debnc

Hello. I was washing my 2008 Civic (bought new from dealer) on Labor Day at a standard car wash, and the paint just started rolling off the bumper. I then read on this forum that there was a recall for paint problems on some Civics. Now 2 months, numerous visits, and dozens of Honda phone calls later, they say they will pay everything but ~$200 to repaint the bumper, hood, and roof of my car. They say they will reimburse me up to $1000 for this work BUT I need to pay for it out of pocket and they will repay me. The woman I have spoken to won't give me her last name and they won't give me this in writing. It has been a long, time-consuming, and rigorous exchange and I have more details if anyone needs them. Has anyone else had such an experience? Advice? They are covering the work with no questions on certain VIN nos, FYI.

ezone

I don't participate in this area and I'm not really aware of how this procedure is normally handled..... but IMO it doesn't seem like that is the way it should be handled.



Only certain cars are covered for the paint issues. Is yours included in that group?

Have you been talking to some person from your local dealership, or have you been talking to (corporate) customer assistance?

If you haven't already, I might suggest you contact the customer service hotline and see what they say about the situation, and maybe find out how it's supposed to be handled.
Have your VIN ready.
Have your documentation ready.
Be calm and courteous.


From http://owners.honda.com/help/customer-relations:
Contact Us


Honda Automobile Customer Service stands ready to answer questions and address concerns with your U.S. Honda vehicle. You may contact us several ways:

By Phone
(800) 999-1009 toll free
Monday through Friday
6:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Pacific Time

By Twitter
Twitter.com/HondaCustSvc


By Fax
(310) 783-3023

By Mail
American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
Honda Automobile Customer Service
Mail Stop: 500 - 2N - 7A
1919 Torrance Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90501-2746




Honda Automobile Customer Service is more than happy to help with U.S. Honda vehicle concerns, but is unable to address questions with non-U.S. products. For Canadian inquiries, please call Honda Canada Automobile Customer Service toll-free at (888) 946-6329.





Note: They will normally contact your dealership to get their side of the story.

This may be due to the bumper not being an area covered by the paint bulletin.
$200 to paint the bumper cover is reasonable in my opinion.


Good luck. HTH

debnc

Hi there,
Thanks for your response. Yes, I have been talking to corporate, in addition to Customer Service, the local dealer, the dealer's body shop, etc. Overall, it has been exhaustive/exhausting. It just seems strange to me that they won't put it into writing, when I'm putting the $1200 out of pocket. And my lawyer insists that's what should be done. I just wondered if anyone had a similar experience, and if they indeed paid.

debnc

p.s. My car is not covered in that group. My VIN is not of the right batch. According to the dealer, the difference is that no one with my batch VIN has brought a lawsuit yet. The two different VIN batches were painted in different countries. Thanks, HTH for taking the time to respond.

ezone

Oooh, if your VIN isn't included in that covered group, be glad they are willing to do anything at all.

If your car isn't part of the covered group.......
I am thinking that this may be a "goodwill" participation repair instead of a warranty repair, so things such as payments are handled differently. You may have an agreement such as 50/50 split or something along those lines (every situation can be different).

I'd certainly agree that every arrangement agreement (times, dates, prices, location, maybe a loaner car, etc.) should be documented in writing so there is no question about who gets what, who pays for what, and how it gets handled at the end.


But like I said, it's not my area.
I'm just a mechanic, I stay away from body and paint work.


HTH