2010 Express 3500 Passenger Paint peeling off
 

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The hood was first to show up and quickly expanded.


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This one started with this patch blowing off while driving down the road. Within a week it expanded to a spot times larger than this.


Hood was the first to show up


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/chevrol...58a7c35c6e.jpg

Top of passenger door


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Below the rain gutter. Happening on both sides. Idiot Chevy reps saying this problem is due to stone chips?


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Below rain gutter.


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Top side of roof along gutter chipping away under the seam. Yeah Chevy reps this is a stone chip problem???? You guys are nuts and flat out lie about the cause....and have no customer service. You deserve a competitor taking all your customers. You expect people to buy a $60 vehicle with this kind of paint???



12/19/2014 Today I just noticed paint blown loose on my hood. This is a White passenger van. About the size of a playing card it appears it simply released from the dark gray primer underneath. I have 75K miles, no extended bumper to bumper warranty. Do I have any recourse to have GM take care of this? Any help in what course of action to take, or preparing documentation would be greatly appreciated.

Update 12/22/2014 I am now finding the paint flaking/peeling along the sides at the roof line just below the rain gutters, and also the front passenger door just above the window. I have always been a die hard "buy American" but I am seriously re-evaluating that now. My first car back in the late 60's was a chevy. I have owned a string of them through my life. I am no longer impressed. This van is a $40,000 vehicle. After the Holidays I will be talking to the dealer and a factory rep to see if they offer a solution, or see a customer walk away.

Initial contact with the Dealer that has a Chevrolet authorized paint shop is met with resistance, a run around, and the problem blamed on rock chips. I might believe that had the hood been the only affected panel. But not the side panels and doors, and the fact this all started delaminating within a few days at all places.

Update 12/30/14 Things may be looking up. Went through GM Corporate 800# (866-790-5600) who in turn contacted the local dealer for me to set up an appointment. They had the local dealer or some district rep inspect my van paint. The local dealer paint shop then told me the white paint was delaminating from the electrocoated primer. They have scheduled to repaint the panels with problems. I had hoped for a total fix but it is better than nothing. No cost to me. It does affect the hood, passenger door, and both the long side panels. They will warranty their new work (only the parts they repaint) for the lifetime of the vehicle as long as I own it. My concern at a later date the untouched driver door, front fenders, roof and side and rear doors will surely start peeling eventually. Depending on the time frame, those parts may or may not be covered at that time :-( I am sure this will always be in the back of my mind and I will end up dumping the vehicle once the paint all looks good. This was a vehicle I had expected to keep a few years longer. At close to $40K a pop, you can't just change these out every couple years. At least I can't. More update on this process after the painting is complete...I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch....also 2 to 3 week job painting, and no rental provided. That is going to hurt the wallet, and not as free as you might think, to have a manufacturer defect taken care of.

Update 1/28/2015: So far I am happy dealing through the 800# to a GM rep. They arranged for me to drop my vehicle off to have portions of my vehicle repainted. This is covered under the Corrosion Warranty which on the 2010 is 100K miles or 5 years. I was told they would have to chemically strip to remove the Clearcoat and primer down to the galvanized base (didn't know it was galvanized), then those sections repainted. I say sections because not all sections have started peeling. This problem first started mid December 2014. So far its the hood, passenger door, both side panels up by the rain gutter. Since the dealer checked it and I have taken the van in the roof started right by the rain gutters. 2 calls to the dealer paint manager have not been returned to confirm if they will be doing the roof since that did not show up in the initial inspection. My whole dissatisfaction in this whole matter is they don't just do the whole vehicle? Its the same paint and applied at the same time. This repainting is to take 2 to 3 weeks....to me that is 21 days. This includes removing most of the glass since both sides are affected. They can't even guarantee that time frame for completion. I started calling wanting a rental provided. Someone (GM or dealer) is picking up the tab for the first 10 days....and they put me in a Chevy Tahoe so I certainly appreciate that effort. But that doesn't help me for the remainder of the time it takes for them to repaint. This is costing me because of their defect. Going forward I will not be impressed if sections not repainted start delaminating and this vehicle down again, or a legal fight ensues if they won't take care of those sections. I have had Chevy products since I was 16 (51 Chevy started the chain)....this is making me seriously reconsider purchasing GM again. Funny my wife has a 2009 White Toyota RAV sitting in the same driveway, same weather, same cleaners and cleaning intervals, similar little stone chips....and hers shows no signs of this paint issue.

