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

[MerlintheMad]

You are talking to the "master of inspection". Back there on 30 July I did a thorough go-over of all (then 16) Jerry Seiner Stingers. You can find the post. And I did the same thing today. There is nothing to report except "All Stingers on the lot are A-OK." The very first thing I look for is chipping/flaking/peeling under the forward, lower corners of both headlight assemblies.

As I drove out, I could see several more MY19s at the far north end of the lot, still under their shipping plastic. It looks like Jerry Seiner has their finger on the pulse of potential buyers: most, or c. half anyway, of those MY19s visible are Ceramic Gray/Silver. One Red, and one Premium Black.

Discussion of Stinger paint quality (Was - Paint Chip Issue)
I did the work for you.

 

[gilthanis1]

Do you have that in color? Does it show it as yellow on the car? FFS

From the way I read it, it should be yellow...................

Unfortunately no, they were sent out in black and white, which is another 'wtf' moment. Why not show what its supposed to look like instead of a bad 90s flip phone picture?

 

[StungnTn]

Update: My car was painted with the incorrect primer. Not sure if that is the cause or not.

At this point I am unsure as how to proceed. I notified the dealer already. KIA has lied to me about the primer that was supposed to be used to paint may car. Linda told me yesterday the primer was supposed to be white, this is not true as it is supposed to be yellow. Which I confirmed through researching the primer itself, in combination with the SC166 documentation. I contacted other stinger owners painted at the same paint shop and they are being painted with grey/white primer. I have pictures of the unpainted cars with grey primer applied. At this point I can only assume that KIA knows that this was done and is trying to cover it up as to not incur additional expense through another repaint.

If KIA were to do another repaint I would probably have to pay another 2k to match the paint up again. Wow...

 

[forzanerazzurri]

Update: My car was painted with the incorrect primer. Not sure if that is the cause or not.

At this point I am unsure as how to proceed. I notified the dealer already. KIA has lied to me about the primer that was supposed to be used to paint may car. Linda told me yesterday the primer was supposed to be white, this is not true as it is supposed to be yellow. Which I confirmed through researching the primer itself, in combination with the SC166 documentation. I contacted other stinger owners painted at the same paint shop and they are being painted with grey/white primer. I have pictures of the unpainted cars with grey primer applied. At this point I can only assume that KIA knows that this was done and is trying to cover it up as to not incur additional expense through another repaint.

If KIA were to do another repaint I would probably have to pay another 2k to match the paint up again. Wow...

Can you see how a third party observer (me) would think that this whole ordeal is a giant fiasco. Why are you having to do all this work? Dude, tell them to pay you out or youre going to sue them. End the misery.

 

[StungnTn]

Can you see how a third party observer (me) would think that this whole ordeal is a giant fiasco. Why are you having to do all this work? Dude, tell them to pay you out or youre going to sue them. End the misery.

I have 7k in vehicle specific modifications / improvements that would have to be sold at a loss or are unrecoverable.

 

[ShannonC]

Do you have that in color? Does it show it as yellow on the car? FFS

From the way I read it, it should be yellow...................

As the toner is a mix of yellow and red, with the majority being yellow, i believe the color would indeed be yellow.

 

[Cpt Reynolds]

Hi guys, I wanna add my story to the mix and get opinions.

I've had a Stinger GT Micra Blue for 2 months (2k travelled). I really liked the look of the "E" badges so decided to replace the ugly Kia badges with them. I used a cardboard cutout around the Kia badge to protect paint as I used a hair drier to warm the badge then dental flossed at the badge on the front until finally it came off. I then used a goo gone product to remove the adhesive residue. I could see a faint shadow of the Kia badge oval in the paint so after a wash and dry I gave it a very light buff and the paint CREASED!! (looked like a finger print) so I stopped immediately. The "E" badges covers most of it and I guess I can live with it.. The rear badge is another story! I used even more care than the front this time and again got the badge off without much fuss but after dabbing a little goo gone on the adhesive residue and wiping with a soft cloth the paint has started coming away leaving a white undercoat exposed! I feel like I have probably voided warranty because I did change the badges myself but I cant help but feel like the paint has a very real fragility that I've not seen on any of my other cars before.

