It started with the hood of the car and now it has made its way all the way to the trunk and Honda says that its simply wear and tear. I had a 1996 Mazda that I sold after 11 years that had barely any rust, much less this peeling of paint issue!
I found out about the recall after the recall date expired. I contacted the corporate office (HONDA) and was instructed to contact the dealership where I purchased my car. The dealership (Gwinnett Place Honda) was very nice is obtaining the information that I needed to send to the corporate office. The person handling my claim did the investigation and after a week or so, called me back and told me that they would not be able to assist me with the faulty paint issue because I was not a "Loyal Honda Customer". Mind you, I actually was a loyal Honda Customer. This is my 2nd Honda product and if financing my Honda through the Honda Corporation is not "loyal" then please, help me to understand.
The paint issue started in late 2008 and early 2009 and get progressively worse each week and month. I purchased my car brand new with 7 miles on it. It looks like it's a 20 year old car. I am appalled that Honda would allow such a nice product to suffer from faulty paint, which in turn, makes Honda look a tad bit cheap. I just need my paint job done. After explaining to corporate that I had no idea that the paint would fade so quickly, they basically stated that because of my brand loyalty that they would not be willing to assist with a problem that was created by them. I love my Honda. Through blood, sweat, and tears I paid for my Honda, which in turn makes me loyal to the brand.
At this point, I have no idea how to get Honda to pay for this paint job. It needs it ASAP.
Honda dealer checked car and said repaint campaign had expired and no consideration for repainting car would be entertained. Spoke with manufacturer rep. and she mimicked the same company line. I have witnessed this same paint failure on many Hondas of this vintage. It always starts on the roof where the paint seams occur from the original application. It is obvious it is a manufacturing defect.
If you are a great customer with Honda, it appears as if this paint issue may be taken care of under a dealer goodwill policy.
Very disappointed in Honda response to my claim. Brought the car in within extended warranty period when paint damage was apparent and was told car was not covered. Contacted Honda recently to see if warranty was extended further and told "no" and because I had no documentation of initial refusal by dealership I was denied repair remedy. Lied to by dealer initially when the warranty should have been honored, then screwed by corporate claiming car is out of warranty. Madness. After two Hondas will never buy one again. And they wonder why they are losing market share. No loyalty to customers, no recognition that customer service and loyalty are what keep a company strong.
Honda covered this recall in a service bulletin roughly 1.5 years ago (mid 2013) on my roof. I notified them the same issue was occurring on the trunk lid and R front quarter panel. They agreed, but would not cover under the service bulletin. They advised me to call Honda Customer Care, who advised me that they would notify me if a future service bulletin covered these issues. It is now deteriorating to the primer. My car has always been garaged and has 78,000 miles on it.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
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It started with the hood of the car and now it has made its way all the way to the trunk and Honda says that its simply wear and tear. I had a 1996 Mazda that I sold after 11 years that had barely any rust, much less this peeling of paint issue!
- Lascell B., Gloucester, ON, Canada