Just a rock chip or no?

Darth Stinger

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A5C0BF53-3191-4348-814D-FC367EA2D773.webp Just had the car a few days now and drove a couple hundred miles today. She got her first bath and I noticed this...not a typical spot for a chip...After reading about all the paint issues I’m getting a tad paranoid.
 
Nope , this is the headlight rub issue ................theres a lot of info here about this issue , bummer !
 
Headlight assembly rub, confirmed. That's a pretty bad one too. It's why you saw it in the first place. Most cases are much smaller. Touch up paint is very handy to have. Even the most protected surfaces are going to need a bit of touch up now and again. You could alert your dealership and Kia and open a case. Keep your eyes open and go forward. The headlight assembly rub does not mean that you are going to get chipping, flaking, peeling paint anywhere else; it's a special stress point because of the forward vibration caused by that long design.
 
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Headlight assembly rub, confirmed. That's a pretty bad one too. It's why you saw it in the first place. Most cases are much smaller. Touch up paint is very handy to have. Even the most protected surfaces are going to need a bit of touch up now and again. You could alert your dealership and Kia and open a case. Keep your eyes open and go forward. The headlight assembly rub does not mean that you are going to get chipping, flaking, peeling paint anywhere else; it's a special stress point because of the forward vibration caused by that long design.

Meow...thanks. I don’t mind normal wear and tear. The paint on my GT350 was horrible. Was hoping to be beyond that with this car.

Is there a good thread for me to review? Touch up paint won’t solve the issue. I just don’t want it to get worse.

I noticed it cuz I use a Master Blaster air drier to dry my cars. I get in all the nooks and crannies to blow all of the water out after a bath.
 
I noticed it cuz I use a Master Blaster air drier to dry my cars. I get in all the nooks and crannies to blow all of the water out after a bath.
And, a paint chip. Bleh! No, touch up paint won't solve the issue of the headlight rub. A repaint that adheres better than factory on plastic might. Nothing short of that will. But touch up, from time to time, will hide the "zit" quality of that black spot. Meanwhile, you can pursue paint warranty. It is time intensive, judging by the experiences shared on this forum.

What are you wanting? To read other experiences of paint issues? Copious carping has taken place. This is the most extensive single thread on the subject. Discussion of Stinger paint quality (Was - Paint Chip Issue) Join the poll, if you feel that headlight assembly rubbing is a paint failure. Technically it is, because a rub should not cause properly adhering paint to chip, flake or peel; only gradually wear down over time; and you'd never see it unless you removed the headlight assembly and looked. But the poll on paint failure is intended to ID actual paint flaws that surface all on their own somewhere on the car that is impossible to ascribe to road debris.
 
From interior to exterior to high performance - everything you need for your Stinger awaits you...
Just wanting to know if there was a fix. I want to avoid a respray if possible. Don’t want the hassle of getting a proper color match. I can live with one small spot. The massive paint loss I’m now seeing in some posts, that I can’t live with.

I’ll send the pic in tomorrow to the dealer and I’m sure they will just say it’s a rock chip...I still want to document in case it gets worse.
 
I’ll send the pic in tomorrow to the dealer and I’m sure they will just say it’s a rock chip...I still want to document in case it gets worse.
Really, that depends on the luck of the draw: if you have a good dealer they already know about this, as well as the actual paint failure issues on some cars. You won't know until you show it and say it is a headlight assembly rub. You tell them, don't ask for their opinion. And show them this forum. This issue is inarguable. Any dealer who knows about this and tries to say it's road damage: just walk away and never look back at them again. Find somebody else. Calling Kia is a separate thing altogether. They positively know and deal with this daily.
 
Yep...been down this path with the GT350 rear bumper panel gap. Ford denied there was an issue, blamed the weight of the rear valance caused the gap. There was a class action suit. And not too long ago Ford issued a TSB to fix the issue.
 
If it were me, I would check to see if the paint is coming up around that rub. If it isn't, I would document it, then put a little touch up paint to cover it and forget about it. Was your car manufactured in 2017 or 2018? From what I can tell, the vast majority of 2018s are ok paint wise (with the exception of the headlight rub you have) so you'll probably be ok, just be cognizant when you wash it encase more issues pop up. If you have a 2017, good luck, decent chance you'll need a respray at some point.
 
If you have a 2017, good luck, decent chance you'll need a respray at some point.
We don't know that. We only know that a larger number of November and December 2017 builds have shown paint issues. It still isn't anything close to being a large fraction of the total cars sold. Of those who have spoken up here, the greatest number of disappointing paint jobs come from those two months
 
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From interior to exterior to high performance - everything you need for your Stinger awaits you...
We don't know that. We only know that a larger number of November and December 2017 builds have shown paint issues. It still isn't anything close to being a large fraction of the total cars sold. Of those who have spoken up here, the greatest number of disappointing paint jobs come from those two months
Sure we do, but it's all what you consider a "Decent chance" I would say anything over 20% would be a decent chance, and from what we've seen here I think it's at least that. It's pretty clear that the paint issues on the first run stingers is linked to either the primer selected, the prep of the panels before painting, or something to do with the process they used to paint them. This clearly isn't an issue with a bad batch of primer/paint so it is absolutely going to be a widespread issue with all those first run cars, we just don't know how widespread. I've said it before here, but this is the risk you take when you buy the first run of a model. There will always be some issues and as long as the manufacturer takes care of their customers to get those issues resolved, I think it's ok (as long as the issue isn't a serious safety issue).
 
Sure we do, but it's all what you consider a "Decent chance" I would say anything over 20% would be a decent chance, and from what we've seen here I think it's at least that. It's pretty clear that the paint issues on the first run stingers is linked to either the primer selected, the prep of the panels before painting, or something to do with the process they used to paint them. This clearly isn't an issue with a bad batch of primer/paint so it is absolutely going to be a widespread issue with all those first run cars, we just don't know how widespread. I've said it before here, but this is the risk you take when you buy the first run of a model. There will always be some issues and as long as the manufacturer takes care of their customers to get those issues resolved, I think it's ok (as long as the issue isn't a serious safety issue).
Agree for the most part. I think that "20%" is too high. But we both know our opinions cannot be proven. "Our poll" shows fewer than 5% of our membership have even found it and responded; and currently 38% say "no issues". This poll is instantly available on a Google search, and it usually shows up as the first listing. If that many 2017 builds were plagued with failing paint, in my opinion we'd see a lot more activity on that poll.
 
Agree for the most part. I think that "20%" is too high. But we both know our opinions cannot be proven. "Our poll" shows fewer than 5% of our membership have even found it and responded; and currently 38% say "no issues". This poll is instantly available on a Google search, and it usually shows up as the first listing. If that many 2017 builds were plagued with failing paint, in my opinion we'd see a lot more activity on that poll.

My build was 11/17
 
If I were you, I would go ahead and bring it to the dealer, have them fix that paint rub and get it documented, take pictures, send emails, then watch your paint very closely.
Agreed, take to dealer and let them take pics and open a case just in case you need it later. Can easily prove a rock wont fit in that area. My dealer was quick to say rock chip on the phone until they saw it.

If that doesnt work, take a walk around the lot and you can probably fine one with almost no miles with same rub issue. Found one at my dealer with rub on both lights and only had 12 miles on the clock.

Lots of info in the other threads as well.
 
From interior to exterior to high performance - everything you need for your Stinger awaits you...
Heh, mine's worse than that... :(

I just haven't had a chance to remove the headlight and touch it up... Though, I don't think I can leave the headlight out long enough for two coats and a clear coat to cure before putting the headlight back in, so for me, I might just have to drive without a headlight for a day, lol
 
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