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

[MerlintheMad]

For a $50k car, should be the best painted car I have ever owned.

My sentiments precisely! I have found the entire paint fubar most distressing.

The entire concept of a wrap is still foreign to me. But that's because (not being a car guy to begin with) until I got my Stinger and joined this forum, I had never even heard of wrapping. (Yeah, I know.) After months of reading on here about it being done, how much it costs, how long it lasts, etc., I am actually entertaining the idea that if my car needs a cosmetical overhaul, a wrap might be what I do, rather than a complete (far more expensive) repaint. It seems that for half to a third of the cost of a repaint, I can get a wrap that will last long enough to justify the difference in cost. I could get three wraps and look better than paint would at the end of the same time frame. And under my wraps, my paint is still there, "unbroken". It does delight the imagination.

 

[forzanerazzurri]

Just about every car, especially first years, have some issues. No manufacturer is going to publicly announce issues, fixes, and changes unless it gets picked up by the media. If you want more info, talk to your dealer and they'll contact Kia. You can also try contacting Kia yourself.

Yeah, that's not true at all. In cases of safety they have to issue tsbs publicly by law. Obviously paint isn't related to safety but then again, paint issues of this magnitude are not common.

 

[Doel]

Yeah, that's not true at all. In cases of safety they have to issue tsbs publicly by law. Obviously paint isn't related to safety but then again, paint issues of this magnitude are not common.

Obviously a paint issue isn't a safety issue.

It's a lot more common than you think. Tesla has had paint issues for a long time, there was a recent lawsuit against Ford for paint issues on the Mustang, all "Mars Red" Mercedes built from 04-17 apparently have defective paint, hell BMW even issued a service bulletin for a paint issue on the roof of their M4s. Their resolution? "Dealer will repaint as necessary".

The paint problem with some Stingers is definitely a big issue, but it's something that happens a lot all across the board, this isn't unique to Kia, or imports, or "near luxury" brands. I will say this, Kia is the only one I've seen who is actually offering to fix the car AND give out a nice check for the trouble, all the other guys are just repainting at best, or ignoring it all together at worst.

 

[eljay]

I met this morning with the DPSM about my pinhead-sized chip on the roof ditch moulding. [Summary: first reported 6/28 w/expectation that dealer would sell me paintpen, but they said it needed to be reported up the line; many talks with customer care since then as photos were "lost," etc.; finally escalated 10/11]

She says it's probably a rock chip, but as a good will gesture, they will take care of it at no charge in their body shop, and have my baby back to me probably on Tuesday.

In the meantime, they provided a Sentra from Enterprise.

So it's Tuesday, and yes, I do have my baby home, but . . .

My dealership service rep is unhappy with the way their body and paint shop did the work. She sees things I don't, but what I do see is that the molding doesn't have nearly as many sparkly-pearly bits as the rest of the paint on the car, and is maybe a little creamier white. By the time she came to the lounge to tell me, she'd already ordered a new ditch molding, which apparently comes painted, and said she would call me when it arrives, probably later this week. I had suspected all along that this was the best way to repair this, so I wasn't entirely surprised.

I'm going to digress to rant: I had a Kia-paid loaner from Enterprise, the above-mentioned Sentra. I haven't been a fan since my last rental with them, pre-Stinger, when their agent, when taking me home, turned left in front of oncoming traffic, getting us in a head-on. No airbags, no injury to me, but the SUV that hit us had to be taken away on a flatbed. Afterward they didn't even comp my two-day rental and the only person who called to see if I was alright was their insurance lawyer, who only wanted my account for their accident report. Today Enterprise did something even worse—insulted my Stinger! The agent remembered I had one, and said, in an insinuating tone of voice, "So, you get this brand new Stinger and all kinds of mechanical things start going wrong with it right away?" I set him straight, telling them I'd had NO mechanical problems in 10 months, and Kia was repairing this little ding at their expense. I really didn't appreciate the Kia cheap-shot. I made sure to tell my Kia rep about this indignity, and she said that next time I'll get a dealership loaner.