2/6/2015: I picked up my van today after many of the panels where repainted. It looks good. I do see they did not strip the entire panels as was originally explained to me that would be needed with clearcoat paint. I see the bottoms of the panels still have original road grime. That aside, they did patch painting very well since I have yet to find where they blended the new paint line anywhere. Those new repairs are now warrantied for life as long as I own the vehicle.

1/27/2016 I would like to add at this date (nearly a year later) All the paint repairs GM did on my paint that was blowing off, have held and no further delamination has occurred. The paint still looks factory good in appearance.

2/5/2016 I spoke too soon. I noticed the top of my front passenger door (Previous dealer paint repair area) has now started to delaminate a second time, the paint coming loose once again. Now I am out of the 5yr/100K mile corrosion warranty. Hope the dealer honors their warranty on the repair they did almost to the day a year ago. Hope that wasn't as BS?

4/20/16 Finally got to the dealership. It is a day to make a calm person curse. Started at the Dealers paint shop and was told I had to go to their service department and have them write it up to start the process. The service writer said it is a paint shop issue and they have to do it. Tried to get them to call and talk to the paint shop guy who sent me to service. (Same dealership for both). At this point I was looking for a commitment by someone in authority to say "yes they would take care of it", or no it is not going to be covered.

Back to paint, and a manager (After the fact looking at notes from the year earlier the same manager that made life miserable and forced me to go on my own to the GM 800 Complaint #). Now on this follow-up problem I am being told their paint repair for the de-lamination a year ago is only warranted for 12 month. I am basically SOL. I said most insurance repair jobs I have ever had done warrant their work for the life of the owner. I was under the impression I was told this when I picked up the vehicle a year ago. Regardless this problem is back due to the original factory paint being defective.

So I pressed and said this is your final answer, that I am not satisfied and will be going to the general manager of the dealership. Using your name (this paint shop managers name) as the one that said his final answer was...... they weren't covering the paint peeling off on the door they previously painted. I just wanted his name, his final answer of "not going to fix it" and stated I was going above him and also calling GMs 800 # again to get a claim#. Then there was a waffling. He said he would call. I left with that being left in his hands.

We proceeded to leave a message for the General Manager to call us. Just something about that whole lack of ownership or commitment by the paint shop/service manager. The General Manager must remember our name and the previous years issue. He didn't return the call but the paint/service manager called back within minutes. He told us (Us=wife and I since he spoke with my wife too) he was told by the general manager, to contact us, he is the one that is suppose to handle it.

He then said there was a misunderstanding on my part. He said that he told me he was going to email the GM factory rep. Now this is all BS because there was never any mention of him emailing anyone. In my conversation with him face to face I kept referring to the 800# and calling for a claim#. He said I misunderstood our face to face conversation......while this guy is shaking my hand saying don't call the 800#, "I will make the call". No mention of email what so ever. No mention of the factory rep. We were talking about the 800#. He is either splitting hairs and these two are all the same thing or he wasn't hearing what I was saying.

So now on this phone call he goes into the wishy washy story of the GM Rep is hard to reach. I say "like how long"? He says "a couple days". This is Wednesday. So I ask again..."Like how long to have you call me back"? He says" Maybe Friday, lets make it Monday. The rep is driving around and doesn't always answer right away" To me this is about the worst kind of management for a repeat defect problem there could be! So non-committal and no taking ownership of the problem.

Mind you since they wouldn't write this up at the dealership I have no paper documentation of the fact I was there, or anything of any conversation.

I state that Friday morning is acceptable to have me an answer first thing or I am going to be at the general managers office that morning. In addition to that I informed him I will be calling the 800# in the morning when they open (Thursday) to get a claim number so I have some sort of tracking on this problem.

