Paint Flaw - Warranty?

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Brian Wolf

Brian Wolf

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Jun 27, 2005
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Location
Columbus, OH
On my 2010 ST, The paint on the hood is pitting, and you can pick off the clear coat on the spots.



It all over the front hood, Mainly on the passenger side, near the windshield. No other parts of the truck have this.



It's definitely not from rocks flying while driving, but is a flaw in the finish.



I'm still within my 3yr/36K Warranty. I've bought it brand new, and have had it for 1 year and 6 months. I have 30,100



So I bring it to my dealer, They look over it for about an hour, take a bunch of pictures, and say they'll give me a call in a couple days.



Today, they call and say this is NOT covered by warranty, and the decision is by Ford, and there is nothing they can do.



Does that seem right? It's clearly an issue with the paint. Truck is in near mint condition, well cared for, never even been off road. What should I do next? Kind of unhappy.



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Contact ford directly. Be positive but firm. State the issue with pictures.



I had good luck working with Ford on a problem I had with a explorer I purchased several years ago.
 
They covered the hood of my mustang. It was within the three year period. The dealer could not approve the repair, they took took pictures and had to send them to ford. Ford came right back and they repaired the paint.
 
I don't think that is paint failure....It looks more like rail-dust. A condition common around railroad tracks (this the name) and is caused by tiny metal particles flying off the tracks and train wheels and landing on your vehicle. The metal particles have sharp edges and dig into the paint. When it rains the particles start to rust and cause pits in the clear coat. Some brand new cars that are shipped by rail have been known to arrive at the dealership with paint damage from Rail-dust.



While it is called Rail-dust, it does not have to come from being near a railroad. It can occur in other industrial areas where any air born metal particles may exist.



I got Rail dust on my old 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix when I was building a trailer and had my car parked abot 30-40 feet down the driveway from where I was welding and grinding on the trailer. Sparks were not going more than about 4-6 feet, but the metal particles were blown by the wind and they went much further than I had anticipated. 2 weeks later I discovered little rust spots and pits in the clearcoat, but did not realize I had caused it.



I took the car to the dealer and he said he would take care of it, and he did... and there was no charge. They used a clay-bar to remove the metal specks and then completely buffed the clearcoat....and my car looked better than new.



After he told me it was Rail-Dust I said that the car has never been spent any time around railroad tracks, he told me that it Rail-dust is just a term that used to describe damage from metal particles settling on the paint. Later, I realized that my Welding and Grinding on my trailer caused metal particles to be windblown onto my car.



If you can get your dealer to fix it, they will probably do the same thing my dealer did, and it worked great. If they won't do it, then you can probably do it yourself or get a good detail shop to do it for you.



...Rich



 
Thanks for the info.



At this time, I'm not ready to write it off as anything environmental.

The problem is only on the hood panel. The roof of the vehicle is flawless, the top of the fenders right next to the hood, where its the worst, are flawless. I would think I would at least see the same on the roof at least, especially if there was enough to damage the entire hood.



I also own a 2002 ST (220,000 miles) which I bought brand new. Parked right next to the new one, and I still drive it to work and follow the same routes. Same color, absolutely no sign of anything like this.



I am going to get a "second opinion" from another dealer.
 
Wolf,

Think what you want, but I think your are in denial. All of my rail-dust damage was also on the hood which caused me some concern too. However, if you don't know what it is, or how it got there, you cannot assume that it would have to be all over the vehicle and all over the other vehicles.



It could have been some metal fragments that blew off of a passing truck....The fact that you have another vehicle without the same damage would indicate to me that it was a fluke that one day that vehicle just happened to be near or passed by some source of airborne metal particles...It may have actually been while stopped at a railroad crossing and that train just happened to be kicking up some rail dust that just made it to the hood of your vehicle.



Rail dust is not covered by your warranty, and I suspect that your dealer will say it's rail dust damage. If he is a good dealer he may fix it like my dealer did, but he is not bound by the warranty to fix damaged paint that is not a factory defect...and I don't think your paint problem is a factory defect.



...Rich



 
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I agree with Mkie VT. Write Ford Customer Care directly. Be polite. State your case like you did here. Enclose the photos, Tell them exactly what you want to see happen (e.g. refinish the hood, etc.) Be fair. Do not make threats. Tell them you would be happy to make the vehicle available for their inspection.



I think you made a very good case here for it NOT to be environmental. Whether it is or not isn't the true issue. Ford may take care of you whether it is environmental or not if they want to keep you happy and retain you as a customer.



