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What's Happening to my Paint!!??


pantherfan704
11-28-2004, 02:25 PM
White '96 Lumina which is kept clean with regular washings. Within the past two weeks we noticed three spots on the hood where the paint is cracking and flaking bad and in one spot I am ready to lose an area 3" by 4". Several areas along the sides have hairline cracks beginning to form. We have noticed several white luminas in this area (Charlotte, NC) with the same problem where their paint has already flaked off in multiple spots.

What's happening?

We're calling GM tomorrow looking for some answers.

jeffcoslacker
11-29-2004, 06:38 AM
My '97 is white, and though I haven't had that problem, I've noticed that it flakes off pretty readily behind the wheels, at the lower edges of the fenders once chipped. I keep it clean, and routinely do damage control with touch-up paint, haven't had serious problems, yet. Be interested to know what you find out.

GTLumina
11-29-2004, 12:11 PM
I believe I read in the Edmunds Lumina forum that there were several people who had the same problem with white Luminas. I don't know if GM officially did anything about it, though.

pantherfan704
12-07-2004, 07:42 PM
Followup.... :grinyes:

After a week and a half playing phone tag with GM and the dealer I was not surprised to have been brushed off. Despite the fact that this is publicly and within the industry a well known problem due to a manufacturing defect in the priming stage at GM's paint facility. This was a feature on the NBC show Dateline in 1997. There is an attorney who specialty is class action suits who I believe I will contacting shortly but first......

My first option will be the state attorney general's office, consumer affairs division and the local BBB. Worked with the state AG's office in the past. This is a very effective method. Last option will be small claims court. :evillol: :evillol:

becky locklin
12-11-2004, 11:49 PM
I've got a 93 barretta where the clear coat is bubbling and flaking off all over the hood and top. The paint looked great until about a year ago (I bought it new) and now it looks like crap. I have notice other GM cars like this with the same problem. My conclusioin is that GM has a defective paint or painting process. (at least for that era of cars)

jeffcoslacker
12-12-2004, 05:07 PM
I've got a 93 barretta where the clear coat is bubbling and flaking off all over the hood and top. The paint looked great until about a year ago (I bought it new) and now it looks like crap. I have notice other GM cars like this with the same problem. My conclusioin is that GM has a defective paint or painting process. (at least for that era of cars)

My sister had a Baretta that was peeling just below the window on the doors, and below the pinstripe all around. It kinda puzzled me until I asked my friend who is a painter for a GM dealer. He said that they had to re-paint tons of them when they were newer, and the typical method was to paint them down to the pinstripe line, so the flats (roof, trunk, hood) were new paint, and wouldn't peel anymore, knowing that by the time the paint below that line began to peel, the car would be long out of warrantee, and they wouldn't have to fix it.

The dealers charged GM for a full repaint, not a partial, allowing them to recover some of the cost incurred by having to dedicate so much manpower to warrantee re-paint work.

fullshred
02-03-2005, 03:15 PM
White '94 Z34 here with the same problem. Car was fine and well cared for with frequent washings. Paint is now missing on a 1" wide by 10" swatch on the hood by the center rise. Looks like crap and now the entire hood has to be repainted. This is an obvious defect and not normal for a car barely 11 years old :nono:

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