View Full Version : 380GT faulty bubbling paint
Finally have time to post this - My 3-month old grey 380 has hundreds of bubbles and minor runs in the paintwork all over the car, and the car has now gone back to the dealership to be looked at.
I initially mentioned it at the 1500km service, and was told by the service foreman that he would contact MMAL and get back to me, but 7 weeks after that, I still had no word from him, so I contacted the new car sales manager, who asked for the car to be brought in so they could have another look at it.
Now, being without a car for 15 days, they have finally called an engineer up to Brisbane from MMAL to take digital photos of the car and bring them back with him, where head office employees will evaluate the situation. I don't even want to think what solutions there might be, as I am loathe to have the car resprayed, because it will come back with uneven paint (besides you can TELL if something's been resprayed). I paid for a new GT and that's what I should be getting. I'm not expecting MMAL to replace the vehicle as I've already clocked up 5000km, as this would not be fair to the company. On the other hand, I don't want my car exchanged for another identical car (perhaps a demo) with 5000km
on it - Who knows who's been thrashing it?
I am still waiting for a decision to be made. Surely I am being realistic in saying that a brand new car with factory paintwork should not have bubbles in it. The sales manager is adamant that the car has never been resprayed nor was it hail damaged prior to purchase (let's believe him), so is Mitsubishi's much-lauded new paint process for the 380's so poor that it starts bubbling within a couple of months? And by the way, my car is garaged both day & night, and washed weekly by myself only.
I wonder if any other 380 owners have noticed rough and not-so-glossy paintwork, especially on the door panels & rear quarters. Also check the rear bumper just behind the rear wheel : Look at it on angle and does it look rough?
Disciple
09-09-2006, 05:55 AM
What sort of products do you use when you wash it? From what you're saying it sounds like it came from the factory that way. First I've heard of such a thing with the 380's, but none-the-less. I'd wait to see what they say. If they say it needs to be resprayed and you don't want that, you need to kick up a stink. If it were my car, I'd be asking for a brand new car, as that is shocking quality control from the paint team at the plant. But that's just me.
VR33XY
09-09-2006, 06:46 AM
Kick and scream for a new one. No way on earth would I accept a respray.
Veearex
09-09-2006, 06:55 AM
Mate that sounds unusual to say the least. Ive had mine 4 months now and paintwork looks as deep and smooth as the day I bought it. If MMAL do find a fault in the final finishing process they may offer you a new vehicle.
With their new much lauded manufacturing assembly line electronic logging process they should be able to trace to exactly what day and operator was working on that particular vehicle.
Would be interested to see where this leads to.
15 days without a car :rant: ??????????
How does it take 15 days to get an evaluation done on a paint job :confused:
I'm not blaming ur or anything, but did you notice it when u left the dealership, or were you too excited about having a new car and didn't realise?
Honestly, I probably wouldn't have left the dealership until i was 100% happy with everything. I mean...its a brand new car!! You've worked or booty off for it.
Anyhows I'd just ask for a new car ;)
mike481050
09-09-2006, 09:42 AM
03 GTVi
After owning for a couple of months (purchased new) noticed front doors on both sides of the car a different shade to the rest of the car.
Took it to local dealer. Service manager advised both sides of the car needed completely repainting from headlight to tail light.
Had their spray painter talk to me who convinced me I would not be able to tell it had been repainted when finished.
They gave me a loan vehicle for a week. hardly slept the whole time worrying about how it would turn out.
I spent half an hour in the sunlight going over the paintwork before I would accept the car. Deep lustrous finish with no signs of a repaint. (apart from the smell of thinners inside the car which took about a week to disapear)
That was over 2 years ago and I still have not been able to find a blemish or a join line. Extremely happy!!
They can get as good a finish as the factory if they use skilled tradespeople.
Cheers
RJL25
09-09-2006, 10:46 AM
a mate of mine needed his commodore resprayed by holden 1 month after purchase, in the 5 years he owned it he never found any signs that the car was resprayed, it was a perfect job. You don't really need to worry about it being resprayed, the only thing i would do is demand that the WHOLE car gets resprayed, not just the damaged panels, that way you avoid any chance of mismatching panels
RINGA///ART
09-09-2006, 11:16 AM
ive prepared a 380GT in storm grey they day the new owners were coming to pick it up.. the bonnet on the thing was nothing short of a joke..
it looked as though they were scraping the bottom of the paint barrell when spraying it and you could see patches where it was still nearly bare undercoat.. Sort of seemed like the paint was splattering out of the spray gun..
