Evan Byrne

Hey All,

I recently bought a 2019 Express Cargo with 8k Miles. It was a rental van then sold at auction, then to the dealer I bought it at. Its otherwise in great like-new condition but I noticed some weird stuff with the paint. The overall van looks great as it should for being basically brand new. The paint looks good, but when I look closer it looks like the roof was given a second coat with the windshield already installed. There is a mask line down the roof gutter and some small over spray on the windshield rubber and door seal. I also noticed a tiny bit of paint on the very inside of the side cargo door handle making me think they masked them and sprayed the door, which again seems odd. I was under the assumption everything was painted prior to the installation of the handles and windshield.

I had a minor heart attack thinking that somehow the van had been resprayed in its short 1 year life, but it has a clean Carfax and I can't imagine a situation where it could have needed a respray less than a year after leaving the factory. I assume this is a product of the factory paint shop. I know these vans classically have poor paint jobs, but even this was surprising.

mountainmanjoe

Looks re-sprayed to me too. See if it rubs off in case maybe it's just car wax.

Clean Carfax just means the paint job was done without the help of an insurance claim. A dealer or owner had it done at their expense. It's common.

I'm fairly sure the GM factory doesn't paint cars with rubber gaskets and seals installed.

Evan Byrne

Well upon further inspection it does look like at least the roof and the cargo doors were resprayed. Wow am I depressed now. I can't believe I didn't catch that at the dealer. Well it might be time to sell this thing.

mountainmanjoe

It's not necessarily reason to panic. If the paint job was done well, it will last as long as the original paint. You can take it to a body shop to have the paint tested. They have gauges for that.

Evan Byrne

Well thanks for the reassurance. I'm going to take it back to the dealer tomorrow and raise hell with them. Its still covered by the bumper to bumper warranty and subject to California's Lemon Law. I'll see if I can either get it fixed or some money back.

mountainmanjoe

Warranty covers manufacturer defects, not accidental damage. Lemon law applies when dealers can't/won't fix a manufacturing defect. If the previous owner drove the van into a garage with low clearance, then lemon law doesn't apply. Plus, someone did fix it.

I don't think you have justification to raise hell. It's up to you to inspect a vehicle before you buy.
All you can do is say to the dealer that you didn't see the overspray until after you bought the vehicle, and that you are disappointed with purchase. I'm not really sure what you would want them to fix (clean up the overspray on handles?). Getting money back seems unlikely. A reasonable request might be to ask that they give you credit towards maintenance for a few years (oil changes etc.), and cover the cost if any problems arise from the paint job.

Evan Byrne

Well I'll see what they say. The CA lemon law talks about anything that substantially reduces the value of a vehicle.

mountainmanjoe

You're just picking out parts that sound good to you. The law strictly applies to manufacturing defects. (including ones that cause reduction in value). I suggest you read the law carefully first before you embarrass yourself. I don't think you'll be able to prove this is a defect.

Evan Byrne

Point taken. I'll research it more prior to talking to them. I'll probably just sell it instead.

mountainmanjoe

Ask the dealer if he knows the history. If all it was is minor scratches or scuffing, then maybe you can live with it. Used vehicles are a bit of a gamble, and never perfect. You may buy a different one with perfect paint, but end up with much worse mechanical problems.