Paint Fix: Spot Touch-Up vs Whole Piece

H

herdines

New member
[COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]Hello! I recently purchased my first new car. I'm new to detailing, and could really use some advice please. The first weekend (4 days) after buying a new 2015 Subaru Crosstrek I started the process of detailing it for the first time. I skipped the pricey Clear Coat option and instead researched these forums and bought the best of what I could find locally. I washed, clayed, and was letting Meguiar's Paint Protect cure when I noticed what looked like a small irregularly shaped blob/bubble on the rear bumper. So I wiped at it and was horrified when the blob wiped off completely, exposing the silver-grey material underneath. My husband took it to the dealer and they eventually agreed to fix it, They said they would either touch up the spot, or take off and redo the whole bumper. Is one method better than the other? On the one hand, I read that spot touching-up and leaving the rest of the bumper alone is best, since no finish could be as good as the factory finish. Others say repainting the whole piece is the only way to match it up and keep it looking like new. Thoughts, please? Anyone have any idea what this thing was in the first place? FYI I followed the PP with Meguiars Next Gen2.0 followed by two coats of Meguiars Ultimate Wax. Thanks! [/COLOR]
 
Perhaps the dealer tried to cover it up before they sold it. Touch up may look like a blob where as it's repainted it will all have an even texture. Tough call to make.

You really don't need all those different products after paint protect. Paint protect was designed as a stand alone product to offer protection up to 1 year. In addition to that, all those Meguiar's products are synthetic. Next time just try one product.

I had Paint Protect hold up fairly strong at 4 months before I removed it for something else. It won't add any shine and it's a decent product.
 
Thanks for your input. I wondered if perhaps the paint was "wet" in that spot from having previously covered something up.

Yes, I probably went overboard at Pep Boys. I intended to use one as a sealant and the other as a wax, later realizing they are both synthetics and more like sealants (I think).
 
herdines -
Welcome to the Forum, and Congratulations on the beautiful car !!! Love that color !!

You could not have possibly made just 1 little spot liquify - Unless - you had previously put a fresh paint blob in that bumper that had been previously scratched by the Dealer, and it had not dried and then got wiped off accidently..

The Dealer had better fix it - he put the touch up paint in that spot in the first place..

The problem with touching up plastic flexible bumpers is that unless that paint has the same flex agent in it as the rest of the bumper has, if it ever gets pushed on of flexes on that spot, the dried paint will probably pop out since that paint is not flexible..

It will unfortunately, always be noticeable if it is correctly touched up and its right where you may see it each time you look at that bumper..

I know its painful, but perhaps the bumper can be completely resprayed with paint and the flex agent again, and cured, and hopefully they were smart enough to use the Factory Pack Paint, and then made sure that paint match was perfect, and you will be good to go..

Or, just deal with that little spot - too bad they did this and then acted like you did something to it..
Good luck with this..
Dan F
 
If the dealer agreed to cover for the whole bumper "repaint" i'd go with that. As already stated, you'll have an even texture/surface and bumpers need flex additive on them to reduce the chance of cracking etc... Depends on how much that spot bothers you and if you're willing to accept that a touch up will not result in the same quality and may still be noticeable.

They don't have to mess with the original finish much, they'd be respraying paint on the one area after the entire bumper is prepped/sanded and then clear coat the whole thing. They may decide to actually re paint the entire thing but most likely they might blend that little spot, i cannot think of a reason to re color the entire thing when only one small spot is damaged.

Hopefully they can just give you a loaner and just take care of that bumper for you. Once you get your car back, inspect it thoroughly for any signs of over spray in case they decided to paint the bumper while it's still on the car without telling you , or having your car too close to another one that's being sprayed with primer or something like that. Additionally, check for the symmetry on the bumper gaps (take pictures before so you have record of how the factory bumper's gaps were) to ensure nothing's "hanging" or loose and that no damage/scratches occurred while they re-installed your bumper (chipped paint on the edges)
 
herdines- I'd absolutely want the entire bumpercover redone. They sold you a (slightly) damaged vehicle when you were expecting something brand new, so I'd want that rectified as best they can.

Remember that the bumpercover *must* be removed from the vehicle prior to refinishing, they can't do a proper job if it's still on the car even though some disreputable shops might say otherwise.
 
Thanks so much everyone for the replies. I think I'm hearing that properly working on the whole bumper is preferable. I appreciate the information on what to look for to ensure things are done properly.

The sales manager had said they would redo the whole bumper, but then the service manager said they would begin by seeing if they could touch up just the spot. I tried to have a conversation with the service manager this morning that my preference is that they paint the whole bumper, along with the rationale. I even threw in new fancy terms about flex agents and additives. ;-) But he was firm that they would start by touching up that one spot and then see, repeating that they are professionals, and of course they would make sure it looks good. In the meantime, I do have a loaner and am just trying to not blow this out of proportion.

Again, thanks much for such detailed information! I will post the outcome and more photos in case anyone is interested.
 
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herdines- Hope it turns out OK. I'd be sorely disappointed by how they're handling it and I'd contact the Regional Rep about it. But I sure understand if you just want to get this behind you.

