Paint or replace?

blwag

Member
:
2019 CX-5 Signature
I recently had a dealer installed ClearBra added to my new CX-5. Unfortunately, the system they use for computer-cut film templates wasn't working, so it was hand trimmed on the car. If I had been told this was the plan ahead of time, I would've said no.

Anyways, the installer was a little heavy handed with the razor blade, and I ended up with deep paint cuts on my hood, bumper, fender, and rear view mirrors. It's unfortunate, but mistakes happen. The service manager was very apologetic, admitted that it needed to be fixed, and is committed to making it right.

He's offered a couple options:
1. Replace the hood, fenders, and bumper from a donor vehicle of the same color, year, and model. They would then repair/replace the parts of the donor car.
2. Have the damaged areas repaired at a body shop of my choice.

When option #1 was offered, I asked if the dealer could just buy back the car (has ~800 miles on it) and I'll buy a new one. He indicated that was the one thing he couldn't do, but would be willing to do just about anything else.

If I'm honest, I'm leaning towards option #2 for a couple reasons. First, my guess is re-painting will provide a better color match than trying to match already painted parts. Second, if I put myself in the shoes of the buyer of the donor car, I'd be pretty upset if I ever found out parts of my new car were removed/replaced. Lastly, I'm not sure of the warranty or insurance implications of replacing parts like that.

Anyways, I'm curious what others think, as well as if there's another option that should be considered.

Thanks in advance.
 
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Keep in mind, with panel replacement they may introduce uneven gaps. I'd still go for it, being on top of them.
 
UGH! What a disaster! (freak)

Good on you and dealer for willing to work together and make it right.

That being said, given the 2 options, I would not do a repaint. The panel swap idea sounds like the best compromise and best chance of a successful end result for you.
 
you mean you're going with option#2 not #1...that should be corrected on your post =P
anywho, what color is your car? if it's soul red/ white / machine grey, colors are a bit harder to match, unless the bodyshop has experience.

either way, you're getting your car clear bra'd i would also go with the donor hood. you do not want extra paint on your other panels for blending.
And judging from your car being fairly new, i don't think there will be any paint match discrepancies with the donor car.
I would also ask them to vinyl wrap your roof top to gloss black, just for the inconvenience, not only does this protect your roof from bird doo doo and scratches, it looks very premium, unless of course your car color is already black.

good luck man and keep us posted
 
Thanks Young-nyc, you're correct. I am leaning towards option #2 (repair and paint). Original post has been updated. Also, my car is Deep Crystal Blue Mica.

Color match is definitely a concern, however as yugrus mentioned, I'm also worried about fit/alignment. Also, to clarify, the hood, fenders, and bumper would all be painted, so in theory, blending should be uniform.
 
If the paint cuts are on the clear coat and didn't reach the color leave the bra on and get some cash compensation. Invest the money. 5-7 years from now if the clear coat gets fuzzy have it repaint or 5-7 years time to resell the car get a new one.
 
Option #2.
When you go to sell/trade Option #1 may bring up a lot of questions like was the vehicle in a major accident, etc. Each body part has a factory sticker and I don't know how much info is on it but dealers can tell what has been replaced on a vehicle. When I traded in my Acura a while back they could tell that it was in an accident just by the stickers on the bumper, quarter panel, etc.
 
How much damage did they do? I would think that a razor line in the paint could be fixed without an entire paint job.
 
Them offering option #2 is scary as a new car buyer, because it implies they would use your parts that are fixed or repainted, slap it on the new car and sell it as a new car. But it now has major new parts like it was in a fender bender. The innocent buyer would be buying a fixed up car instead of factory fresh. That is freakin scary.
 
I figured I'd provide a quick update.

I decided to go with the paint option. The dealer had my car for about 10 days. The body shop was able to buff the fenders, however the hood and bumper had deep enough cuts that they had to be repainted. The outcome was pretty good. There were one or two spots that had to be addressed, but overall it was acceptable to me. The body shop said that we would have to wait 14 days (according to the paint manufacturer) before the clear bra could be re-applied.

At the 14 day mark, I brought the car back to the dealer and they had the clear bra re-applied. They assured me (in writing..) that the film would not be cut on the car and that the original mistake was a one-time thing. They had the car for 4 days and I just got it back tonight. It was snowing pretty heavily when I picked up the car so I couldn't readily check things out at the dealership. I was able to look over it when I got home.

Low and beyond, I have the same paint cuts, pretty much in the same places, as before.

I'm going to take the weekend to think over next steps. Obviously this isn't acceptable and can't be left as is. Super disappointing and frustrating, especially being a brand new car.

Wish me luck.
 
Are you sure it is razor cuts and not just the line where the bra ends? Making the same mistake a second time seems one in a hundred, especially since the dealer has to spend money to fix it.
 
Last update. I ended up working out a trade-in and swapping it for another 2019 CX-5 Signature. Car actually came off the truck today and I drove it home tonight.

The dealer ended up being great to work with. For as annoying/bad of a situation as it was, they made it right.
 
Last update. I ended up working out a trade-in and swapping it for another 2019 CX-5 Signature. Car actually came off the truck today and I drove it home tonight.

The dealer ended up being great to work with. For as annoying/bad of a situation as it was, they made it right.

SOLID. You should be pleased about the ultimate resolution, and they deserve a kudos for stepping up (it's not like they personally jacked your first one up).
 
Sorry to hear about the fiasco but glad to see it has been sorted out.
First off, cutting the clear bra on the car is not unheard of. Matter of fact ALL installers who have some skill set do this for custom fit. The pre cut kits save on labor, and there are gaps and visibility seams. Also no way it should take 4 days to wrap a car. I had my car full front, rear bumper and roof all done in the same day. If a shop takes more than a few hours than they are not doing it right, and your car is just sitting there.
 
Are you sure it is razor cuts and not just the line where the bra ends? Making the same mistake a second time seems one in a hundred, especially since the dealer has to spend money to fix it.

I'm wondering about this as well. Did you happen to take any pictures before giving it back to them?

Personally I would have just swapped panels. Regardless of panel swap or paint, the repair would be on record. Only difference would be that the panel swap resulted in a uniform level of paint on the entire vehicle, while the paint option would result in varying levels of paint thickness (i.e. only buffing the fenders while painting the hood/bumper). There's a lot more that can go wrong in the paint shop.

Either way, it's besides the point. Glad the dealer stepped up to make it right. Hopefully the installer gets re-trained before attempting any more jobs.
 
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