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Comments
I just bought it used though so probably have no say in what GM will do. Even as a certified used vehicle the local dealer won't repaint a car before he sells them. My last vehicle had a huge scratch that was filled in with a paint stick. Pure amateur job. They were going to charge me $900 to repaint the scratch.
I just figured I would have my Impala painted some day to a blue color as I hope to have it for many many years and like blue much better. As long as I can paint it before it rusts through. I just couldn't get a new vehicle or I would have gotten a blue one anyway.
Or have them fix it and then have them pay to have it clearcoated with several coats. Or go somewhere where they know paint to have it clearcoated.
I may just add a car bra or hard plastic bug shield to protect the hood. That won't change the chips in the bumper or hood all ready there though. I wish I had an answer for you.
Anyway, today when I went in I asked her about the paint on her car, because I knew she had gotten a maroon one (I forget the actual paint color, but I knew it was a shade of red); she immediately said she had indeed had problems with the paint chipping on her hood. She said they weren't big chips (she described them as "gnat-sized"), but they had shown up all over the hood. Her husband had noticed the chips and asked her to take it to the dealer, but she was told they could touch-up the spots, but they'd probably look worse than they did now. I informed her that hers wasn't an isolated case, as there were a number of folks posting here about the problem.
Just wanted to mention it here so you'd know there was another one out there. Also was just on the G6 board and someone there was posting about their red G6 paint chipping too. Am I correct that the problems all seem to involve red paint, or are there other colors involved too?
So far, the big problems have been with the red colors. Yours is the first I've seen on the forum I've seen with blue paint. All I can suggest is to read through the posts and see what the others have done in getting their issues addressed although I'm not sure they were satisfied.
Ron
Any ideas???
I ask because the other day I was leaving work and noticed a stream of some type of reddish liquid on my windshield. I made the mistake of trying to run the washer/wiper to rinse it off, and it smeared all over the windshield. Upon closer examination it proved to be transmission fluid, which I can only surmise was leaking out of a car parked above mine in the parking garage.
Had this not dripped on my windshield but somewhere else on the vehicle, or if I hadn't noticed it as soon as I got in the car, I probably would have been baffled as to where it came from. But if you park in any type of parking deck and it's on an upper surface of the car, I'd check your parking spot first.
Now that makes me wonder if there is no clearcoat on the entire car and that is why I was having problems with chipping. Where should I go to get the paint on other parts of the car tested to see if there is clearcoat on it?
Chevrolet is no worse than other cars in the paint chip department. Enjoy the ride.
I was at a chevy dealer yesterday (2/5/08) and body shop manager stated they painted 3 hoods on brand new showroom Impalas. The manager stated the problem appeared like "a blob of bird poop...in the same spot on all three cars..."
If there ever was a production problem this is it. My guess is contamination in the production line at GM where a robot or other peice of equipment was leaking fluid or oil of some type and a number of Impalas moved under and through while catching a drop of contamination on top of the clear coat on the same spot of the hood.
I am now in the market to replace my 1992 BMW 735i with 257,000 miles on it. I am the original owner. I am an independant sales agent and drive 500-1000 miles a week here out of Chicago across the entire midwest. I need a new car that can handle high mileage with minimal repairs AND drive through snow regardless of how bad the weather is.
I was hoping to purchase an American car...I have always driven German or Japanese cars...after reading posts about this Impala which I was leaning towards the SS, and reading posts on the Charger and Magnum....FORGET IT!!!
I can't afford a car that has been manufactured with shoddy quality (paint on Impala) with focus on cost cutting....and the Dodge's reportedly having transmission problems and steering rack problems...I know because I bought my wife a brand new Chrysler Town and Country LTD with AWD for safety. They've had to replace tranny, steering rack, water pump, tie rod bushings, sway bar bushings...our van has 68,000 miles.
My bimmer has original engine and tranny. No problems with drivetrain. Original A/C compressor, original starter motor, original brake master cylinder, power steering pump, etc.
I wonder if I should just spend $5k-$7k to refresh my car and just keep driving it and save $20k or more.
Very disappointing on "American made".
I had a 2004 new generation Toyota Sienna with the same problem. However, notice how the zinc stays on the metal surface on the Impala. Thus the hood may lack the paint, but there is no rust. With the Sienna, the paint chipped of, so did the zinc. Thus the hood rusted.
Honda's have a worst reputation. Paint chips very easily.
Our roads are much more populated than before, and many roads have much rocks and contaminants on them. The car in front of you has these rocks flying at high speed towards your car. Its tough to keep a car new today.
Its certainly not the fault of the manufacturer if rocks fly all over our cars. 3M plastic will help. Even than, rocks will tear the plastic on small areas.
GM typically has good automated paint shops. They have had some paint problems in the past on some models, Malibu, Corsica for example. But its rather rare. But the Impala has all good around components for the price paid. $26K Canadian for such an equipped vehicule is good. The Impala is also reliable. Its simply a good familly car that will do well for the dollars invested.
The tendency for the front hood to chip is not a paint defect, it is a design issue. The front nose is low and causes the hood panel to be a perfect target for gravel and sand.
The paint defect is a production problem (as I described in my original post). Where paint, located high on the hood, seems to crust up like a boil. This appears in the same general area on many Impalas. This appears to be a contamination issue in the production line, thus the consistency of the reoccurence.
As for rock chips, the only way to address this on the car is to install either a shield or the clear plastic film over the hood and fenders. Many detail shops and window tinting shops offer this.
As for the paint defect, you should explore the BBB or lemon laws, or contact a regional official for GM/Chevy. As for me, I own a Ford!
Has anyone really had good luck at a dealer having it repaired?
It seems GM didn't apply enough paint on the cars or maybe the Oshuwa plant had problems with the painting process during assembly. Even if warranty would cover it you would be better off getting re painted at an excellent auto body shop, than at GM's in house body shop, and try and have GM pay for a professional paint job.
It just won't happen :mad:
You will find defects in showroom cars, I know because body men have told me they bring the cars "around back for us to spray them..." I also saw a black SS I was considering in the showroom with a boil the size of a bird dropping right on top of the hood.
I know paint and body repair and know what to look for. The final straw was when I noticed GM no longer sprays clear coat inside the hood, trunk, and door jambs.
This is a cost saving tactic.
Your paint problems are known to GM. Go talk to the body men at the dealer shops...they'll whisper!