Clear coat was perfect though.. also did a black pajero VRX last week.. and on the side step just under the divers door there was a patch of grey undercoat.. the black had just totally missed it and the clear went straight over the top of it..
back to the GT, the owners mustnt have said anything because it came in for its first service still the same..
but the owners of the black VRX pajero got another car as they refused delivery of that one (it also had major waterspots on the roof from where it had been sitting at the docks in japan and had gotten covered in salt water).. so they got the roof and side step resprayed and sold it to another buyer as an ex-demo car.. (they racked up 500-odd ks)
In general, mitsubisi paint is normally pretty good, but the storm grey has something about it where under certain lights it looks really cheap-ish.. and the black they use:rant: yes, they all come with orange peel, but what car doesnt now days?
I dont like the sound of them respraying it either, im fussy as and can generally tell if something has been resprayed.. id push for the car to be replaced.. but, if they do decide to respray your car, make sure it is all good BEFORE you accept it back.. if it has air bubbles/runs/imperfections etc etc tell them you want it fixed and for you to have a loan car in the meantime. if not - a new car.. you bought a new car in the first place, and thats what you should of got..
Hey Eek, yes I did notice the bubbling the very day I took the car home, and notified the dealer, who made a note of it and said they'd look at it during the 1500km service (as mentioned in my original post)
That is so bad from the dealer.. when I had a problem with my TL (wrong load raiting on the tyre) my dealer said, bring it in straight away and we will have a look.
Keep us informed of whats happening.
RJL25
09-09-2006, 11:56 AM
of them respraying it either, im fussy as and can generally tell if something has been resprayed.. id push for the car to be replaced.. but, if they do decide to respray your car, make sure it is all good BEFORE you accept it back.. if it has air bubbles/runs/imperfections etc etc tell them you want it fixed and for you to have a loan car in the meantime. if not - a new car.. you bought a new car in the first place, and thats what you should of got..
as i said before tho if the respray is done PROPERLY and the WHOLE car has been sprayed, not just individual panels, it should be completely impossible to tell that its been done, even for a detailing professional like your good self. But all the same i totally agree with ringa that you need to be absolutely fussy to the max when viewing the car before accepting it back after the respray, cos basically if you accept it back your majorly increasing the chances of being stuck with it.
I would give up on the idea of a whole new car, i would be very surprised if it happened. I've heard of people needing entire new engines in their 1 week old cars and still not getting a new car despite their claims that it will be harder to re-sell the car due to the different engine number compared to what it was manufactured with. Car companies very very very VERY rarely replace entire cars, especially for paint problems
slickth
09-09-2006, 03:51 PM
you wont get a new car just for a paint defect. it just isnt right. A respray of the car is a simple job and thousands of shops do them all the time. Its not a big deal. These things should be checked when the car is being handed over and before you drive away. And if you say it was fine when you picked it up and tell them it has just happened they are going to think the cause of the problem is something you are doing
SlickTH, as I have mentioned in my original post, I notice the problem the very night I took delivery of the car, and the dealership has been aware of it ever since - They just never did anything about it.
Also, I wrote that I am not expecting a new car in my original post
heydude
09-09-2006, 05:11 PM
About the only thing that causes bubles in paint is extra moisture when spraying.
Possibilities are that the water trap filters could have been full and allowed more moisture through when painting it originally.
I cant imagine much moisture in the air though, as it is done inside a factory.
So thats about all I can come up with.
dave_au
09-09-2006, 05:12 PM
This certainly isnt the first time MMAL have had paint issues - someone else had a huge section of paint on the bonnet peal off.
Yep this can happen when in-experienced operators (painters) change over empty drums of paint for full ones, air gets into robotic spraying systems, Systems need to be bled to get rid of air bubbles. Quality control would have picked this up, SSh ssh dont say nuthin, Sgt Schultz I KNOW NOTHING, Dealership would have noticed it, hoping to sell to some dummy who would not notice it. Should have been sold as Fleet vehicle that way no complaints.
One thing people haven't considered is this could have been done by the department that fixes the screwups of the assembly line.
EG if this car didn't get sprayed properly then someone sprays it by hand (not machine done like on the production line). This could explain the inconsistences in the finish.
Ulciscor
10-09-2006, 09:57 AM
They can get as good a finish as the factory if they use skilled tradespeople.
Cheers
a good painter should be able to get a finish BETTER than factory.
The analysis from MMAL regarding the faulty paintwork on my storm grey 380 has finally come back today. You know, typical aftersales service......I had to ring a number of times and get pushed around from person to person to person to person (literally) wasting half an hour before I got onto the sales manager who said he'd get the Service foreman to ring back.
The foreman didn't ring back - I had to ring up again later. The short answer is that Mitsubishi will respray the rear section of the car, which I thought is laughable to say the least. This is because (if you read the original thread) there are paint defects - little tiny bubbles and craters - all through the car, which I have painstakingly gone to stick over a hundred tiny bits of sticky tape on, so that the service guys can see where every blemish is.
The service foreman told me that the marks are due to "bug droppings" - his very words. I nearly lost it when he told me that. Obviously we know that bug droppings do not eat holes in the paint (at most, if left for a long time, they leave a very minor circular imprint on the paint, almost unnoticable). Secondly, why are Mitsubishi offering to respray only the rear of the car but not the front, when the condition afflicts the whole car??
