i think my brand new car was repainted at the factory

I am really sorry that you are having problems with your new Camaro. Darn cool car. I too have problems with factory paint on new Ram pick-up. My blems are not as bad as your...dust nibs in the paint.

The method suggested by the salesman..removing the door and repainting it... it is not the preferred method for a paint repair. The door need to be carefully prepped for total repaint ..basecoat/clear cost. The adjoining panels...front and rear fenders...need to be carefully prepared to have the base coat blended into them. The painter will then basecoat the door and continue blending the base coat into the adjoining panels. When he finishes with that, he will clear the door and the entire front and rear fender. He might even suggest painting the whole side...base coat/clear coat.

A painter who is an "artist" will be able to give you a near perfect repair.

Metallic black or any metallic is a exteremely hard to get a perfect paint match from all angles and under all light conditions.

Tom :cool:
 
tguil said:
I am really sorry that you are having problems with your new Camaro. Darn cool car. I too have problems with factory paint on new Ram pick-up. My blems are not as bad as your...dust nibs in the paint.

The method suggested by the salesman..removing the door and repainting it... it is not the preferred method for a paint repair. The door need to be carefully prepped for total repaint ..basecoat/clear cost. The adjoining panels...front and rear fenders...need to be carefully prepared to have the base coat blended into them. The painter will then basecoat the door and continue blending the base coat into the adjoining panels. When he finishes with that, he will clear the door and the entire front and rear fender. He might even suggest painting the whole side...base coat/clear coat.

A painter who is an "artist" will be able to give you a near perfect repair.

Metallic black or any metallic is a exteremely hard to get a perfect paint match from all angles and under all light conditions.

Tom :cool:
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Good explanation. :dblthumb2:
 
Well, knowing the paint is defective (vs. just flawed), I was curious if opinions about repainting would change. I guess everyone still believes I need to live with this regardless of why the paint isn't perfect.
 
kiteman said:
Well, knowing the paint is defective (vs. just flawed), I was curious if opinions about repainting would change. I guess everyone still believes I need to live with this regardless of why the paint isn't perfect.
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You're taking a risk the new paint will bother you more than the original paint. Since the original paint really seems to bother you, it may be worth the risk. I think most of us have seen cars where repairs don't match, and also ones that do. Why don't you talk to the painter about the concerns raised here, tell him how what you have now bothers you but you're concerned that you might be trading that for other problems (mentioned above) and see what he says. If you like the response and trust the painter, then I think you have your answer.
 
The passenger's side looks ok to me, while the driver's door and a bit of the front fender looks like it has issues.I doubt the car has been repainted.Frankly, I would not expect the overall finish to be so even on a repainted car. Perhaps the body panels themselves are slightly wavy just from the stamping process which could partly explain the uneven readings of the PTG.
It is true that you cannot match metallic paint. The dispersion of the metallic particles in the paint is affected by how well it is mixed, and the angle of the gun, the distance the gun is from the panel, the pressure of the gun, the temp, the humidity, ect. To get a perfect match you would need to exactly duplicate these conditions, which with the left brain is virtually impossible unless you knew what the original conditions were. It is possible with the right brain if the painter has enough talent. You would still need to paint entire panels, though. short of a complete repaint, it is easiest to get the best match when painting all of the panels of a car that catch the light at the same angle. This basically means the entire side of a car, but because the quarters and fenders curve up to meet the hood and decklid and share the same angle to the light where they meet, you will see the paint mismatch most easily there.
This is why I don't like metallic paint for any car that might need touch up.

I suppose metallic black is the most unforgiving, because there is the greatest contrast between the color of the metallic flakes and the black paint. Logically, metallic silver should be the most forgiving.
 
I have seen several new Camaros where the driver-side door paint did not seem to match the front fender...both metallic and non-metallic. I noticed especially on a yellow one. So there really is something going on with the paint or body panels. Whatever, you have one and it bothers you. Funniest thing...after a while it will quit bothering you. I have been buying new cars and trucks for over 50 years. I have had only one American vehicle come off the transport with paint in perfect condition. Two weeks after I got it, I hit a deer. Go figure. It was no longer perfect.

Like I mentioned earlier, my new Ram Pickup has some nibs. I'll level them as best I can and hope that I don't mess things up. (I'm going to start small). What I'm pretty sure of ....my next truck will be a Toyota. My wife has had four of them. None of them had any paint flaws. GM, as well as the rest of the Big Three, is not noted for the best paint jobs.

My advice, enjoy your new Camaro. Drive the heck out of it and if it bothers you a whole lot, trade it off. And yes, I have done just that. It's only money, right?