This is a major GM dealership in Las Vegas. I am blown away by the lack of customer service. On both occasions numerous road blocks and the run around seems to be the course of action. It almost appears purposely done to discourage a person from perusing this GM Paint issue. Then the fact the general manager of the place won't step up to the plate and get involved or at least make a courtesy call back to the customer. Wow. When I work through this I am going to find out who the manager is (I understand owns 3 of the local dealerships) and sit down and write a letter with the names, dates, and treatment, going on. But something tells me this is ingrained in the whole organization. Someone long ago should have stepped up and said we will take care of this, and make it right. Part of me is looking toward the future and taking this to the media if this isn't resolved. ~Disgusted with GM Paint and this Dealership!

5/4/16 The last couple weeks have been a total waste. I have run into the wall many of you with the paint issue have hit. A long story. 8 pages of final notes, more from several contacts.... I won't bore you with. Bottom line is the Chevy dealership is not going to re-repair the fix they did back during the warranty period. They renegged on the lifetime warranty on their repair and said it was 12 months/12,000 miles. I am beyond that. GM Corporate/800# is not going to step up and cover anything.

If you ever get this paint work done under warranty and the dealer tells you verbally the repaired area's are warrantied for the life you own it. (As most insurance jobs are) GET IT IN WRITING!

There my friends is how you loose a life long customer.

The person that contacted me a while back concerning a class action suit. I turned down because I had no damages ($ loss). Please recontact me. I am there now.

Welcome to GM quality! My 2000 also has areas where this occurred. Mine is a work van which, while I want it to look nice for customer impressions I also do not wish to repaint every few years. You can get matching rattle-can paint at any auto parts store - I had to do my pass door window opening & the roof over windshield (very common area).

If the rattle can route isn't acceptable (and you really shouldn't have to worry with this... ESPECIALLY with a van 10 years newer than mine!) then hit up a reputable, local body shop (NOT the dealership!) and ask them to estimate it and if they are aware of any recalls. (Not likely, but ask!)

While we're talking... be absolutely sure to change your intake manifold gasket every 100,000k miles. It's a pain, it's expensive and it's unfortunately another problem area that GM refuses to acknowledge.

Chevrolet has had a problem for many, many years with their top coat not adhering to their primer. It seems especially bad with white paint. Why don't they fix it! Problem is that when the paint gets a chip in it, it starts peeling back from the primer. So be sure to inspect for nicks and touch them up as soon as possible.
I have to get the hood painted on my 1998 GMC Sonoma now because the neighborhood cat decided to start walking over it. When he jumps from the hood to the top of the cab his claws have scratched the clearcoat. Now the clearcoat is peeling off although it lasted fine for 14 years of being parked outside (it's dark cherry) before being exposed to the cat. I have two other spots where the clearcoat is getting thin, but its not peeling.
Strangely enough, it seems like not washing often helps protect the paint. I guess the dirt layer blocks the UV rays.

What is it with white vans? They must make them a some crappy fleet factory.....
How many blue or black or green ones do you see with that issue?
I would never every buy white.....ever.

It used to be silver Monte Carlos in the 70's with this issue - GM Genuine Peel-O-Matic paint. Maybe it's their primer choices?

Isn't it called Electrocoat?
Why they haven't fixed this over the decades is a joke.

LOL...can't believe I'm reading this..my 2002 express 3500 is doing the same thing..pretty much where the roof meets the side panels....blotches just fall off here and there. Looks like crap.

I have a 2010 Chevy Express 3500 that was part of a fleet used in the Vancouver Olympics then shipped back for auction across the US. Noticed a few days ago paint sheeting off from the area where the roof meets the side panels (on the side panels). White paint and sheeting from the primer layer. Contacted GM. Appointment set for tomorrow to review. This sucks. Van has less than 18K on it and has been babied.

2/11/15 - Took in to have dealer take pics. Manager of Collision Shop stated, as did the Service Manager on the phone, that they do not see any service bulletins on this and that paint is not normally covered after 3 years. I indicated that the GM rep I spoke to on the 866 number admitted this was a known issue for white and red paint and it appears other vans have been corrected. I don't consider this type of peeling normal wear and tear.

Glad you found a way to get SOMETHING fixed that those idiots at GM didn't do right.

https://chevroletforum.com/forum/exp...o-56638/page5/

Thanks for cross-linking this to the other thread on this subject. My 2002 Express 3500 is a mess. It only has 25K miles on it and the white paint is peeling and bubbling right off the eCoat primer. It's probably going to cost me $10K to chemically remove and repaint my van. Perhaps more to do it right.

