(I posted this msg on another forum, but I want to increase feedback)...

Hello all.//

Frequent lurker 1st time poster...I recently bought a brand new 2009 Sonata Limited V6 in Cocoa. I bought the vehicle brand new with only 14 miles on the ODO. After I got it home and was able to clean & detail, I noticed that the left rear door had been repainted. I immediately called the dealer and they looked in all the records (or so they say) and told me that nothing had been damaged on the vehicle. I called Hyundai USA and filed a complaint. I also took the vehicle to another Hyundai dealership and the body shop and service manager confirmed that in fact the door had been repainted (by using a millimeter paint depth tool and visual confirmation) . They looked on the Hyundai website and did not find any warranty PO's on this vehicle, which indicated that it wasn't damage in shipping since it would have been repaired by the purchasing dealer and reported as a claim to Hyundai and it would have shown on the website. My complaint was upgraded to the regional office and I received a call from someone there and they were going to do some further investigation. My questions here as follows (please chime in if you have 1st hand knowledge or experience with this matter):

#1. Is it possible it was damaged at the factory and repainted there? Are they putting out that kind of crap in Alabama? With a casual glance you wouldn't notice the repaint, but you can see remnants of overspray on the b pillar and if you look closely down the panel you can see a difference in the orange peel and there are a few waves in the surface.

#2. Why is no one able to pinpoint where this vehicle was repainted?

#3. I am getting the feeling that Hyundai is not going to replace the vehicle, but only offer to repaint the door/body. I am a picky person, and there is no amount of painting that would make me feel good about keeping this vehicle...it is not factory paint and will never match the entire car. Does anyone have experience with damaged/repainted vehicles?

#4. Is there anything I can do or say to Hyundai to get them to exchange this vehicle? I did call my State attorney generals office and they said that in our state, the dealer/manufacturer has to disclose any type of damage that exceeds $300 on a new vehicle (which they didn't). In addition, the state representative told me that there is another issue and that is the "presumption of condition", which means that I would have never purchased the vehicle had I known the door had been repainted. It is assumed that when you buy a new vehicle it is in fact "new" and undamaged.

I personally don't want to sue my dealer or have the State attorney general office investigate the matter because it is time consuming and distracting. I just want someone to accept that the vehicle was damaged and repainted somewhere along the way before it was delivered to me and replace it with another one that is similar. Heck, I even offered to throw a little money at it to get the monkey off my back. I expressed my view that I am a 1st time Hyundai buyer and that I usually buy 1-2 vehicles every year and that if I'm not treated fairly on this matter, I will never buy another Hyundai.

I hope for the best, but I'm expecting something less. Please add your suggestions or inputs.

Cheers, Nick

 

there a price they go by, if the damage is less than this... then they dont have to tell you. Bring it back and have them fix it to were you can't tell its be painted.

 

I'd be real suspicious of the dealer.... someone was goofing off unloading the car or moving it around in the lot, then the dealer repaired it quickly & quietly, then shoved it back out on the lot.

The manufacturer isn't going to let that out of the plant, and a dealership would have refused delivery of the vehicle without a paid repair.

I'd be really suspect of anything from that dealership.... including small stuff like an oil change.

 

I agree with both of your comments. In Iowa the threshold is $300. I know that you cannot repair and repaint an entire door for that amount. It should have been disclosed. I have talked to the dealer in detail and they are adamant that it was not damaged while it was on their lot. It does look like a descent paint job, but someone that knows vehicles could easily tell that something had been done to that door. I know they are discussing options right now with Hyundai USA and hopefully I should have an answer next week. I'm crossing my fingers.

Anyone have any experience with Hyundai and their paint jobs? Do they have an unusually high amount of paint defects?

Nick

 

I purchased my '09 Sonata in July of '08, and one thing I can say is the paint is of high quality, virtually no detectable orange peel & no matter what the light source, the color match on fenders, bumpers & trim is very high quality.

 

Took it back to the selling dealer and the Gm confirmed my concern. Probably painted at the factory or hidden repair at the dealer...either way, vehicle is gone...I traded for another car...tried to work a deal with the selling dealer, but I wouldn't buy a piece of bubble gum from them again...I found another, much better dealer...Problem solved

 

Good for you. The 1st dealership (stealership) will probably just pound it into the dirt now as a 'Courtesy Vehicle'.

 

That is wild!

Years ago I had a Super Sport Camaro that I bought second hand. Once the car was about 2.5 years old the paint began flaking off a particular portion of the hood. I had noticed the paint in this area was not as smooth looking as the rest of the paint and had even inquired about it when I was looking to purchase the car. The Carfax report came back clear and the original owner claimed they never had an accident so I assumed everything was fine.

After many trips to the dealer some 'big wig' guy came out, started peeling the flakes off and decided the hood must have been damaged at the manufacturer's site (I think there was Bondo under the flaking paint). So they replaced my hood and paint under warranty.

We were all pretty surprised that the manufacturer would let something like that go out and then sold 'as new'.