[smajicek]

Hi All,
I had my new c7 4 weeks now and came upon a known issue after visiting a 2nd dealer in my area. My big problem with this issue is not that theyt are willing to fix it under warranty but I had xpel film put on the 1st week I got the car and the dealer says they will need to remove it to fix the problem but don't know if GM will reimburse me to have xpel put on again unless this is a known issue. The 2nd dealer who said it is a known issue will find out Monday when the warranty person in the collision department takes a look at it. The issue is paint chipping off between the front bumper and fender because they are rubbing against each other. The dealer says he will need to remove the film, paint and seal it and adjust the bumper away from the fender a little so it does not rub. This is only happening on the drivers side right now. Has anyone else experienced this on the forum and been in the same situation where they already have xpel film on the car?

 

[Chip]

Steve;Your right, it has been an issue for others. I don't remember anyone else having film over the problem area though. It will be interesting to see what GM does to make it right. Keep us posted and good luck.

 

[rdslon01]

Note to self: check for all fitment issues before having xpel installed.

I hope it works out for you, Steve.

 

[Chip]

Rodney; In some cases the issue does not show up until after it has been driven a while.

 

[smajicek]

very interesting thing about these 2 pictures. The top picture was take this morning after 60 miles driving time from the bottom picture? What on the top you see paint issue on the left of the driver side headlight and the bottom picture is the picture I took yesterday afternoon at the dealer. This afternoon after driving about another 70 miles I cannot see the paint flaking off as the top picture toward the left??????????????????????
see 3rd pic blow of what it looks Saturday afternoon..... You can see no problem on the left side of this pic like my original post #1 top picture/

 

[booie]

How many miles before you noticed this?

 

[smajicek]

Steve;Your right, it has been an issue for others. I don't remember anyone else having film over the problem area though. It will be interesting to see what GM does to make it right. Keep us posted and good luck.

Chip
The film is not over the problem area, it is maybe 1/32 inch below the problem area but the dealer told me when they paint an area like this it has to be several inches over so it does not leave a lip where they masked off the tape... hence they want to spray then they will wet send the area to blend the thickness to the base area and then shoot clear coat.

 

[smajicek]

How many miles before you noticed this?

510 miles 3 week of ownership

 

[rdslon01]

Rodney; In some cases the issue does not show up until after it has been driven a while.

Chip, do you mean the panels may look aligned and with correctly spaced gaps when you take delivery, but may shift after driving to the point where the correct gap size between them disappears? Thank you in advance for your insight!

 

[Chip]

Rodney; I can't speak to the gaps / panel alignment issue, but it appears that there must be some panel movement to cause the paint to fracture. I wish I knew more about what is going on, but sadly I don't.

 

[smajicek]

Chip, do you mean the panels may look aligned and with correctly spaced gaps when you take delivery, but may shift after driving to the point where the correct gap size between them disappears? Thank you in advance for your insight!

Rodney,
I believe yes, if you look at my post #5 picture the problem is gone on the left side of my original post #1 and all I did was drive to a 2nd dealer the next day to get their opinion and he says this is a known issue... So if this 2nd dealer says this is a known issue and the 1st dealer said GM will not cover xpel film install unless it is a known issue then I believe I have a good leg to stand on with GM?

 

[rdslon01]

Chip, my thought is that the panels may move a little, but not a lot. If the gap sizes are correct to begin with, then the ever so slight movement will still not cause panels to touch. On the other hand, if the gaps are not good in the beginning and the panels touch a little, then a little movement later causes rubbing and broken paint.

So, my thought is that if I check the panels for correct gap sizes at delivery, and if all the gap sizes look good, then no rubbing and fracturing should happen later. That is why I made sure to put this on my check list for delivery.

On the other hand, if the panels are moving around a LOT, then all bets are off.

I just wonder which it is. I am hopeful the gaps were bad at the start. That seems easier to deal with.

 

[rdslon01]

Rodney,
I believe yes, if you look at my post #5 picture the problem is gone on the left side of my original post #1 and all I did was drive to a 2nd deler to get their opinion and he says this is a known issue... So if this 2nd dealer says this is a known issue and the 1st dealer said GM will not cover xpel film install unless it is a known issue then I believe I have a good leg to stand on with GM?