Tom :cool:
 
tguil said:
My advice, enjoy your new Camaro. Drive the heck out of it and if it bothers you a whole lot, trade it off. And yes, I have done just that. It's only money, right?
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Yeah, that's certainly another option if you can afford it. Back to your point about "getting used" to things...it's funny how your mind works and you don't see things that you look at every day.
 
Blackthorn One said:
The passenger's side looks ok to me, while the driver's door and a bit of the front fender looks like it has issues.I doubt the car has been repainted.Frankly, I would not expect the overall finish to be so even on a repainted car. Perhaps the body panels themselves are slightly wavy just from the stamping process which could partly explain the uneven readings of the PTG.
It is true that you cannot match metallic paint. The dispersion of the metallic particles in the paint is affected by how well it is mixed, and the angle of the gun, the distance the gun is from the panel, the pressure of the gun, the temp, the humidity, ect. To get a perfect match you would need to exactly duplicate these conditions, which with the left brain is virtually impossible unless you knew what the original conditions were. It is possible with the right brain if the painter has enough talent. You would still need to paint entire panels, though. short of a complete repaint, it is easiest to get the best match when painting all of the panels of a car that catch the light at the same angle. This basically means the entire side of a car, but because the quarters and fenders curve up to meet the hood and decklid and share the same angle to the light where they meet, you will see the paint mismatch most easily there.
This is why I don't like metallic paint for any car that might need touch up.

I suppose metallic black is the most unforgiving, because there is the greatest contrast between the color of the metallic flakes and the black paint. Logically, metallic silver should be the most forgiving.
Click to expand...

tguil said:
I have seen several new Camaros where the driver-side door paint did not seem to match the front fender...both metallic and non-metallic. I noticed especially on a yellow one. So there really is something going on with the paint or body panels. Whatever, you have one and it bothers you. Funniest thing...after a while it will quit bothering you. I have been buying new cars and trucks for over 50 years. I have had only one American vehicle come off the transport with paint in perfect condition. Two weeks after I got it, I hit a deer. Go figure. It was no longer perfect.

Like I mentioned earlier, my new Ram Pickup has some nibs. I'll level them as best I can and hope that I don't mess things up. (I'm going to start small). What I'm pretty sure of ....my next truck will be a Toyota. My wife has had four of them. None of them had any paint flaws. GM, as well as the rest of the Big Three, is not noted for the best paint jobs.

My advice, enjoy your new Camaro. Drive the heck out of it and if it bothers you a whole lot, trade it off. And yes, I have done just that. It's only money, right?

Tom :cool:
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Thank you. It is good to know that a) I'm not the only Camaro with this problem, and b) again, that others think the black metallic matching process would be horrible and likely not perfect. I know B has been said a few times, but it's reassuring to hear it from others. After all, I'm really making my decision based on just how difficult it seems to repaint the panel. And it really seems that it is going to just be a huge PITA.

While I doubt I will sell the car because of the defect, I do think I can, over time, live with it. The more trouble fixing the problem appears to be, the more I am coping with the situation. Some things just aren't worth the hassle.
 
kiteman said:
...While I doubt I will sell the car because of the defect, I do think I can, over time, live with it. The more trouble fixing the problem appears to be, the more I am coping with the situation. Some things just aren't worth the hassle.
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Yep....and I have to remind myself of this frequently. :xyxthumbs:

Tom :cool:
 
kiteman said:
While I doubt I will sell the car because of the defect, I do think I can, over time, live with it. The more trouble fixing the problem appears to be, the more I am coping with the situation. Some things just aren't worth the hassle.
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That's probably what GM says about fixing the painting robot responsible for those panels on the assembly line. :eek:

Who knows, in the future those stripes might become the easy way to determine if a Camaro's side paint is original... :bolt:
 
Rix6 said:
That's probably what GM says about fixing the painting robot responsible for those panels on the assembly line. :eek:

Who knows, in the future those stripes might become the easy way to determine if a Camaro's side paint is original... :bolt:
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Ha ha, good stuff.
 
kiteman said:
Thank you. It is good to know that a) I'm not the only Camaro with this problem, and b) again, that others think the black metallic matching process would be horrible and likely not perfect. I know B has been said a few times, but it's reassuring to hear it from others. After all, I'm really making my decision based on just how difficult it seems to repaint the panel. And it really seems that it is going to just be a huge PITA.

While I doubt I will sell the car because of the defect, I do think I can, over time, live with it. The more trouble fixing the problem appears to be, the more I am coping with the situation. Some things just aren't worth the hassle.
Click to expand...

