GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Scherry2, I envy you for keeping up the good fight! You are much stronger than I, I dealt with them extensively on that Malibu. Really took a toll on the nerves.I've given up on fighting with them, and I'm guessing that's exactly what GM wants. Seeing the runaround they gave me about something as insignificant as that stupid light sensor a few months back, I can't imagine the crap you have to go through to get some fresh paint. They don't care.

Gave them a call today... I priced the job without them removing/installing the bumper, which will knock off $92. She said that would release them from liability if I so happen to screw up the bumper when reinstalling, obviously. Not sure if how that would affect the warranty on their body work... They have this "limited lifetime" warranty on the work they do.Found the price also includes $33.90 for a new emblem, which it needs since mine's cracked (but with a grafxwerks overlay to mask the damage.) GM Parts Direct has that for $20.21 so I could also save a couple bucks by getting the emblem myself. By the time shipping is added though, there may not be that much of a difference.I dunno. What do you guys think?

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »What do you guys think? I think it is rediculous we are all trying to paint our brand new cars.Going from shop to shop, I found that not only were prices very different, but quality. I am told the cheapest repaint will simply use the same crappy paint from the GM supplier. If I want a paintjob on the bumper that will actually be durable, they said I need the ol' base coat/clear coat paint. It is thicker, more flexible, but time consuming, and much more expensive.I give up. GM wins. Congratulations on winning the crappy quality award.

Quote, originally posted by Flip-Side »I think it is rediculous we are all trying to paint our brand new cars.I give up. GM wins. Congratulations on winning the crappy quality award. I am so tired of GM (dealers, warranty reps, and painters) telling me that the chips are caused by rocks and road debris. and then in the same sentence say its from dump trucks ect....I asked why doesn't the grand am, or sunfire, or grand prix or bonneville or any othr car GM makes chip like the vibe. I was greeted with silence.at the michigan meet. I was told by NUMMI quality reps "its solvent based paint and it chips easily" I told the warranty rep today: "the paint is crap, I have already had the roof painted because of dry paint, that means the rest of the car has dry paint. are they going to repaint my whole car?" she said "we only fix the defect" and "your the only one that has complained" they are contacting service manager and regional director.we'll see. does everyone here have it documented at their dealer that they are unhappy with the paint quality or just complaining?

Man, I just found something I said almost a year ago. Many, many thousand miles ago, I found that the paint actually looked good!And it still does.... As long as you're not checking out the front bumper. What happened?

Quote, originally posted by scherry2 »does everyone here have it documented at their dealer that they are unhappy with the paint quality or just complaining? Yup. Documented it down here in South Carolina, and up in Michigan. Then I called the Pontiac assistance line, and that was just a cruel joke. Mabey we all need to call on the same day....just to (removed) them off. Pontiac Customer Assistance Center Inside the U.S.: 1-800-762-2737Inside Canada: 1-800-263-3777

Already have a few chips in the hood which I've touched up (it actually looks good). The GM front cover (bra) is coming in a few days. I hate chips!

Quote, originally posted by velderman »I am also going to a BBB hearing to address this in August, as I filed a complaint with the BBB.Good luck with the BBB thing! I've been down that road before, it was painful. Be sure you have all of the details, no matter how insignificant they may seem, documented. That's where I screwed up on the last car.

I think I have acquired the king of all chips:And as seen in comparison to other chips:

No paint issues at all... A few stone chips since it is driven on the highway to work three times a week, nothing a bottle of touch-up will not fix. No abnormal issues though.

Quote, originally posted by JBSparky »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.Hey. I voted good because I'm really not experiencing anything more than the usual chips from crap flying off the road. Similar to previous vehicles. Except what jbsparky wrote that just caught my attention. I too have the strangest scratches in the cavity of my door handle area. I swear I have short (guy) nails, wear no rings, and don't touch the metal when I open the door-but the cavity if full of scratches (up-down). I wonder if it was that way when i purchased it and never noticed it???

