2015 BUICK VERANO DAMAGED PAINT!!!

[esmer.fal]

UNDER NORMAL SUN EXPOSURE, THIS VEHICLE HAS EXTREME HAIRLINE SCRATCHES THROUGHOUT!!!THERE IS NO REASON THAT A 4 YEAR OLD CAR,, SHOULD HAVE ITS PAINT THIS BAD!!

 

[2007LucerneCXL]

Is it on the entire vehicle as the photos are of the hood only. Have you contacted Buick on this yet?

 

[MelsRegal]

Are you taking this car to a car wash?

 

[esmer.fal]

Is it on the entire vehicle as the photos are of the hood only. Have you contacted Buick on this yet?

It’s on the whole top part of the car, dealership is telling me it’s caused by animals..

 

[esmer.fal]

Are you taking this car to a car wash?

I usually take it to an automatic one

 

[2007LucerneCXL]

Can't say that these are similar to any other paint issues I've seen in the past. I have seen those marks done from mechanical devices, harsh towels, sand that wasn't wash off before washing, sand paper or other paint issues like spider webbing, delamintion, wrong formula clear coat, poor environmental paint conditions.

Did this just appear one day or has it been growing over time, if so how long? Have you asked a detail shop about it? What about taking it to another dealer?

 

[KevinJ]

I never use automatic drive-thru car washes that use brushes, cloth strips, etc.
IMO they can be particularly hard on a vehicles paint since you don't know how clean those brushes/strips really are. Have seen a lot of family and friends vehicles "beat to death" by poorly maintained gas station car washes.

I will only use drive thru-washes that are "touchless", ie. nothing that contacts the vehicle except soap, water, wax, sealant, etc. And most times, once thru the wash, I will pull over and completely dry off the vehicle with clean terry cloth towels. If vehicle is really dirty, I will hand wash at home or at a car wash.

Note to tight-wads like myself. Look for terry cloth towels to dry with at rummage/second hand stores like Good Will or Salvation Army. And when washing your "shop towels", don't use fabric softener.

 

[esmer.fal]

Can't say that these are similar to any other paint issues I've seen in the past. I have seen those marks done from mechanical devices, harsh towels, sand that wasn't wash off before washing, sand paper or other paint issues like spider webbing, delamintion, wrong formula clear coat, poor environmental paint conditions.

Did this just appear one day or has it been growing over time, if so how long? Have you asked a detail shop about it? What about taking it to another dealer?

It’s been growing over time like for a year already.

 

[Remellick]

We just spent $1427.00 on a clear coat repaint at a local auto paint shop for very similar surface/paint damage. We purchased our verano used and about two years afterwards, particularly right after a Saturday afternoon run through the car wash (yes we used local auto car wash) this condition began to appear.

We thought, due to its severity, that could not have possibly been from the car wash because it looked more like a really bad surface preparation for painting or an amateur detailer with an electric buffing wheel and 100 grit sandpaper and steel wool on the pad was turned loose on it and the use of the car wash only revealed what had been poorly hidden. Our suspicion was that it had been done by carmax or the previous owner who sold it to carmax.
However, your post here is very similar and we've seen a couple others on internet searches that were close. But with no one (but possibly ourselves for using car washes) to blame we began seeking estimates on repainting it. Most estimates were 2500-3500 dollars and none of them included taking the surface down to smooth and building it back up to showroom shine. We honestly couldn't absorb that kind of cost ...so through talking with a local small car dealership owner I met his commercial vehicle paint service "guy" and after talking with him in person and looking the car over we agreed to his price.
Not a showroom condition result but extremely easier on the eye, pride and wallet. If nothing else it stopped the continued surface degradation as it was only getting worse and made a future trading or selling a conscience free option again.

 

[metlfan2003]

I just got finished going around and around with GM for the past 3 months, just to be told today that they wouldn't be offering a dime on the repair because the car was out of bumper to bumper warranty. I have a black 2013 Verano turbo that looks identical to your car. The clear coat has failed, and no amount of car washes contributed to how badly and quickly it failed. These are not simply clear coat "scratches"; this is total cracking and checking of the clear coat that will require repaint to fix.

I opened a case with Buick and had to take my car to the dealer for a quote, which came to around $2600 to repaint just the hood, trunk and roof. The body shop there confirmed that the clear coat had failed on the upward facing surfaces of the car due to the heat and that it wasn't uncommon for other black GM vehicles to have the same problems after 5-6 years. When I asked the shop manager if GM's position was that 6 years was an acceptable amount of time for paint to last on a vehicle, he said yes and that even after the repaint it would likely need to be repainted again in another 5-6 years. "They don't paint cars like they used to" I believe was the quote if I remember correctly.

