Help...paint question

[BDP]

So the glut orange S4 I had shipped arrived from California. Needless to say it has some paint issues and I'm luckily not committed to buying the car, however I will have to fight to get my shipping costs reimbursed.

At any rate...Has anyone seen clearcoat issues like this. They won't rub out and are clearly sitting in the clear.

[The Fat Kid]

I don't think I have ever looked at my roof! I would try to get money off to cover the cost of having it detailed.

P.S. Cool color

[Dr GP]

If you really want and like the car, have the dealer repaint the roof. OR get a discount and take it to a high quality detailer. If they can't fix it, get it repainted. BTW, the defects do not show up well in the pictures. Can you describe what you are seeing? Not sure what is paint and what is reflection.

[14S4GWM]

^ you can see the marks pretty good in the pics. They look like long water marks.

[DannyDeez]

Gloss black roof that bitch and call it a day. Seriously tho, sucks it has that, but it wouldn't stop me from buying it. It's a rare find. I would buy it and worry about that later. Maybe try and get some money off

[Usa]

Clear coat failure.. pretty odd, I have a few markings on mine but its a 2011 so it is expected from some sun damage.

[Fourcircle]

I would tell the dealer that since the damage wasn't disclosed, you are not taking delivery and want your transport charges reimbursed. That will put them on notice. Then suggest that if they want to have the car detailed at their expense, you will reinspect it and if it is all good, like they told you it was prior to shipping, then you'll take delivery. If it doesn't come out, you can then walk or negotiate a lower price. I would be careful not to take delivery nor spend any of your own money making it right. If you paid shipping by credit card, you can get the credit card company to contest the charges on your behalf if it gets sticky.

[pdqgp]

I would tell the dealer that since the damage wasn't disclosed, you are not taking delivery and want your transport charges reimbursed. That will put them on notice. Then suggest that if they want to have the car detailed at their expense, you will reinspect it and if it is all good, like they told you it was prior to shipping, then you'll take delivery. If it doesn't come out, you can then walk or negotiate a lower price. I would be careful not to take delivery nor spend any of your own money making it right. If you paid shipping by credit card, you can get the credit card company to contest the charges on your behalf if it gets sticky.

^^ Excellent advice.

I'd definitely have it looked over closely to insure it isn't clear coat failure. Especially since it could have been during the entire process and thus pop up elsewhere. That said, I'd also look at having it wrapped in gloss black as I bet that would look spectacular on that car. It would only cost you like $300 too.

I'm not sure but I might be able to swing down to Cinci this week. PM If you're interested and we can look at it together. I'll give my insight on the marks. Who said they are "in" the clear coat and won't compound out? Doesn't appear anyone really tried.

I zoomed in on this portion and can clearly see scratches on the right side of this snapshot which appear to impact the marks in question. Not a sure thing but that shows they can be impacted and perhaps corrected.

[BDP]

^^ Excellent advice.

I'd definitely have it looked over closely to insure it isn't clear coat failure. Especially since it could have been during the entire process and thus pop up elsewhere. That said, I'd also look at having it wrapped in gloss black as I bet that would look spectacular on that car. It would only cost you like $300 too.

I'm not sure but I might be able to swing down to Cinci this week. PM If you're interested and we can look at it together. I'll give my insight on the marks. Who said they are "in" the clear coat and won't compound out? Doesn't appear anyone really tried.

I zoomed in on this portion and can clearly see scratches on the right side of this snapshot which appear to impact the marks in question. Not a sure thing but that shows they can be impacted and perhaps corrected.

Seeing those scratches makes me even more concerned...lol. The dealer didn't say anything less they would pay to have the roof wet sanded. I told them have it and if doesn't look good I want a refund of my shipping fee.

Here is a shot of another spot.



Another issue I had was a crack in front bumper covered up with horrible touch up paint

[MrFunk]

A used car is going to have some scuffs and scratches etc. There's no perfect used car. That crack in the bumper would not bother me. It's a used car. If you want perfection then buy new. Sorry to be harsh but that's why used cars are less expensive than new... (obviously).

That being said -
That does not look like damage to me or defective paint. I'd be willing to bet that stuff on the roof would come out with clay. Looks like hard water marks... you'd be surprised how stubborn that is to remove if baked in by the sun... if you tried to rub it with your hand it won't come out. You need to properly clay it or even buff it out.

I'm willing to bet I could get that out in 5 minutes.

[Malv1]

So is this at an Audi dealer or Carmax? That looks moisture in the clear.


