In an attempt to keep this short, I may omit needed information, please ask any questions and I'll answer them ASAP. Toward the end of October, i bought a car from an Acura dealership in St. Louis. I was told the car was in great shape, no damages, no repairs, etc. Carfax came back clean (though that does not mean much). Fast forward to today, I had the car inspected (just got around to it, been pretty busy) and it has had both front fenders, hood, and right quarter panel have been repainted. No frame damage of anything like that, but basically half the car has been repainted. This impacted the value a decent amount. My question is: Do I have any recourse at all? I plan to call dealer I purchased the car from tomorrow to see if we can come to some sort of solution, they have been nothing but great thus far, and I have no complaints until now. I live in Bham, AL and purchased the car in St. Louis MO if that makes any difference. Any advice/input is welcomed.

-JD

 

From the 'other side' you might surmise a very meticulous owner who wished to maintain their vehicle in 'factory looking' condition. I'm not sure I would be concerned about the repaint job. Have you noticed any flaws? Any difference in colors (especially in bright sun)?

If not, I

 

i dont think its that big of a deal. but its just me.

 

I have his exact name at my office, ill be sure to post up tomorrow. Honestly in the sun you can see a color difference. It's in the darker lighting where you can. I just attributed to the difference in panel material (metal door/plastic bumper etc). I really love my S2k, and I don't want to get rid of it, but i don't want to be screwed either. The daler was St. Louis Acura, and they have been great so far. I do remember the guys last name being Pederson though.

 

Just remembered the guys name Timothy


Edit by Mike

 

My only concern is the quality of the paint job...what if it's a $199 Macco jobs the seller did just to trade in? It'll start showing wear in just a few years...even months.

Is the car CERTIFIED by Acura? If yes then I think you will have recourse. Certified cars are supposed to be perfect which is why you pay a premium for them. They do 100 some odd point inspection that cost around $1200-1500 to do and there is not supposed to be any damage or repainting and everything in perfect working order.

If it is not certified chances are Acura did not know about the paint either...several people damage their cars and don't claim on insurance which is how things show up on Carfax...there is no way for the dealership to know this without close inspection. Check your paperwork. I would bet there is something in there about them not being responsible for preexisting conditions besides whats in the warranty. You are allowed to have a car inspected by a mechanic before you by it...I think you probably waived your rights if you did not catch the paint before signing the dotted line. Verbal promises on a car don't hold up unless the owner is fair and honest.

I am not sure what recourse you have, but I would definitly call the dealership if I were you. Even though you probably have nothing to worry about you may be able to get something out of the deal...like a warranty on the paint.

 

I didn't realize you were talking about an S2000. I don't think Acura can certify a honda, but I could be wrong. Same company.

Yellows are hard to match...maybe since it does not match you could get them to do a whole new paint job. If the the body did not use a technique called blending (I believe) between panels then it is easy to see color differences. It's way more expensive because you are repainting perfect panels to make the color blend together.

 

I am familiar with blending, and looking at the car, if they did it at all, they did a shitty job lol. Id be happy with a repaint. After doing some research, the previous owner MAY be the VP of Murphy Construction Co in St. Louis. They share the same name at least.

 

Maybe they can just repaint the panels that don't match and blend it this time. That way the car doesn't have to be completely repainted and you'll match. St. Louis acura has a body shop and should be able to do it for almost no cost to them, but with that much repainting done to the car I would be curious to know what in the hell happened.

This situation would drive me through the roof...sorry to hear about it.

 

TRUE. I've heard this many times for the (rio/spa) S.

Have you noticed any damage/repairs below the paint? I still suspect the previous owner may have had the car repainted for purely cosmetic reasons, not actual body damage. S owners can be a bit anal...