Yow! Your ride has graduated from chips to peeling! I wonder if they would cover that under warranty? I know your original bumper to bumper is out, but I wonder if your extended warranty would cover it? I hate to see that, man. My sister's Impala did the same thing as yours, she was able to get the bumper repainted under warranty.Just be careful around the bumper when you're at the car wash. I had a '95 Corsica that I bought almost-new, and shortly before the warranty expired, I had a small area of paint that peeled off the hood. Took it to the car wash, and the sprayer ended up peeling the paint off in an area about 6 inches in diameter. Obviously warranty covered that defect.

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »Just be careful around the bumper when you're at the car wash. I had a '95 Corsica that I bought almost-new, and shortly before the warranty expired, I had a small area of paint that peeled off the hood. Took it to the car wash, and the sprayer ended up peeling the paint off in an area about 6 inches in diameter. Obviously warranty covered that defect. 1995 Corsicas and other GM cars around that year and before i.e. Camaros, Grand Prixs, had paint issues, mostly with the silver and blue colors. Bad primer was the reason... Still be carefull of do-it-yourself sprayers. If the dlr will not fix, scuff the black plastic and touch up to keep from spreading. Buff the paint down too when done.

Quote, originally posted by Let'sGoOrange »Already have a few chips in the hood which I've touched up (it actually looks good). The GM front cover (bra) is coming in a few days. I hate chips!BE CAREFUL WITH BRAS!!!!!Bras can cause more damage than good. If you get dirt or a small rock under the bra it will constantly scratch and rub against the body and ruin the paint job, I used to see it all the time when I detailed cars, I will never put a bra on my car after seeing the damage they can do. Make sure you take the bra off and clean it and the car regularly.

Mr. Poopy is right! I used to detail as well and have owned three differernt styles. One got caught in a rain storm and acid rain got trapped under the cover, had to be buffed out; black car (1 piece design). The second (GM 2 piece design) was more of a hassle to put on and take off. The third and this is all I would get now was just the hood cover. Best one, never moved and easy on and off, it was for my 1998 Z24. Will not get one for my Vette at all, just do not tailgate people.

Quote, originally posted by MiVibe-ToolGuy »Will not get one for my Vette at all, just do not tailgate people. I've tried my best not to tailgate... I leave an empty space in front of me at least big enough for 1.5 Excursions whenever I can. lol! Yet my bumper, cladding, windshield, headlights, and fogs are completely sandblasted. Thought about the bra thing but decided against it. Got a bug deflector instead.I'm working OT and putting away some money for the bumper repaint project... Hope to have it done sometime before winter.

I have had bras on 5 of my 7 vehicles and have had no problems with them...as long as you take care of them and get a good, quality one (LeBra is what I recommend).

I washed and waxed the vibe sunday and guess what i found. 3 spots on the hood where the paint is starting to crack because its dry. (I have had the roof painted because of dry paint) so I went into the dealer with a big smile and said "check out the hood, its dry paint and its cracking" they agreed. I'm gonna go in friday and get the oil changed and we are going to set up a time to get it painted. the service rep said i'm the only person he knows thats happy because of a defect. man, has this been along time coming.

took the vibe in today for paint on the hood, tried to talk service manager into painting the A-pillars and other chips also, we will see around wednesday or thursday.

Sounds good! Glad you were able to finally get something out of GM. Let's hope it looks good when you get the car back!

Hello everyone! Before two days ago, I would've said that my Neptune paint job was good, however, I decided to wash and wax my car on my day off. After washing, I noticed a few "surface scratches" on the hood and front bumper. After I looked closer, I noticed very long scratches in the clear coat. They weren't in just one place, but all over the damn front end! I thought that my wash mitt did it, but the rest of my car is perfect. I waxed and buffed, and still scratches! My co-worker and I tried 3 different scratch removers and still nothing! It looks like they're deeper than I thought, cause I can feel the scratches with my fingernail! Also, "bugs and tar" did not wash off my bumper, so I picked up some bug and tar remover yesterday. I haven't tried it yet, but after reading all of these posts, I have a feeling that it ain't gonna work! Also, I'm going to try some rubbing compound. If neither of those things work, I'm heading straight to my dealer. I'll let everyone know how these new products go!

Also, another thing. There's a car doctor in my local newspaper, and he suggests that if there are any problems that everyone seems to have, that everyone should tell their dealers and/or call the manufacturer and file a complaint. If they keep giving you the run-around, then he suggests a good Class Action Lawsuit usually does the trick! Just a thought.

