Paint Flaking/Peeling Issues or Scratch?

[Klazer]

Hey everyone, I just recently got a brand new 2024 Honda Civic Type R a month ago and took it to ppf as soon as I got the vehicle. While in the ppf shop, the shop said that the paint flaked off when they washed the vehicle near the edge of the front bumper and rear badge. They didnt even powerwash it. Told me to try to warranty it but the dealer I went to is saying it's a scratch so not covered under warranty. Didn't have the car with me as it was with the installer at the time and neither side is taking ownership of the issue.

Mind you there is ppf on the front bumper, but no ppf on the trunk near the badge since the ppf installers stopped the installation there due to the paint issue. Looking for some opinions on if y'all think this is a scratch by the ppf shop or if it could potentially be defective and if anyone else has had a similar issue? The shop did use pre-cut ppf by the way.

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[CTR]

How did you not notice that black scratch around the emblem when you took delivery? To me it looks like the PPF shop ripped the paint off moving the material around without enough lubrication.

Another guy with a Boost Blue 2023 had the same issue and it was the PPF shop that ripped the paint off but still got the dealer to cover repainting the bumper. Good luck but I think the installer is to blame on this one...

 

[heavyD]

As said above it's likely due to the PPF installers removing the pieces and paint coming off. That's a paint defect that should be warrantied as it's a sign of poor paint adhesion.

 

[sashimi]

Do you think the shop tried to remove the emblem or the grill? If not, I don’t see how they damage the paint like that. It most likely was a crappy touch up cover up from the factory that came off when the shop washed the car

 

[Klazer]

Do you think the shop tried to remove the emblem or the grill? If not, I don’t see how they damage the paint like that. It most likely was a crappy touch up cover up from the factory that came off when the shop washed the car

No, they didn't remove any panels. The did remove the rear civic and type r badge, but kept the honda badge on as the kit had the area pre cut already according to them

 

[SP R KiD]

How did you not notice that black scratch around the emblem when you took delivery? To me it looks like the PPF shop ripped the paint off moving the material around without enough lubrication.

Another guy with a Boost Blue 2023 had the same issue and it was the PPF shop that ripped the paint off but still got the dealer to cover repainting the bumper. Good luck but I think the installer is to blame on this one...

Yeah that was me.

Detail Pro Shop in Columbus was running my PPF for the front and I had a similar experience. Only difference between that and this was I had bubbling in mulitple areas of where they were PPF that almost looked more like a reaction to whatever chemicals/materials they were using rather than just a plain old scratch. Some of the bubbling did peel off and it looked real bad. Fortunately I went to the dealer and just told them what I had, they didn't ask me any questions in reference to what happened or anything. Just took pictures and covered it no questions asked. I will say though, the debate as to whether or not the defect I dealt with was caused 100% by factory paint failure or the PPF installers doing something they shouldn't have done is undecided. I'd like to say that the factory from the paint wasn't properly prepped as only certain parts of the surface of my FL5 were affected. But who knows.

You can find all my info on this thread here: (1) Paint pulling from front bumper during PPF install (2023 Boost Blue Type R) | CivicXI - 11th Gen Civic Type R (FL5), Hybrid, Si Forum, News, Owners, Discussions

My recommendation to you is to go to another dealer. Honda's warranty is not limited by the type of paint defect it is - Honda can cause scratches as well that may be found at PDI, after delivery, or sometimes weeks/months after, I've seen it all as a warranty Quality Engineer. Just because it's a scratch should not discount it. IMO, the only reason they can tell you no is if you intentionally tell them that it was damaged by x process that has nothing to do with the manufacturing process. If you visit another dealer, don't give details as to what happened, just explained that you discovered the scratch. Yes this is deceptive but for all you know it could be the truth. Don't incriminate yourself by saying things that could be true but possibly may not be. It could be hard to argue how one wouldn't notice the scratch initially, but unfortunately that's how it goes.

Also I do want to note that while Detail Pro Shop didn't want to take responsibility, I did get the owners blessing that he'd cover the damage assuming Honda would not have warrantied it. Fortunately didn't have to go that route, but I feel the shop should have some accountability. After all, they should be doing a quality inspection before beginning any work for the vehicle before they start work. Why wouldn't they?

 

[Klazer]

Yeah that was me.

Detail Pro Shop in Columbus was running my PPF for the front and I had a similar experience. Only difference between that and this was I had bubbling in mulitple areas of where they were PPF that almost looked more like a reaction to whatever chemicals/materials they were using rather than just a plain old scratch. Some of the bubbling did peel off and it looked real bad. Fortunately I went to the dealer and just told them what I had, they didn't ask me any questions in reference to what happened or anything. Just took pictures and covered it no questions asked. I will say though, the debate as to whether or not the defect I dealt with was caused 100% by factory paint failure or the PPF installers doing something they shouldn't have done is undecided. I'd like to say that the factory from the paint wasn't properly prepped as only certain parts of the surface of my FL5 were affected. But who knows.