I had many more words with the sales manager (who by the way is unable to lend me a loan car......18 days without a car and counting), and I am still waiting for them to ring me back this evening.....that's IF they ring.
Goodness gracious does it get any worse than this......I bought the 380 because it was supposedly "Better Built, Better Backed" and employed all the latest paint application technology. Certainly my paint finish wasn't "better built", and the dealer hasn't "backed" his product well either.
Very tempting to demand a full refund and go buy a new Maxima CVT, Accord V6 or even a god-damn Toyota Aurion, but obviously a refund isn't going to happen.
M4DDOG
12-09-2006, 02:36 PM
Sucks to hear mate, have you tried complaining to the service department at MMAL headquarters? For a brand new car it's hardly acceptable!
dave_au
12-09-2006, 02:42 PM
Write a letter to MMAL + take the issue up with fair trading in your state - you noticed the issue when you collected the car, it's not a fault of yours, its an issue of merchantable quality.
And to make sure it gets to the right person, not the PR department, use an express post envelope marked with "ATTN: MR ROB J MCENIRY URGENT - PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL" or Mr Tony Breugem - Executive Vice President Sales & Aftersales
1284 South Road CLOVELLY PARK South Australia 5042
Current Affair, then let MMAL know what your doing. Suprise they will contact you..
wrexed03
12-09-2006, 07:15 PM
Dirty Pricks. I went through this with a commie. Car went back 6 times for paint defects. Had left and right front and rear resprayed. Best part was from the dealer put a red dot on the defects. So i did. lots of red dots all over the black car. I ran out of red dots lol. Eventually it pretty much got sorted but there was always the odd defect that got missed. So i put up with it. I feel for you mate i hope something good comes out of it. Give them heaps. May be worth speaking to some legal people about it. All the best..
Regards
Sounds like a fair outcome to me?
Getting the panels resprayed which were an issue?
Disciple
13-09-2006, 05:25 AM
Sounds like a fair outcome to me?
Getting the panels resprayed which were an issue?
Are you serious? If your car had paint bubbles all over it from brand new, you'd be happy with a respray of a couple panels at the back of the car, even tho the problem extends to the entire car? Letalone the risk of mismatching paint etc... Wake up to yerself champ.
stinky
13-09-2006, 06:30 AM
jump up& down, scream, yell& be an absolute Prick! a mate of mine brought a b/new l/rover freelander. this thing was the biggest bucket of a car i'd ever seen. was alright when everything was working at once(rarely). even the parts they replaced under warranty failed. im talking ecu, suspension, a/c, p/windows, g/box etc. most of these were multiple failures.my mate can be fairly obnoxious to say the least btu he took on a completey different persona when dealing with the dealer & l/rover aust. in the end they gave him another b/new freelander only after he had signed legal paperwork of some kind. anyway the new car started playing up within 2 months. it got traded on a second hand l/cruiser & excel.
if youre not happy keep at them until an amicable solution is reached. do you want to be reminded that the car is not perfect evrytime u drive/look at it? i know i wouldnt.
M4DDOG
13-09-2006, 07:09 AM
Sounds like a fair outcome to me?
Getting the panels resprayed which were an issue?
He has paint imperfections over the entire car, respraying the rear end isn't going to fix all of it let alone fix any paint matching issues.
He has paint imperfections over the entire car, respraying the rear end isn't going to fix all of it let alone fix any paint matching issues.
Hey hey lets backup the paint imperfection truck!!
I'm sure if the paint had "hundreds of bubbles and runs" it would have been fixed. We haven't seen any photot's of this paint yet so we have no idea what it's like.
It sounds like Mitsi have fixed the parts that were an issue.
Disciple
13-09-2006, 01:41 PM
Hey hey lets backup the paint imperfection truck!!
I'm sure if the paint had "hundreds of bubbles and runs" it would have been fixed. We haven't seen any photot's of this paint yet so we have no idea what it's like.
It sounds like Mitsi have fixed the parts that were an issue.
Do you even read anything written or just go off on your own tangent? OP has already told us it has paint bubbles on more than the panels MMAL are going to respray. Unless he's lying and this whole thread is just here to punk everyone. :roll:
Do you have something against me personally?
I'm sure Mitsubishi wouldn't ignore a major issue with the entire paintwork of the car.
Maybe the OP is being unreasonable and there was only an issue with some sections of the paint and others are fine?
Phonic
13-09-2006, 02:27 PM
Maybe the OP is being unreasonable and there was only an issue with some sections of the paint and others are fine?
Maybe, maybe not. Untill we know for sure we can only take the OPs word for it. Your original post was not really needed, unless you where fishing for an argument. lol
I'm just trying to get both sides of the story before i start advising the op to go postal at the dealer.
