Discussion of Stinger paint quality (Was - Paint Chip Issue)

[MattRain]

Update to my situation... the dealer is fine with me getting an independent estimate and choosing my own body shop.... huge win for me thankfully.

If that was Horne... ah..... I wonder why??? (Look Below)

Repaint Failure - Even More!

If you are in Arizona.... DO NOT let Horne Kia use Platinum Paint and Body to repaint your Stinger!

First Picture: Quarter Panel - Complete Failure Clearcoat and Paint (What looks like a rock impact is not. I went to rub off what I though was something was bird crap, which wasn't... Primer gray came with my cloth) - Driver Side
Second: Hood - Beginning of Clear Coat Failure on corner (Large white line) - Passenger Side
Third: Quarter Panel - Clear Coat Failure Peel - Passenger Side
Fourth: Hood - Clear Coat Failure on corner (Large White Line) - Driver Side
1:

2:


3:


4:

 

[Joseph Spiegel]

You'll notice if chipping starts in earnest. I am talking about an area where the reflection on otherwise pristine paint has the tiniest flaws; you'll go "WTH?" and get up really close (I have a 10x loupe), and then you'll know. Even pinprick chips will show up if there are enough of them. Any, yes, over a winter season or two, they would turn into noticeable "rash" and finally rust coming through.

But show me even one Stinger driver who isn't scoping out his or her ride on a regular basis, especially now that some cars do have issues. Even I do a practically daily inspection (I wash my car almost that much when the rain pesters me), and my color is the least affected. Just yesterday afternoon, I saw a pinhead sized flaw in the LF fender above the wheel well. I ran my finger over it, wondering if a bubble of failing paint was pushing up the PPF (paranoid I am). The loupe showed it to be a tiny gouge in the PPF; probably from a pebble or somesuch debris flipped up sideways on the freeway. I do seem to recall a couple of tiny impact noises a few days ago; nothing I could see, only hear, and those always drag a vocal "What the Hell was that?" out of me. I need to know how to smooth out tiny PPF impact flaws.

If it’s the self healing type, Park it in the sun for a few hours.

 

[MerlintheMad]

If that was Horne... ah..... I wonder why??? (Look Below)

Repaint Failure - Even More!

If you are in Arizona.... DO NOT let Horne Kia use Platinum Paint and Body to repaint your Stinger!

First Picture: Quarter Panel - Complete Failure Clearcoat and Paint (What looks like a rock impact is not. I went to rub off what I though was something was bird crap, which wasn't... Primer gray came with my cloth) - Driver Side
Second: Hood - Beginning of Clear Coat Failure on corner (Large white line) - Passenger Side
Third: Quarter Panel - Clear Coat Failure Peel - Passenger Side
Fourth: Hood - Clear Coat Failure on corner (Large White Line) - Driver Side
1:
View attachment 13652
2:
View attachment 13651

3:
View attachment 13650

4:
View attachment 13649

Why do people have to deal with this! Unbelievable! Kia will not accept such shoddy treatment.

 

[MerlintheMad]

If it’s the self healing type, Park it in the sun for a few hours.

It might be. It looks less raised and "angry" today, without parking in the sun. I was thinking of using a hair dryer? Carefully? What do you think?

 

[Joseph Spiegel]

It might be. It looks less raised and "angry" today, without parking in the sun. I was thinking of using a hair dryer? Carefully? What do you think?

From everything I’ve read about heat guns and hair dryers and the paint on these cars...Nope. Not even under a Clear Bra. Do you know the brand of the wrap? Xpel is self healing. I think 3M too.

 

[gilthanis1]

Why do people have to deal with this! Unbelievable! Kia will not accept such shoddy treatment.

Won't accept such shoddy treatment?? I get where your coming from, I really do. I used to think the same way until I saw how other people have been treated by Kia stealerships and even Kia themselves. Look at @Tonkabob and @IBurton for 2 prime examples. There are 3-4 others with Sunset Yellow that have been royally screwed over, @StungnTn and @jondyer come to mind quickly.

I haven't even posted my own treatment yet, because I am STILL waiting to get back my dam car. Next Tuesday 16OCT18 will be 6 weeks since I dropped my car off. Saw it Friday and the dam thing has barely been sanded, and not the right way at that because all the color hasn't been removed. Called my 'case handler' Friday 12OCT18 at 3PM PST and never heard back from them so far. Email is being sent (lol), and I have pics. The shop is waiting on Kia to send the paint engineers to to ensure paint and primer are mixed correctly, so it doesn't have to be redone AGAIN. However, Kia being the 'wholeheartedly good company' they are has a dam conference in Vegas this past week and apparently pulled all of the people who make decisions out of the field for a week.

I am still at least 2 weeks out from even hoping my car will be done, which brings us to 8 dam weeks, during which I am still having to make car payments BUT I'm driving a POS base model Altima......... And the whole 'goodwill offer' is total bullshit unless the car is fixed properly and I am guaranteed to like it, otherwise this whole process has been for nothing except upping my blood pressure and frustration. Even after all this, if it sucks because Kia wants to cut corners on a proper repaint of the car that has given them more press in a year than anything else, I STILL have to jump through all the dam hoops of a replacement for a color I don't want, or a buyback.

