Looking for an opinion here on what's happened to my car
1. Had detailing shop paint my front lip, side skirts and rear apron to match body color of the car (aero kit look).
2. Same detailer applied 3m to all of the painted pieces. Had the car for a week to let the paint dry properly.
3. 2 years later (this year), 3m on the front lip separates from the glue. I take the car in and they said its a warranty issue and they'll replace 3m at no cost
4. They strip the 3m and some of the paint is stuck to 3m and peels off
5. They tell me that I have it re paint the lip at $350 they'll reapply the 3m for free.

I know the front lip is made to be replaced but I feel like I'm getting screwed. A warranty issue is gonna cost me $350. Lip is in really good shape so replacing it is a waste of money.

Thoughts?

I kind of think this is borderline. I think offering to paint the lip for free could be pushing it but this is supposedly a high end shop and they 3m'd my Q7 for $1600 so I'm a repeat customer and potential future repeat business.

Anybody have opinions on what they would expect if they were me or views from the shops perspective?

 

Whenever you're dealing with a repaint, and clear bra is involved, the two usually don't play nice in the sandbox. It's the chicken and the egg and who came first. Did clear bra lift and as a result you had to pull it off which caused paint to come off, or did the paint cause the bra to de-laminate first? This particular situation is very common when dealing with clear bra and non-oem paints. We always warn our clients about removing film. We caution that things like this will happen and that's something we're not liable for.

So, if you have a great relationship with this detailer and want to keep it that way, understand it wasn't his fault and it just comes with the territory. He's obviously warrantying the workmanship of his 3M install and that's a positive note.

Only speaking for myself and our shop's customer service policy, if you were a client that we've done business with for many years, we'd probably take care of the whole thing since this isn't a huge amount.

 

The first thing I heard in your psot is he had the car for a week for the repaint and film application. At a MINIMUM he should have waited 30 days for the paint to properly cure. If he applied the film to fresh paint of course it is going to lift. 3M also has the strongest adhesive out there... thus causing more lifting problems than other films. He should have known not to install film that quickly. Not sure how that plays into the warranty though as it really sounds like your installers lack of knowledge is the key issue here. If it were me, I would tell the shop they didnt wait long enough for the paint to cure. If they hassle you take your business elsewhere because they are going to do the same thing again. You will end up with the same issues down the road.

 

Thanks for the replies guys.

Moe, I'm not sure what caused what. All I know some dirt got underneath the 3m. So the shop trimmed it and told me they would replace it.

It would've been a huge diff if they told me there was a possibility of this happening and that I would've been liable. Instead they didn't warn me at all.

Ill speak to the owner today. I doubt anything will happen but who knows.

 

Ask the body shop that painted it and see what they recommend as a cure time. If they say 30 days, and the installer put it on a week after paint, then that's poor judgement.

I know every body shop is different based on the paint they use and how they cure and bake the painted parts. The painted parts are fully cured from the body shop we use and don't require any more time after they paint. But, if we know we're laying down clear bra, we still wait a few more days. But not every body shop has the same equipment and technology.