MitsuMad
13-09-2006, 04:30 PM
people would be suprised how many cars are actually damaged and repaired before they actually meet the dealer.. maybe the problem on this particular car isn't even a mmal issue, and probably a crappy repair carried out due to damage caused by the transport company etc!
also, no need in being aggressive towards a dealer, or in people in general.. as we all know, bad attitudes get you nowhere! in the end, your'e dealing with humans, not robots!
i feel for you mate, as nobody wants to look at defects on a new car, but do understand that if the problem is in fact due to a paint fault from the factory, mitsu will only pay for the affected area/s to be repaired, and with so many second rate spray painters out there.. the job could come out looking much worse!
chin up mate, and i hope it all works out for you!
VP Vanquish
13-09-2006, 04:50 PM
Oh well, in 10 years time the car will only be worth $4,000 anyway. Only joking :P I'd definitely be irate over this, and asking for a new car. In factI'd be asking for a replacement car with the same amount of kms on it then a new respray.
el3ment
13-09-2006, 06:07 PM
This is rediculous. I would have asked for a new car. You mentioned it the very first night, and told the sales manager about it, who took notes of it. Then at 1500km service they looked at it again. So, they should give you a new car. Its their fault that it takes sooo long for them to make a decision, that you clocked 5000km already. They cannot expect you to not use your own car. That is bull****. If i paid $40k for a brand new car and this happened to my car, i would go back, demand a new car or my money back. None of this respray bull****.
Respray brand new car... what a joke. Threaten them with taking legal action and going to consumer affairs...
buickman
15-09-2006, 05:53 PM
I wonder if the car was not damaged in transit or by a worker with the dealer you purchased the car off. All the 380's I've looked at had a good standed of paint finish.
The reason I mention this as one of my sons is a panel beater & they are always getting new cars including two VE holdens before they were released in the shops with transit damage Just recently a brand new Ford GTP that a apprentice at the Ford dealer had tipped a tool cabinet onto the side of the car had come in to be repaired.
So it might not be MMAL fault. But a pic of the damaged area would have been good to see.
What happened to MMAL Quality Control when it came out of Paint Division, then at the end of assembly line for final check, or is quality control non-event.
Disciple
16-09-2006, 05:47 AM
What happened to MMAL Quality Control when it came out of Paint Division, then at the end of assembly line for final check, or is quality control non-event.
It happens at all plants mate. It's human error.
FFEEkY
16-09-2006, 06:27 AM
why is everyone so concerned about paint not matching?
the people who match the paint colours do this for a living, they done just say, oh its standard grey 101.... to them its more of standard grey 101 with x amount of tint to even it out. they know what they are doing.
there is no way you are going to get a new car out of them. they just wont do it. if your lucky, they might replace your car with an ex-mmal company car with that amount of k's on it... that has been trashed, been in 3 accidents and had major repairs, etc etc.
if your not happy with the final outcome, contact mmal directly. stuff the dealership. i bet if you took it to the next dealership down the road they would fix it. they are all different.
JZT - Can you post up some pics of the paintwork in question please?
Knotched
23-09-2006, 06:48 AM
JZT -
There is a manager at my work who has a very similiar problem with a Pajero in the same colour. The 4WD was purchased last year and he is still doing battle. I'll PM you his contact details as you might get some better leverage - this could turn out to be some sort of systemic paint problem.
MitsuMad
24-09-2006, 09:27 PM
pajeros are painted in japan, 380's painted in australia! the 2 issues im sure, would be totally different! no paint process is perfect, whether it be mitsu, ford, gmh, bmw, etc.. but i know through experience, most jap and euro systems are pretty good! paint issues with them are normally through fallout issues, or sub-standard repairs prior to delivery.
Knotched
25-09-2006, 04:00 PM
Yeah ur right. I just found this out yesterday. JZT has had some further developments but up to him whether he will update here.
Hello all, I have been in contact with the aforementioned Pajero owner who has also been experiencing paint issues. I have copied and pasted the original e-mail below for you to read......certainly beats spending another 40 minutes re-writing it. I'm sure you guys can all read it from this perspective!
Hi Warren, thanks for your e-mail. The methods in which Mitsubishi have treated you sounds virtually identical to my story, and it certainly seems that Mitsubishi have a standard procedure of dodging customer issues.
I purchased a new 380GT in May this year, and noticed little bubbles or "raised points" in the paintwork all over the car. There were also minor paint runs and other imperfections. I first noticed this within 24 hours of taking delivery of the car. I therefore e-mailed the salesperson who sold me the car, but nothing was done. About a month later, when I had my next RDO, I went in and spoke to the service department at Mitsubishi about this issue. The service foreman took some details and said he would get back to me, but of course nothing eventuated.