Mine did the same as yours in January of 2011.. cold wet winter, rained for a solid month. One morning I came out, sun was shining, and there was a huge bubble of water under the paint on the right rear door. That wasn't from a rock chip...

It's a dirty shame a lack of proper chemical engineering, QC and cost savings measures ruined an entirely good vehicle. I need to have all the trim and windows removed and reinstalled.

GM should be held accountable... perhaps funding part of the remediation.

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My 2002 Express 3500 is the exact same as yours. I'm going to call the GM 866 number and give them hell... I ordered mine with a 8.1 Vortec.. perfect tow vehicle.

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My friend... if you pay $10k to have your van repainted I will gladly sell you a bridge in Brooklyn.

I know what you're saying, though. The OEM primer offers little adhesion but any quality body shop can strip (the old fashioned way) & repaint your van for far less.

I'm guessing your van is a personal use vehicle - I think GM was counting on contractors etc to turnover / depreciate their fleet vehicles jussssssssssssssssssssssssst as all the parts (and paint) started falling off.

I'll never own another GM product. Ever.

Thanks for the feedback. I ordered this cargo van with a 8.1L big block, fully loaded with HD trailer package, 3.73 posi, and upfitted by Commercial Van Interiors. It only has 25K miles!

It was originally my company van.. I kept it in pristine condition until we shutdown that division - company offered to sell it to me for $3,600 - that was in 2009 when it only had 10K miles.

Two years later the paint starts delaminating.. POS GM products.

Yeah, I hear you about the commerical intended use.. most companies lease, wrap with their logo, drive 150,000 miles, pull the wrap off and dump them for a newer model.

I don't want to buy a new tow vehicle... whatever it costs me I'll have to absorb the expense - or perhaps GM will if I can make it stick.

It was $800 just to strip and repaint one rear door! :mad:

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And to think I just bought a brand new one.... :(

2007 Chevy Savanna Cargo Van Paint Peeling
 

Thank you for this information. I will send to our fleet contact for our nationwide offices to fix their Chevy cargo vans. None of our Ford vans have this issue.

peeling 2010 express
 

I tried the 800 # , got claim number ,went to dealer they said not covered out of warranty . I call 800 # back talked to GM they said QUOTE we have not or never heard of this before , we don't have a paint issue . My van has 32,000 miles on it and paint falling off . I only hope a lawyer gets ahold of this paint issue and class action law suite . Then may be GM will do what's right and paint these vans . I have owned all domestic brands and never had a issue with paint . I ask any one who's thinking about a GM product to second guess it . Customer Service means nothing

Heads up.... Toyota just lost a class action lawsuit for rusting frames for inadequate coating. Affects trucks dating back to 2005 ...

Perhaps this is a good time to pursue a class action against General Motors..

Toyota to settle U.S. truck rust lawsuit for up to $3.4 billion - Reuters
https://apple.news/Aq59fIGZtQy6rD3YY13EG2g

We have 2 -2009 Express bus conversions (Starcraft) bought new in July 2011 and the paint started peeling off the front hood of two of the last December. An obvious problem with the paint/primer process. Less than 12,000 miles on them and well maintained.

what colour are they?

The paint on all three vans is white.

I have said before that it seems that white is the most likely colour to have this problem. Everyone should boycott all GM white vehicles......

wow. I have a 2002 chevy e 3500 of course it's peeling like crazy. It looks so horrible and so embracing to drive it around!

I've just gotten to the point that I buy a generic can of Rustoleum white spray paint and some light grey primer to "touch it up" every so often.

The excuses some of the GM people have given folks about this are laughable. It's damage control - nothing more. They know... but they get paid by the idiots who write them a check. They're not magically going to develop common sense or integrity and admit this is a problem. (GM quality control can be found in any septic tank.)

Fortunately - the older Sprinters are being turned over as they depreciate and by golly - in addition to better mileage and reliablity... the paint stays on.

