Paint Issues - Who has problems and who doesn't

Flip-Side · Post by **Flip-Side** » Tue Jul 22, 2003 11:08 pm

It's obvious that many of us have issues with the paint on our vibes. Mine already has rust where the paint was chipped, and sratches from simply touching it. What I would like to see is if the bad paint is universal, or just certain batches. If all the cars are this way, it is unlikely GM will do the honorable thing and FIX it. It will cost them too much. If it is only some out of the many we may have a chance to have these problems resolved.So, how has your paint been doing?

yank dini · Post by **yank dini** » Tue Jul 22, 2003 11:18 pm

No problems here but then again I have a second generation 2003I do have one chip though but that came from some lazy a-hole that didn't clean his roof in the winter and it flew off and hit my roof on the freeway.

Triton · Post by **Triton** » Tue Jul 22, 2003 11:21 pm

I too voted fair. So far I had one chip on the very edge of the hood above the drivers side headlight. I put a couple coats of touch up paint on it and it has been fine. I also had a pretty deep chip in the bumper just above where the two tone plastic would be if you have the gray cladding. Not too bad. I think it is just normal wear and tear on mine.

Vibe Rater · Post by **Vibe Rater** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 12:05 am

I recently cleaned and waxed with my orbital buffer the VIBE and my 1995 Nissan King Cab 4x4 Pickup. The paint on my 1995 Nissan was in better condition than the VIBE. Unacceptable. The clearcoat is very, VERY thin on the VIBE. The finish is too soft. Extremely easy to chip and scratch. I'm afraid for the future.

Abby-vibe03 · Post by **Abby-vibe03** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 12:32 am

i voted fair as well... i have a few chips ... however not worth a new paint job.... but this could be a problem if they start rusting out..... i have already been to the dealership and they have informed me that touch up paint is not available yet for my car/colour.... so untill it is... my only option is vaseline.... which i am not to happy with.... lets start small... WHERES MY TOUCH UP PAINT????

Geo · Post by **Geo** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 3:10 am

I'm voting for bad, just because I can't believe this.4800 miles on my car and there are already at LEAST 7 chips in my hood.Largest one being about the size of the "s" I just typed.There was a small chip on the roof before the moonroof, I found 2 small specks on my outside a-pillar, and that's all I can remember now.My red Cherokee with 90,000 miles on it now doesn't even have this big of a problem. It's amazing.I do have like a warrenty for surface rust, but if I see that, I will flip out.I think a carbon fiber or ram air hood is in order, at least the paint on that from the body shop should hold up. >E

Pix Doc · Post by **Pix Doc** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 4:54 am

I voted BadMy hood is chip city.

Shadow Realm · Post by **Shadow Realm** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 6:51 am

I haven't had a single chip on my Vibe since I bought it so I voted Good, but I have seen how many people on this board that have. I agree that the Vibe's paint is too thin and the clear coat is also too thin. Maybe they will take all of this into consideration when they make future Vibe's. Of course that means that everyone needs to complain to GM about this problem so they know how we all feel.Shadow Realm

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 7:07 am

quote:Now that you mention touch-up paint, shouldn't the dealer provide some with the car ? My Toyota came with a paint marker for touch-ups (free). This would make sense. Wow, never heard of anyone getting a touch-up bottle for free! That's unheard of in GM territory!

lesterb · Post by **lesterb** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 7:28 am

I have babied this car and I now have over 10,000 miles on it. I'm disappointed with the chips I have been getting on the hood and lower nose. I have some 3M protection on lower portion of the hood and I'm seriously considering to protect the lower nose with 3m as well. If I don't do it soon, it will need to be repainted over the next year. In fact I should do the whole car. I think GM needs to address this issue. I have waxed and waxed but it doesn't do any good.BTWI did get a free touch up bottle from the dealer and I plan to be using it a lot. However, it just doesn't look the same when you fill in the chip.

fire_502 · Post by **fire_502** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 9:08 am

I voted fair. I have probably between 5-8 small chips in my hood and I just hit 10,000 miles on Monday. Now I just need to get better at the touch-up paint thing. Why is that brush so big??? Anyway, I think my hood deflector is helping because I have not noticed any new ones lately.

