Expert: Mike Potter - 11/13/2007

Question
Hi Mike,  
I purchased a 2007 Accord (Black Pearl) on 10/30.  Two days later I noticed a small ding at the bottom edge of the door with chipped paint.  Someone at the dealer tried to "repair" it by applying touch-up paint.  I brought it back to the dealer and they sent it off to a body shop that did a horrible paint job on the door.  There are runs everywhere and the texture ("orange peel") does not match the factory paint.  The dealer now wants to have a different body shop take the door of, strip it down, and repaint it seperatly.  Is this the best way to fix my problem?  Is it possible to match the texture of the paint?  Wouldn't the door need to be blended? Also, I see that you managed a dealership, is there anyway I can get them to take the car back or have them pay for the diminished value of the car do to a repaint?

Thanks,
John

Answer
The door needs to be stripped and repainted. The best way to make it unnoticeable is to blend the adjacent panels. The factory texture and color can be matched pretty good this way.
I doubt very much that you will find any dealer give you diminished value on your car. They should bend over backwards to make you happy though. No dealer wants a bad reputation