Odor from repainting

[bag3lbit3s]

So I`ve been through one heck of a dilemma with my dealership after they damaged my bumper. They promised that they would replace the bumper...it`s been a month of an ordeal but I`ll skip to where I`m at right now.



I got my car today and they clearly repainted it. They lied to me about replacing the bumper. They lied to me last night saying that they sent it out to a body shop because they don`t allow their techs to do any body work and the reason it was taking so long was because the shop owner was at a Christmas party. The old bumper was repainted and not replaced. I had marked the old bumper in the wheel well to make sure they didn`t try to pull a fast move. The damaged area was clearly filled and repainted overnight. On top of that it was raining and the overall paint job looks absolutely terrible. Finish is rough and you can see where they filled the spots.



So long story short, where we`re at right now is we gave them hell and got them to agree in writing that we will have the bumper fixed to our satisfaction at a body shop and they will pay for it.



So onto the question. First thing I noticed when getting into my car was the STRONG smell. It smelled like solvents and was one of the first things to clue me off that they repainted it. So my question is, will the smell in the interior wear off or am I going to have to do something about it? It`s raining outside but the car is in the garage and all windows are open and I`m trying to air it out. Should it clear fairly quickly or is this something that`s going to take a long time? This car is not even a year old and there goes the new car smell...



Thanks for the help!

[Jpostal]

If your car smells like paint they probably painted the bumper cover while still on the car instead of doing a proper job (removing the bumper, painting it, and re-installing it). The paint smell should go away in a week or two.



Even if they replace the bumper my guess is that it will need to be painted...the new bumper will come primed and ready for paint.

[bag3lbit3s]

I`m assuming they did paint the bumper on the car. I found some masking tape on the corner of the bumper that they didn`t take off. The job is very poorly done. It`s got a very rough finish where it was done. The car is already starting to smell better. It`s still got a very light hint of the smell. I had my mom smell the car since I didn`t know if my nose was getting used to it or not and she said you can smell it a little bit in the back of the car. I`ll probably request that the shop that I`m going to take it to detail the car as well because god knows they probably didn`t mask the entire car when they sprayed it and there is likely overspray.



I contacted two dealership parts departments as well as North America headquarters and they all verified that the bumper does NOT come painted from the factory. So just one more thing to add to the list that the dealership lied to me.



I`ll be taking it to a reputable shop and requesting that they use a brand new bumper being that this one has now been botched up with body filled and a crappy job from the previous body shop. The shop I`m taking it to has done repairs on four of my cars and I`ve been more than happy with the work they have done so far, so I`m sure it will look just as good as original.



Thanks again for the help.

[David Fermani]

Because platic is VERY repairable, why would they buy you a new bumper if your existing one is repairable? Sounds like they didn`t prep and/or repair the bumper as even brand new bumpers can have wavy patterns and can require refinement. Hardly any bumpers (OEM/Aftermarket/Reconditioned) come by color and require refinishing. Depending on the paint they use and if they baked it will have an effect on outgassing of the refinish. Because your car is in the garage the smell is more obvious. I suggest keeping the windows up. It only takes 2 days to repair/refinish a bumper, so anything more than that makes me question things. Because the inside of your car has a strong smell, it leads me to believe that they painted the bumper on your car in the paint booth. A car having a bumper repair shouldn`t smell like that because the right way to paint a bumper is to paint it off the car. No matter who tells you otherwise, it is wrong to have your bumper painted on the car!!! Typical hack move...PERIOD!



Also, keep in mind that this bumper now has 2 coats of paint on it. Paint manufactures will not warranty their paint on 3rd application unless ALL the paint is stripped off and applied. Too much film build.

[Accumulator]

... Depending on the paint they use and if they baked it will have an effect on outgassing of the refinish. Because your car is in the garage the smell is more obvious.... Because the inside of your car has a strong smell, it leads me to believe that they painted the bumper on your car in the paint booth. A car having a bumper repair shouldn`t smell like that ....

OTOH, when Stoddard redid the front bumpercover of the V8 they *did* take it off and bake it and otherwise do the job right, yet the outgassing really stank the car up for ages. Sometimes paintwork is just a stinky business until the outgassing is finished.

[bag3lbit3s]

The job was clearly half ***`d. At this point I want a brand new bumper for my body shop to start from scratch. I don`t want them to have to strip down the bumper and have to worry about a botched up finish. It`s much easier for them to start with a fresh canvas than to have to strip the old junk off and make sure it`s perfect to spray. The bumpers come from the dealer for $179 primed and ready for paint. It turns out a little less than a year ago the manufacturer actually used to offer them painted from the factory, but they stopped when the new model of the car came out.



The dealership clearly lied to me about having a new bumper replaced. Regardless it is evident that the bumper was painted on the car overnight. My car also had a full tank of gas now has half a tank of gas so someone went on a joy ride, and on top of that there is some scratches and paint transfer on the front bumper from a different car. So needless to say I`m very unhappy with the dealership. This is a very small part of what I`ve been through in the past month. This does not include the tons of calls and complaints I`ve made as well as police report filed against the dealership for embezzlement. So I`ve been through hell already with this dealership to say the least.



Monday I`ll be going to my body shop and explaining the situation and requesting that they acquire a new bumper to have repainted. This bumper has been botched to hell by some hack job body shop and this car is not even a year old. I`ll probably have the body shop detail the car as well considering it`s likely there`s over spray on the paint that I can`t see.



As for the smell, I`ve had it in the garage airing out with the side garage door open for ventilation. Had my dad sit in the car and he couldn`t smell anything but a very faint smell sticking his nose right up on the back. So it looks like the smell should be gone completely within a week.



Thanks again to everyone for the help.

[gigondaz]

The lingering, sweet smell of solvent can be irritating to some people.



Pour some laundry detergent powder onto a flat baking tray/large dish/large flat plastic container. This gives a large surface area.

The powder will absorb lots of undesirable odour molecules. Close the car doors, run the engine with a/c on (recirculated air) for 10mins. Shut off, and leave it overnite with container/s of laundry powder inside the car.



Note: Years ago, I was involved in the manufacturing process of Amway`s laundry products in Ada, Michigan as I was the Product Manager for lots of their productszz:

[archebald23]

according to auto repair manuals. The smell will eventually go away. it`s from fresh paint. just drive your car and crack the side window to let the smell out or get a air freshener and put in your car before you go to bed spray the inside of your car with fabreeze. it will absorb the odor.

[lozer]

like my old auto paint teacher always said. son the material is expensive but the buzz is free.