Chris S

Was the orange peel on the car when you bought it? Sounds like you didn't inspect it very well or "settled" b/c you wanted the car too bad.

Good for you if you can get some compensation, but NNA shouldn't do anything about it IMO....orange peel will disappear only if prospective customers refuse to take delivery of badly painted cars.

Sanderman

Christ, they've offered to buy back what is to them a used car. No way they win here, and you call this one sided?

And to those who say get a repaint - remember that repaints are NEVER as durable as factory paint. Factory paint is done well before final assebmbly - before the interior and plastic trim, etc. is put on the car. This means they can heat cure the paint job in ways that no aftermarket repaint ever can. I had the nose of my first 300 TT replaced and painted after a minor accident using factory parts at a premium body shop and it chipped at a rate 4 or 5 times greater than the original factory paint.

Your'e better off with the orange peel or buying a new one with an acceptable paint job.

joe

HEUGE

Sammythebull...

I should be your biggest supporter, but I think you are being completely unreasonable in what you ask for (sounds like a brand new car). I agree that the paint on many Z's have paint problems, but I voted for

"Shut up... all 350Z's have Orange Peel... deal with it"

Think of it more as a protest vote, but but I think that you should be grateful that Nissan has offered all of those options to you. If this was a mechanical or electrical issue, or some hidden flaw, then you would have had my full support in asking Nissan for the world for fixes, but this issue is regarding the exterior of the car which you can clearly see before you bought it.

I agonized about the same issues with orange peel per in my prior posts, and this board was supportive (e.g. the best purpose of having a board like this). You too are reaching out for support to the answers to your question, but I can't give it to you this time.

While I desperately wanted to take my Daytona Blue Z home in September, I knew that in the long-run I would have been unable to accept something that looked so wrong to me. I imagined that every day I would walk to my car and see this freaky distorted reflection off of the car surfaces, and it would have pissed me off every day. After the Nissan paint inspectors (two of them) rendered their separate conflicting decisions (one to buy the car back immediately from the dealer and the other indicating that it was bad but not out of the ordinary), I felt that that I had no choice but to decline my Z and await another one. I was so angry that I had waited six months for my car to read about everyone else on my350z.com enjoying their Z's when I determined that my best long-term happiness was to let the car go. I let paint-logic squash my eagerness and emotions at the time.

***start rant to Nissan***
Nissan has to fix its manufacturing process!!! Stop the production line for a week or at least slow it down. Get the paint right damnit!!! I don't give a damn about a few free concerts or the free hardcover book for preorders. I don't give a damn about SHIFT_*. Fix the paint for future Z's.
***end rant***

The best way to shut up a consumer is not to buy him/her out, it is to make sure the consumer has nothing to complain about in the first place. Nissan should know by now that the paint and the Bose are dropping customer satisfaction ratings faster than anything else. The only way to stop these are to fix them at the source, not at the dealership's service department.

I want to place my reorder with confidence, but I keep hearing that the new Z's have just as many problems with the paint as the first few off of the production line. I hear that some colors show less blemishes, but then I hear of freak issues where some of those "better" colors still has significant orange peel. The thing that really concerns me is that on the poll about orange peel that there is a nice bell curve or perfect cars (some) to some peel (many) then totally flawed cars (some). If the paint process is aiming at "OK" paint for the "perfect" car, then this is what is expected. I would prefer that they would aim for "perfect" paint for a "perfect" car.

In reality, if it's pissing you off, take the buyback and go back to waiting again. I think that they were generous in offering it to you at this late stage. Good luck.

3502GO

Don't repaint it whatever you do. For the love of God, don't repaint your brand new Z!!! Ask for concesssion for your tags/title and license on a purchase towards a new Z. Have them put there offer in writing, this is very important because then you have proof that they admit a flaw, this is extremely important if this escalates beyond the executive your working with. If they do not give you a concession, and you have this in writing, you might as well contact other executives and make as much noise as you politely can make. I don't like yor chances but if they have made you these offers then the peel must be pretty bad. I wish you luck, my peel is also pretty bad, much worse on my new redline than my superblack ever was.

Boomer

Don't do a "Buy Back", it makes no financial sense. Either have them repaint the car or live with it. Who will do the repaint? The dealer's shop or someone else? Ask whoever it is what the chances are you will not end up with the same problem w/orange peel with a repaint and why you will or won't have the same problem you have now. In my opinion, you have 3 options:

1. Nissan pays for having car repainted;
2. Nissan buys the car back and you lose a lot, your list is not just $, but all the other inconveniences that go with buying another car; and
3. Sell the car for as much as you can get for it, you need to figure out how much over MSRP you would have to have to satisfy option #2; I don't think it will cover all the $ and intangibles.

If I were you, I would have Nissan either repaint the car or live with it. You have only 2 choices from Nissan, they have made their decision, now you make yours.

Legally, you are screwed, lawyers cost money out of your pocket. Any judge would rule in Nissan's favor because they have offered restitution in 2 ways, buy back or repaint. Those are reasonable choices in a judge's eyes. The fact you have these intangibles is irrelevant. In both of Nissan's offers, they will have made restitution and you will not gain by fighting them.

If you repaint, you could take it to a custom painter and pay the extra between Nissan's offer and the custom painter. I again don't think Nissan will agree because they will choose the repainter to keep costs as low as possible. If they did agree, how much more could it cost? A lot, probably. It still comes down to; repaint or live with it. Buy back is not an option, for the reasons I've listed above.