Oh and also, I've started to notice a few tiny little pinhead size white dots on the paintwork of the drivers door and rear quarterpanel which seem to be chips in the paint exposing a white undercoat.

Thoughts?

Be gentle

 

[Revvdmedia]

I feel like I have probably voided warranty because I did change the badges myself but I cant help but feel like the paint has a very real fragility that I've not seen on any of my other cars before.

Yes, you did work yourself so a defensive dealer will try to blame you. With that aside, people have been doing debadging for many years and this is one of the first cars I've heard of having paint come off when debadging. As noted in other posts, this clearly comes down to a paint adhesion issue. On the plastic parts, I could see paint peel or flaking being higher risk due to the base material being painted, but generally paint on steel if done properly has pretty good adhesion until exposed to mechanical damage.

What is your build date? I've wanted to do the Stinger script on the back but I too am worried about adhesion. I know the plastic painted parts on my car are possibly questionable - a slight chip/peel under the driver headlight and one on the rear of one of the side skirts (top edge).

 

[Joseph Spiegel]

Hi guys, I wanna add my story to the mix and get opinions.

I've had a Stinger GT Micra Blue for 2 months (2k travelled). I really liked the look of the "E" badges so decided to replace the ugly Kia badges with them. I used a cardboard cutout around the Kia badge to protect paint as I used a hair drier to warm the badge then dental flossed at the badge on the front until finally it came off. I then used a goo gone product to remove the adhesive residue. I could see a faint shadow of the Kia badge oval in the paint so after a wash and dry I gave it a very light buff and the paint CREASED!! (looked like a finger print) so I stopped immediately. The "E" badges covers most of it and I guess I can live with it.. The rear badge is another story! I used even more care than the front this time and again got the badge off without much fuss but after dabbing a little goo gone on the adhesive residue and wiping with a soft cloth the paint has started coming away leaving a white undercoat exposed! I feel like I have probably voided warranty because I did change the badges myself but I cant help but feel like the paint has a very real fragility that I've not seen on any of my other cars before.

Oh and also, I've started to notice a few tiny little pinhead size white dots on the paintwork of the drivers door and rear quarterpanel which seem to be chips in the paint exposing a white undercoat.

Thoughts?

Be gentle

The white dots are, I believe the sign of paint failure. Start the process with Kia vis the VIP line. If the car ever gets repainted, the front and back will get fixed too. You did those so point at the door. // Oh and NO HEAT. /RantOff.

 

[davebo]

I thought I had this thread bookmarked but it looks like I missed about a month of posting. Just wanted to pop in and say I just got my Stinger back from the dealership. I was talking to the service guy and for all the work including a new windshield which I guess broke in the removal process) they're billing Kia $15k for the work, which he says they'll probably negotiate way down. Kia is really losing their shirts on this, but I guess it's their fault for not getting it right from the factory. Shame though.

As for my car, I got in and immediately noticed the seatbelt didn't retract, but that was a quick fix. The paint is... harder to tell. It looks different every light I see it under, and their garage had non-matching flourescent lights. It's overcast/raining where I am today, and my garage is dark as hell, so I'll just wait for a sunny day to decide. Just glad to be back in my Stinger, although I already miss the 43.5mpg I was getting in that loaner hybrid.

 

[Tonkabob]

Hi guys, I wanna add my story to the mix and get opinions.

I've had a Stinger GT Micra Blue for 2 months (2k travelled). I really liked the look of the "E" badges so decided to replace the ugly Kia badges with them. I used a cardboard cutout around the Kia badge to protect paint as I used a hair drier to warm the badge then dental flossed at the badge on the front until finally it came off. I then used a goo gone product to remove the adhesive residue. I could see a faint shadow of the Kia badge oval in the paint so after a wash and dry I gave it a very light buff and the paint CREASED!! (looked like a finger print) so I stopped immediately. The "E" badges covers most of it and I guess I can live with it.. The rear badge is another story! I used even more care than the front this time and again got the badge off without much fuss but after dabbing a little goo gone on the adhesive residue and wiping with a soft cloth the paint has started coming away leaving a white undercoat exposed! I feel like I have probably voided warranty because I did change the badges myself but I cant help but feel like the paint has a very real fragility that I've not seen on any of my other cars before.