Hood is painted!! they did an excellent job, the paint is 1.3 mm(?) thick.I might invest in a bug guard but i like the look with the bra.decisions, decisions....

Just got a new Vibe and I am having the Minnesota protection package put on today.It consists of Underbody coat, A thick clearcoat on the paint and interior leather and fabric protection. Also I am having the dealer put 3M clear tape on the hood. It goes across the whole front of the hood and is about 8 inches wide and it is barely noticable. The sales person demonstrated it on his own car. He whipped his keys on it and not a mark was left. Pretty impressive.

Will do, as soon as I get it back from the dealer and it stops raining.

i'm not sure if the problem i have is with the paint or with what i did with my car. well i put one of those bike racks from canadian tire on the trunk and it had foam pads to protect the metal frame from touching the car. the one set of foam pads rests on the window and the other sets rest on the trunk just under the license plate. i noticed after i took the bike rack off after having it on for a 4 hour drive that all the paint under the foam had been taken off i guess from the foam rubbing against it. i used the same bike rack with my sunfire for years and had no problem and now using it once on the vibe i now have bare metal showing. i still haven't taken it to the dealer but what do you guys think i shouldn't have done it or... it's the crappy paint??

Well, I too have experienced paint that is chipping on my 2005 Vibe (salsa) and I have only had it 3 weeks. I am taking it to the dealer on Monday and I anticipate that they will say that a rock has hit it and it is out of their hands. I will let you know. I also have paint scraping off under driver side door.

the 2003 doesn't even have clear coat...mine chips if you give it a mean look...

I've had my silver Vibe 1 year, 21,000 miles and the front and hood is all chipped to hell along with some chips in the windshield

My 05 with only 3500 miles on it has quite a few scratches. My 00 Olds Alero has 60k and was driven on the same roads and parked in the same places and has less scratches than the Vibe. The paint is not very durable on the Vibe.

I just purchased another hood deflector but that probably won't save it! My 96 Cavy looked better

I didn't know if I should post this here, or in the Ohio aftermath thread, but it's probably more on topic here....the hood of my Abyss AWD, is total sh*t after the OH trip.....I spent a few hours the week before the trip touching it up, and now it has 10x more chips than every before.....I am so disgusted....

Wow...that sucks... Which way did you go? Wonder what caused all of that...

I 65 in KY is concrete, and not in very good condition.....I blame it....

If you want a good car bra go to carbras.com. I got one and really like it. They back theris with a 5 year warranty. Fits well and is easy to take on and off,( after the initial installion). Some people get annoyed with taking them on and off during washing but the tradoff is no chipped paint. If you go with one from carbra, just be aware that for the 05 the hood portion covers most of the hood which some people find highly objectionable. I understand you can get a shortened version if you ask for it.I think its unfortunate that most cars these days are poorly painted, prone to stone chipping, and almost require you to buy additional paint protection.

I have an 2004 fusion vibe and have some of the same paint issues the all of you guys have. I have contacted pontiac about this and gotten a response. I sent the link to this post back to the person I am in correspondance with. We will see if I get any action as my car is out of warranty. (44000 miles).

Well, I might be getting my car painted under warranty. I took it to the Pontiac dealer today, he took a meter to the paint to judge the depth. Normal paint depth is 4.5~5 mil minimum. Areas near the front of the hood measured 4.1~4.4, the rear of the hood was 4.6, the front fenders were in the low 4's, but the roof, between the sunroof and the windshield.......2.6. Also had some thin paint on the rear pillars near the hatch. I have to wait until the GM rep approves it, but I might be getting new paint.....

I just had my paint request denied. The rep said it had paint on it, you couldn't see through it, and that rock chips were rock chips, even on the roof, and that even if it rusted through, it wasn't warrantable. The bug splatters that went through the paint and are baking back OUT were just too bad, should have washed them off quicker. To say I am dissappointed would be a huge understatement, I really figured knowing the history of these cars, I might get something done.......boy was I wrong.....

