Honda Finally Painted my Car!

[Tiznonay]

Well, after months of fighting with the dealership, Honda finally addressed the issue with my paint job. If you're wondering, the issue was not just thin paint, like most people on here are having probs with. For me, my clear coat was actually cracking, and coming off. But yeah, so after months of fighting them, last week, I finally got a call from the manager of DCH Honda in Temecula. It was funny, he actually told me on the phone, "I bet you thought you'd never hear from me again!" lol, it was true, I really didnt.

But anyways, so I brought my car down there, and they sent it to a local body shop. Now, they didnt paint the entire car, just the parts that had the problem, which was the hood, and both the front fenders. Took em about a week to finish. Looks much better now, it even took care of a few rock chips I had on the hood n stuff. Its not perfect, theres swirl marks of course (its NHBP), but its still much better. Hopefully this paint job will actually stay on the car for more than a year. And hopefully the rest of my car doesnt have the same problem down the line as my hood. I imagine the roof or trunk would be next, I've been keeping an eye on em.

So yeah, just thought I'd share my first pro-dealership experience since I bought the car. Just goes to show you, if you know you're in the right, keep fighting them and maybe one day they'll cave! Worked for me!

[SiViC81]

Good stuff...have before and after pics?

[Mac2118]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only person with this problem.

the clear coat is HORRIBLE! (mine is NHBP also). My clearcoat is coming off. I took it to the bodyshop and showed the manager. he told me it was acid rain damage. the car is 2 months old. my 12 year old civic sitting beside it right now doesn't have that. he called the dist service manager and he said that honda would not paint my car. I just want the hood and trunk painted. he said that it looked fine to him when they buffed it.

I got tired of screwing with the dealership and called American Honda and filed a claim, faxed them all of the info I had with when I called, who I talked to, and what we talked about.

I won't hear back from them for a few more days.


I'm glad everything worked out for you.

[SpeedDemon]

Whenever it rains down here in florida, the rain water is very acidic.

Thats why I had to wax my car a month ago, cause it was damaging my paint.

So you guys better watch out.

[cypress]

Great news! please post us pics if u have some.

[quality_sound]

I don't understand all the issues everyone's having. Granted, my NBP Si Sedan is only 2 months old but it has 7300 miles on it and I haven't had any problems...but I actually take care of it too.

[Mac2118]

take care of it? I wash it, polish the paint, wax it, dust it off, dry it off after it rains.. I'm horrible!

and they're telling me I have acid rain damage? HA!

[AbsoluteGG]

Originally Posted by SpeedDemon

Whenever it rains down here in florida, the rain water is very acidic.

Thats why I had to wax my car a month ago, cause it was damaging my paint.

So you guys better watch out.

are you serious? now i gotta start washing my car again.

[Aldaris]

where in florida do you live?
i dont want this happening to me im in the northen fort lauderdale area now

[Special Ringpop]

I really resent (and get slightly pissed off) when I hear people use the "I don't have these problems: you must not take as good care of your car as I do mine."

I've been very lucky with rock chips. I have several (including a nice sized one on my pass. side pillar right down to the gray metal, but nothing terrible.

Then again, I've seen several people's Civics whose front end looks like a rock graveyard.

[olieebur]

DCH honda is pretty good. good cheap parts shipped. got my hfp front from them for 294

[NitrousG35]

Found this on the EPA website:

Effects of Acid Rain - Automotive Coatings

"Over the past two decades, there have been numerous reports of damage to automotive paints and other coatings. The reported damage typically occurs on horizontal surfaces and appears as irregularly shaped, permanently etched areas. The damage can best be detected under fluorescent lamps, can be most easily observed on dark colored vehicles, and appears to occur after evaporation of a moisture droplet. In addition, some evidence suggests damage occurs most frequently on freshly painted vehicles. Usually the damage is permanent; once it has occurred, the only solution is to repaint.

The general consensus within the auto industry is that some form of environmental fallout causes the damage. “Environmental fallout”—a term widely used in the auto and coatings industries—refers to damage caused by air pollution (e.g., acid rain), decaying insects, bird droppings, pollen, and tree sap. The results of laboratory experiments and at least one field study have demonstrated that acid rain can scar automotive coatings. Furthermore, chemical analyses of the damaged areas of some exposed test panels indicate elevated levels of sulfate, implicating acid rain.

The popular term “acid rain” refers to both wet and dry deposition of acidic pollutants that may damage material surfaces, including auto finishes. These pollutants, which are released when coal and other fossil fuels are burned, react with water vapor and oxidants in the atmosphere and are chemically transformed into sulfuric and nitric acids. The acidic compounds then may fall to earth as rain, snow, fog, or may join dry particles and fall as dry deposition. All forms of acid rain, including dry deposition, especially when dry acidic deposition is mixed with dew or rain, may damage automotive coatings. However, it has been difficult to quantify the specific contribution of acid rain to paint finish damage relative to damage caused by other forms of environmental fallout, by the improper application of paint or by deficient paint formulations. According to coating experts, trained specialists can differentiate between the various forms of damage, but the best way of determining the cause of chemically induced damage is to conduct a detailed, chemical analysis of the damaged area.

Because evaporation of acidic moisture appears to be a key element in the damage, any steps taken to eliminate its occurrence on freshly painted vehicles may alleviate the problem. These steps include frequent washing followed by hand drying, covering the vehicle during precipitation events, and use of one of the protective coatings currently on the market that claim to protect the original finish. However, data on the performance of these coatings are not yet sufficient.

The auto and coatings industries are fully aware of the potential damage and are actively pursuing the development of coatings that are more resistant to environmental fallout, including acid rain. The problem is not a universal one—it does not affect all coatings or all vehicles even in geographic areas known to be subject to acid rain—which suggests that technology exists to protect against this damage. Until that technology is implemented to protect all vehicles or until acid deposition is adequately reduced, frequent washing and drying and covering of the vehicle appear to be the best methods for consumers who wish to minimize acid rain damage."



It may be that Honda is using insufficient clear coat on its cars. If so, then cars in the Eastern part of North America should have greater issues with etching and cracking. Note the higher acidity content of rain the East as compared to the West. Note too, that the problem with paint coatings is not necessarily universal, meaning that some companies are not experiencing the problem, while others are.

[wing.mustang@hotmail.com]

As mutch as I love Honda their paint is awful. Its been that way for years.