Flip-Side · Post by **Flip-Side** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 12:27 pm

quote:I recently cleaned and waxed with my orbital buffer the VIBE and my 1995 Nissan King Cab 4x4 Pickup. The paint on my 1995 Nissan was in better condition than the VIBE. Unacceptable. The clearcoat is very, VERY thin on the VIBE. The finish is too soft. Extremely easy to chip and scratch. I'm afraid for the future.The first time I hand washed my car (2 months ago because my power washer broke), I dried my car. After drying, I noticed scapes and scratches all over. And no, I did not use a dirty sponge or use it on my wheels first. All the scratches were in circles from my soaping it up. I have had several cars, and washed my familys cars as well, and never have I seen such crappy paint.It makes me want to scream...in fact...AAAAHHHHRRRRggggggmycarspaintsuxAHHhhhhh.... P.S. Does anyone know if there are standards automotive paint much meet? I've looked on the net, but haven't found anything yet.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Wed Jul 23, 2003 1:30 pm

I found that after I put about 10 coats of wax on, all the swirl marks and whatnot are almost invisible.I noticed them too...but since I waxes, looks much better!

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 9:16 am

I have two chips on the hood, and almost 12,000 miles on the odometer. I do have a scratch on the driver's side rear door, thanks to me brushing up against it with my coat over the winter, and a scratch on the driver's side A pillar of unknown origin - almost as if I hit a low tree branch or the like... The damage my car has had so far isn't too bad... Barely noticeable.The paint on the Vibe is significantly better than the stuff my Malibu had on it. That car looked horrible from day one... I think the Vibe has a better paint job than some of the "real" GM stuff, but there is still room for improvement. It looks very good, but could be just a little thicker, more durable...I don't see GM doing anything about fixing our chipped up cars unless the paint starts peeling off in sheets like it did on so many vehicles in the late 80's until the mid 90's.

scherry2 · Post by **scherry2** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 9:36 am

10,000 miles and I have chips all over the hood and a pillars. I also have a 10 year old who touches the car and scratches appear, of course he blames it on Mr Itwasntme. Grrrrrbut the paint on the vibe is very thin unacceptable but what are you gonna do?

Geo · Post by **Geo** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 11:32 am

quote:but the paint on the vibe is very thin unacceptable but what are you gonna do?Trade in the Vibe for something with better quality paint

JBSparky · Post by **JBSparky** » Thu Jul 24, 2003 2:11 pm

Fair for me as well. Chip by passenger headlight @ edge of fender looks like a drip that broke off. Scratches, scratches, scratches! Inside the door handles cavity especially bad (wife's ring?). I was given a bottle of touch up paint from the dealership (no charge for the first one - how many am I going to need?!!!) What a nicely styled vehichle to have BS problems like this. How many of you subscribe to Consumer Reports? They should hear about all this.

scherry2 · Post by **scherry2** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 9:56 am

quote:Trade in the Vibe for something with better quality paint well that eliminates the GM family of cars and trucks. hahaha

MadBill · Post by **MadBill** » Fri Jul 25, 2003 10:06 am

As long as I don't clean the bugs off the hood and fascia of my Frosty, the chips are barely noticeable! Problem solved!

Flip-Side · Post by **Flip-Side** » Sat Jul 26, 2003 8:09 am

I have found the culprit of the crappy paint! I found this article about the NUMMI plant. http://www.employees.org/~scottf/NUMMI/ The people who paint are not allowed to wear hair gel or deodorant, otherwise tiny craters will form in the paint. I would like to know who is in charge of making sure these people smell funky and have the hair to match. It's obvious to me that my car was painted and someone nearby let their country freshness ruin my paint.Wheres the deoderant Nazis?

smartin53 · Post by **smartin53** » Sun Jul 27, 2003 4:07 am

Possibly one of the best paint jobs I saw were on the two New Beetles I owned before the vibe. I had owned each one a year an a half (yea I trade up often) and the first had no chips, I managed to get a good chip down to the primer on the second when a half dollar sized rock came off a quary truck and hit the hood (somehow managed to bounce off the windshield and lodge between the hood and body...ya it chipped the windshield too). I bet the paint was close to a 8th of an inch thick half being clearcoat. You could literally see things on top of the clearcoat cast a shadow on the paint. The coat on the vibes looks to be maybe a 16th of an inch thick above the primer.

retiredfields · Post by **retiredfields** » Tue Jul 29, 2003 8:50 pm

My paint is black, and if you breathe on it, it scratches the clear coat. The clear coat is tooooooooo soft. Whoever selected this paint should be fired. Anyone read any threads on the Matrix paint?

cibomatto · Post by **cibomatto** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 11:45 pm

has pontiac put out a solution to this problem??