You can find all my info on this thread here: (1) Paint pulling from front bumper during PPF install (2023 Boost Blue Type R) | CivicXI - 11th Gen Civic Type R (FL5), Hybrid, Si Forum, News, Owners, Discussions

My recommendation to you is to go to another dealer. Honda's warranty is not limited by the type of paint defect it is - Honda can cause scratches as well that may be found at PDI, after delivery, or sometimes weeks/months after, I've seen it all as a warranty Quality Engineer. Just because it's a scratch should not discount it. IMO, the only reason they can tell you no is if you intentionally tell them that it was damaged by x process that has nothing to do with the manufacturing process. If you visit another dealer, don't give details as to what happened, just explained that you discovered the scratch. Yes this is deceptive but for all you know it could be the truth. Don't incriminate yourself by saying things that could be true but possibly may not be. It could be hard to argue how one wouldn't notice the scratch initially, but unfortunately that's how it goes.

Also I do want to note that while Detail Pro Shop didn't want to take responsibility, I did get the owners blessing that he'd cover the damage assuming Honda would not have warrantied it. Fortunately didn't have to go that route, but I feel the shop should have some accountability. After all, they should be doing a quality inspection before beginning any work for the vehicle before they start work. Why wouldn't they?

Got a call from Honda corporate about this situation just now talking about how they spoke with the dealership and that it won't be covered since a 3rd party shop handled the car. I should have asked for advice beforehand since I did specify that it was the the ppf installers

I could still go for a second opinion according to corporate but since Honda corporate is already looped in, just wondering if its even worth going for a second opinion. Shop also says nothing they can do aside from touch up since they only washed the car and didn't cut near the affected areas so I'm basically at a loss of what to do with my damaged car.

 

[SP R KiD]

Got a call from Honda corporate about this situation just now talking about how they spoke with the dealership and that it won't be covered since a 3rd party shop handled the car. I should have asked for advice beforehand since I did specify that it was the the ppf installers

I could still go for a second opinion according to corporate but since Honda corporate is already looped in, just wondering if its even worth going for a second opinion. Shop also says nothing they can do aside from touch up since they only washed the car and didn't cut near the affected areas so I'm basically at a loss of what to do with my damaged car.

Yeah that's tough sorry man.

I would ask the detailer to see if they did a quality inspection before starting work on the car. It's not with good integrity that I say this, but maybe you can convince them to cover the cost to get it repaired. After all, the defect was discovered under their watch. I'm 100% on the side of they should be inspecting it before work is started. Perhaps they even took pictures? Maybe it can be seen on camera if they had any? It's a nasty scratch and should be easily noticed if there was some photographic pre-work evidence.

If they still say no, then I wouldn't know what else to tell you. It sucks to be in that position and I'm sorry you are. Hopefully you do find a way to get it resolved.

 

[Klazer]

Yeah that's tough sorry man.

I would ask the detailer to see if they did a quality inspection before starting work on the car. It's not with good integrity that I say this, but maybe you can convince them to cover the cost to get it repaired. After all, the defect was discovered under their watch. I'm 100% on the side of they should be inspecting it before work is started. Perhaps they even took pictures? Maybe it can be seen on camera if they had any? It's a nasty scratch and should be easily noticed if there was some photographic pre-work evidence.

If they still say no, then I wouldn't know what else to tell you. It sucks to be in that position and I'm sorry you are. Hopefully you do find a way to get it resolved.

Thank you and yeah, they took pics and I took pics the day I got it and no scratches so I can try appealing to the shop one more time, otherwise it sounds like I'm out of luck since everyone has been giving me the run-around.

 

[SP R KiD]

Thank you and yeah, they took pics and I took pics the day I got it and no scratches so I can try appealing to the shop one more time, otherwise it sounds like I'm out of luck since everyone has been giving me the run-around.

While I have a hard time believing that washing it would just run paint off like that I would argue with them that it's sat out in the rain and no problems.

No matter what, if the damage happened under their watch, I'd hope they'd be willing to cover it. In that case they can just lie about anything they do and make up reasons for what actually happened. Kind of defeats the purpose of taking pictures prior to doing work on the product they are servicing.

 

[Clark_Kent]

At first blush this doesn't look like defective paint. It appears your vehicle was mishandled and ultimately damaged by the ppf shop. I presume there's only damage in the areas they were working. Don't you find this odd? The red flag to me is that they didn't use a pressure washer yet this damage occurred. In other words, this means the next time you hand wash your car paint will begin chipping off in places. Doubtful that will happen, but for your sake I would love to be proven wrong.

Quick note on workmanship. Why is the edge of the ppf so far away from the edge of the painted surface? A skilled ppf installer should be able to lay the film much closer to where the painted surface meets the front grille.

And one more note. I advise anyone who cares about these details to photograph and/or video tape the interior and exterior prior to dropping your car off for service. It's also helpful to perform a walkthrough of the vehicle with the shop to let them know there is no damage, issues, or defects and you expect it to be returned to you in the same condition it was dropped off. Otherwise, in most cases, if something goes wrong, it turns into a he-said, he-said and now you're stuck fixing damage that you didn't cause.

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