Heh heh...if their being "professionals" meant anything positive in this context, the repair wouldn't need redone.
 
Accumulator said:
herdines- Hope it turns out OK. I'd be sorely disappointed by how they're handling it and I'd contact the Regional Rep about it. But I sure understand if you just want to get this behind you.

Heh heh...if their being "professionals" meant anything positive in this context, the repair wouldn't need redone.
Click to expand...

Agree 100% with the above.

Them putting emphasis on trying out the touch up "and then see" tells me that they will go for just the touch up and call it a day by trying to convince you that it looks great and that it's fine just like that, because in their minds they know what's best and just want you to get off their backs about it since they already made their vehicle sale. With touching up something like that, there's no "we'll see" , I'm 99% sure it is going to look like an obvious touch up unless they do it in a truly professional way and properly,patiently build those layers ,wet sand it to feather/blend it and then properly polish it(and even then it is not that much of a permanent procedure)....but it is a dealership, so most likely they won't even know how to approach that unfortunately.

Good luck with everything, things like these keep me away from biting the bullet and buying a new car.
 
The ironic thing is that I made the decision to buy a new car versus a used car to avoid this sort of thing. How does that saying go .... man plans, God laughs ...

So the service manager called yesterday to let us know that they weren't satisfied with how the touch-up went, and that they had decided to take off the bumper and paint the whole thing. I will definitely refer to your post, Migue, to check out the work once it's done. I forgot to mention that I had contacted Subaru of America when I first noticed the paint blob, so they were involved from the start, even independently contacting the service manager. What transpired during that conversation, I have no idea, probably something like, "That lady is a PITA, how can we make her go away?" I bought the car from this particular dealership because of their "free oil changes for life" so I am trying very hard not to burn any bridges. Thanks again, everyone!
 
herdines- With any luck this will be one of those "all's well that ends well!" situations. And your "..decision to buy a new car..." is exactly why I wouldn't worry *too* much about being the "PIA lady". You can be "the lady who doesn't take [crap] off us, gotta do things right where she's concerned" instead ;) Stay politely adamant and you should be OK.

Hey, all you *really* are is a customer who expected their new car to be delivered undamaged.
 
Awesome, i am very glad you're getting the whole thing redone correctly(let's hope) . Don't be afraid of being a "PIA" , you're not being unreasonable at all and you are paying for a NEW(and nice) car, and they need to know they're not dealing with just another ignorant push over customer who will believe everything they say. I have to admit that i am VERY surprised that they admitted the touch up was not satisfactory(i'm sure that call/email from Subaru had plenty to do with it).

For the free oil changes, i'd check my car every time during pick up after they're done doing the oil change to ensure no one damaged it . I have worked in a Dealership, and all kinds of people could be driving/moving your car around before anyone really gets to work on it. Hopefully when you take it, they'll drive it straight to the work station while you wait.
 
So here's the update... the service manager called last Monday to say [COLOR=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961)]that the bumper was done and looked "brand new." Later that same day, the sales manager called to say that when he inspected the vehicle, he saw that there was an issue with the clear coat (runs in the clear coat) that they needed to fix. My husband picked it up yesterday but didn't realize there are a few tiny bubbles scattered across the bumper, as well as an area that has a very fine sandpaper or prickly appearance. At this point, I'm not as concerned with the appearance as I am the possibility that they don't really know what they are doing with the paint and wondering what will happen to the finish in another few months or years. So, I am bring it back in today for them to take a look at. I bought the car on 9/1 and it's been at the service department longer than I've had it at home! [/COLOR]
 
wow, they really didn't prioritize this one , takes one person less than a weekend to remove-prep-re shoot-reinstall a bumper. I guess i wouldn't mind much as long as they keep giving me a free loaner and they don't make it worse every time. Runny clear coat is an easy fix, but the rest of the stuff you mentioned is what's questionable.
 
herdines- Oh sheesh, sorry to hear about that. But I applaud you on spotting the poor work and not settling for it. Yes indeed, I too would wonder if they *can* do it right, and I'd absolutely be concerned about the current work failing over time.

Perhaps they'll take the job seriously when it comes back again, with an increasingly irate customer.
 
Thanks for the replies! So here's the final update. The small bubbles were 'particulates' which they buffed out. There is still one area where the bumper meets the side panel that has a line of three small bumps. Per the auto body manager and dealer owner, the bumper came out of the mold at the factory that way and became more pronounced with the additional clear coat. There is nothing that can be done about it as those bumps are within an acceptable range for the factory, except to buy back the whole car, which he offered to do. The bumper paint job has a lifetime warranty on it so I feel okay about that overall. I exchanged some good emails and talked with the owner of the dealership about my concerns. I asked for and was graciously given an extended warranty so I am ready to move forward. That was a big deal to ask for anything ... I'm that person who gets a wrong order at the restaurant and eats it anyway. But the whole new car purchase had become such a letdown. Hopefully, all's well that ends well. Thanks again all for the input. :)
 
herdines- Glad it worked out to your satisfaction. Keep an eye on it just in case ;) With any luck, that contact with the owner will pay dividends along the lines of "this customer gets taken care of, period."

Now about that passivity in restaurants.... ;)
 
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