[DjPiLL]

Ok i got the car back from the dealer. If you don't know the story, i had a nice f'in scratch put on the left side of my rear bumper by some asshole... probably a parking attendant.

Well they fixed the scratch... but it looks like they did a complete body job on it... and painted the whole left side of the bumper. Now of course me being the anal ass that I am... it seems as though the left side of the bumper is *slightly* darker than the right side and doesnt shine as much.

Well I guess there is no way of avoiding this. I don't know if its me.... but other parts of my car have lost that "smooth" feeling if i rub my finger agasint the paint. It seems like its more coarse now. I can't imagine they would have painted those spots as well... maybe it just needs some zaino.

I also heard you shouldnt zaino or wax over an area that was just painted. I would imagine this is true?

Well i have pics of the "before" shots with the scratch so u can all take a look at. Im heading over to my parents later on... so ill have access to the digital camera. Ill post the "after" shots as well... so u guys can decide if the work looks good. I did not get charged a dime for this work... dealer did it all free of charge, so i guess thats something else to take into consideration.

again... these are the BEFORE shots taken last week.... your thoughts on the situation?

 

[DMAG]

The coarse areas could very well be overspray from when they repainted your bumper. They can wheel that out...I would bring it back and have them fix it.

 

[Thrasher]

i got my car back from the dealer yesterday to0, after a week and a 1/2!
after they found the leak in the windshield, they replaced the carpeting/pad in the car, thats what took so long, waiting for it to get in, that part is great.

the not so great part is where they tried to touch up some spots, including a tiny nick in the hood. Which now looks like an eyesore because with the smoothness of the hood that thing stands out like a sore thumb. i have the option of getting the whole hood repainted....but then theres the whole, it's a brand new factory paint job, issue!!! AAIIE

any one have any ideas on touchup? maybe howto smooth it out?

it's probably no bigger than this "DD" but on the flame red and all polished up, anyone can see it. and the sad part is, a body shop tried to fix it.

 

[DjPiLL]

Intrepidatious...

I think you hit it right on the head.... It seems like overspray... mist coming past the car. Now you said they can wheel this out? How can this be done? What would the dealer have to do. I don't think they would have a problem fixing this as they have been pretty eager to keep me happy in the first place.

Also would claybaring the car help - at least on the spots where there is overspray?

Also you mentioned "Wheeling it out"... is there something I can get/use to do this myself. Im a little concerned ill bring it back to the dealer for them to do and they may end up messing it up.

[ July 04, 2001: Message edited by: DjPiLL ]

 

[DMAG]

They use a compound and just wheel it out. I'd bring it back to them though...if they do mess it up, they are responsible for fixing it...if you mess it up, well, then it's coming out of your pocket.

Dosen't this weather suck today? You going down to the water to check out the fireworks tonight? I'm sitting back and staying in and drinking a beer or two and watching it on TV...

 

[DjPiLL]

Well its 4:15 and it isnt too bad out right now. My sister is uploading the pics i took with the digital camera.... finally got some "sunny" pics... hehehe. Ill upload them here shortly.

Yeah i guess I should take it back to them to fix it. Ill run it by them and see what they say. My concern is that I dont want them to **** up the clearcoat. Would that compound do that?

 

[DjPiLL]

Thrasher...

Well with my scratch... the dealer just decided to repaint the bumper. Just be careful though if u have the hood repainted. It will definitely not look as shiny and smooth as the original paint. It isnt as bad with me cause its only half my bumper and bumpers tend to get scratched up over time anyways. A hood stands out more. You might just want to try to touch it up as best as u can so u dont have to repaint the hood.

Pics coming shortly!

 

[DjPiLL]

Here we go... here are the new pics... the car does look much better in the sun... still gotta do something about the overspray... but you cant see the overspray on the car... its more of a feel thing...

What do you guys think of the work?

 

[DMAG]

Looks Good! I as thinking of taking mine down to the city and trying to find parking by the USS Intrepid and maybe get a picture by the ship or a sign that says "USS Intrepid" with the ship in the background.

For all of you that don't reside in NY....the USS Intrepid is an aircraft carrier that is retired and now a permanent floating museum in downtown New York. Taking a picture by it would be really cool considering the name!

 

[DjPiLL]

Let me know if you do that one day on the weekend.... ill try to stop by... hehehe Is there a big sign anywhere that says USS Intrepid? Im not sure if there is. Taking pics down by that area is tough... there really isnt any place to stop on West St. in Manhattan unless we pull right into the Intrepid area.

 

[rarewolf]

I want a sticker for my bumper that says "USS Intrepid"!!!!!!

 

[DjPiLL]

I just wanted to post a quick update.

I decided to bring the car back to the dealer today to check out the overspray issue. Well they re-buffed the car... and on the driverside doors... they are smoother now... its still slightly coarse but ill probably claybar it at some point which should make it nice and smooth. The left side of the bumper where the scratch was that they worked on to remove the scratch... is now CONSIDERABLY smoother. Makes it seem like they only did a half-ass job the first time. When i got the car back the first time after they fixed the scratch, it was touched up as u can see in the pics, but it was kinda rough. The side where the scratch was now shines more than the original factory painted side... lol.

Now im glad i brought it back... hehehe. Car looks slammin now.. like it should. :O)


PS: On another note... i drove down to Philly this weekend... sweet ride in the 'trep... and I did 260 miles on 12 gallons which is definitely better than the 180 miles on 14 gallons that i was doing last week. Hopefully this will stay improved.

PSS: On my way down 11th avenue in Manhattan, right before I hit the tunnel to NJ... i saw a sign in front of a parking lot that said "Offical USS Intrepid Parking". It should be cool to take a pic of the trep in front of that sign. hehehehe I believe it was on 11th avnue around 46st.

 

[DMAG]

If you want to maybe meet up next weekend (unfortunately not this weekend cmoing up, I've got a Mets game and a wedding)...maybe we can meet up for a half hour or so and take some pics downtown...I'll fill you in later.

 

[DjPiLL]

No can do on that... (at least for me) ill be in Wash. DC from the 20th till the 25th.... Maybe a weekend after that can be doable...

 

[moparman]

I had my hood and rear bumper repainted on my 98 Intrepid and you can't tell it was done. I really think it depends on the quality of the painter. My hood has extra clear coat to help stop it from chipping; and it's worked quite well. I must say I have an excellent painter (he did my Avanti) but I'd never go to a Maaco or franchised shop for paint / body work.