cibomatto · Post by **cibomatto** » Mon Sep 15, 2003 11:48 pm

gosh..this really irks me (is irks a word)...anyhow I am super bothered by this and if anything would keep me from purchasing another pontiac/gm brand it would be the paint issue... I havn't gone through official channels as of yet to dela with this problem but the mere fact of this being a problem so quickly makes me upset... GM IF YOU ARE READING THIS... please do the right thing and fix this problem

St. Martin · Post by **St. Martin** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 6:34 am

I spoke to my dealer about my paint chips. He told me that it was "normal wear and tear" and that my warranty doesn't cover stone chips. What can we do here guys? We're all in agreement that we have sub-par paint jobs on our cars that are less than 1 year old. Seriously, let's do something more than complain. I'm prepared to put my name on a lawsuit if we can all pool our forces.

ragingfish · Post by **ragingfish** » Tue Sep 16, 2003 7:43 am

The only paint issues GM typically covers are from acid fallout...Unfortunately, not chips.

Charlievibe · Post by **Charlievibe** » Wed Sep 17, 2003 12:44 am

All of this paint discussion flahes me back to my first car, which was an '87 Pontiac Sunbird. My mom purchased the car new for me, so it had, or supposedly had, no paint problems. After approximately three months, the paint on the hood started cracking and peeling. The car was also getting pitted out a great deal.When my mom took my car back to Pontiac, they told her that I was driving too close to sand trucks (I grew up in snow country). When she told them that was impossible, it was the summer, they then told her that I was over washing and over waxing the car. I would wash it weekly and wax it monthly.Maybe they were right about that one, but I find it intersting that five or six years later there was a class action lawsuit against GM concerning the paint on the Sunbirds and one other car.It looks to me like GM has gone back to the crummy paint they were using in the 80's. BTW...I voted good. I have one chip (now touched up) in the hood of my car that was caused by a rock flying up and hitting my car. I took someone's advice, I cannot remember now who, but purchased touch-up paint from paintscratch.com, and am very happy. So thank you to whoever posted that info!!!!

Reynoma · Post by **Reynoma** » Thu Sep 18, 2003 2:39 am

I had to vote good. Although I only have 3,200 miles on my car, the front paint is perfect. The only paint imperfection I have is then somebody parked next to me and dinged me on the side, but it is not that noticeable because it did not break through the paint.

drunkenmaxx · Post by **drunkenmaxx** » Thu Sep 18, 2003 2:55 am

there should be a spot called crappy on that poll. i have chips all over the hood, i have practically since i got it. i also have some imperfections on the side from beer bottle shrapnel...

St. Martin · Post by **St. Martin** » Thu Sep 18, 2003 7:59 am

I spoke to my dad's friend that owns a paint shop about this. He's going to take a look at my car when i head back up that way next weekend. He told me that the paint process is very VERY sensitive in a shop. If the paint is too soft, it dents, too hard...it chips. Apparently the vibe paint is too soft; it appears almost pushed aside at some spots. After i have it looked at by the paint expert, I'm taking it back to my dealership and telling them to fix it. I'll let you know how it works.

DjDoubleLP · Post by **DjDoubleLP** » Fri Sep 19, 2003 5:49 am

Just so everyone knows.....I own a '03 Matrix XRS and I am having the same problems with chips. I have approx. 19K km on my car and there are chips all over the front bumper. Also I have a good sixed chip on my hood which went right down to the metal and I had to use touch-up paint to fix it. And over on the matrixowners.com forum there are many people having the same issues so it is not just isolated to the Vibe.

GlenW · Post by **GlenW** » Sat Sep 20, 2003 11:12 am

I have an 04 Base Vibe, I'm having chipping problems on the lower rocker panel on the driver side front door. It may be from rubbing my leg on the rocker but I hardly think that my pants will chip the paint. I've only had the Vibe for less than two months now and this shouldn't happen. I work for an automotive supplier that paints plastic molded parts every day and there is a test called a "dime scratch" which actually scratches the part with a dime to see if the paint will scrape off or not. I really don't think that the company painting these can actually pass this test. GM should re-source whoever is painting these things!!I haven't had time to take it back to the dealer yet to fix it. When I do they better re-paint the whole thing so I don't have to wonder down the road if it will happen in other places or not.

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AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Sat Sep 20, 2003 11:16 am

this is the exact same thing on mine. not only this, i have 2 chips on the top of the roof that started to rust! I bot my vibe on 4/19! no way should it be rusting or getting the chips so easily!

