[Hoosier1]

Yesterday afternoon/evening I went to local dealer and drove a 14' RT+ Slate Gray w/Blacktop package. I loved the way it drove, performance, and great aesthetics. Came to a preliminary agreement and came back next day to pick up and complete paperwork. Was giving the car a once over b/f signing and noticed many paint defects and contamination. Some minor scratches and imperfections would be ok but 30+ Tiny raised paint areas including raised tiny bumps under the decals were a deal breaker for me. Maybe I'm too picky or just have really high expectations.

My question is, is this common, the norm as the dealer stated to me? I was thinking about finding or ordering the same one but am concerned about having the same issues. Thanks

 

[plmczy14core]

Sadly I think it is common. Mine only has a tiny little fisheye defect on the lower front fender. But from what I read and heard from others this is sadly an all too common complaint. Particularly orange peel effect.

 

[jklotz10]

If it is normal they really need to step up their quality game (Dodge that is)......it shouldn't be normal. My R/T Classic doesn't have any of those blemishes. I have see some paint jobs that look like crap. Some have the fish eyes and some really bad orange peel. I turned down a new truck once at a dealer because of a crap finish. Refused to even test drive it unless he guaranteed me a $10,000 drop in price. It's just a truck, so for a $10K discount I'll live with a crap paint job, but I'm not paying for poor quality product.

 

[MOPARMOM]

My 2012 R/T had zero blemishes...still does. It should not be the norm....this is a $30+K car for crying out loud!!! Take a look at another one....it should be blemish free.

 

[cdahl383]

I wouldn't accept that, look elsewhere, you'll find one with no issues. The dealer just wants to push that one out the door to you and hopes you won't care or make a big stink about it.

 

[Hoosier1]

Thanks for the responses. Kind of hoping to get this sort of feedback and makes me a little more confident if i have to order one since there are none within 500 miles of where i live.

 

[BAD GRANDPA]

Zero blemishes on mine also. Don't settle for 'just ok'. Order exactly what you want, It'll be worth the wait.--

 

[2013HemiOrangeRT]

Just my opinion but I am thinking this is one of those things where it comes down to personal opinions on what each of us consider blemish free, perfect finish etc.

What one considers a blemish free, acceptable finish, may very well be the finish the OP is considering unacceptable. I know mine is not blemish free and I have not seen a single Dodge yet that is. However, I am realistic and for me, my car is a daily driver and I am just thrilled to own a new car for the first time in my life and ecstatic that it can be a Challenger.

So again, I truly believe this is a personal opinion and can not be answered in a forum. My painter friend says the only way my car is going to look decent is with a wet sand and buff by someone "who know exactly what the hell they are doing" and I know enough to know, that is not me! LOL

 

[jklotz10]

With the amount of time I've spent washing and waxing my car I know for a fact I'd notice "30+ Tiny raised paint areas including raised tiny bumps under the decals". It sounds to me like the car the OP is looking at is one that slipped through quality control.
You are right though, that none of our cars are perfect off the showroom floor.

 

[bad8nti]

To the OP, no finish from the factory is going to be perfect, however, what you describe is definately not normal. If that is the car you have your heart set on, see what the dealer and Dodge corporate will do about fixing the problem.

 

[70CaminoSS]

30+ defects certainly seems to be excessive...my 2011 has a couple small defects that I've noticed when waxing/polishing, but I've seen much worse in many new cars...I think that one probably fell through the QC cracks!

 

[tdjacw]

I am a fanatic with the paint on my car. I can say with100% confidence my car has no blemishes. Do not accept anything less.

 

[2013HemiOrangeRT]

Wow, that's awesome! None!

I was pretty excited about mine as well, then took it to the first cruise-inn where all the "experts" hang out. Within minutes the "experts" crawling all over the car, they found dozens of imperfections and I had not even removed the window sticker. My painter friend would be happy to find them for anyone who would like to have them pointed out. Again, it's a matter of each person's eye. Each Friday night at our local cruise night it's like a game for some of the crew as each brand new Camaro, Corvette Stingray etc. rolls in. Look them over and find that bad spots in the brand new paint. Look hard enough and you will find them.