More in a week or so. Four months and counting . . . Now if the Enterprise guy had said something about Kia time traveling at a different pace than real time, I honestly couldn't have challenged him.

 

[forzanerazzurri]

So it's Tuesday, and yes, I do have my baby home, but . . .

My dealership service rep is unhappy with the way their body and paint shop did the work. She sees things I don't, but what I do see is that the molding doesn't have nearly as many sparkly-pearly bits as the rest of the paint on the car, and is maybe a little creamier white. By the time she came to the lounge to tell me, she'd already ordered a new ditch molding, which apparently comes painted, and said she would call me when it arrives, probably later this week. I had suspected all along that this was the best way to repair this, so I wasn't entirely surprised.

I'm going to digress to rant: I had a Kia-paid loaner from Enterprise, the above-mentioned Sentra. I haven't been a fan since my last rental with them, pre-Stinger, when their agent, when taking me home, turned left in front of oncoming traffic, getting us in a head-on. No airbags, no injury to me, but the SUV that hit us had to be taken away on a flatbed. Afterward they didn't even comp my two-day rental and the only person who called to see if I was alright was their insurance lawyer, who only wanted my account for their accident report. Today Enterprise did something even worse—insulted my Stinger! The agent remembered I had one, and said, in an insinuating tone of voice, "So, you get this brand new Stinger and all kinds of mechanical things start going wrong with it right away?" I set him straight, telling them I'd had NO mechanical problems in 10 months, and Kia was repairing this little ding at their expense. I really didn't appreciate the Kia cheap-shot. I made sure to tell my Kia rep about this indignity, and she said that next time I'll get a dealership loaner.

More in a week or so. Four months and counting . . . Now if the Enterprise guy had said something about Kia time traveling at a different pace that real time, I honestly couldn't have challenged him.

You're only aiding the perception that Stinger owners have an infeority complex. Who cares that the rental guy said?

 

[StingerGT68]

You're only aiding the perception that Stinger owners have an infeority complex. Who cares that the rental guy said?

There's a difference between standing up for something you like and an inferiority complex.

 

[davebo]

I wouldn't even say he was defending the Stinger, merely correcting a false assumption the guy had made.

 

[MerlintheMad]

I wouldn't even say he was defending the Stinger, merely correcting a false assumption the guy had made.

@eljay is a "She".

 

[davebo]

Ahh my apologies, by that point I had already forgotten who the original poster was. That's what I get for posting from work.

 

[eljay]

Thanks for defending my honor, guys. But hey, if he'd been there, he'd have heard the rep's snarky tone while playing to those waiting in the lobby, and that I'd laughed and responded much more lightly than he's assuming about how thrilled I am with my car. I guess I should have used emojis to indicate my tone, huh? But some of you already know that most of my dudgeon is not high, but semi-mock.

 

[MerlintheMad]

But some of you already know that most of my dudgeon is not high, but semi-mock.

High dudgeon gets obscured through this medium. Your emotional response to scorn seemed pretty high to me at this end.

 

[Karol Clark]

Extremely frustrated trying to keep the paint looking new. We just purchased GT2 AWD - Black on 8/8/2018. Every time I turn around I see another scratch, chip, swirl mark. I park in a covered spot at work and she is garaged at home. I get paint scratches just from the stupid birds at the office landing on the car. I don't think that is "normal". We don't take it through car washes, it has been hand washed since day one. Not sure where those swirl marks are coming from. Not to mention the blacked chrome trim pieces are impossible to keep spot free. In fact I had to park the car outside yesterday and the sprinklers hit it leaving hard water spots that won't come out. Now I have to spend $175 to have it professionally detailed. There really seems to be something wrong on the paint front. I've had a black car before (2001 BMW 540i) and I did NOT have this many paint problems. If Kia wants to play on the performance touring playground, they need to figure out how to fix this problem. I am sure they don't want these flagship cars looking like crap sitting in parking lots. Not exactly a selling point.

