Mis-Matched Paint on 2009 Cooper - Accident Damage or Shoddy Workmanship?
 

The dealer claims our car wasn't repainted before we bought it (it had been a demo), but look at this unretouched photo and tell me if this looks normal...
Note the color difference between the passenger's door and the rear fender. It's only noticeable in bright sun or in photos, but still, it doesn't seem normal to me. Does anyone else's paint look like this? Any way to tell if it's been repainted?

Attachment 43377

One way to find out if it's been repainted is with a paint depth gauge. I would imagine your local body shop should have one.

MikeD,

Does the other side look like that one? Just curious.

Beautiful Cabrio BTW!:thumbsup: To me it looks as if the door is a different color than the rest of the vehicle. If it were MINE and I purchased new, I would get with my dealer and request that something be done about it.

If you can post some pics from a 45 degree angle forward and aft of the position you are in might help others determine if it is just the way the door is sitting (reflecting light) OR if it shows up in those pics I would say something is indeed truly off.

The door could have also been re-sprayed at the factory. If there is a blemish or small damage, they do not throw away the whole panel. I saw several cars line up in a Ford plant one time waiting to go into a repair operation due to a malfunctioning paint gun.

Only looks like that one one side...
 

Thanks for the compliment. We had no intention of considering a Mini to replace our previous car (M-B E350 4Matic), but we were hoping to downsize and when my partner saw a cabrio in Horizon Blue over Hot Chocolate with the creme piping on the seats, it was over. Luckily, he'd seen a "launch" version, and the dealer still had an identical car it had been using as a demo. So we're the total Mini convertible gay stereotype, not that there's anything wrong with that, but I digress.

The paint on the driver's side looks uniform regardless of angle. The mis-match is apparent on the passenger's side regardless of angle. I don't have a front 3/4 shot, but here's the rear.

Attachment 43378

Your description of the car just made me hungry.

So if you knew about the paint problem before you picked up the car...why did you buy it??!! :confused: It's obviously defective.

Didn't notice it...
 

I didn't notice the mis-match until after I got the car home. It isn't obvious unless you're looking at it in bright light from a distance. Because it isn't immediately obvious and I leased the car, I'm not freaking out, but wondering if I should try to have it addressed or if it will be more trouble than it's worth, as the dealer is an hour and a half away through wretched sprawl traffic.

"No, no, of course not! People's personal sexual preferences are
nobody's business but their own!"-Jerry Seinfeld :lol:


Sorry, your statement reminded me of that episode...no offense meant to you.

You got the reference!
 

I was totally alluding to that episode when I said that. Glad you caught the reference. Now if you also get the reference on the license plate, you may qualify for an honorary gay discount card...

sounds just like the "boys like to have fun in sporty little convertibles" stereotype, too. you'll fit right in here. :thumbsup:

Good luck with this; that paint should match.

I had to Google it...and i've never seen the movie(if that's what you're talking about)...
http://didiojuliano.files.wordpress..../05/mugatu.jpg

...at first I thought you were talking about the "ASSMAN" :lol:

Ha!
 

My dad has "GASSMAN" but for a different reason...he's an anesthesiologist.

Ha ha...that's a good one!

"It was a one-in-a-million shot, doc...one-in-a-million" :lol:

It does not look normal.

According to MINI promotional video, all parts are sprayed at the same time, with small parts being temporarily wired in place to get a perfect color match. It seems like there must have been some flaw in the paint or, perhaps a scratch during transport. It could have been repainted at the vehicle distribution center, before your dealer ever saw the car.

Sure looks to me like someone repainted it, and they should do it over too.

That said, metallics are very hard to match, I'm guessing they'll either have to blend it part way down the Q-panel and partway on the A-panel to match it, or repaint the entire side.

Find the absolute best paint shop in your area - the one the MBZ, Jaguar or Lexus dealers use and have them do it. No, you should not have to pay for it, but if you want it right that's probably going to be the only way to get it done acceptably.

Good luck and let us know what happens, OK?

I stand corrected...sorry. Either way I would be interested in learning how your dealer is persuing this. There should be no out-of-pocket on your end, but I'd make sure that it gets taken care of, to your satisfaction. I'd also make sure that it is noted on your Lease Paperwork, so they can't come back later and notate it as "damage".

Good Luck!! :)

The most important thing is that the dealer has a record of it now, and you don't get dinged upon lease termination.