So do I need to bring up the shit storm they caused by making the Yellow a 'Limited Edition', or all of the customers who are aggravated as hell because they won't give us ALL the colors and options that are offered elsewhere....... Kia is your bog standard corporation that cares about money first, whole bunch of other stuff, and customers are the LAST thing they give a dam about as long as the financing clears and they get paid.

 

[davebo]

Sorry for your troubles. I guess the only upside is that since it's taken so long, you could do a buyback and if you're okay with settling for another color you can pick up a 2019MY GT2 for probably cheaper and will those options that they cheaped out and omitted from the 2018's?

Update on mine: I've had it for two days and everything looks good in the light I've seen it in. Still waiting for a really sunny day though.

 

[DiabloStinger]

@MattRain I am dealing with Horne. Maybe your situation has softened them a bit.

 

[MerlintheMad]

From everything I’ve read about heat guns and hair dryers and the paint on these cars...Nope. Not even under a Clear Bra. Do you know the brand of the wrap? Xpel is self healing. I think 3M too.

3M I was told. It doesn't appear on the invoice.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Won't accept such shoddy treatment?? I get where your coming from, I really do. I used to think the same way until I saw how other people have been treated by Kia stealerships and even Kia themselves. Look at @Tonkabob and @IBurton for 2 prime examples. There are 3-4 others with Sunset Yellow that have been royally screwed over, @StungnTn and @jondyer come to mind quickly.

I haven't even posted my own treatment yet, because I am STILL waiting to get back my dam car. Next Tuesday 16OCT18 will be 6 weeks since I dropped my car off. Saw it Friday and the dam thing has barely been sanded, and not the right way at that because all the color hasn't been removed. Called my 'case handler' Friday 12OCT18 at 3PM PST and never heard back from them so far. Email is being sent (lol), and I have pics. The shop is waiting on Kia to send the paint engineers to to ensure paint and primer are mixed correctly, so it doesn't have to be redone AGAIN. However, Kia being the 'wholeheartedly good company' they are has a dam conference in Vegas this past week and apparently pulled all of the people who make decisions out of the field for a week.

I am still at least 2 weeks out from even hoping my car will be done, which brings us to 8 dam weeks, during which I am still having to make car payments BUT I'm driving a POS base model Altima......... And the whole 'goodwill offer' is total bullshit unless the car is fixed properly and I am guaranteed to like it, otherwise this whole process has been for nothing except upping my blood pressure and frustration. Even after all this, if it sucks because Kia wants to cut corners on a proper repaint of the car that has given them more press in a year than anything else, I STILL have to jump through all the dam hoops of a replacement for a color I don't want, or a buyback.

So do I need to bring up the shit storm they caused by making the Yellow a 'Limited Edition', or all of the customers who are aggravated as hell because they won't give us ALL the colors and options that are offered elsewhere....... Kia is your bog standard corporation that cares about money first, whole bunch of other stuff, and customers are the LAST thing they give a dam about as long as the financing clears and they get paid.

Kia is a business that intends to keep succeeding at higher and higher levels. The Stinger is proof of that intent. Your negative perception is justified since you are disappointed and frustrated and now angry (anger is always a secondary emotion). But that doesn't mean that most Kia customers are being treated like crap by Kia or their affiliates. And I believe that despite manifest imperfections in the system that customers are indeed Kia's first priority: because without their goodwill Kia will fail. Your cynicism sounds like anti capitalism. Really, without satisfied customers, capitalism regulates itself, and dissatisfied customers go elsewhere. Any successful company knows this. Kia didn't grow to where they are now by flouting basic economics of capitalism.

 

[Revvdmedia]

Kia is a business that intends to keep succeeding at higher and higher levels. The Stinger is proof of that intent. Your negative perception is justified since you are disappointed and frustrated and now angry (anger is always a secondary emotion). But that doesn't mean that most Kia customers are being treated like crap by Kia or their affiliates. And I believe that despite manifest imperfections in the system that customers are indeed Kia's first priority: because without their goodwill Kia will fail. Your cynicism sounds like anti capitalism. Really, without satisfied customers, capitalism regulates itself, and dissatisfied customers go elsewhere. Any successful company knows this. Kia didn't grow to where they are now by flouting basic economics of capitalism.

I think the truth of Kia and why I bought into this particular vehicle is what it represents for the brand. Kia, at least from the marketing level, prides themselves on their quality level. This includes what shows on JD Power, for what that is worth. If Kia intends to use the Stinger as a vehicle to catapult their brand into a new market, particularly the sport sedan or equivalent market, they need their first offering to be spot on. If Kia will not uphold the quality they intend to perceive, especially with a car like the Stinger, I will gladly brandish their image and I encourage others to do so because I really hate brand misrepresentation. You can't build a BMW/Audi/Merc equivalent if you won't uphold the perceived "quality." This paint issue is a pretty major defect but as long as they take care of it on a warranty end of things, they should save some grace.

