Some serious advice please

[Snoopy]

Th paint issues Autoexpress has been talking about for the past few weeks as there Red GTD is suffering too as well as there SEAT Leon FR.

I would write to them about your paint and send them photos.

[p3eps]

Why are you waiting 7 months to get half these things fixed?

Like above - I think the dealer will tell you to sling your hook if you asked to reject the car.  If it was one week after you bought it then you'd maybe have a chance - but not 7 months on.
The rest of the things should be fixed under warranty without any questions being asked.

Let us know how you get on...

[rjwojcik]

Is new car paint not as resilient as paint found on older cars ?  I've heard somewhere that new paint is now water based.

[am1w]

Is new car paint not as resilient as paint found on older cars ?  I've heard somewhere that new paint is now water based.

That is right. All water based unlike oil based ones on older cars.
All in the name of ecological friendliness.
And then, we drive the bloody things burning fossil fuels!
How mad is that!

[Snoopy]

I remember the advert for the mk3 showing a green GTI whos paint had washed off. It was to advertise VW were using water based paint then.

[sundaydriver]

I rejected a red gti after 1 month with paint issues, hope you didn't buy it!!!

[PenguinGTI]

Right, car is going in tomorrow... so we shall see.

I know a couple of you are wondering why I waited so long. To be honest I thought I was just being paranoid cause it was a new car. And inevitably the guy on the phone asked if there were any problems (boy did he land himself in that one).

I'm not too bothered about the time I've had the car cause the way I see it me having it 7 months ain't changed the quality of the paint. If it is defective now then it was defective leaving the factory. Therefore VW sold me a defective product. I'll see how they approach that.

I don't want to reject the car but the paintwork needs sorted. Hoperfully they will respray it (and then maybe some protection or something). I knew about the review of the GTD and thought it was only the red paint. If you guys are getting it on your other colours then I think VW are going to have a lot of unhappy customers soon... seems to remind me almost of Toyota  .

Thanks for the offer Snoopy but I'll wait and see what the dealer says.

Nope mine was brand new with only 7 miles on the clock 
I rejected a red gti after 1 month with paint issues, hope you didn't buy it!!!

I've got the settings right p3asa so I think it's just a small electrical glitch.

[am1w]

I rejected a red gti after 1 month with paint issues, hope you didn't buy it!!!

Same part of the country. Oh dear. Hope not.

[RickS]

On my last point - the paint - I am unsure whether I have grounds to reject the car. Here is the story.

The car was bought brand new in September 2009 with tornado Red paint. Since then the stone chips have been terrible. I'm not talking little chips here. There are dents in the plastic and proper chunks of paint missing. Even on the A pillars. Furthermore the car has been carefully washed since bought but it looks as if someone has been up it with sandpaper. Thirdly the rear wheel arches have started to lose their paint behind the wheel due to the rear wheels spraying stones on them.

Pengers,  it's not the age of the car but the mileage that causes damage. I can't help wondering if you drive an abnormally high mileage and on roads with a lot of loose chippings? Maybe you drive too close to the car in front? If there are dents in the plastic then you are obviously being hit by large stones or chippings.
I don't know, but to have that much chipping of the paintwork seems very odd to me and not likely to be a manufacturing fault.

[PenguinGTI]

Right the car has been in. Everything is resolved apart from the paint.

There is also an unusually high amount of swirl marks over the whole car. Even the dealer noticed my paint looked terrible for the age of the car.

At the moment I'm waiting for the top chief of the dealer to return from being off sick and then we shall get to the next stage.

I rejected a red gti after 1 month with paint issues, hope you didn't buy it!!!

Would you mind describing the car. What options were on it?