Boomer--my opinion, use it or lose it, I don't care.

xray

The choice is clear: eat the tax loss, sell it back, drive a clunker for a year, and get a fresh 2004 minus the other problems that will be resolved for the newer model.

Some people have more sensitivities to defects, especially since it's their hard-earned money. I looked around for orange peel, and it jsut depends on month, day, year, color. You never know if what happened to a particular batch. It's automated but not perfect, just the luck of the draw.

The moral: Always inspect the vehicle before signing.


-Xray

Jason

I don't get it... so every car has a little bit of orange peel but this is the ONLY board I've ever been on that it has made such a gargantuan issue of it!!

One interesting thing on my MR2 Spyder is that there is actually very little of it on most of the car. However, as you look down near the bottom of the car you see a LOT of it. It' not really noticable down there, and I've been told by several sources that it is due to a more durable paint process used near the bottom of the car. It's been pretty consistant across all the Spyders that I've seen.

I also took a look at another 350Z at the Seattle International Car Show this weekend and the car looked amazing. I couldn't see a square inch of orange peel on the entire vehicle.

spn350z

Check your state's lemon law and document your communication with Nissan (writing).

In Texas the lemon law allows for other expenses to be added to restitution. If parties are unable to resolve problem, the state can order the car be fixed, replaced or repurchased. Part of the compensation are for attorney fees and alternate transportation plus options added (may be tint and XM radio) but again this is decided at the hearing. Best part is that judgement is binding on the dealer but not consumer.

If you don't have an attorney, get one of those 1 hour referrals from your local legal association generally 'bout $20 to discuss your options.

Thunderbolt

Just think, somewhere down the line somebody will be restoring a prreorder Z to factory condition. As this somebody is getting everything ready the the Body shop manager comes up and say " I am sorry sir but we are haveing trouble getting the factory orange peel to look right." This preorder Z now has just a flawless production paint job. It is no longer orignal.

mikersoft

IMHO, I find it hard to believe that a less than perfect paint job would be covered under a lemon law... especially if it's common throughout the entire run of the model...

Boomer

Are you sure its OP near the bottom of your doors? I had a 91 MR2T and the rocker panels were protected by a lumpier-looking paint. It was a factory addition to protect the lower body parts, rocker panels, primarily. Its very noticeable, but its not a flaw, just like your sources said, its a protectant and it was lumpy to the touch. If yours is evenly distributed along the rocker panels, it was like that from the factory.

Boomer--a little off topic, but you can ignore me.

P.S. I have some OP on my Brickyard, but you have to get up really close to see it. I am not at all disturbed by it. The car is still gorgeous and I don't consider it flawed at all. Black always shows up the worst on any car when its dirty, has fingerprints on it, etc. Unless you simply can't live w/it, repaint it. You won't get any other concessions from Nissan; and I agree with some of the previous posts, the 2 options Nissan is offerring are almost unheard of in the car business after you have taken delivery.

RobJames

Man, you are crazy. This is one of the most generous corporate offers I have ever heard of. They have offered to make you whole, and you think their offers are one sided. You want them to pay part of your car payments. Are you an alien? Why the hell would they do that? If the orange peel is bothering you that much, and it seems like it is because you have obviously griped a great deal about it (although I'm not really sure how justified you are), get it wet sanded and repainted. They will do a good job, you will have the most refective paint job around. Otherwise, sell it back to them and quit bitching about it. Try taking your arguments to a courtroom, you would get a $50 refund and wax job. You're crazy if you don't graciously accept one of their offers.

mcduck

I have to agree with MikeyDNY's response. If the orange peel on your Z bothers you that much, you should have never taken delivery.

I'm sure everyone who bought the car was excited when it arrived. But, if you did not take time to do full pre-purchase inspection and work out problems then, you need to just accept the car for what it is and move on. I think you could argue differently if it was something like a bad tranny or hidden rattle... something you could not see, but from what your saying the orange peel is obvious. Should have been obvious the day you bought the car.

If Nissan is giving you options at all, I think they are being very generous.

JAnton

A factory repaint would probably do the trick as you can just continue to ***** until it is done right. I don't think that would devalue the vehicle as it will be done by Nissan instead of Maaco. That way, you get to keep your car, and eliminate the peelage, eventually.

spn350z

In Texas:
"Section 3.08(i). The owner of a motor vehicle or the owner's designated agent may make a complaint concerning defects in a motor vehicle which are covered by a manufacturer's, converter's, or distributor's warranty agreement applicable to the vehicle."

I believe paint or finish is covered under warranty. Lemon law may apply if the problem is not fixed. Again this is a state by state and case by case.

The existance of lemon laws is why other problems get fixed under warranty...rattles, sqeaks, Bose bass, transmission etc. It may be impossible to get a buy back for a sqeak but may be for multiple sqeaks and rattles that are not fixed, the buy could be ordered.

Sanderman

No it wouldn't, the only "factory paint job" is the one done in the plant in Japan - not in a dealership or bodyshop in the US. A repaint will NEVER be as durable as a factory applied paint finish and will always be more prone to chips. The choices boil down to:

1. Orange peel yet durable paint.

2. Chip prone and no orange peel repaint.

3. Let them buy it back and shop til you find a perfect one.

4. Drive the hell out of it and have fun.

I vote 4, but that's just me.....

joe

RobJames

Well, I have had repainted cars before, and the paint has been more durable than on my Z now. I think a good repaint will be as good or better than the paint on our Zs.

Cheese with that whine. Look around. Name the car at the same price. It has paint flaws too.