Rattle can the flaking areas then sh*t can the van when it's time to trade up for something reliable.

peeling paint on 2013 roadtrek built on chevy express van
 

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/chevrol...ba8c6363ec.jpg
Side where masking tape took off paint.
I have a 2013 Roadtrek RV that is built on a Chevy express van, white in color. My paint started peeling.i took it to a Chevy dealer to show them the paint and was told like so many others that a rock caused the damage. Not possible where the damage occurred. The dealer called out the body shop people and the first thing out of his mouth was “ah, Chevy white, that happens to a lot of chevys.” Even his own truck had this damage. I think Chevy tells there dealers to say it is caused by rocks hitting the vehicles. Anyway they wouldn’t help and wouldn’t even respond to a negotiator that was from Chevy. We took it to a place to have the peel areas repainted. They painted the drivers side except the front door. When they went to take off the masking tape they had put on the door, it peeled off a whole section of paint. I don’t think masking tape should be able to peel off paint. They called us and since we discovered that some paint on the other side was starting to peel, we decided to have the whole vehicle repainted at a cost of $6,000. They took it all the way down to the metal since they weren’t comfortable even leaving the primer on because they warranty their paint job for the life of the vehicle (not like Chevy). I will never ever purchase a Chevy in my lifetime and will make sure no one that I know purchases one. I wish there was a class action suit against them, I would so join it. Oh and the body shop ended removing the paint they had already had done because they didn’t trust that the primer would not cause peeling down the road.

People should boycott Chevy, GM period. They should be taking care of all their customers not just the ones with white vehicles.

The white paint on our 1994 GMC Suburban flaked off from the primer as well, primarily on the tailgate. It became so bad that I ended up sanding the entire tailgate and spraying it from aerosol cans.

Fortunately, our 2005 GMC Yukon has not experienced such paint peeling with its white.

We also have a white 1998 Frontier, and about 2 years ago its paint started peeling. However, Frontiers with Electric Blue in mid-1970s were tons worse. And Nissan also sticks its head in the dirt and won't claim any responsibility.

Do you guys know what years were affected by this issue? I am looking to buy a 2013 GMC Savana in white and want to know if I should avoid the color in general or if there is a cut off when this was addressed at the factory?

Thanks

Peeling paint
 

When did your paint start to peel? Was it right when you bought the vehicle in 2013 or recently?

Nissan paint has similar issues. Worse on the electric blue color. Nissan claims same as GM. https://www.carcomplaints.com/Nissan..._peeling.shtml
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/chevrol...35cada8799.jpg

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/chevrol...d54f50461a.jpg

So end of 2018? Thanks for the info. What I want to understand is if the paint fast ealry in the vehicle life or I'd it can start to fail at any point in its life. Sounds like it can fail at any point.

The van I am looking at does not have pain t issues now but it sounds like it can happen at any point so I will pass and look for any other color but white.

Peeling paint
 

1. ALL years are affected although the effects appear to be random in severity.
2. It has NEVER been addressed... you see them only one or two years old with the paint peeling.

Update January 2024 after a cold spell
 

My paint saga continues since it reduced the van to nearly no trade in value. I still have the van. All panels, doors, roof, etc peeling. This is some before shots. Right before I rolled on White Gloss Rustoleum. I didn't even bother sanding or feathering. So over it. I just continue advertising GMs fine product.

I told them they would lose a lifelong GM buyer. There is a new (new when I bought it) Mercedes Sprinter van parked in the drive next to it.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/chevrol...3cc590222d.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/chevrol...30dbdabd91.jpg

That sucks.

Did you ever inquire about the cost of repaint?

How are you liking the Sprinter?

Bad Paint lead me to the Sprinter
 

GM spot repaired due to my Corporate complaint at about 4 years old. It looked beautiful. I should have dumped it in that time frame.

It started peeling again at 5 years + 1 month. They wouldn't honor the repair or any further help. It only gets worse. No rust because I am in Las Vegas. But it comes off in big sheets every real cold spell.

I have had estimates to remove the glass, etc. Chem strip and repaint $10K. Even half that doesn't interest me at this point. The first thing major that fails I will be done with it.

Love the Sprinter so far. Its a 2019. The paint is staying on it so far. LOL. I did a DIY conversion on it. Shower/Toilet, solar, fridge and a lot more. Its a high top so I can stand in it too.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/chevrol...6f0f8d7934.jpg

I wonder how much it would cost to have a van wrapped in plain white.