blue00r6

So I noticed this a few weeks ago and have sort of let it slide... it has since gotten worse. Right under the fog light where the bumper juts out to make one of the, idk.. "teeth" that are on either side under the foglights, (sorry no pics yet) the paint is pulling away from the plastic.

imagine stretching saran wrap over your bumper, but not pressing it into all of the cracks.. it would sort of form a fillet or bevel instead of a sharp crease in areas that have obtuse angles.

This saran wrap analogy is what the paint looks like, and has since cracked in the "bevel". I'm trying to strategize my warranty claim. I don't want the service writer to claim that it is rock chip damage or something of that nature.

I somewhat remember a thread about someone having paint separation problems, but I can't find it.

Anyone else out there have a similar problem with advice on how to approach the dealership? Ideally I would get a new pre-painted bumper out of it, I don't feel comfortable with a hack job repaint.

I'll get some pics later when I get home from work so it is more clear what I'm talking about..

Any help?

AZN Optics

waiting for pics before I can give you any help.

RLE

And you bought this car new and it doesn't have paint protection film on it, then?

blue00r6

It was purchased used, but there is no clear bra or any type of film on the bumper

TheDarkSide

I would double check to see if the vehicle has been in any accidents. Just because the dealer said "no accidents" or it did not show up on a car fax report doesn't mean it hasn't been in an accident. Look for anything out of the ordinary, like non-oem parts, paint overspray onto parts, wear on bolts that may have been removed, etc.

blue00r6

that was the first thing i thought of, was that it had been repainted before, but as far as I can tell everything looks oem and undamaged in the area. all gaps are normal and even which seems to be the number one indicator of previous damage..

sorry forgot to get pics last night, its on my to do list when i get home

TheDarkSide

It could be a paint defect from the factory then. You should talk to the dealer about getting it warrantied.

jctevere

Please post up pictures. My vehicle was bought new and I have a few hairline cracks, or whatever they are, that sound almost exactly as you describe. My vehicle has never been painted or anything. I just assumed they were from rock blasts.

NickCats

Hope I'm not jacking this thread, but I took some pictures last night of my rear bumper :









I'm in the same boat as blue00r6, to my knowledge my car has never been hit, but I fear if I bring it to the dealer that is what they will claim.

Thoughts ?

Nick

blue00r6

Okay here are some pics....

It clearly seems to be a poor paint adhesion issue.. Does anyone know of that thread I meantioned above? With the guy that was going through some sort of struggle with a dealership over a paint adhesion deal?


This is the left side for comparison




Comparison again

blue00r6

anyway.. it looks like ****!

If i can get some helpful responses on here I'm going to email the service manager before I take the car in and let him read up and soak it all in before he has to make a decision on the spot and then feel like he needs to stick to it.

IGB

W204 C class Clearcoat peeling off

As for the pics you posted, are those big huge bubbles?

I'm not seeing peeling/flaking... then again the pics aren't the clearest/sharpest...

blue00r6

its hard to explain, but yes they feel like big bubbles.. they are not air pockets though as they are cracked .. but yes picture bubbles in those creases.. it is very odd..

blue00r6

UPDATE** I finally got around to taking the car in, and they are repainting the bumper with almost no questions asked. They had to send off pics to some kind of paint rep and they confirmed it was a paint defect.

Lets hope the paint fixes it.. I really don't know if I like the idea of a repaint, I would have rather had it replaced.. Anyway, my rock dinged/chipped front bumper should be all fresh and new in a few days, so that's cool

jctevere

I'm glad everything worked out for you. In my experience the dealers are usually pretty good at owning up to factory defects and don't really suspect customers doing crappy repair jobs as the error. Of course, it also helps that it is a documented issue with front and rear bumper paint issues. If this same thing were to be happening on any doors or the main frame of the car, I highly doubt that they would let you go this easy. This is because the front and rear bumpers are the only two parts of the car that are painted elsewhere, and later matched up in the assembly line. The red color has been having the most problems.

At least you get something out of it (rock chips are getting erased). If I were you I wouldn't worry about the fact that its getting repainted be such a big deal. Just look it over and if you are unhappy with the craftsmanship or the match or anything, just don't accept the repair until your happy. But I am sure it will come out great. I had the dealer repaint my entire hood on my SL because the Tech at the dealer thought it was a good idea to keep the hood up when they put it on the lift and left a 3 foot long gash in my hood paint. I also got 4 new pirelli tires for my grief and aggravation too! Anyways, the paint was a perfect match and looked great, held up very well too, and I was also happy that all my rock chips were erased as well.

Bottom line is, it never hurts to ask, the worst that could happen is that they say no or refuse to fix it, and then you are still in the same boat. But on the flip side, you get your car back in pristine condition, all at the expense of Mercedes!

IGB

Glad it worked out for you

Even a replacement bumper would have to be painted... So I'm not sure why a replacement would be any better

Arjy

i had tis same exact problem on my bumpers. the guy at my shop told me the person who owned the car before me got the bumpers painted over without them being properly stripped. i got both bumpers stripped and repainted for around 900 bucks and it is completely fixed

blue00r6

Another update/ dealer rant here:

I got my car back earlier this week and the front bumper paint looked great. When they pulled the car into the garage for my inspection it was so clean, the front end looked brand new and it made me feel like the car was new again. Previously the only area of the car that had any paint defects was the front bumper where rocks had slowly taken away from any possible shine due to so many tiny rock dings.. Finally I have a brand new looking bumper and it looks great.. I was more than pleased

Fast forward to today and I get a chance to wash my car after nonstop rain during the week and as I'm getting around to the back end, I notice the texture on the passenger side rear bumper is a little gritty.. i look closer and scrub a little further and see that there is OVERSPRAY all over the corner of the car! Tiny white spots .. solidly covering the back bumper corner and up around the tail light...

What kind of half assed body shop keeps other vehicles near by when they are spraying something else??

I know the dealership uses a particular bodyshop for all bodywork that comes through both the Wilsonville and Portland dealerships...

I just can't believe it.. I haven't called them yet since they're closed, but Monday they'll be getting an ear full. WTF?!

I just can't believe it..

that's the end of my rant for now... Is it so much to ask that a dealership treat vehicles like they were their own? I just feel pissed on.. F those guys..

Amaxm

clay bar time.