I arbitrate automotive lemon law cases all the time for the past ten years. If I heard a case based on your comments and pictures here, and based on Richard L's counter arguments, I would rule in your favor as this being a covered defect that Ford should repair. Of course Richard (and Ford) may have additional evidence that could sway me, but your comment about it only being on the hood and not the fenders, and that the other vehicle doesn't have this earned big points in your favor with me. In my arbitrations, we first consider if there is a defect (which there is), then we consider if the defect is covered under warranty (which it would be unless the manufacturer can make a strong affirmative defense that it would not be a defect in material and/or workmanship). Then we look to see if the defect affects the use, value, and/or safefy of the vehicle. (I would think bad paint no matter the cause would affect the value of a 2010 vehicle greatly.)



Good luck!
 
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IMO, your dealer see's your milage. He will make more $$ to paint after 36K. Hopeing you will let it fly that long. He gambles that you will be back. I dought he even talked to a district rep.



I say this because I have never had any ford dealer deny me paint. During the warranty period. Never had to get the district rep involved. One time it was industrial fallout. Maybe I was lucky.

Only for heavey work did a dealer hmm-haa me. Into getting a district rep involved.
 
Richard L's case seems to hold water. :)



Went to dealer number two to get a second opinion...



They mentioned it looked like rail dust, The body shop mgr, and the lead painter came out to take a look.



The manager said this is pretty common to only have on one panel, Vehicles are transported by rail to this area, and they usually cover all the panels with a cling on plastic, sometimes they forget a panel, and the dust gets on there, and can start to eat at it, though unnoticable at first, one day bam, it starts getting very noticable over time.



He says it most likely happened during transport, and has finally become noticable.



He made me an appointment for next week, and said they'll take care of it.



Oh and the good part, They looked up my VIN, they said Ford hasn't declined anything, the other dealer probably just didnt want to mess with it because they are so big and busy.
 
Gavin,

I think Wolf would have to have another opinion from a paint expert to claim that is a paint defect. However, I don't think any paint expert would be able to prove that it is a paint defect....I know of no known paint defect that looks like that, but I do know what rail-dust contamination looks like....and it looks just like what's shown in Wolf's photos.



I am convinced that anyone who has any experience with automotive paint would agree with Ford, that it is not a paint defect, but is rail-dust caused by contamination of the paint by metal particles that were left to sit on the paint....just of a day or two. Once the vehicle got wet the metal particles started to rust and that began to eat into the clear-coat. You can even see the little rust spots in the middle of the larger white spots.



This is not caused by a lack of cleaning because the metal tends to bite into the clear coat and simple washing does not remove these particles. They are so small that you don't notice them until the start to get that white ring around them. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to remove the metal particles with a clay-bar and to buff out the damage.



...Rich
 
Wolf,

I just read your last post (you posted while I was writing my post :grin:)



I agree with the second dealers opinion, however I don't think this was cause because your vehicle was shipped by train...That would have been over two years ago and rail dust will show up shortly after the vehicle gets wet...unless your truck has never gotten wet in 2 years? So the dust got on your vehicle probably a few days or weeks before you started to notice the spots....but it does not matter how the metal particles got on your hood, the second dealer said he is going to take care of it, and that's all that counts.



He will probably do the same thing that my Pontiac dealer did...clay-bar the whole car and buff it out. Your truck will look as good as new...maybe even better...mine did :grin:



...Rich
 
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I would still go to Ford. It looks like a clear coat problem. You might be able to repair without a to much work but if the color coat is damaged it will need to be painted. Unfortunately the longer you wait the more damage.
 
They looked up my VIN, they said Ford hasn't declined anything
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They can be such liers'



Here is a good site, you can post the "good, bad and ugly" about dealers.



See the link.
 
Since you have proof the first dealer lied, I would recommend you post your experience on Angies List and the local Better Business Bureau. Make'em squirm a bit for being d*cks.
 
I would call or go to the first dealer and simply ask them why they lied. Remaining completely calm the entire time and repeatedly asking why they flat out lied to my face would give me pleasure to see them try to talk their way out of it. I wouldn't even ask any other questions at all, holding my talking to a minimum after explaining the situation. Just simply, "Why did you lie to me?" Also making sure to make it obvious you want their first and last name to write down without an explanation as to why and make no threats. Make them wonder who you are and what you're going to do when the conversation ends.



Two types of people really bother me to no end: thieves and liars.
 
Two types of people really bother me to no end: thieves and liars.
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Hugh, DITTO......thieves at the top. But liars, in sales of any product. Realy erk' me. I will pay more for a product or service before I deal with a liar again. If I do, it means I give them permission to take advantage of me.
 
I Like Hugh's idea...



My guess. The original dealer (which I bought the vehicle from) has over a dozen lots, and sells every brand of vehicle under the sun, but has the one body shop for all of them. They're probably too busy to care unless a big profit is in the works.



The second dealer only sells Ford on one lot. ( My fianc just bought a used car from these guys... )



Too bad the last New sport trac in the area was at the first... Hindsight, I wish the second had it.
 

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