 

[eflyguy]

I've not really followed this discussion in a while, and recent posts have me wondering if anyone else is either, but I wanted to report: when I de-badged mine yesterday, I was deliberately full-Neanderthal and had no issues other than the edges of the badge alignment holes peeling up a little - and what did come up was pretty thick, like vinyl. So, count that as one 2019 owner who feels the paint issues are behind us...

 

[forzanerazzurri]

I've not really followed this discussion in a while, and recent posts have me wondering if anyone else is either, but I wanted to report: when I de-badged mine yesterday, I was deliberately full-Neanderthal and had no issues other than the edges of the badge alignment holes peeling up a little - and what did come up was pretty thick, like vinyl. So, count that as one 2019 owner who feels the paint issues are behind us...

Is having paint that thick supposed to be a good thing?

 

[MerlintheMad]

Is having paint that thick supposed to be a good thing?

It won't make any damned difference if adhesion is poor. You'll just get thick chips, flakes and peels.

 

[MerlintheMad]

And Yellow and Blue are neck and neck; with Blue predicted to pull ahead and stay ahead. With the latest vote, Black is closing on Yellow as well and will also pass Yellow. It is doubtful that Red will overtake Yellow. But Black and Red is the fight for "podium". (the contest nobody wants to be part of)

251 votes: the equivalent of 5% of Stinger Forum membership have voted.

 

[Tonkabob]

My body shop said Kia asked if they followed the Kia guidlines the day my car was finished. Shop says what guidelines? Shop tells me the guidelines are for time / cost to paint. Shop says the Kia guidlines are about half of what is needed to do a good job.
Looks like i lucked out!

 

[Doel]

Extremely frustrated trying to keep the paint looking new. We just purchased GT2 AWD - Black on 8/8/2018. Every time I turn around I see another scratch, chip, swirl mark. I park in a covered spot at work and she is garaged at home. I get paint scratches just from the stupid birds at the office landing on the car. I don't think that is "normal". We don't take it through car washes, it has been hand washed since day one. Not sure where those swirl marks are coming from. Not to mention the blacked chrome trim pieces are impossible to keep spot free. In fact I had to park the car outside yesterday and the sprinklers hit it leaving hard water spots that won't come out. Now I have to spend $175 to have it professionally detailed. There really seems to be something wrong on the paint front. I've had a black car before (2001 BMW 540i) and I did NOT have this many paint problems. If Kia wants to play on the performance touring playground, they need to figure out how to fix this problem. I am sure they don't want these flagship cars looking like crap sitting in parking lots. Not exactly a selling point.

I can't speak for your paint damage, I haven't had any weird marks on mine yet at 1,500 miles, but black paint is probably the worst for "seeing" swirl marks. Swirl marks don't just appear out of nowhere, even with a bad clear coat, they were either there before and you're just now noticing them or you're causing them when you're washing the car. If it's getting worse, it's probably from your washing, hand washing will absolutely cause swirls if you aren't careful.

It is a bit harder to get the water marks out of the black chrome, I've also had tap water dry on them, but it's nothing a bit of elbow grease, soap, and a microfiber towel hasn't cleared up for me.

 

[somedudedontknowwhoheis]

Obviously a paint issue isn't a safety issue.

It's a lot more common than you think. Tesla has had paint issues for a long time, there was a recent lawsuit against Ford for paint issues on the Mustang, all "Mars Red" Mercedes built from 04-17 apparently have defective paint, hell BMW even issued a service bulletin for a paint issue on the roof of their M4s. Their resolution? "Dealer will repaint as necessary".

The paint problem with some Stingers is definitely a big issue, but it's something that happens a lot all across the board, this isn't unique to Kia, or imports, or "near luxury" brands. I will say this, Kia is the only one I've seen who is actually offering to fix the car AND give out a nice check for the trouble, all the other guys are just repainting at best, or ignoring it all together at worst.