I waited a further 8 weeks, but still nothing was heard. So in mid-August, upon speaking with the new car sales manager, I dropped my 380 off at the dealership for "further evaluation". It took them 2 weeks to fly an engineer up to Brisbane to inspect & photograph the vehicle, at which point - like your Pajero - they attributed the paint imperfections to "bug droppings" and "environmental" conditions. (Which is absolutely laughable in my opinion, because there were over 200 hundred of these little imperfections). Surely any reasonable owner of a new car would have the common sense to wash the car when they notice it covered in bug droppings. But like yourself, my car is undercover day & night, so the "environmental conditions" excuse does not hold any credibility with me. Prior to dropping the car off, I had actually gone to the extent of placing a tiny bit of sticky tape on each paint defect, to make it plainly obvious to them. Every panel of the vehicle, from the bonnet, to the boot. doors and guards, was affected by this problem.
I was also adamant that they inform me of any work to be carried out to the vehicle, and that they needed to have my permission before going ahead. So the decision was made that only the rear right-hand side of the car would be resprayed. I found this absolutely ridiculous, because it was plainly apparent that the entire vehicle was affected by the bad paint, and yet Mitsubishi are offering to respray 1 or 2 panels. I totally did not see the logic in this. I gave permission for this to go ahead, and it took a further 2 weeks for this to be carried out. I eventually (finally) got the car back just on Friday evening. It was filthy, with paint shop residue all over the leather upholstery, floor mats, and the exterior wasn't reasonably clean either, but this did not concern me, as I was more concerned with the outstanding paint issues.
Mitsubishi, without my permission, also took it upon themselves to do a heavy cut-and-polish, or machine buffing, over the entire car, presumably to grind back the paint, thus removing those little raised points in the paintwork. I had no indication they were going to do this, and it was done without my permission, and this really upset me. If you are not already aware, the process of cut-and-polish essentially removes the top layer of "dead" paint, exposing subsequent layers that are still glossy. Cut and polishing is generally intended for reviving the surface of paint that is weathered. The process can also leave terrible scratches and swirls in the paint, and my car was totally "swirled out", if you can call it that. In fact, on Friday night, I was opening the garage door before driving the car in, and the sensor light turned on when I pulled up. As I was opening the door, I caught sight of these massive swirls in the bonnet, and I kid you not, I actually removed my glasses and took another look to ensure that I was not imagining things. Indeed, my entire car was totally covered in deep scratches into the clear coat, no doubt caused by heavy buffing. I was absolutely outraged, because a primary reason I had bought a new car was to bypass issues connected to paint damage and neglect, which occur with used cars. Also, Mitsubishi's "better built, better backed" sales pitch sounded like good value, although now I'm more of the opinion "badly built, bring it back". So as you can see, the situation is spiralling worse than I could ever have imagined. In hindsight, I should have just left the car alone and not even sent it back. Needless to say, being without a car for 4 full weeks (and Mitsubishi absolutely refused to provide a loan car) has placed considerable strain on the extended family - having to function with one less set of wheels for the past month. And I have still been making one full month's worth of loan repayments on my car which I have not had the use of!!
I contacted the 1300 13 12 11 generic Mitsubishi hotline and eventually got put onto a staff member at Head Office, who bluntly advised me that "...because a representative has evaluated your vehicle and made a recommendation, that they would stand by that decision", and there was nothing more that I could do to discuss the situation further. What terrible customer service, I had never been treated like that before. Certainly when you fork out over $40,000 for a new car you want it to be right. Obviously, Mitsubishi has more important things to do - like sell more new cars - rather than entertain customer issues. I have been e-mailing the Sales Manager directly, and he's been OK, but it is clear that my case is merely sitting on the backburner with him too. I told him that I certainly am not coming back to Mitsubishi for my next car, as a result of the sub-standard aftersales customer service I have received in the past 3 months. If there was a problem, and they fixed it right the first time, I would not have any concerns, because things happen, and if fixed appropriately, I would not hold it against them. However Mitsubishi have stuffed me around and positively wrecked the entire duco ove the whole car. I will keep you informed of further updates - I'm going in tomorrow (Monday) morning to show them the deep swirls in the paint. Not looking forward to it at all. I don't believe in aggression or ranting and raving, but I have certainly reached the limits of my patience with this matter, and I am sure you have too! Perhaps Mitsubishi insiders are spreading the word that the company is going down and therefore they aren't even trying to keep customers satisfied, because MMAL may cease to exist, I have heard rumours, before 2006 is out.
I have showed the Service foreman & Sales Manager a couple more 380's sitting in their showroom, which lo and behold, were afflicted by the same paint malady as my car. The service foreman said that it was "acceptable", because perfection was not attainable during the paint process. So they've changed their story, and abandoned their "environmental fallout" story now. Well then the fancy new paint process for the 380's isn't so fancy after all then, I would say, if every car has little bubbles in the paintwork. I have had earlier model Magna's before and none of them had this problem.
