[Savage Messiah]

Arghh! The miraculous vehicle that my wife and I actually agree upon, which feels and rides right in every way, hit 200 miles yesterday, as you could feel the suspension settling and the engine/tranny computers dialing themselves in.

Today I was going over it for errors and defects for about the 3rd time since I took delivery on the 19th. On the 20th lap around the vehicle at 10AM in full sunlight noticed to my horror that the passenger side fenders, where they meet flat part of the body, were missing a full coating of carbon black paint (you can partially see through to the primer) and were clearcoated over! In a panic I thought I might be seeing things, but better judgement prevailed when:

a) The fender seam area on the passenger door didn't match the continued body fender seam
b) The effect isn't from the angle of the sun or the angle you look at it
c) The blemished are doesn't match the rest of the door, either

Just look at this photo!! It looks way worse than in person. My GM dealer made a service appt. for me, where they will need to carefully mull over what to do with the vehicle. This color is an expensive metallic coat that would seem extremely hard to paint-match, although I know they will have to try because they have their own collision center. Wish me luck!

The key point was here is for everyone to check their 2012's for paint defects, as I sincerely hope that mine is an isolated incident.

 

[cmarcho]

my 2011 Equinox had two areas repainted by the dealer about a week after I got it. They did an excellent job. I wouldn't worry about it too much, let them take it and let them worry about how to make it right.

 

[sumr616]

I don't know if it's just me, or the awesome glittery-sparkleness of your awesome paint color (seriously), but I can't see it. I'm not doubting you though, pictures can be deceiving. Good luck with it all.

 

[Savage Messiah]

Ha, don't worry, you're having the same problem I had. Look at the door, both in and around the "crease" at the top of the fender flare (incorrect), then compare it to the part of the flare where the door meets the body (correct) . See the difference?? The whitish grey on the door is primer!

When we looked at it the first time it was about 5pm and the sun was hitting the driver's side only. If it was only parked facing south we might have caught this, but we might have missed out on a Carbon Black entirely

As annoying as it will be to be without our baby for up to a week, I'm sure they will provide us with a loaner while they correct the issue.

 

[RNOX]

The 1st time I washed by Nox I noticed about a 6 inch by 1 inch spot on top of the spoiler (piece actually behind) that looked like it was buffed down to the primer. Took it to the dealer and after 45 minutes of a run around from the body shop they got the service director who said " just fix the F'in problem and charge to GM as a paint defect" in front of my little ones :thumbdown:. I actually think the prep guy did it. The salesman told me they put the sealer wax on my car even though I didn't pay for it. Who knows but they did a great job fixing the problem. Took 2 days. I picked up the 3rd morning. So far that and a squeak that I had to fix myself (they couldn't) have been the only problems with my Nox after 14 months and change

 

[Chevrolet Customer Svc]

Ha, don't worry, you're having the same problem I had. Look at the door, both in and around the "crease" at the top of the fender flare (incorrect), then compare it to the part of the flare where the door meets the body (correct) . See the difference?? The whitish grey on the door is primer!

When we looked at it the first time it was about 5pm and the sun was hitting the driver's side only. If it was only parked facing south we might have caught this, but we might have missed out on a Carbon Black entirely

As annoying as it will be to be without our baby for up to a week, I'm sure they will provide us with a loaner while they correct the issue.

Savage Messiah,

I apologize for the color difference on your vehicle. Please keep me posted when you do get your vehicle back and if everything has been taken care of.

Thank you,
Caron, GM Customer Service

 

[Savage Messiah]

Had my service appt today. Thanks GM for posting here and the dealer shop foreman for his clarifications....

The areas in question on the rear pass doors simply have a slightly higher concentration of metallic flakes (the old "Hot Wheels" anomaly) than their neighboring body panels. "Lack of paint" is not really an issue.

In the end, it came down to whether or not I wanted to have the whole thing repainted, which I don't. And I certainly don't want to be without the truck for any length of time because I love it. The picture I took doesn't do the thing much justice.

To new owners: Don't be alarmed if there are varying concentrations of flake around your fenders. If it looks that bad to you, you will have to face the possibility of the repaint being different or worse, and of course being without your vehicle for a while.

 

[chris9907]

I had the exact same problem with my 2011 carbon black terrain. The dealer's body shop agreed that there wasn't enough paint on the rear door fenders, so they agreed to repaint them under warranty.

Repainting them definitely did the trick, but the service at my dealership was an absolute nightmare. I had mine back in approximately 6 times since they kept handing the terrain back with large defects such as orange peel and scuff marks from rushing to buff the paint. Even now there is still a small lighter spot at the bottom of the door when the paint is still a little thin. They even scuffed the black pillar between the two windows :angryfire:.

So at this point I decided it would be best to just not let that dealership touch my vehicle anymore. So just a word of warning, it definitely is a paint defect, but beware, having it repainted may cause more problems then its worth.

Chris

 

[ADubH]

I guess I'm lucky. I had no problems with my paint on my 2012.


Previous: 1999 Chevy Lumina Base

Current: 2012 GMC Terrain SLT2 AWD V6
20 mpg average

 

[sumr616]

I had the exact same problem with my 2011 carbon black terrain. The dealer's body shop agreed that there wasn't enough paint on the rear door fenders, so they agreed to repaint them under warranty.

Repainting them definitely did the trick, but the service at my dealership was an absolute nightmare. I had mine back in approximately 6 times since they kept handing the terrain back with large defects such as orange peel and scuff marks from rushing to buff the paint. Even now there is still a small lighter spot at the bottom of the door when the paint is still a little thin. They even scuffed the black pillar between the two windows :angryfire:.

So at this point I decided it would be best to just not let that dealership touch my vehicle anymore. So just a word of warning, it definitely is a paint defect, but beware, having it repainted may cause more problems then its worth.

Chris

I would try a different dealership, to be honest. My local dealership royally sucks, so I drive an hour away to a MUCH better one. The black pillar in between the two windows, if you're referring to the one that is on the frame of the door, it only takes about 2 hours for it to be replaced. They'd have to order the part though, but what I did was e-mail them a picture of the door, indicating exactly which piece it was that needed replacing, and they ordered it ahead of time so that I only had to make one trip (to the out of town dealer).

For what it's worth, I'd go that route if I were you. If your dealer doesn't have their own body shop, they send your car to another local shop, I'd stick with a dealer body shop if I were you, and if that's what you went with, then it's obviously just a crappy one. You'd probably have much better luck elsewhere. Hope it works out!