Jay9722

I have a 2003 CL500 that I like to think is in fantastic shape. When I purchased the car over a year ago it had 35K miles and a few small rock chips on the front bumper. I asked MB to fix them and they obliged at no cost to me. Shortly thereafter I started seeing paint flaking off the bumper in different spots. I took the car back and they re-touched the bumper. This lasted about 2 months and then the paint started "sheeting" off under the water hose. I took the car back and told MB to send the car out to a professional detailer to respray the ENTIRE bumper. They did, and it looked amazing...until now, 5 months later. It's doing it again. I took the car in on monday and they re-touched the bumper. My service advisor said it is normal...that once a Mercedes has been repainted it will continue to come off. He said the paint doesn't like to stick to the plastic...except the paint right from the factory. Is this a load of ***** or what??? MB quality is cr@p. What can I do?

Baby ///M3

In my opinion,

Paint will stick unless you have a bumper that does not conform to the OEM standard. In your case, it's probably not true.

The only possibility is the paint shop that supposedly had worked on your car. Have you checked with the dealership as to where your car was taken?

Good luck!

Jon

Jay9722

Jon,
The first couple of times it was repainted MB did it in-house. When I took it back to have the entire bymper resprayed they took it to a pretty reputable shop. They respray it everytime I bring it back but I just wonder when the flaking and free spraying will come to an end...and which one first. I could hazard a guess.

amdeutsch

They don't know what they are doing. Properly prepped the paint will stick. Check with fellow mod 'Kar don'. Send him a PM. He is a detail guru and fairly knowledgable.

Jud Chapin

They are blowing you off.

skaminer

That's bs. I had an 02 cl and had to get the front bumper repainted because some idiots who were trimming trees on I66 tried to throw a branch into their truck and missed and it landed on the highway on front of may car. ASC repainted it and it was fine.

Jay9722

Jay9722

That's who I'm having the problem with...ASC. I don't know why the paint work is so shoddy but it is.

djamer

When I had my CLk, i got a new front bumper installed and painted at ASC body shop..no issues. Who is the person telling u this? I worked with Meskina at the body shop. He was helpful, but charged me an arm/leg when the work was done. No peeling. I had the car for 2 more years after that.. washed each weekend..no peeling. i was very satisfied.

For a second opinion, you want a high-end non mercedes auto body shop and honest answer to the issue, go talk to wagonwerks on route 1 in alexandria. they only work on german and italian cars. good luck and keep us posted. i am interested in hearing the outcome.

Jay9722

My service underwriter is Pat W. He has been great so far, always getting things done at no charge. But, I think the paint issue is starting to wear thin on our relataionship. He really seems to think that once the car leaves the factory...no other paint will stick for long...I kid you not! The areas that seem to peel are around the fog lamps and the inner fender area of the bumber.
I will look into Wagonwerks...thanks.

djamer

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I dealt with three service advisors at ASC when I had my previous car, CL500, and honestly i knew more about the car they than did. Bottom line, if you aren't satisfied, do get another opinion. I reallllly find it hard to believe they believe peeling is okay and should be accepted. i washed my CLK each weekend after the paintjob, and never saw peeling around the fog lamps or inside the walls..

their claim that the factory paint is not the same as the MB authorized body shop is untrue. Okay, let's buy into their claim. then askyourself, why should a consumer bring their MB to authorized MB bodyshop vs. Maaco?
If their paint is going to peel, what's so special about authorized bodyshops? ask pat that question. What waste thousands of a MB paint job when it's gonna be so predictably bad? Why not choose maaco or any body shop?


http://www.mbusa.com/care/service/collision-centers.do

Reading MBUSA statement on their collision centers, one would think a benz painted here would be identical to factory specs..


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v8plus4

The paint on an MB consists of five different layers with a combined thickness of approx. .10 millimeter. The top layer is formed by the transparent nano-particle clear lacquer, which gives the paint it's gloss and durability. This high tech, scratch-resistant layer is electrostatically applied, then baked in the paintshop ovens at 140 degrees celcius. I seriously doubt that most MB certified collision centers have the capability to duplicate this process, not to mention MAACO or the local body shop. The only way to achieve a result IDENTICAL to factory specs is to send the car to the factory, or MAYBE to a VPC. The best result otherwise will only LOOK identical to factory specs, but will not hold up as well as the factory-applied paint.

The likely reason the OP's paint is peeling is that the bumper was not properly prepped, and the paint may not have been properly applied. I'm not sure that the nano-particle clear coat is even available outside of the MB factory or a VPC, and that's the most important and protective layer.

I was exploring an MB dealership last month waiting to pick up my car from service, and I walked around to the back to see a couple of guys painting the bumper and fender of a CLK. They had the car taped up, and were painting it OUTSIDE in the DRIVEWAY, next to the car wash area. They told me they did all their touch-up and pre-delivery work there , and that the CLK they were working on was to be delivered later that afternoon. No down-draft paint booth, no ovens, just two guys with a van and an airbrush in a dusty driveway. Amazing.