Let's see what they'll do next, as I am not going to accept my new vehicle, which now has paintwork in worse condition than my 5-year old Magna did when I sold it!
Warren, I will keep you updated - I know this has turned into a very long e-mail - I do not know any other Mitsubishi owners with similar problems, although I have heard from one of the detailers at Mitsubishi, that the grey colours aren't the best. There was another grey 380 that also had patchy paint, but the owners never noticed it.
Stay in touch, and thanks again for your e-mail.
Gazza
25-09-2006, 09:43 PM
That sh!t is just f*****d. What more do i have to say. I was seriously considering buying 1, but its just not worth supporting a company that runs its "Better Built, Better Backed" Operations like this
Disciple
26-09-2006, 04:08 AM
When you take the car back, inform them of the problems and tell them about the problems the way you feel, yell and rant if need be, don't come across calm and collected. And don't take the car back until you see it in the flesh, give it an extensive lookover, and are 100% happy with it. If you are even slightly unhappy with it, tell them what it is you're unhappy with, and refuse to take the car back until it's fixed. Demand a hire car too! Demand it! Kick and stomp your feet like a child if need be!
LATEST UPDATE
Mitsubishi have agreed to provide a loan car for the duration of the repairs, and I have the car booked in Friday week.
I have made it clear to them, in no uncertain terms, that if the car is not back to 'as new' quality, I will keep coming back to haunt them.......so for the next couple of weeks, just keeping my fingers (and legs) crossed and hope for the best.
What a great way to spend my holidays
Justin
RINGA///ART
26-09-2006, 05:35 AM
i dont understand how the dealership actually let the car go through their place in the state that it was...
its just not good enough.. hope it all works out mate..
but i have definatley noticed that it only seems to be the storm colour that is crappy for some reason.. the molten red electro blue and that adrenaline colour are fautless..
weird..
D-VAN
26-09-2006, 10:28 AM
Write a letter to MMAL + take the issue up with fair trading in your state - you noticed the issue when you collected the car, it's not a fault of yours, its an issue of merchantable quality.
And to make sure it gets to the right person, not the PR department, use an express post envelope marked with "ATTN: MR ROB J MCENIRY URGENT - PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL" or Mr Tony Breugem - Executive Vice President Sales & Aftersales
1284 South Road CLOVELLY PARK South Australia 5042
Spot on... I talked to an engineer at MMAL about this and he couldn't believe how much you've been mucked around. He said exactly that - write a letter directly to Rob McEniry to get it sorted.
On a side note, we have a Storm Grey 380LS (series 1 obviously) and the paint is perfect... gave it a good detailing aswell and came up great. Not a bubble or run to be found anywhere...
VeradaBoy
26-09-2006, 11:13 AM
Well jzt it's very disappointing the way you've been mucked around. Given MMAL's struggle for product/brand recognition and reliability, together with their "better built, better BACKED" slogan, you'd think more of an effort would have been made for you.
I'd still get a 380 as this kind of incidence would only be in a very small minority of cases, and I've had nothing but top notch service from Mitsubishi whenever I need any parts or anything done for my KS or my mums TH.
Bummer jzt..
I must say i didnt expect this kind of service from Mitsubishi. Hopefully you will finally get what you paid for..
Ford and Holden I can see giving people the stuff around..
Although, my paint issues on my Ford were handled straight away. Engineer was out the next day and went over the car with me.
Noted my concerns and recommended the necessary fixes. All which i was pleased with.
Car is now perfect :)
M4DDOG
26-09-2006, 05:14 PM
Bummer jzt..
I must say i didnt expect this kind of service from Mitsubishi. Hopefully you will finally get what you paid for..
Ford and Holden I can see giving people the stuff around..
Although, my paint issues on my Ford were handled straight away. Engineer was out the next day and went over the car with me.
Noted my concerns and recommended the necessary fixes. All which i was pleased with.
Car is now perfect :)
What Ford? :shock:?? I thought it was a heavily customised magna?? You lied to me :cry:.
*EDIT*
Just realised you have changed your profile making me look like a d!ck lol. BTW it has a 2.6, not 2.4 ;).
Mohit
27-09-2006, 10:02 AM
LATEST UPDATE
Mitsubishi have agreed to provide a loan car for the duration of the repairs, and I have the car booked in Friday week.
I have made it clear to them, in no uncertain terms, that if the car is not back to 'as new' quality, I will keep coming back to haunt them.......so for the next couple of weeks, just keeping my fingers (and legs) crossed and hope for the best.
What a great way to spend my holidays
Justin
Are they only respraying the exterior or are they doing the door jambs, engine bay, boot, etc as well?
So if Mitsubishi have the car now, guess there is no chance of getting any pics?
