So I bought a new 06 sports bumper and had a reputable body shop paint it about a year ago. The body shop is the one recommended by the dealer and comes with warranty against peeling, etc.

A few months ago I had a clear bra installed no problem.

However, just recently I noticed that in the corner area where the bumper meets the quarter panel, there is a chip or peel, from what looks like too much pressure being applied to b/w the bumper and auarter panel (The "gap" b/w the bumper and quarter panel is next to nothing where the bumper meets the panel, but gets larger going the other way). The other side is perfect)

Actually, the same thing happened to my rear bumper when I owned a RSX (brand new), the dealer paid to have a shop repaint it b/c they said the bumper and panel were too close together. Even if the shop agrees to fix, I dunno who's gonna eat the cost on the removing and replacing the clear bra (unless repair can be sone w/out removal).

I was told to bring the car by the shop for a manager to take a look, but I just wanted to post some pics, and get ur all opinion on it. Thanks!







Other Side (no defect)

 

honestly, it has been a year and i doubt they will do anything about it now

 

It hasn't been a year. Only about 8 months.

Body shop manager stated the issue is due to improper clearance b/w the fender and bumper--flexing causing rubbing. But, they claimed they painted and installed the bumper correctly and the bumper must be defective, and said the clips cannot be repositioned.

The bumper was bought brand new through the body shop from the local Infiniti dealership. This dealership (where I bring my car to) is actually a "sister company" to the body shop. The dealer recommends all repairs be done by the body shop. So, the body shop said they would not fix it but would "touch up" the area if I chose.

However, even "touching up" the area will not resolve the issue, w/out reinstalling the bumper/clips correctly so the rubbing does not occur. IMO, cracking might be next if the issue is not taken care of. Also, they told me the parts was under warranty and should be replaced, but they would not make the claim for me. So I told them I was going to talk to the dealer.

So I went to my dealer and spoke to the Service Manager. He said that how it's going to go down is that in a few weeks he will have an Infiniti rep, the dealership owner, and the body shop owner get together and look at the bumper to resolve the issue. Someone shoudl take responsibility and fix the issue.

I paid ~900 for the bumper and paint job (which is a lot) and to have this happen 8 months later is unacceptable imho. Hopefully, the Service Manager and Infiniti rep will have enough pull to make the body shop repair the bumper or order and paint me a new one.

The other issue is the clear bra, which costs $300 for the bumper alone, if it has to come off to fix/repaint the bumper, I really hope/expect that the dealer/bodyshop covers the cost of putting on a new clear bra.

The meeting will be sometime in early June. I hope it gets resolved amicably.

 

8 months is still along time. hopefully they'll take care of it for ya

 

^^Yea, 8 months is a long time, but the shop offers lifetime guarantee against peeling. But beyond that, the shop claims the defect is in the bumper itslef and that they performed the painting and install perfectly. Basically, I was told by the shop that "there is only 1 way to put on a bumper and the clips go on ones way". The Shop isn't disputing that the peeling is due to the rubbing of the fender on the bumper and improper clearance for flex. But they are saying that they painted and installed it properly and the damage was caused by OEM defects in the bumper or faulty design. I

The bumper is OEM, and if there is indeed a "defect" in the bumper, don't OEM parts carry a 1 year warranty? I mean if you bought a brand new car and 8 months later the bumper started peeling b/c the bumper and fenders were installed too close together at the factory, wouldn't you expect the repair to be done?

Going to the dealer, the opinion of some techs was that it looked like an improper install of the bumper on the one side (like one side was lined up first and the clip fitted, before the other side). But that's just a guess.

The ironic thing is that the dealer and shop are "silent" partners. The auto body shop pushes the dealer to promote the body shop for exclusive repair work on customers' cars and the body shop charges customers a premium for this association (I paid ~$960+ for the 06 sports bumper-about $280 for the bumper itself-and the rest for paint and install).

I've also always gone to this one dealer for all maintenance work and for bolt-ons installations so I believe they value me as a customer and I have some good friends there, so I'm fairly sure (hoping at least) that the issue will be resolved favorably.

With the service manager, the dealership owner, the body shop owner, and an Infiniti rep together looking at it, blame can't just be blindly thrown around without taking responsibility.

The reason why I don't want to just throw on some touch up is b/c the main issue is with the current fitment on how the bumper is installed and I believe the fender will continue to rub the corner of the bumper and eventually crack it (this happened on my RSX and when the bumper started to crack, it was repaired and repainted by the dealer under warranty).

 

OMG. You got raped on the bumper. This is yet another excellent
example of why you should NEVER GO TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR
ANY REASON WHATSOEVER. Once they sell you the car, proceed
to get as far away from it as possible. Literally. These people are
purely sales workers and could care less about the vehicles they
sell or the lives they ruin (joke). Its all about how many "units" they
sold today. They are giving you the ULTIMATE runaround. Be prepared
for them to tell you to stick it. LL

 

There Telling You Its A Defective Bumper? Regardless Paint Shouldnt Just Come Off Like That.i Work In A Bodyshop And Think When They Were Putting The It On That Specific Corner Got Pushed In Or Out To Alighn It And The Bond Was Compromised And Later Flaked Off,corners Are Infamous Cause The Person Sanding Sometimes Misses Certain Spots .properly Preped Surface Wont Flake Off..what Does He Mean By,rubbing?your Bumper Doesnt Move!if It Does ,they Installed Wrong..hope It Helps?if He Really Wanted To He Could Call The Paint Rep And Use The [lifetime Warranty]for Fading,cracking Or Peeling And They Will Reemburse Him ..he Might Have To Wait A While But Hell Get Paid If He Used Their Products Correctly.most Of The Time The Paint Rep Wont Even Come Out To Look At It,they Will Just Say Redoit ,no Problem....

 

Its a contact point where two panels (which move) contact one another. Nest to impossible to keep the paint pristine in that area.

 

I'd just touch it up once in a while and call it good....