Rix6 said:
That's probably what GM says about fixing the painting robot responsible for those panels on the assembly line. :eek:

Who knows, in the future those stripes might become the easy way to determine if a Camaro's side paint is original... :bolt:
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I know this might sound like a really stupid idea but here goes, have you even considered contacting GM customer service? I do realize you talked to the dealer but, why not request a field rep take a look? At least give the people who built the car a shot at fixing it. The U.S. car companies are all bragging about their quality, let them put their quality where their mouth is.
 
kiteman said:
Well, knowing the paint is defective (vs. just flawed), I was curious if opinions about repainting would change. I guess everyone still believes I need to live with this regardless of why the paint isn't perfect.
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Defective, flawed or damaged you do not have to live with it. Mark me down as not agreeing with everyone else.
 
feslope said:
Defective, flawed or damaged you do not have to live with it. Mark me down as not agreeing with everyone else.
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The dealer already said they would warranty it if I wanted them to. So it would be free of charge to make it look right. However, there is no telling that they could fix it or make it look better. I might just have them repaint it only to make it look worse. The question is how much do I want to risk them fixing it.

I don't know if any of the posters here are painters, but some of these guys have very technical responses about how difficult it would be to correct this problem by a repaint, which leads me to believe it might be a nightmare waiting to happen.
 
kiteman said:
The dealer already said they would warranty it if I wanted them to. So it would be free of charge to make it look right. However, there is no telling that they could fix it or make it look better. I might just have them repaint it only to make it look worse. The question is how much do I want to risk them fixing it.

I don't know if any of the posters here are painters, but some of these guys have very technical responses about how difficult it would be to correct this problem by a repaint, which leads me to believe it might be a nightmare waiting to happen.
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There might be other remedies you haven't considered. Just a thought, but this might be why Fred is suggesting you contact GM Customer Service. (BTW, I think that's a good idea).

Sometimes companies continue to have a problem simply because nobody has called them on it...


-Rick
 
Rix6 said:
There might be other remedies you haven't considered. Just a thought, but this might be why Fred is suggesting you contact GM Customer Service. (BTW, I think that's a good idea).

Sometimes companies continue to have a problem simply because nobody has called them on it...


-Rick
Click to expand...

What other remedy is there? I have contacted customer service, they said go to your dealer. They weren't very helpful.

ThirdgenTa said:
Have you posted this on any Camaro 5th gen boards? When I first read this I posted a link to it on my local forum. They think it's a repaint.
Question for black metallic 5th gen owners - Chicago 5th Gen Camaro Club
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I read that, but only a few people responded and only a few thought it was a repaint. The fact that the car is dirty has nothing to do with it though, I can assure you. It just so happens I took the picture when the car was dirty, but that doesn't affect the problem much. I have seen the blotchy effect dirty, clean, during the day, at night, etc. In fact it looks best when dirty because the dirt actually hides it a little bit.

There really is no reason for me not to at least take it to my dealer. They can check it out and tell me their opinion. It started raining on Tuesday here and the 10 day forecast shows rain every single day. It will be at least 2 weeks before the sun comes out and I can have my dealership look at it and for me to talk to a painter about it.
 
feslope said:
Modern automotive finishing/refinishing has come a long ways in the last 20 years. Matching factory paint is no longer custom blending for the job, it is pure science with a standardized product/process. A modern dealership is your best bet for new factory paint.

I agree with other posters that your PTG readings do not indicate any refinishing, although I would not expect to see so much variation on your door panels. Were any door jamb readings taken? The jambs will have the least amount of clear coat, by comparison to your outer panels you will have an idea of clearcoat thickness.
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flat colors sure, but now metallic flake.
 
also IME, dealership body shops are the worst of the worst.

My friends parents own 3 dealerships. VW/ Audi/ Infiniti. They all share the same dealership bodyshop. My friend never EVER recommends any of us to that body shop for audi/vw repairs. and they even have that new high-tech cert on repairing audi r8 aluminium spaceframes.
 
kiteman said:
The dealer already said they would warranty it if I wanted them to. So it would be free of charge to make it look right. However, there is no telling that they could fix it or make it look better. I might just have them repaint it only to make it look worse. The question is how much do I want to risk them fixing it.
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Once again I suggest you ask to see a district rep. You may be able to get a factory refinish on the door applied by a GM repair depot. That color will be applied to tens of thousands of vehicles this year. I refuse to believe they can't match it.

Your car was designed, engineered and maybe built within a few miles of where I live. Yes I take it personally.
 
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