Poita
27-09-2006, 07:30 PM
Consumer Affairs would love this story. If they don't give your car back in ONE HUNDRED PERCENT condition I would give them a ring, because this is TOTALLY unacceptable. Im a patient person as well and dont like displays of temper, but if it was me I would be seriously blasting them for their CRAP handling of you and the car. :flame:
MOHIT : I kid you not, MItsubishi aren't respraying - they reckon it will "buff out" literally.
I'll hold them to their word, mind you I'm not stupid either and can't see how the buffing will improve matters, but Mitsubishi know that I'll keep coming back until it's fixed.
Not a happy chap
One last attempt...
any pictures?
Poita
28-09-2006, 07:06 AM
if they have done a severe cut and polish i would demand a full respray. You paid round 40k for it i guess, a cut and polish on a brand new paint job is NOT acceptable. As I said, contact consumer affairs, they may be able to help, they may not, but its worth a try. I know I would never be happy with a new car knowing the paintwork has been mauled like that.
Sorry TL-R, I didn't have time to take any pictures, what with all the running around in addition to working and life in general, and I do apologise for that.
Mohit
28-09-2006, 08:42 AM
jzt, i think you should get in touch with these guys: www.notgoodenough.org
looks like they fight on your behalf for free
VeradaBoy
28-09-2006, 10:39 AM
Well jzt hope it all works out for you. The car looked great when you posted pics of it earlier (though I guess at the time the bubbles hadn't become too serious).
If this "buff right out" claim backfires for Mitsubishi I'd also recommend contacting notgoodenough.org, they're good people who do fight your battles for a fair go for nothing.
dave_au
28-09-2006, 11:26 AM
jzt, i think you should get in touch with these guys: www.notgoodenough.org
looks like they fight on your behalf for free
Looks like it's just a whinge site - like that one where you can whinge about reckless drivers that cut you off.h
D-VAN
28-09-2006, 12:27 PM
Looks like it's just a whinge site
Agreed... I don't think they 'fight' for you... have a look at their FAQ page under what they do.
As I said before jzt, send a letter to Rob McEniry
Mohit
28-09-2006, 12:37 PM
I was under the impression they fight for you by passing on your gripe to the company in charge? Even if they don't fight for you personally, I don't think there would be any harm if jzt informed them of the problem he's experiencing, in addition to doing the other things already stated in this thread :)
VRXSHN
28-09-2006, 10:09 PM
After having a lot of bad luck with cars I can safely say I know how you feel. Best of luck with it mate, keep us posted on your progress. I really think if Mitsubishi don't fix this go to the media with it and also contact consumer affairs. If they aren't going to look after you after you have spent 40k let everyone know about it.
MitsuMad
29-09-2006, 05:16 PM
hang on a sec, was the car purchased brand new, or with 500klms as mentioned in another post?? if in fact it did have over 100klms on the clock before purchase, then sadly, the vehicle is classed as "used".Caveat Emptor
Sidewinder42
19-10-2006, 08:43 PM
Any news on this?
Hi guys sorry for the long delay in posting. I have been absolutely disgusted with the way Mitsubishi (both the dealer & MMAL Adelaide itself) have handled the situation.
I will write more when the anguish has settled, but basically the scoured paintjob was deemed to be "normal" by even the Service Manager.
Now, I can tolerate bad service to a point, but when blatant lies are being told, that really gets me.
Anyhow I have decided to trade the 380GT in - what a waste of a wonderful car with only 5500km on it. Traded to Southside Honda, Woolloongabba/Buranda for $36,000.
I now own a Accord V6 -- No leather, no woodgrain, no fog lights, no sunroof, but a very nice drive.
Alas that my long-standing ownership of Mitsubishis has had to cease in this way, but I have been left totally dissatisfied with MMAL's behaviour and work ethic or lack thereof!!
dave_au
25-10-2006, 09:33 PM
Another satisfied Mitsubishi owner lol And honestly mate I don't blame you for a second. I would struggle to find reasoning to buy another Mitsubishi - and that's not because of the car or build quality, its because of the attitude of the after sales service.
VR33XY
25-10-2006, 09:54 PM
Yep, better built better backed all the way.
Disciple
26-10-2006, 05:31 AM
Damn dude, that sucks the way you've been dealt with. Sad to see you move away from the mitsubishi family, but you really had no choice I suppose. I woulda done the same thing I reckon, only I wouldn't of got a Honda. :badgrin: Gluck with the new car!
Good choice of replacement car.
I feel for you.
I've had over 16 problems with my TL that I have had to take back to MMAL
"Better built, better backed"
Thats why my next car is a VE
TJ Sports
26-10-2006, 08:55 AM
im sorry people feel this way about mitsubishi, ive had problems with mine but the dealer always fixed it up pronto. i think it has more to do with a good relationship with the dealer / service manager than anything else. ive owned 3 and the audi A4 it just doesnt feel right. smaller car with less power, but the good news is that thats only a 12month lease. :D
so im definately going back to a 380, if only to support the local economy.
