UPDATE What do you think of this warranty repair?

hc25036

A while back I had a thread on a warranty paint job on my Passat estate, asking for advice on the car hire charge. Thanks to your help, I saved £40.

The job is now done. On the Passat estate, there is an issue around the number plate lights on the tailgate which causes it to rust. For bad cases the whole tailgate is replaced, but on mine they said they would repair and respray.

It took a week at the local main dealer, and I picked the car up last week. I had a quick look on the forecourt, but being short-sighted I couldn't see too clearly. I've now got some photos, intending to put them up on the UKPassats website for information for others. Now I can see the detail of the repair, I'm wondering whether this is an acceptable job or not. I'm no expert, so what do you think? Click on the pictures to see them full-size.

http://sdrv.ms/XXejR8

Thanks

Rick

motorguy

hc25036 wrote: »

A while back I had a thread on a warranty paint job on my Passat estate, asking for advice on the car hire charge. Thanks to your help, I saved £40.

The job is now done. On the Passat estate, there is an issue around the number plate lights on the tailgate which causes it to rust. For bad cases the whole tailgate is replaced, but on mine they said they would repair and respray.

It took a week at the local main dealer, and I picked the car up last week. I had a quick look on the forecourt, but being short-sighted I couldn't see too clearly. I've now got some photos, intending to put them up on the UKPassats website for information for others. Now I can see the detail of the repair, I'm wondering whether this is an acceptable job or not. I'm no expert, so what do you think? Click on the pictures to see them full-size.

http://sdrv.ms/XXejR8

Thanks

Rick

No. Not acceptable.

Bring it back and let them have a look. Chances are they farmed it out to a cheap bodyshop.

hc25036

1886 wrote: »

I doubt the car even went to a bodyshop. I've worked at a few dealerships and nearly all of them have a guy in a van that comes round and paints cars in a dark corner on a windy day thus getting overspray on everything within 50 yards..

That said, it's not the best job ever but Jesus, it's not in the most visible of places. You will only see it if you crane your neck or open the boot. Rust has a habit of coming back anyway...

That's a very fair point, which is why I'm asking for advice. The B6 Passat isn't the most stable of vehicles (I think this is the 8th warranty job from new on a 6 year-old car, which must total several thousand pounds of work, and I'm a bit hacked off so I'm looking for a more objective view before I go in and complain...

maninthestreet

So you are complainng about the quality of the paint finish around the number plate lights? That area isn't normally visible without bending down and to below the number plates and then looking up.

bikingbarney

maninthestreet wrote: »

So you are complainng about the quality of the paint finish around the number plate lights? That area isn't normally visible without bending down and to below the number plates and then looking up.

does it matter that he is complaining ??

If the car was up to a good standard in the first place then the OP would even be in this situation.

Why accept something that it no better than the problem it went in for?

hc25036

maninthestreet wrote: »

So you are complainng about the quality of the paint finish around the number plate lights? That area isn't normally visible without bending down and to below the number plates and then looking up.

Blimey! Not 'complaining' but asking for advice (since I have zero knowledge on body work) before deciding whether I need to complain or not! In that respect, your comment, although aggressive is valuable, and I thank you.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

when painting light blue/silver, you cant skimp or cut courners like whats happened here, theres pin holes, so no doubt the filler wasnt mixed right and has air in it, over time it will crack and flake the paint away it will also lock moisture in it aswell so the rust will return, this is a get it past the paint warranty job and out of our hairs bodge job.

TBH i would look for signs of a repair when looking to buy and look closley at hidden courners nooks and crannys for overspray, signs of filler etc and this car had i been in the market for this car and had been on the fourcourt would assume its had a poor repair from an accident an wouldnt buy it.

the trouble posed here now is that they cant just paint over that, unless they took it to bare plastic/metal and used a good epoxy primer to reseal the metal, then used a good highbuild primer of about 2 coats ontop of that, and instead of dry sanding the area ready for paint with a 600grit paper, i would sand the area with 1200 wet (no soapy water) paper, fully dry out, then paint silver/light blue then eurethane laquer, that should prevent the sandpaper scratches coming out in the colour and first coat of laquer and leave a nice smoothe finish, but the costs would exceed a new tailgate paint job, they could also use a different method and thats to use barcoat ontop of that poor repair, fully cure, the prep for filler/primer/paint/laquer but barcoat is becoming expensive these days.

in my opinion i would insist on a new tailgate.

motorguy

maninthestreet wrote: »

So you are complainng about the quality of the paint finish around the number plate lights? That area isn't normally visible without bending down and to below the number plates and then looking up.

So you'd be happy if your P&J came back from a dealers with that done?

It looks like its been painted by a blind monkey.

maninthestreet

hc25036 wrote: »

Blimey! Not 'complaining' but asking for advice (since I have zero knowledge on body work) before deciding whether I need to complain or not! In that respect, your comment, although aggressive is valuable, and I thank you.

Aggresive? Blimey! I was merely asking what you felt might be wrong with the repair, as it's not obvious from the photographs (the reflection of the yellow numberplate in the paintwork makes it difficult to assess the quality of the paintwork finish).

maninthestreet

motorguy wrote: »

So you'd be happy if your P&J came back from a dealers with that done?

It looks like its been painted by a blind monkey.

The photographs make it difficult to asess the quality of the paint finish due to the reflection of the yellow numberplate.

motorguy

maninthestreet wrote: »

The photographs make it difficult to asess the quality of the paint finish due to the reflection of the yellow numberplate.

Didnt for me. You can see its of a very poor standard. Besides, that wasnt your original point. You were basically saying 'why complain, you cant see it anyway?'

maninthestreet wrote: »

So you are complainng about the quality of the paint finish around the number plate lights? That area isn't normally visible without bending down and to below the number plates and then looking up.