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[BDP]

So is this at an Audi dealer or Carmax? That looks moisture in the clear.


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It's a Carmax dealer.

A used car is going to have some scuffs and scratches etc. There's no perfect used car. That crack in the bumper would not bother me. It's a used car. If you want perfection then buy new. Sorry to be harsh but that's why used cars are less expensive than new... (obviously).

Understood, and withstanding from what I've shown there are plenty of what I would consider normal wear and tear items. Used cars are cheaper because they are used...the level a buyer (such as me) and anyone else would want to deal with varies. That's where the price comes into play. This particular car is at the middle ground of fair market...which as such I'd expect a car to be relatively low with issues. I have a 2013 car I'm trading in with more miles then this one and it doesn't have half the defects.

[mmm def]

Have them black roof it

[pdqgp]

Those spots are concerning but I won't be able to say if it's the clear coat failing until I see it in person. The streak along the sunroof isn't common of what clear coat failing would do. That's more than likely a contamination of some sort. Could be hard water/contamination. My guess is they blasted it with a power washer and that's dried soap, etc.

I wouldn't have them wet sand the roof though as that's just asking for trouble down the road. Especially putting such a task in the hands of CarMax. No way. I wouldn't trust them to measure the thickness once let alone while they are sanding.

[sc117]

On the subject of paint. What the heck could cause this?



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[BDP]

Those spots are concerning but I won't be able to say if it's the clear coat failing until I see it in person. The streak along the sunroof isn't common of what clear coat failing would do. That's more than likely a contamination of some sort. Could be hard water/contamination. My guess is they blasted it with a power washer and that's dried soap, etc.

I wouldn't have them wet sand the roof though as that's just asking for trouble down the road. Especially putting such a task in the hands of CarMax. No way. I wouldn't trust them to measure the thickness once let alone while they are sanding.

Agreed, if you are out towards Dayton tomorrow let me know. I'll run down there with you if don't mind taking a look. It will also help to have another owner as a set of eyes seeing something maybe I don't.

The shining part of the car is the interior, it's pretty immaculate.

[nickskeeta]

Take it to a high end detailer and have Paint correction performed on the roof, thats another option. I just had paint correction performed on mine because original owner left swirls and light scratches in the clear coat. Car looks brand new again

[Tanner]

Looks like perhaps bird crap leaving a mark.



I have a few of those on my car, inevitable as there's no way to park away from parking lot lights, trees, etc. at work.

[blackfunk]

My understanding is that CarMax does not negotiate on price. Obviously your case is unique but best of luck with that.

[Antekaudi]

The roof looks like it has some clear coat failure that may or may not be fixed with wet sanding and polishing. I wouldn't worry about the bumper.

This happened to my friend who used Carmax, the car was damaged during shipping and was poorly resprayed to hide the damage.

If I was you, i would have someone from a body shop inspect the car to see if there was any paint work done previously.

[Dr GP]

I like the idea of having the roof wrapped in black.

[Canadianwraith]

Having the roof wrapped doesn't address the fact that there is something wrong here. If the op decides to sell the car in the future and prospective buyers don't like a wrapped roof it will impact him financially. The colour is cool but I would have the paint fixed before I would think about picking this car up

[BDP]

Having the roof wrapped doesn't address the fact that there is something wrong here. If the op decides to sell the car in the future and prospective buyers don't like a wrapped roof it will impact him financially. The colour is cool but I would have the paint fixed before I would think about picking this car up

This is along the lines of my logic. When buying a car, especially used, a large factor is how sellable well it be when I'm done with it. In this case even if the paint is addressed...who knows how long it will uphold.

[Usa]

On the subject of paint. What the heck could cause this?



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Impact chip, exposed to the primer results in corrosion of the surrounding paint levels... clear coat and paint are two levels of protection, primer sits underneath which is the white part.

[pdqgp]

The more I look at the images it looks to be that it's likely just dried soap or chemicals of some sort that they likely used during a washing. Could have even been something that landed on it during transport.

I wasn't able to make the Dayton trip so I'll await his update.

[BDP]

Update -

I called the dealership and they are charging my credit card back for the shipping costs. I told them I wasn't going to buy knowing the issues that were pointed out, which in the long run I think is best. There was no rebuttal on their end, which leads me to believe they really didn't want to deal with fixing them and knew I had a case. The bad news is I'm back to looking for an S4 all over again...ughhhhh!

Good things come to he who waits though...right?