M4DDOG
26-10-2006, 01:38 PM
The 380 doesn't do much for me i'm afraid, lets see how this new ralliart one goes.
But good choice on the new car, my next car atm is looking to be a nice honda accord euro, 2005 model, black, with 19" shadow chrome wheels lowered 30mm, full black leather interior, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
RINGA///ART
26-10-2006, 03:43 PM
The 380 doesn't do much for me i'm afraid, lets see how this new ralliart one goes.
But good choice on the new car, my next car atm is looking to be a nice honda accord euro, 2005 model, black, with 19" shadow chrome wheels lowered 30mm, full black leather interior, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
mmmmmmm indeed.. only the black ones come with the tan leather only.. unless ya go custom.. love the look of those euro accords..
on topic though.. i find it hard to comprehend the service you've gotten.. we've had nothing but exceptional service for our mitsu dealer (before i worked there aswell)
nice car the hondas - hope you have better luck with that re: after sale service..
Knotched
26-10-2006, 06:44 PM
so im definately going back to a 380, if only to support the local economy.
You won't be disapointed (but check the paint really carefully!).
Madmagna
27-10-2006, 09:59 AM
Should not matter what you use to wash the car, aside from the fact you will not have a good finish in years to come if you do use dish washing liquid :)
Even new cars have solvents used to remove the protective coating prior to the pre delivery.
Instead of everyone keeping the dissapointment here in the forums, why do we not all e-mail mitsubishi, I am sure with such a large user base sending e-mails with complaints that sooner or later they will have to stand up and take notice.
Half the issue is that a dealer is a franchise, although they are accountable to the head office quite often the head office will never find out about these issues despite the dealer having claimed to pass on info.
Lets hope that Mitsubishi do make a turn around in customer service, this alone can make them stand out from the other manufactures.
Knotched
27-10-2006, 11:27 AM
Well I did email JZT's story to my dealer who said it was the first time he had heard of....blah, blah. I wouldn't know if he was telling the truth.
But I believe JZT did contact Mitsu who kept deferring back to the dealer.
ratmagna
20-11-2006, 07:23 PM
[QUOTE=FFEEkY]why is everyone so concerned about paint not matching?
the people who match the paint colours do this for a living, they done just say, oh its standard grey 101.... to them its more of standard grey 101 with x amount of tint to even it out. they know what they are doing.
QUOTE]
paint looks great when it comes out of the panelbeaters, but the fact is the paint on the panels is different, one has 5000 more kms of wear, it will fade quicker, show more discoloration, man u should see our vs commodore 200,000kms after resprays from rear quarter damage, looks like about 3 diferent colours! it would atleast need to be blended .
Dear ratmagna - You are quite right. I have really gone off being picky about paintwork, because it is no point trying to maintain the duco, which, as you've said, could be totally wiped out be a rear-ender from some careless driver.
I guess it's one of those things which you can spend xx amount of time taking caring of, with no "guarantee", in that it could all be gone by a freak hailstorm or accident
TJ Sports
08-03-2007, 05:48 PM
hey guys sorry to dig up an old thread, but I noticed something while looking for something else. could the paint defects be caused by the paint protection? cause it appears jzt had the paint protection applied - http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?p=531536#post531536 now I was thinking of having paint protection done, (yep storm 380) but now im not so shure. maybe it was a chemical reaction between the protection stuff and the paint and thats why it took some time to appear?
Hey there, no problems about digging up an old thread!! Just the painful memories, but I shan't digress and wallow in sorrow......
I'm certain it's NOT the paint protection, because I've had it done to previous cars (including a TJ) and this problem has never surfaced, ever. Not on any friend's cars which had the treatment either. This includes metallic vehicles too.
It's a good point, but I can assure that paint protection does not harm the paint at all, but rather, it is always good to have.
Mate, I'm not a fan of "paint protection", it is usually sold to you by people who know nothing about paint finish, and the dealer won't give you more at trade in cos you got it. I know of cars that have left the dealership without it on and the buyer wouldn't know. As long as you have a certificate or whatever. You could take the car to a GOOD detailer and have the full service, your car will look much better, and even if you get that done once or twice a year and look after it in between, you're probably ahead on $ and it will be schmick when you cash it in- not suggesting that Paint Protection would damage paint like jzt's car though
I'm certain it's NOT the paint protection, because I've had it done to previous cars (including a TJ) and this problem has never surfaced, ever. Not on any friend's cars which had the treatment either. This includes metallic vehicles too.
But is it an issue with THIS car and THIS type of paint protection?
Can't really use other cars with different paint as a measure.
Grubco
10-03-2007, 03:07 PM
But is it an issue with THIS car and THIS type of paint protection?
Can't really use other cars with different paint as a measure.
Are you referring to the dealer's Fifth Dimension pack (or similiar)? I got that on my 380 which is Stealth black. No problems with the paintwork.
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