 

[Joseph Spiegel]

3M I was told. It doesn't appear on the invoice.

That’s not good. Maybe you can get a reissue of a proper branded invoice. Xpel carries a 10 year parts and labor warranty when installed by an authorized installer. So, mine has all the proper certifications included. So, if my place goes under I can still get it repaired by another certified installer. If Xpel goes under then I’m SoL.

 

[MerlintheMad]

That’s not good. Maybe you can get a reissue of a proper branded invoice. Xpel carries a 10 year parts and labor warranty when installed by an authorized installer. So, mine has all the proper certifications included. So, if my place goes under I can still get it repaired by another certified installer. If Xpel goes under then I’m SoL.

Well, Dave's Body Shop in West Jordan advertises that they receive Tesla and other high end dealership referrals to do PPF. And I was told that my PPF is 3M. So the finished product is the final factor. I am going to reach out to Dave's, again, over a small edge lift right in front of the right brake vent, which appeared soon after the PPF was installed. I've done so once, a few weeks ago. But apparently I have fallen through the cracks. The installer comes to the house for small jobs: he did before to put in a couple of "wedges" of PPF where the cut below the brake vents left some exposed area. He was like a surgeon, finishing that up. And he called me back last time, but didn't follow up with our appointment; so, fifty/fifty right now, and I will give this another shot at getting my lifted edge fixed. Nothing else has manifested so far to compromise my confidence. People are not perfect. And Real Life messes with everyone. I cut people slack, once or twice. Dave's hasn't pushed that to the breaking point, yet.

 

[Joseph Spiegel]

Merlin,
In my research I knew I wanted the Xpel product so I reverse searched. I found their authorized list and went to the closest one. I get there and he’s got some nice cars in the bays getting work done. A 918 was off to the side “waiting on a piece of carbon” so I knew they work on nice stuff. I wasn’t the cheapest car there a Honda Civic Si was in a bay. But oh my on the high end stuff. The owner Dean hadn’t seen the Stinger before and was nicely impressed. I think his crew did a bang up job. They primarily wrap cars. I’m sure your folks are in it for the long haul.

 

[Doel]

This is exactly what I have and the stance I take. I have it documented and will continue to monitor it. If it becomes worse and it is obvious I will demand a resolution. As for now, the aesthetic is barely noticeable and doesn't bother me right now. Knowing that issue though, I will never change the front emblem as I'm sure I know what will happen if I do.

The only thing that scares me on a white car is if they used white primer, we might not notice paint chipping if the paint issue is on the metal body panels. That could be an ignorance is bliss scenario, or a warm welcome to rust? Not sure.

I didn't have any issues taking off either badge. The trick I think is to "cut" off the badge, don't pry it off. I've heard of a lot of people on here that "cut" off the edges, then rip the badge off, that's a recipe for potential disaster. What I did was, I left the car in direct sun for an hour. Heated water to 125 degrees. Poured the hot water over the badge, dried it really well, than placed painters tape all around it to prevent scratching. I then took fishing line, "cut" the left and right sides off (by cut I mean physically cutting the adhesive to separate the badge from the car) and then took a thin narrow piece of plastic (drone prop) and pushed it in the middle to cut the adhesive there. I kept cutting with the piece of plastic until the badge started to lift on it's own. DON'T PULL IT OFF! I kept cutting the adhesive around the badge on all sides allowing it to lift on it's own until it came off with virtually no effort. I then used automotive goo gone and rubbed the remaining adhesive off. Not a scratch, not a blemish, not a chip, the only issue I had was a faint line on the front badge at the top of the oval, but the new badge covered it up and you can't see anything.

 

[Revvdmedia]

I didn't have any issues taking off either badge. The trick I think is to "cut" off the badge, don't pry it off.

I would use the same approach. I have debadged many of my prior vehicles using fishing line as well and never had any issue. I wasn't sure on these emblems since most of them have the location holes and dowels in the badge, but your approach of using a tool to cut would work as you noted.

 

[A-10Wingman]

Well I am joining the paint flaw group. Mine isn't a chip but looks like it is just peeling from the car. Right in front of the driver side rear wheel. Between the side skirt and wheel arch.Taking it to the dealer next week.

Ceramic silver
Born 21 February 2018

 

[MerlintheMad]

Well I am joining the paint flaw group. Mine isn't a chip but looks like it is just peeling from the car. Right in front of the driver side rear wheel. Between the side skirt and wheel arch.Taking it to the dealer next week.

Ceramic silver
Born 21 February 2018

Picture, please?

 

[A-10Wingman]

I tried, I cant yet. Still a new member

 

[MerlintheMad]

I tried, I cant yet. Still a new member

Oh, snap! I didn't notice. Let's have a quick discussion and you'll get up to 25 posts (I think that's the threshold to get out of "Newish Member"). Then you can post that pic. It sounds like a unique case of peeling paint; both location and description.

(And then I can join the "2500 Posts Club" quicker! )