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Just bought a certified used 08, and discovered it has been repainted!
First post on this forum...I've been meaning to make a proper introduction but I just discovered this and I am pretty pissed off, and need to vent.
Anyways, I just bought a certified used San Marino Blue '08 base from the local dealer this past Sunday (El Cajon Mossy in case you're in San Diego). During the sale I was told several times that the car has never been in an accident, and was given a CarFax report showing that indeed, the car has not been in an accident. While I was at the dealer I gave the Z a good look around the entire exterior to look for any signs of damage, and I couldn't see any. I guess I didn't do a good enough job of that...
Earlier this morning after parking my car I got out and took a close look at the underside of my front bumper. What caught my eye was that there was a small area of the bumper where the paint didn't look "smooth", in other words it looked as though it had pooled up slightly before it had completely dried. WTF? So I then proceed to look over the entire bumper and I see this same thing happen in another spot, and also there is an area or two where the finish or smoothness of the paint doesn't quite match with the rest of the car. I also discovered a piece of masking tape taped to the underside of the car under the bumper, with what looks like sprayed blue paint on it.
I checked the rest of the car after this and I think that only the front bumper was repainted. My question is, can I do anything about this? I am going to complain to the dealer no matter what but are they obligated to do anything to resolve this?
Ugh, I am just so pissed. It sucks to buy a used car, thinking it's good because it's certified, and then find **** like this.
Last edited by PeterSellers; 03-12-2010 at 10:40 AM.
just because the front bumper had been resprayed doesn't mean it was in an accident, these cars are notorious for having horrible rock chips in the front fascia
Alright, thanks for all the quick replies! Well, it's good to hear that pretty much everyone is in agreement that it is not necessarily cause for concern. I didn't know Nissan paint was generally considered to be bad...I'm coming from a mazda which had horrible paint, and I was hoping to leave that aspect of my car behind. Oh well!
I guess my main problem with it is that they didn't do the greatest job with the finish. Like I said I saw some pooling and some areas on the bumper that seemed "rougher" than others. Kind of hard to explain and I'm sure there's a term for it but I don't know what it is. There is also some "orange peel" on the front bumper. The color does seem to be matched fine though.
Is that still something that is worth taking it back for the dealer for?
Carfax doesn't show all accidents or repaints. The dealer should have found the repainted bumper during their inspection and disclosed it to you, but they can cry wolf and say that they didn't know either.
I bought a new Maxima back in 02' that had been dinged by the dealership while in their lot. They repainted it, but I didn't notice it until the next day. They repainted it two more times, but I was not satisfied on my NEW car, so I forced them to take it back and they did. You can do it if you are really unsatisfied with your transaction. Do you mind sharing what model/options your Z has and what you paid for it? Maybe you have more reason to go back kicking and screaming if it was less than a very fair deal.
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Originally Posted by solidfish
Hey scott. Thanks for the ride by the way. Your car and driving is sick. Literally, I was sick. It was like riding a mad rollercoaster. The car turns like its on rails. And the braking was unreal. So many times I thought we were going to fly off the track. Absolutely nuts, but it was great fun.
Carfax doesn't show all accidents or repaints. The dealer should have found the repainted bumper during their inspection and disclosed it to you, but they can cry wolf and say that they didn't know either.
I bought a new Maxima back in 02' that had been dinged by the dealership while in their lot. They repainted it, but I didn't notice it until the next day. They repainted it two more times, but I was not satisfied on my NEW car, so I forced them to take it back and they did. You can do it if you are really unsatisfied with your transaction. Do you mind sharing what model/options your Z has and what you paid for it? Maybe you have more reason to go back kicking and screaming if it was less than a very fair deal.
it is an 08 base MT, certified used with 21.8K miles on it. I paid $22.5K for it.
Alright, thanks for all the quick replies! Well, it's good to hear that pretty much everyone is in agreement that it is not necessarily cause for concern. I didn't know Nissan paint was generally considered to be bad...I'm coming from a mazda which had horrible paint, and I was hoping to leave that aspect of my car behind. Oh well!
I guess my main problem with it is that they didn't do the greatest job with the finish. Like I said I saw some pooling and some areas on the bumper that seemed "rougher" than others. Kind of hard to explain and I'm sure there's a term for it but I don't know what it is. There is also some "orange peel" on the front bumper. The color does seem to be matched fine though.
Is that still something that is worth taking it back for the dealer for?
You could have a body shop look at it to see if they can do some addl finish work; maybe do a light wet sanding.
My question is, can I do anything about this? I am going to complain to the dealer no matter what but are they obligated to do anything to resolve this?
Why ask us, we're not lawyers specializing in CA law.
What does certified used mean? I always thought they were certifying the mechanical integrity of the vehicle, not whether it's wrecked or not. Carfax would be responsible if it had been in an accident and not reported to you, not the dealer. As others have pointed out, just because the bumper or any other part has been painted doesn't mean "accident". Why not talk to the dealer first before throwing up red flags here, you don't have the full story, so certainly we won't have the full answer for you.
Its common practice for dealerships to respray fb's...It normally costs them pennies, but increases the cars value by at least a couple thousand..
I would think you're ok..but would look for overspray and clay those particular areas fairly well...
-They don't remove the fb when respraying over top...
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//2005 35th SB #81 [tyra] SOLD
//2006 GT PPW SOLD
just because the front bumper had been resprayed doesn't mean it was in an accident, these cars are notorious for having horrible rock chips in the front fascia
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Originally Posted by Spork
Maybe the front bumper was repainted due to rock chips. Nissan's paint sucks.
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Originally Posted by gregtotheb
+1 i would prefer a freshly painted front bumper than one with a lot of rock chips. are there any issues with paint match?
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Originally Posted by davidc81
+1 would you rather have a chipped up bumper that you would have to repaint anyway?
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Originally Posted by Zee Thirty 3
What's the problem?
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Originally Posted by NISMO_558
+2 for the bumper have just been repainted, nissans paint really does suck.
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Originally Posted by Nexx
omg OP, i would sue Nissan for give you a freshly painted bumper!!! i think you are in line for millions in damages. go for it!
Just bought a certified used 08, and discovered it has been repainted!