GlenW · Post by **GlenW** » Sat Sep 20, 2003 11:25 am

The Vibe should come with a standard option "A bottle of touch up paint in the glove box"Other than that I really love my Vibe, especially 36 mpg on the highway!!!But the dealer really needs to make me happy with the results, that is if I ever have a chance to take it in.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Sat Sep 20, 2003 11:26 am

don't get me wrong, i love my GT. i'm very happy with my choice in vehicle, but it's such a pain having these issues right out the gate. now, i generally do not like to buy a car it's first model year, but figured, reliability wise, it's still a good vehicle (toyota). otherwise, i'd have bot a Subie like the rest of Alaska. AWD and power? why wouldn't i?

GlenW · Post by **GlenW** » Sat Sep 20, 2003 11:36 am

By the way, nice christmas picture seriously!

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Sat Sep 20, 2003 5:51 pm

quote:By the way, nice christmas picture seriously!lol. thanks. that was a little while ago, so add another 20 1bs and you got me.

GlenW · Post by **GlenW** » Sat Sep 20, 2003 11:17 pm

Must be from the heavy coats you're going to have to wear soon huh..lol anyway back to the paint issues....

Sub-Vibe-R · Post by **Sub-Vibe-R** » Sun Sep 21, 2003 9:21 pm

I do have the paint issue.I waxed my Vibe yesterday and I notice a lot of little dig in the paint.At 5 feet away from the car it is not noticable, but when you look closer.... Check by yourself

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NovaResource · Post by **NovaResource** » Tue Sep 23, 2003 4:59 am

I don't think that's a dig. I believe it's a factory made dimple to let the dealer know where to drill the holes for the front plate holder. Look in the same spot on the driver side and you will see one there too.

Sub-Vibe-R · Post by **Sub-Vibe-R** » Tue Sep 23, 2003 5:25 am

I'm not talking about the front plate hole.This picture is not very clear, but if you look closely, all the little white spots are paint chips. They are more noticable in the lower left corner of this pic.

tots · Post by **tots** » Tue Sep 23, 2003 6:39 am

I wonder - now that folks are on board with '04s, are they seeing paint issues or is this predominantly an issue with the earlier '03s?

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Thu Sep 25, 2003 8:52 am

The NUMMI web site says that they build Vibes (and Voltz's) and also Corollas and Tacomas. If the problem is at NUMMI, then are there similar problems with the Corollas and Tacomas?

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 9:11 am

is there any correlation between color and paint quality? Are there certain vibe paint colors which are holding up worse than other colors, or are the problems spread fairly evenly across all colors?

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 9:25 am

Probably have to to have a yes and no option for each color, or more if you want to give intermediate options, like this poll does. Granted it's a subjective evaluation, one chip might be no biggie to one person and a catastrophe to another.

der125 · Post by **der125** » Thu Oct 09, 2003 9:45 am

No joke, my hood was also becoming chip city until I threw on some 3M. It's not cheap, but at least I don't have the stress of seeing a new chip everytime I get out of the car.

1 Cool Vibe · Post by **1 Cool Vibe** » Thu Oct 16, 2003 11:13 am

I have a fair amount of chips/scratches mostly on the nose and the leading edge of the hood but I also have a few on the lower rocker panels. I guess this is average or normal wear since these are areas that flying debris usually hits the car while driving.

ken · Post by **ken** » Mon Nov 03, 2003 11:07 pm

As I explained in another post, this is the one problem with the Vibe that bothers me the most. The best way to get Pontiac's attention regarding this issue is to file a complaint here:http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Tue Nov 04, 2003 2:17 am

I would, but after 28000 miles so far, I still only have one paint chip, about 3mm diameter, right on the leading edge of the hood, and I saw the meteor that caused it, I was happy with only a chip instad of big dent. Mine is holding up a lot better than I expected.Still, I look at the pics of raginfish's crumpled front end and see the paint flaking off. I'm not a collision expert, but that doesn't look right.People with problems should file complaints, it will let future Vibe buyers know about it if they are not able to find genvibe, and that might get increased attention from the factory to correct the problems.

Flip-Side · Post by **Flip-Side** » Tue Nov 04, 2003 2:43 am

quote:That flaking aint right. There is something missing where the paint is not adhering to the primer. This is definately the thinnest, crappiest paint I have ever witnessed on a vehicle. If I knew it was just gonna fall off, I wouldn't have payed the extra dough for the monotone. Urrrggg.