Oh and also, I've started to notice a few tiny little pinhead size white dots on the paintwork of the drivers door and rear quarterpanel which seem to be chips in the paint exposing a white undercoat.

Thoughts?

Be gentle

Yes the dots are chips and likely down to bare metal on a blue car. Yellows like to chip to primer.
The little chips will probabaly get you a partial repaimt if you are persistent. My Blue has been in the paint shop almost 3 weeks and hope to get it back tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

 

[Kato_the_kia_stinger]

Would it be safe to say that all the active members on this forum are a sample size? How many people are active on this forum vs how many other owners are out there? I would assume a good deal of people who are unhappy with their car’s paint did some online research which lead them to these forum. And, seeing some others who are experiencing the same issue, joined in order to gain access to others’ experiences as well as share their own. I think it is unlikely that the majority of Stingers out there have faulty paint. We are inundated with these horror stories because we are active participants in the forums and on social media. I think it’s very likely that, due to our incredible interest in our cars and the Stinger Culture, we have been overwhelmed by a non representative sample.

 

[Revvdmedia]

Would it be safe to say that all the active members on this forum are a sample size? How many people are active on this forum vs how many other owners are out there? I would assume a good deal of people who are unhappy with their car’s paint did some online research which lead them to these forum. And, seeing some others who are experiencing the same issue, joined in order to gain access to others’ experiences as well as share their own. I think it is unlikely that the majority of Stingers out there have faulty paint. We are inundated with these horror stories because we are active participants in the forums and on social media. I think it’s very likely that, due to our incredible interest in our cars and the Stinger Culture, we have been overwhelmed by a non representative sample.

I would think the members on here represent a proportion of the population but not a significant one. To classify paint as a paint issue depends on the person and what they notice. In my personal case, I had 2 spots with paint issues upon delivery. One was touched up, the other is under the headlight. If either (or any new areas) show degradation, I will add my name to the list. If nothing else, I achieved an acceptable power polish finish when I detailed mine; so, small victories.

 

[forzanerazzurri]

I would think the members on here represent a proportion of the population but not a significant one. To classify paint as a paint issue depends on the person and what they notice. In my personal case, I had 2 spots with paint issues upon delivery. One was touched up, the other is under the headlight. If either (or any new areas) show degradation, I will add my name to the list. If nothing else, I achieved an acceptable power polish finish when I detailed mine; so, small victories.

The reality is 80% of owners would never notice the headlight chipping or even care if they did.

 

[Doel]

I'll throw my opinion in I guess.... I have a white gt1 (build date March 18) and I have a little tiny bit of chipping at the very inside corner of my headlight. I'll be honest, I never even noticed it until I started looking because of this thread and I would have never known it was there otherwise, it's chipped so far in there you cant even get to it with a fingernail. It doesn't bother me in the least, assuming it isn't an indicator of paint issues to come. I should probably go ahead and document it just encase I do run into future issues I suppose.

 

[Revvdmedia]

I'll throw my opinion in I guess.... I have a white gt1 (build date March 18) and I have a little tiny bit of chipping at the very inside corner of my headlight. I'll be honest, I never even noticed it until I started looking because of this thread and I would have never known it was there otherwise, it's chipped so far in there you cant even get to it with a fingernail. It doesn't bother me in the least, assuming it isn't an indicator of paint issues to come. I should probably go ahead and document it just encase I do run into future issues I suppose.

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.

 

[DiabloStinger]

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.

 

[NoVAGT2]

I have it documented and will continue to monitor it.

Same here.

 

[MerlintheMad]

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.

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.

 

[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.

A guy with a white one on here took a heat gun to the emblems and lost some paint, the front was black underneath. I'll be doing my emblems this weekend, going real slow with 120 degree (F) water instead of a heat gun. I'll let you know how it goes.