Hi Steve,

In all pictures you have shown, it seems to me that the panels are not aligned properly with consistent gap sizes between them. I think Bowling Green has a quality control step where all the body panels are supposed to have their gaps around them measured. You can see that step on some videos posted from the plant.

There is no doubt but what GM should realign your panels and repaint the fractures, blending it well.

 

[smajicek]

Hi Steve,

In all pictures you have shown, it seems to me that the panels are not aligned properly with consistent gap sizes between them. I think Bowling Green has a quality control step where all the body panels are supposed to have their gaps around them measured. You can see that step on some videos posted from the plant.

There is no doubt but what GM should realign your panels and repaint the fractures, blending it well.

Rodney,
I agree funny thing is the passenger side looks tighter then the drivers side and there is no issue. And to make this hilarious if I drive 50 miles the left side of the drivers side will get better or worse? so when it bothers you just drive 70 miles or so and it gets better, but then it gets worse on the next trip? I suppose it depends on if you hit a bump in the road it will re align the bumper to the fender to make it look better or worse?

 

[jagamajajaran]

Best wishes on getting this corrected. My advice is to be polite but firm on what you expect them to do. Hope it all works out well for you!

 

[chopperpilot24]

Hi All,
I had my new c7 4 weeks now and came upon a known issue after visiting a 2nd dealer in my area. My big problem with this issue is not that theyt are willing to fix it under warranty but I had xpel film put on the 1st week I got the car and the dealer says they will need to remove it to fix the problem but don't know if GM will reimburse me to have xpel put on again unless this is a known issue. The 2nd dealer who said it is a known issue will find out Monday when the warranty person in the collision department takes a look at it. The issue is paint chipping off between the front bumper and fender because they are rubbing against each other. The dealer says he will need to remove the film, paint and seal it and adjust the bumper away from the fender a little so it does not rub. This is only happening on the drivers side right now. Has anyone else experienced this on the forum and been in the same situation where they already have xpel film on the car?

Canceling my XPEL installation this week as I have the same panel rubbing/paint peeling issue/same place and need to visit my local dealer to see if they will fix and how long it is going to take... I have had my C7 since Feb, but only noticed this a few weeks ago when I had 3200 miles on it. I've been out of town on business (but drove) and now have ~4200 miles on it.


Sent from my iPad using Corvette Stingray Forum

 

[smajicek]

Canceling my XPEL installation this week as I have the same panel rubbing/paint peeling issue/same place and need to visit my local dealer to see if they will fix and how long it is going to take... I have had my C7 since Feb, but only noticed this a few weeks ago when I had 3200 miles on it. I've been out of town on business (but drove) and now have ~4200 miles on it.


Sent from my iPad using Corvette Stingray Forum

I only had mine for 3 weeks with 400 miles on it when I noticed it. I wish I would have known prior also, now I will have to fight with GM to get them to reinstall XPEL at their expense I am glad I helped you from another headache like I have now

 

[mjw930]

Good luck with getting GM to cover anything related to Xpel, I wouldn't hold your breath. It's not a slam on GM, I'm not aware of any manufacturer that would cover removal and replacement of a protection film. Some may have gotten it taken care of at the dealer level, especially if the dealer has the film installed as part of delivery but it's highly unlikely GM ever paid out anything.

 

[rdslon01]

need to visit my local dealer to see if they will fix and how long it is going to take...

Chopperpilot24: You are asking for a valid warranty claim on panel misalignment, and resulting paint damage. There is zero doubt but what this will get fixed for you for free!

 

[mjw930]

Chopperpilot24: You are asking for a valid warranty claim on panel misalignment, and resulting paint damage. There is zero doubt but what this will get fixed for you for free!

Agreed, they will fix the paint and panel alignment, the outstanding issue will be re-applying Xpel. Who knows, they may cover it as a courtesy since they are probably trying to keep the lid on some of these QC issues. Fingers crossed.