[pdqgp]

Update -

I called the dealership and they are charging my credit card back for the shipping costs. I told them I wasn't going to buy knowing the issues that were pointed out, which in the long run I think is best. There was no rebuttal on their end, which leads me to believe they really didn't want to deal with fixing them and knew I had a case. The bad news is I'm back to looking for an S4 all over again...ughhhhh!

Good things come to he who waits though...right?

Probably best really. I remember shopping for mine and telling the dealers I wasn't looking for an S4 but "the" S4 that would make me happy. Don't settle when there's this much money being talked about.

Will be interesting to see if they ante up and put it through a simple detail and keep it on their lot.

[AudiSport12]

In the hands of an experienced detailer, those marks could have been removed or lightened 99% within 15 minutes. Stinks you had to let her go!

[mr shickadance]

Update -

I called the dealership and they are charging my credit card back for the shipping costs. I told them I wasn't going to buy knowing the issues that were pointed out, which in the long run I think is best. There was no rebuttal on their end, which leads me to believe they really didn't want to deal with fixing them and knew I had a case. The bad news is I'm back to looking for an S4 all over again...ughhhhh!

Good things come to he who waits though...right?

i'm sure you won't like to hear this but in your situation, you don't really have a leg to stand on.

CarMax is extremely open about the transfer fee, it's non-refundable, it does NOT go towards the purchase of the car, and that's pretty much it.

They can rightfully charge you as they rightfully performed all that was asked of them, they did actually bring the car to the place closest to you correct? then you owe them the money.

You should have asked for more pictures prior to the transfer, live and learn.

I'm sorry that it didn't work out, but it seems like you are upset with them, when really they didn't do anything wrong. none of that would be a deal breaker for me personally, a clay bar would remedy most of your issues.

[pdqgp]

i'm sure you won't like to hear this but in your situation, you don't really have a leg to stand on.

I think he was "credited" back the money not stuck paying it. That's how I read it. CarMax isn't going to shaft a customer for a transport fee even if they were allowed to by their own rules. That's being a penny wise/pound foolish.

[mr shickadance]

I think he was "credited" back the money not stuck paying it. That's how I read it. CarMax isn't going to shaft a customer for a transport fee even if they were allowed to by their own rules. That's being a penny wise/pound foolish.

ah, then he got a pretty generous result I would say.

[BDP]

I think he was "credited" back the money not stuck paying it. That's how I read it. CarMax isn't going to shaft a customer for a transport fee even if they were allowed to by their own rules. That's being a penny wise/pound foolish.

This is correct. It also helped that I saved a screenshot of the questions I had about the condition of the car and the responses to those questions from the dealership in California. One of the questions I asked was does the car have any exterior cosmetic dings, scratches or paint defects to which was replied "None". I don't know about anyone else but when someone replies back and says "none" I take that as literally there are none. However, it seems like the dealership in California has a different definition of "none" than I do.

At any rate I'm glad it's over, everything happens for a reason and it's time for me to start looking again. I already have found a couple I need to look at this weekend.

[Malv1]

I have a friend going to see this car for me and to get good high quality pictures of it for me. I am very interested to see the paint crap. I will call them after that and see what can be done, based on that discussion it my RS4 may be up for sale :)

[dropshadow]

I have a friend going to see this car for me and to get good high quality pictures of it for me. I am very interested to see the paint crap. I will call them after that and see what can be done, based on that discussion it my RS4 may be up for sale :)

Must not have been a good verdict. The car is still listed for sale on Carmax's site.

[Malv1]

I was trying to negotiate because of the paint damage to the roof. They fixed the damage to the front lip and it looked decent. They wanted nothing to do with negotiating. I wanted the car but not at their price.
It isn't on the website anymore so I don't know if it sold or what. Kinda bummed but hopefully someone got a good deal if it did sell! Did someone here grab it?


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[firstars]

Looks like etching in paint from bird doo doo. I would have them wrap the roof gloss black and call it a day.

[Tanner]

Looks like etching in paint from bird doo doo. I would have them wrap the roof gloss black and call it a day.

Yup my thoughts exactly (further up). Ever since everybody switched to the water-based paint, it's literally crap. The B7 paint and earlier was much more resilient when it came to dealing with bird shit. Even the body shops that are also required to use water-based paint agrees that it's not as good as the previous.

[Malv1]

Just checking in to see if anyone here bought this S4? I was trying to make it happen but both sides were being stubborn and after a few times on and off the site, the car has been gone for about a month from the site.

Did anyone here pick this car up?