beepster

So today I opened an official Customer Service Request w/ GM re: the paint quality on my new C7 rec'd via motor freight 3/21. The orange peel is EXTENSIVE to put it mildly. It should be a downright embarrassment to anyone associated w/ the GM production process. The OP is present on ALL panels, horizontal as well as vertical.

Those of us who have owned previous vettes have become conditioned to accept mild imperfections in the paint as this has been an ongoing issue for years. I wrongly assumed that GM would have at least made some strides at addressing this issue and therefore felt somewhat comfortable in buying a car from a forum dealer without personally inspecting it. NOT SO! Those who purchase from out of town dealers without personal inspection should be especially careful.

I will report back to this forum as to the final disposition of this issue w/ GM, but suffice it to say my disappointment is such that this will be my last GM product without some assistance. At the price of these cars, we have a right to expect the same paint quality as Toyota or Hyundai...

Mdbrown9

Pictures?

KenHorse

And/or color?

beepster

Can't post pics...but color is NRB. Trust me, its really bad. I'm not a newbie at this....

JoesC5

GM will probably offer you a car cover for 10% off list price, so you can cover the car and not see the paint.

beepster

Thanx for bringing a little levity into this issue! Seriously though, this is pivotal for me, since this is my 4th vette and have been on this forum for 7+ yrs. I've read all the moans and groans over the years re: this issue so I'm not just nitpicking here. THIS IS REALLY BAD.

jr3

Everyone knows orange peel is a issue with Vettes and most all cars.. We all know that before we buy... Chevy's are mass produced cars.... Also many cars with metal panels have an electric charge going through the panel to help the paint stick to the surface... Vettes do not have those metal panels, they have composite body panels which may also affect the way paint sticks to the surface... There is going to be orange peel on the cars until the end of time... Everyone knows this.

If you don't like it, just hire a body shop to sand your clear coat down very thin so there is less orange peel... but be aware your clear coat will be thinner and probably wont have as much protection from scratches and chips.

Baron7700

I have seen 7 other c7's in person besides mine. All have extensive orange peel over the entire car. I think its just something on the new cars. Mines black, but ive seen the peel in every color other than white.

teejake

I am guessing our NRB's were painted about the same time, mine came off the line about the 4th, VIN is 17422. I wont see mine till the 4th of April when I take delivery at the museum, it will be interesting to see how close our VIN's are and how the paint compares.

BigJoe

I have some orange peel on my LRG but no more than on any of my C5s and C6s. Certainly not enough to complain about to GM. Perhaps some colors are more prone to it than others? I wish The OP could show a pic of his worst panels so we can compare it to ours...

ATX-C7

Yep, pics would be good

I've PM'd with OP last week, so I know it's an issue, but would like to see how bad it is.

My buddy just got his a few weeks ago in NRB, and it's fine.

One would think the plant QC could inspect panels and reject those that are bad.

runutzzzzz

Pics when you get a chance so we all can see how bad it is.

Hopefully you don't get the same engineer as I had look at my car where they said it was Designed that way.....

2K3Z06

Probably in a hurry to get them into production....

svtkeith

I agree totally..I saw my first C7 at a dealer 3 weeks ago it was Cyber Grey and the paint sucked....I have a Z06 on order and if it comes in as bad as the one I saw I simply won't accept it and the dealer has already been told that..they even admitted the paint is bad on the Vette there's a green Camaro right next to it and it's fine.

thedofuss

"first year corvettes"? the first corvettes were produced in 1953, hence as regards painting this is a 60 year production issue. the first year thing really applies to significant technology shifts. accordingly, you can conclude, as many have, that this is a well known problem within gm, which has been evaluated at senior levels. they are well aware of the problem as well as the costs of fixing it, and consciously made the decision that the benefit to be derived from the cost (hence called "cost/benefit analysis")does not justify the investment.

remember that 4-5 years ago gm was well into insolvency, and bailed out by you and me. it would seem quite logical that the "bail out" did not account for all problems that needed fixing--e.g., painting processes--and that it would be naive to assume that it will get fixed anytime soon. we will never see an analysis of what the government really did, financially or otherwise, and how well our 10 billion was spent, but you can assume that the company is FAR from out of the woods. what you see is what you get, whether you like what you see or not--"good car for the money". really?

Larry/car

I saw a new Jeep on the road, the other day, it had an amazing amount of orange peel. Either it was the sun angle or it was really bad. I also am getting Night Race Blue, should be produced in a week or two. I am not going to stress, I purchased this car to use, it is going to acquire road rash anyway. Don't get me wrong, I am hoping for a finish at least as good as my C6 had, about a 7.

DLWIGGINS

I know what you mean. I entered mine in a carshow this past weekend. and more than a couple of times, someone asked if I had collision damage in a certain area. It was embarrassing trying to explain that it came from the factory like that. One of the guys suggested that I should try a carpro denim pad and some cutting compound. He said its a great way to remove OP without wetsanding. May be worth a shot.

slief

I think they use the orange peel to improve on aero dynamics. Much the same way the dimples work on a golf ball work but perhaps opposite so they improve on down force.

OP, I am sorry to hear about your issue. It will be interesting to hear what the dealer can do for you. I know others have addressed the orange peel with some color sanding. Hopefully your situation can be resolved to your liking.

Larry/car

I probably wouldn't mess with the paint at dealer level. I had a car's paint reworked once, afterward it was worse than before. See what GM says/does about it.

Dave1

Bingo…..

You never notice any orange peel on some colors. Silver and white are bullet proof…..

Lord help that man if he bought black…….