I will never buy another GM product as long as I live. I currently have three GM cars in my driveway and they will all be my last. I will never recommend a GM vehicle to another living soul on this planet after the way they handled this situation. There is clearly an issue with dark colored Veranos, as I have seen at least two others in town (one smoke gray and the other black) with the same failing paint. The illusion of Buick being a luxury brand is completely tarnished in my eyes when they can't even give it a paint job that lasts longer than 6 years. I have a 1989 S10 pickup in my driveway with paint that looks almost identical to my fully loaded 2013 Buick Verano and that is a complete joke. I only have 56k miles on my Verano and it looks like it has paint from the 90s.

 

[Remellick]

UNDER NORMAL SUN EXPOSURE, THIS VEHICLE HAS EXTREME HAIRLINE SCRATCHES THROUGHOUT!!!THERE IS NO REASON THAT A 4 YEAR OLD CAR,, SHOULD HAVE ITS PAINT THIS BAD!!

We thought we were just dealt a foul hand a year or two after purchasing our verano from carmax when the same exact condition you're sharing here revealed itself. You're not alone and without any recall or fixes by Buick we have since resorted to a repaint of the clear coat by a local business ($1500.00). Sadly, with "orange peel" and light imperfections now a reality for our Verano the pride in ownership remains VERY low.. not to mention in just the right light those brillo pad like scratches are visible through the "new" clear coat. So.. if you or anyone else decides to go this route plan on spending 3k or more insisting the paint job includes the prep-work, new base coat, new clear coat AND a detailed finish on top of all that. Good luck.

Now in an unrelated task I am facing multiple engine sensors gone wild issues!.. more now than ever I ask myself "why'd I let her choose a buick!?"

 

[-Regal-]

If I had to guess you're washing the car with dish soap which totally removes any wax . A big no no when it comes to washing cars. Cars should be waxed and polished once or twice a year. I doubt you've ever done it once; what else would you expect? Bring it to a car detailer and have the finish properly dealt with.

I only have 56k miles on my Verano and it looks like it has paint from the 90s.

My car has paint from the 90s and it looks fantastic. Ever really taken care of yours either?

 

[metlfan2003]

My car has paint from the 90s and it looks fantastic. Ever really taken care of yours either?

I'm happy for you, but that doesn't mean that all of our paint problems are a result of negligence. Just because you don't have a problem doesn't mean there isn't a problem. Nice try though.

Again, THIS ISN'T AN ISSUE WITH CAR WASHING. I seem to recall mentioning that in my post and that the GM body shop confirmed that the problem was failed clear coat, but maybe reading isn't your strong suit. I had just washed, waxed and detailed the car mere months before this problem came about. No amount of wax can "fix" defective paint. "Bring it to a car detailer" isn't going to work with FAILED CLEARCOAT. That's like telling someone to get an oil change after the engine seized up.

If you want to fanboy out on Buick, be my guest. But that doesn't mean that there isn't a clear issue with dark paint on Veranos (and possibly other 2014-2016 Buick/GM vehicles as well). My parents had a 86 Buick LeSabre that was maybe washed and waxed once a year and it kept perfect paint into the early 00's with no problem. My 89 S10 also got minimal washes (it's a truck after all) and the clear coat is just now starting to look dull. A six year old car with failing paint is a defect, plain and simple.

 

[-Regal-]

I am by no means a "fan boy" for Buick. In fact I wouldn't buy a single model they currently produce; it's just a reasonable assumption that almost nobody would properly maintain their vehicle exteriors while expecting the magical paints of modernity to keep their shine with no maintenance at all. Fact is Buick made a better vehicle in the 80s and 90s than today. At least they made them domestically and were also domestically engineered. Their venerable 3800 even appeared as number 2 on the Ward's Best Engines of the 20th Century List, next to only the Chevrolet 350. Today there is a single Buick model "assembled" domestically and if they could get away with it, they'd make them all in China.

 

[Remellick]

"It's just a reasonable assumption."