That's horrible, partsguy. You really did your homework on this too, they should have given you something. This paint is less than adequate in so many cases and yours is no exception. You had scientific evidence showing paint depth, which clearly proves a manufacturing defect upon NUMMI's part... Yet the GM rep just looked at it and said "hey, that's got paint on it, (removed) are you talking about?" Reminds me of when I tried to bring up the excessive chipping on the front bumper to my service advisor and he just said "them's rock chips!" No *bleep* captain obvious! I know what they are, do something about it!Is GM kicking owners of other GM products around like this? I remember when I had a hood repainted on a Chevy which started chipping and peeling after a rock smacked it, after the warranty expired, no questions asked. It really wasn't completely their fault, a friggin' rock striking the hood seemed to have started it all, (but i think the peeling was due to the nasty issues GM *was* having with their paint back then.) They took care of me and did a fantastic job at it. I've had family which has had good luck getting things like this taken care of too by GM... I've been hanging around the GM shops for a while now, always getting something worked on, and I have to say I'm sensing a lot more of the General flat out refusing to work on the Vibe than I ever did with the "real" GM cars, period. Did a company wide memo go out from upper management demanding Vibe product support cesase? That's the experience I've ahd at least.Sorry that you lost the battle, but it shouldn't end with that... I think as many furstrated souls as possible should get together and try to get something done. I would love to, my paint is chipped to hell, there is orange peel all the way down the driver's side. It's horrible, but I'm close to 60K and if I were GM, I probably wouldn't want to repaint that car after 60K.

I'm going to get my facts on paper, write the head of the Pontiac division, and if that gets ignored, i wonder if we could get a class-action on them?Chem-Charlie, if you happen to read this, can you get us some facts on paint, paint thickness, and paintable plastics (fascia)?

I don't work in a company where we paint parts, so I haven't a clue. We manufacture and sell materials to companies that do, I will see if our product people have any knowledge, but no promises (the specifics may be proprietary to our customers and I might not be able to share the info.). Most of the paint and thickness that I know anything about is on boats and that process is a lot different than cars. I'll see what I can find out.

FYI...I haven't heard back from my sources yet, so I am still after this.

The problems with my paint is that, lets see, I have just over 12000 km on it in about 2 months time and the front of the car is killed with stone chips, the rear hatch is scratched from something I have no clue ( I think it was the dealers fault but who can prove that after the fact ) also on the hatch there is a spot were the piant has craked. And on top of things I got the teflon coating on the paint and inside, And I have a feeling that they didn't do it or did it not properly because there are things that it said it was going to protect and its not working.In short, I am not happy at all with the condition of the paint job of my car and GM is taking no responceablity.

Quote, originally posted by TheBri » on the hatch there is a spot were the piant has cracked.if the paint is cracked like its drying out cracking, that should be covered under warranty, my hood and roof had cracking paint and it was covered. they called it "dry" and the thickness of the paint before it got painted was .5mm which i had checked at 2 different dealers after they painted it it was 1.3mm.

My paint scratches realy easy and the stone chips are bad. How did you find out the the paint thickness wasn't correct?Also anyone one a good front protector for the Vibes? I am thinking on getting the one from the Deal/GM, is that a good choice?

The paint on my GTO chips very easy. The Vibe paint is very good though I am the second owner and dont know the original owner. There are a couple small chips that have been touched up, but less than my 1 yr old GTO with 7k miles on it.

Quote, originally posted by TheBri »How did you find out the the paint thickness wasn't correct?Also anyone one a good front protector for the Vibes? I am thinking on getting the one from the Deal/GM, is that a good choice?I never said the paint thickness wasn't correct. just that when it was painted it was thicker.I have a front bra and use it all the time. and no I don't have all the problems everybody else is going to tell you about bras on vibes. I remove it once a week to clean it and remove it when it looks like foul weather.

Foul weather, Sorry is that good weather or bad weater? Also which one do you have? I was thinking on getting the dealer one? and I also heard that there is a clear one and I haven't seen one of those before?

bad weather like rain, snow, sleet. I have the dealer front end cover.

Awsome I was thinking on the dealer on. How hard is it to remove and put back on? Also does it do a good job at protecting the front end?So you take it off when its snowing out, I would think that the sand and salt on the road would be worse for the front end, then durning the summer road conditions.