 

[tdjacw]

I wonder if it has to do with the color. I have owned many new cars. The few white cars I have owned never had any issues with paint imperfections. All my other cars I would always find some. Could be a coincidence.

 

[Hoosier1]

Went to a different dealer today. Put a deal together and ordered one from the factory since closest was 500 miles away. $500 deposit which is refundable if car isn't right. Explained situation to sales guy. He said that the dealer has three days after delivery to return a vehicle to Dodge if it's not right. Anyway, I'm excited about it. And no, I don't expect to get a perfect vehicle but one with far less issues.

 

[KeysB5Blue]

Mine has a handful of imperfections that I noticed while washing/waxing - nowhere near 30+ though....I know they're there, but they are starting to be outnumbered by chips collected by just driving the car. The amount you stated is excessive, but like others said - no factory finish is perfect - especially cars in mass production.

Good luck with your new deal and please let us know when you get your new ride!

 

[HemiMetal]

My Challenger had rough paint from more than 3 months of being exposed to the elements on a dealer's lot and daily pressure washes. There were fine scratches on the hood and roof, but none of them were deep. Had I paid full MSRP for my car, I would have passed on this one. But the final deal that was cut shaved 18% off the sticker. I knew the paint was fully correctable and I could handle it myself. In fact, I told the fleet manager I did not want his guys to wash the car or buff out the scratches (unfortunately they did anyway, which created a little more work for me).

Flashback 25 years to 1988. I had just bought a new, tomato-red RX-7 GTU. I had haggled away most of the afternoon cutting that deal. My unsigned check in the amount of 25% down sat on the desk between me and the salesman, which really affected his concentration. We finally agreed on price and financing options when I told the salesman I wanted to have another look at the car before I signed. Walking around the RX, I picked up on a minute inch-long scratch on the driver's door. The salesman promised to have his guys buff it out immediately. No, I said, tear up the contract, I'll take the other (identical) RX-7 on the lot.

Hey, we've all done it at some point in our lives. You're laying out a lot of money, you have every expectation to be happy with your purchase.

 

[coolbreeze]

Yep, I found what looks like an eye lash or eyebrow hair in mine. Overall I love the car but feel that Dodge paint jobs really suck. Just saw the worst one yet a couple weeks ago. It was on a new PCP Charger with all kinds of goodies and stipes at a dealer showroom. The orange peel was the worst I'd ever seen and was almost without gloss. I've looked closely at many different car makes and I've yet to see any as bad as Dodge. I really would like to know why so many other manufacturers can have really besutiful paint jobs but not Chrysler. It's almost as if they haven't upgraded their equipment in 30 years or something. Then once in a while you'll see a new Challenger with a prety good paint job. No consistency. I just don't get it.

 

[Burly Bob]

I'm happy you didn't buy the blemished car. As long as you owned it the more it would have bothered you. I bought a 2012 (new) that was sitting on a lot for about a year. It had bird droppings in 4 places that etched into the paint. I had the Dealer drop about $3000 more off the price they wanted and that made the deal livable for me. I brought it home and buffed 90% of the flaws out. It is only noticeable under fluorescent lights.

 

[redline14]

Yep, I found what looks like an eye lash or eyebrow hair in mine. Overall I love the car but feel that Dodge paint jobs really suck. Just saw the worst one yet a couple weeks ago. It was on a new PCP Charger with all kinds of goodies and stipes at a dealer showroom. The orange peel was the worst I'd ever seen and was almost without gloss. I've looked closely at many different car makes and I've yet to see any as bad as Dodge. I really would like to know why so many other manufacturers can have really besutiful paint jobs but not Chrysler. It's almost as if they haven't upgraded their equipment in 30 years or something. Then once in a while you'll see a new Challenger with a prety good paint job. No consistency. I just don't get it.

I agree 100% :smiley_thumbs_up: The only cars I have had paint/body issues with were Chrysler products, on my 06 - 300 the paint was perfect but the doors were not aligned right, on my caravan I had the peeling paint on the roof on my new R/T I have a couple of dimples and I think a few thing not aligned right that I am going to show the service dept.