will get the hood repainted for a second time this month, and on top of that, the left fender. I am one prickly pear right now...
did you chase them down to call their insurance? because their load is suppose to be secure and that is not secure..... thats a road hazard if a bunch of rocks just spray in front of your car smashing into your car..... i think that qualifies for a insurance claim though even if you didnt get their info..... |
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| Phatty McPatty |
Yeah I switched lanes, popped it into 'S' and punched it to catch up to that fool. Got the license plate, filed a state police report, and called the insurance company to file a claim. I've got a solid case that the damage just happened since it was just refinished.
On the bright side, at this rate I'll have the entire MO repainted by Spring! :rolleyes: |
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| benhui86 |
quote:
Originally posted by Phatty McPatty
Yeah I switched lanes, popped it into 'S' and punched it to catch up to that fool. Got the license plate, filed a state police report, and called the insurance company to file a claim. I've got a solid case that the damage just happened since it was just refinished.
On the bright side, at this rate I'll have the entire MO repainted by Spring! :rolleyes:
thats good....just hope you get as good a paint job as the one from your dealer because its hard finding a good body shop that wont give you bad case of orange peel or bad color match etc etc....
your incident justifies my avoid following sand/dump trucks at all times..... i even switch one lane further if they are in the lane next to me.....and leave like literally quarter a mile in front of me if i ever had to follow one and cars that get annoyed just go in front of me and become my shield..... XD |
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| Phatty McPatty |
Yeah I worried about the quality too, so I called the dealership and am getting it done at same shop that did it last time. Insurance company doesn't require you to use their shop - blessing! Its a little more leg work on my part but I think its worth it to get it done right.
And I'm with you on the trucks. It was congested and there wasn't the opportunity to pass them. I slowed down in middle lane and that's when the aforementioned truck merged in front of us from the right lane. Oh well... |
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