paint pitting on bumpers

kATHERINE001 · 12-31-2006, 05:23 PM

My mother purchased a NEW kia Spectra in 2002. Last month, her car was backed into in a parking lot; the result was a deep scratch in the bumper. She took it to 2 body shops for an estimate. .She was shocked when she was told by BOTH auto repair technicians that her bumpers both front and back were pitting. Why were they pitting? Both technicians agreed that the bumpers did not have the finished coat of paint. Both bumpers were dull, in comparison to the paint on the rest of the car. It is not something my mother had ever noticed. She went back to the dealer and pointed out the problem. The dealer then told her he was going to take the VIN # of the car and trace it back to the Korea. I have no idea how that was supposed to rectify the problem. A few weeks went by and she received a response. The dealer is washing his hands of it, because he was not the owner of the dealership when my mother bought her car. Then he gave her the name of an auto body shop that could do the work for her. The head office in Toronto wrote to my mother and said, the paint warranty was for 2 years, and her car is now 4 years old. The head office also suggested that maybe the dealership still has some “good will” money. Apparently they do not, and she’s not asking for good will, or a favor, she wants them to stand behind their product and give her what she should have had when she purchased a new car.

KIA, SHAME ON YOU!!!

Inky · 01-01-2007, 01:14 PM

You might do better posting this in the Spectra forum since it gets more traffic.

Anyway, paint is just one of the many areas where Kia falls short. My '02 Sedona had paint peeling on the lip beneath the rear window (on the hatch) and the paint above the license plate was checking or "alligatoring." Besides this, the metal on the body dented if you looked at wrong.

Good luck and keep us posted!

kATHERINE001 · 01-05-2007, 12:50 PM

Thanks Inky. I'm new here and just trying to find my way around the site, I'll take your adivse and try the Spectra forum. I'm not planning on lettting this one go.

2004riotuner · 01-05-2007, 05:38 PM

I think if you didn't have a *finish* coat of paint on the bumpers you woul have noticed from day one.. How has the vehicle been washed.. Poorly maintained soft clothes at the Petro Canada car washes can damage paint.. Also stone chips can cause the pitting.. Following to close to a salter will do even more damage..

I'm not clearing Kia's name but if you didn't notice the differance when the car was first purchased then it has been painted properly.. Otherwise the bumpers would have been dull from day one..

Secondly I suggest trying a differant dealer.. Which dealer did you use originally?.. Also proper vehicle maintenance is required for paint also.. If a vehicle is left uncleaned with contaminates for a long period of time it will affect the paint and so will improper cleaning methods..

Dan

kATHERINE001 · 01-05-2007, 07:14 PM

My mother is 78 years old, and she didn't notice from day one. I've seen the car several times and didn't notice it. The dullness is not the problem; the problem is as a result of not having the final coat of paint on the bumpers, they are now pitting. The rest of the car is fine. The car was washed the same way my father’s Kia Magenta has been washed, by hand. The car has never been in a car wash.
We have had two very experienced paint technicians tell us that both bumpers are missing the final protective coating, and now both bumpers are pitting as a result.
Obviously the bumpers being dull are not an eye sore, as we have never noticed, but when you get close up, you see the damage that not having the final coat is causing.

As they say, it’s the squeaky wheel gets the grease…..
So, I’ll be squeaking as loud as I can with Kia till we resolve this

GinaSou · 03-20-2007, 06:55 AM

I have the same problem with my 2004 Amanti and the dealer said the exact same thing. I think its a defect because the rest of the car is in excellent condition. Its just the rear bumper, it seems like it was not painted correctly. Have you had any help with your issue?

CGP_marv · 03-25-2007, 05:01 PM

when was the last time the car was WAXED? it helps protect the paint.

GinaSou · 05-24-2007, 08:07 PM

I have the same problem with my 2004 Amanti and the dealer said the same thing. So disappointed.

byron · 08-19-2007, 01:40 AM

my 02 Rio has pitting on the front bumper as well, and it looks a bit dull in comparison to the rest of the car and you can believe my car is extremely well maintained. However, this is Toronto and with the amount of stones on the highways and the amount of salt they put on the roads in winter, its perfectly logical for the bumpers to be in this condition after a few years, even if the rest of the paint looks perfect.
Its really hard to say after a few years if the layer of paint didn't just wear off as its in the area that gets the most abuse. I'm not saying they didn't screw up, I'm just saying after all this time, you can't expect much. It won't win in court, too easy to prove simple wear and tear considering the above mentioned road conditions.
byron

byron · 08-19-2007, 01:41 AM

p.s. WHO IS THE DEALER THAT SAID THIS TO YOU ORIGINALLY?
Thx
Bm