Tesla at least has a reason, they're ramping up production for a new model that had hundreds of thousands of preorders (issues with Model X doors not withstanding). And at least they own up to all the issues that get pointed out (some more quickly than others admittedly). Musk loves his companies/products too much and is too visible to the public to let that shit fly.

Also, ironically, one of the paint shops I took my car to, one that confirmed my cars paint was poor (well actually they all did that), said he had a number of Mercedes (almost 100 iirc) come in with paint defects as well, brand new cars, so he had done over a hundred complete repaints before (they were my pick for a repaint before Kia screwed me).

Anyways, Kia hasn't really admitted or owned up to much. As me and several others had a conversation about well back in this thread (around the time people were getting letters for Yellow Stingers, maybe even before) they chose the smallest subset of vehicles to claim any issue with, and continue to claim it's only them. They're also the only ones that have been treated pretty well. Everyone else (given two or three exceptions) has had poor experiences for even getting any* issue resolved, yet alone a check for their troubles (again, that was only Yellow, the smallest group in the Stinger community).

I've since wondered if the first DPSM I met, nice guy who said he'd take care of me, ultimately left Kia because he felt he couldn't change them from within (powerless, a feeling I'm sure most of us have felt at various jobs/careers/companies). The person who replaced him, who explicitly told me they'd been with Kia for over a decade and that they "step up" was also the person who ultimately decided my car didn't have an issue. I guess Kia corporate rewards the dealerships and district personal who keep margins good.

Some customers having a problem with a new model? Admit fault with the smallest subset of an already small group to save face, who cares if we lose some new customers, they don't have established loyalty anyways right?

 

[Doel]

Tesla at least has a reason, they're ramping up production for a new model that had hundreds of thousands of preorders (issues with Model X doors not withstanding). And at least they own up to all the issues that get pointed out (some more quickly than others admittedly). Musk loves his companies/products too much and is too visible to the public to let that shit fly.

Also, ironically, one of the paint shops I took my car to, one that confirmed my cars paint was poor (well actually they all did that), said he had a number of Mercedes (almost 100 iirc) come in with paint defects as well, brand new cars, so he had done over a hundred complete repaints before (they were my pick for a repaint before Kia screwed me).

Anyways, Kia hasn't really admitted or owned up to much. As me and several others had a conversation about well back in this thread (around the time people were getting letters for Yellow Stingers, maybe even before) they chose the smallest subset of vehicles to claim any issue with, and continue to claim it's only them. They're also the only ones that have been treated pretty well. Everyone else (given two or three exceptions) has had poor experiences for even getting any* issue resolved, yet alone a check for their troubles (again, that was only Yellow, the smallest group in the Stinger community).

I've since wondered if the first DPSM I met, nice guy who said he'd take care of me, ultimately left Kia because he felt he couldn't change them from within (powerless, a feeling I'm sure most of us have felt at various jobs/careers/companies). The person who replaced him, who explicitly told me they'd been with Kia for over a decade and that they "step up" was also the person who ultimately decided my car didn't have an issue. I guess Kia corporate rewards the dealerships and district personal who keep margins good.

Some customers having a problem with a new model? Admit fault with the smallest subset of an already small group to save face, who cares if we lose some new customers, they don't have established loyalty anyways right?

How much money did they offer you? You never said, and you're also the only person I've seen on here (or anywhere) that has had a paint issue and they haven't given you a respray. Yeah, a lot of people had gone through a ton of hoops to get it done, but so far it's just you that seems to be having this level of difficulty. Even cars with paint issues that aren't yellow have been getting resprays. I feel for you, I really do, but your case aside they've done more for people than many manufacturers do. Mercedes did offer a respray on a lot of their cars with paint issues, what they didn't do is offer them a dime back for the trouble. I'm definitely not trying to say that the paint issues aren't a big deal, I'm just saying it's a heck of a lot more common than some people on here seem to think.