No, the only reasonable assumption to be made is by us. WE can reasonably assume and not even "having to guess" that you're comment is more of an insulting remark based out of an ignorance to a specific situation others are experiencing.
Desiring to appear as though you are mature and wise, in all matters buick, instead you demonstrate limited practice in social interacting and respectful communication with others most common to ones who are immature.
Also obvious is that you think less of others by iterating such pious, narrow and opinionated nonsense.
We're here desiring to share our situations and maybe just vent a little... not have answers (or snide comments) from everyone that reads what we share.
We know our specific situation, I for one am 55 years old, I work as a senior maintenance engineet at a local hospital having retired from the Navy where for 22 years I worked as a jet engine mechanic. I have owned 25 or so automobiles of various makes and models in my lifetime and I've always, to the best of my abilities, taken good care of my vehicles INCLUDING the paint jobs.
I dont personally know you of course but I WOULD dare guess that you have plenty of knowledge and experience to share on many matters concerning various subjects. But no one person has ALL the answers ..and that is ok. Also I'm willing to guess, to the best of your abilities, you take the best care of your vehicles too. But no one is perfect... no one has owned all vehicles, dealt with all possible discrepancies on all vehicles and no one has corrected all the discrepancies in all those vehicles to successful completion. Actually few people have owned more than one or two vehicles.. very few of all vehicle owners (regardless of how many) dealt with discrepancies to successful completion without missteps or mistakes made along the way.
You're no exception to the rest of us so try some humility, respect and assume the best in people when you share your comment. Because at least "some" value can possibly be found in a respectful and properly shared comment.

 

[-Regal-]

The OP and you have readily admitted the cars have been brought to automatic car washes which isn't likely to do favors to any paint. It's also not uncommon for people to just simply use dish soap at home which completely strips any wax that might be present. I wouldn't expect most "consumers" of vehicles nowadays to religiously wax their vehicles anymore given the fact that many don't even keep them for much more than 5 years. Moreover, issues with paint appear to be a hit or miss on any vehicle. One might see a vehicle from the 90s with terrific paint while on another occasion see the same model 10 or even 15 years newer with terrible paint. Generally one who notices such things wouldn't likely be too immature, pious, or be demonstrating narrow opinionated nonsense to assume such issues to be the result of a lack of maintenance.

 

[Amanda Lambert]

I'm happy for you, but that doesn't mean that all of our paint problems are a result of negligence. Just because you don't have a problem doesn't mean there isn't a problem. Nice try though.

Again, THIS ISN'T AN ISSUE WITH CAR WASHING. I seem to recall mentioning that in my post and that the GM body shop confirmed that the problem was failed clear coat, but maybe reading isn't your strong suit. I had just washed, waxed and detailed the car mere months before this problem came about. No amount of wax can "fix" defective paint. "Bring it to a car detailer" isn't going to work with FAILED CLEARCOAT. That's like telling someone to get an oil change after the engine seized up.

If you want to fanboy out on Buick, be my guest. But that doesn't mean that there isn't a clear issue with dark paint on Veranos (and possibly other 2014-2016 Buick/GM vehicles as well). My parents had a 86 Buick LeSabre that was maybe washed and waxed once a year and it kept perfect paint into the early 00's with no problem. My 89 S10 also got minimal washes (it's a truck after all) and the clear coat is just now starting to look dull. A six year old car with failing paint is a defect, plain and simple.

I honestly think it’s an issue with the corners Buick cut in production when they were bragging about their new improved painting process they initially started on Buick Veranos and now years later we all are left to deal with problems because they refuse to acknowledge it. Unfortunately it shows more with darker colors and it only gets worse. I took this in 2018.......it’s much worse now. Just like you, the body shop manager confirmed it was clear coat failure.

 

[samanna]

I have a brown Buick Verano and it looks just like yours. I took it to get it detailed and was told it needed to be repainted. Two auto body shops looked at it and said it shouldn't be doing that with the age of the car.

 

[taz225]

UNDER NORMAL SUN EXPOSURE, THIS VEHICLE HAS EXTREME HAIRLINE SCRATCHES THROUGHOUT!!!THERE IS NO REASON THAT A 4 YEAR OLD CAR,, SHOULD HAVE ITS PAINT THIS BAD!!

 

[taz225]

I own a 2013 that looks as bad as your car. Started when it was six years old. Always washed and waxed. Complained to GM and they wanted me to split the 9,000.00 paint job lol. Why should i have to add 4,500 to the cost of my car,when its was GMs fault.Last GM car for sure.All ready replaced my 2015 Impala 2LT with a 2019 Sonata Limited with no issues at all. The Impala was the car from hell. Both cars where purchased new