[DeepWater]

So I got my DWB IE, when it arrived there were a few minor scratches on the hood by the driver door, on the trunk, etc. They are short scratches less than an inch but deep enough to see the white clearly. The dealer has offered to pay the detail shop and the girl at the shop said they'd only charge the dealer like $50 to wet sand the scratches. Should I let them do that to my car? Am I fixing the problem or just introducing new problems? What if they screw up the paint totally??

What would you do? I don't want the scratches to rust and get worse over the years.

Thanks for the advise guys, love this forum, love my new car!

 

[waumo]

"but deep enough to see the white clearly"

Do you mean the scratch is through the paint and you can see primer? That can't be sanded out.

If the scratch is through the clear coat it can't be sanded out.

If the scratch is minor and will leave an acceptable amount of clearcoat and I planned to garage the car, I might accept having it sanded.

From the 09 Service Manual:

CAUTION: Do not remove more than 0.5 mils of clearcoat finish when sanding, hand buffing or polishing. Basecoat paint must retain clearcoat for durability.

 

[OMOM]

First: sorry to hear this!

Second: I'm of the opinion that if the scratch goes deep enough to see primer, it needs paint work.

Wet sanding, etc., may work, but I'd think some paint was in order.

Touch up paint could do the job, if done properly, I'd assume.

If they're going to just try and "blend" it away, I'd say no thanks. As for problems down the road, if those rather deep scratches aren't taken care of properly, then you may have issues in the future.

I'd take the car to an independent shop or two for assessment and then tell the dealer what you want done, based upon other professional's opinions.

Best of luck!

 

[Keavdog]

Ya I have 3 myself. Two are light - in the clearcoat and will buff out. The other is about 3/8" and is in the paint, but not through to primer.

I wouldn't let a dealer body shop touch my car.

 

[CupnBuckit]

Wow, scratches on blue paint with delivery? That stinks. With the Charger my mom bought... we ordered a 1/2 Oz Bottle of MOPAR Touch-Up paint from the dealer. I use the brush included underneath the top for touch-up painting. It looks a lot like a fingernail painting brush. With the brush, I run about an 1/8 inch wide stripe down the scratch. Even though the new paint does stand out a tiny bit; the additional coat protects metal from oxidation. Also really good minor for dings brought by loose gravel on the highway.


I don't know about that wet sanding the scratches... Seems like it might do more harm than good seeing as perfectly good clear coat could be damaged or removed...


Or if you want a really good job... You might want to also consult a really good body shop and see what they think. My mom ordered a white IE 392 with blue stripes... so seeing scratches is going to be a bit trickier than I would imagine for delivery day.

Good luck!

-Cupnbuckit

 

[huggytree]

if the car needs any repainting i would not accept it...find a different one...if its just a scratch in the clear coat i wouldnt mind them buffing it out...

there is no such thing as a perfect car....my car had no scratches, but it has swirls from day 1

these cars need to be treated like Corvettes by Dodge and shipped in closed trailers and stored in an indoor secure area...they are treated like $15,000 cars and thats why they are full of scratches,scuffs and dings...for $50k people expect higher quality...I feel Dodge has issues in this area..they need a new shipper

 

[RANGERMAN]

If its the car you want have them repair it correctly. I would try as someone mentioned to have it taken to and outside shop if it is required to have the scratch repaired/painted. Dealer shops tend to stink at this. Sorry to hear this but again if its the car you wanted get it and have them repair it till your satisfied.

 

[huggytree]

remember its a $50k car....if they repaint will it match? will you be able to see it?...i had a new car that i found out later was in an accident(was legal in WI back then)...the whole front end was repainted...years later it started to peel...

i wouldnt accept any paint repairs on a new $50k car....buffing out yes, repaint/body work no!