ACR paint issue

[compcoupe21]

Oh, poor Chrysler. If your going to make an expensive sports car, do it right, including the paint. The Porsche is far from inferior.

Thank you again!!!

lets not forget all the changes that Chrysler has been going through in the past two years. Its amazing that they were able to even continue making vipers. But I am a Dodge fanatic through and through. I would never own a Porsche just because it has a better paint job. I have never come across any car that makes me as happy as a viper even if it is flawed I would still rather pay 100k for an ACR than more than that for a perfectly painted inferior car.

Just because the V-10 600 hp Viper is king of the ring it cannot hold a candle to a GT3. Read a little and you'll come to find that the GT3 and GT3RS are the most desirable sports cars on the market! They are building about 225 GT3RS cars for 2010 and you know what, they are all pre-sold. BTW, what changed to cause the workmanship to become lousy, let's here the excuse for lousy production!

 

[J&R3xV10]

What has Porsche done for the Porsche club members lately? Porsches ****!

 

[J&R3xV10]

Thank you again!!!



Just because the V-10 600 hp Viper is king of the ring it cannot hold a candle to a GT3. Read a little and you'll come to find that the GT3 and GT3RS are the most desirable sports cars on the market! They are building about 225 GT3RS cars for 2010 and you know what, they are all pre-sold. BTW, what changed to cause the workmanship to become lousy, let's here the excuse for lousy production!

Just because jerks with more money than sense buy something doesn't make it better. There are thousands of people that buy **** everyday too.

 

[ASPIRATIONS]

Quality doesn't seem to be job one these days especially for a $100K plus car. The were paint flaws with my car. I had a professional correct the problems. Panel fitting on these cars also ****.

This really ****** me off and I know its true. And I am tired of the PC save your job crap replies from the SRT team question and answer session that just took place last week or so. If you do a search on this, I asked them EXACTLY what you guys are talking about as many have complained of poor paint quality on the new cars -OVER SPRAY- and guess what, they avoided my question but said "our quality control is still a top priority with the Viper" or something to that effect. BS . And they avoided my question in the previous go around too about no more Mobil 1 at dealers and if a Quacker State oem engine oil cap was in the future. They will only give you simple non jeopordizing answers in their replys and I am done with their forums. Please post to the so called grail keeper on this paint issue. Yes, Porsche would not let this happen.

Both of your posts have been right on! Why should we keep quiet, I contemplated returning my car and the one reason I probably haven't is that the guys at the dealer are so damn nice! I CAN live with the defects or get them fixed but it needs to be addressed to the factory that they are putting out a substandard body and paint product. My buddy has been in the body biz for 30 years and when he came over and saw my car he was blown away by how bad the quality of the paint is. Looking at my GT3 next to the ACR is like looking through a clean glass window or a cloudy one, that's the analogy I come up with.

I dont care what the plant says QC on these cars ****.....MY 06 had paint issues,My 08 SSG Coupe had panel gap issues that were bad and it had a EOL inspection tag on it,lol....There is NO excuse for a car of this caliber$$$$ to have these issues....I didnt get a chance to REALLY go over my 09 SSG ACR that Dan owns now but he found issues as stated.....My 09 Graphite ACR is the best of the Vipers I have owned but its not perfect....If you look you will find problems....for ex: Look at where your black plastic side sill pieces come out on to your sills...I bet at least one is short leaving an exposed hole to where they are supposed to fit...My 09 has it on the drivers side but its not as noticable since its graphite on black..My dealer told me every one of his Vipers had it on one side or another..I took my 09 Graphite knowing it though...My razor wheels on my 08 looked like someone washed them with sandpaper....Lets face it the people who are building these cars have other things on their mind during this time in the companys progression...I know I have been scorned for being too picky but my money doesnt come easy and FIDODGE should know this shoddy crap doesnt cut it on ANY VIPER!!!! I also blame the dealers because they have a part in this to..They should really go over the cars.. These are not Hundais!!! I feel for you Dan because it really kills the NEW CAR delivery My only Porsche was a 83 944 black on black.. The fit and finish was top notch...Sorry for the long rant...Kevin

PS If I was you and I could return it I would!!! It will send a message to the dealer and to FIDODGE..I wanted to with my 08 and spent time going through my dealer here in Utah(bought car out of state) but it would of taken more time...The body shop here did a pretty good job plus they found my rear hatch and drivers door out of alignment.

 

[compcoupe21]

Well said Kevin! Maybe you are right, maybe they just don't care anymore! I'm sure the employees are short on help and worried about their jobs etc., I just wish they would take the time and realize that what they are building is eventually going to end up in someone's garage and that they build it with pride knowing that!

 

[CCBrian]

2008 ACR here and its flawless...as was my 2006.

 

[ASPIRATIONS]

Well said Kevin! Maybe you are right, maybe they just don't care anymore! I'm sure the employees are short on help and worried about their jobs etc., I just wish they would take the time and realize that what they are building is eventually going to end up in someone's garage and that they build it with pride knowing that!

I dont want to say they dont care but I worked for IBM in manufacturing and test and there was times I really hated my job but I never took it out on the product I built...I treated eyerthing I built or tested as if it was going to be mine and believe me ********** some people..I was the person the manager gave the new people to to train because I was so anal,lol...What Iam tring to say is not everyone takes that pride in their work....I would love to have that EOL inspection job at Conner but I would probably be fired in a week because of backup Kevin

 

[TAXIMAN1]

Have someone do a "quality" detail on it.. Im talking a panel, by panel, 2-3 step. Probably 1-2 hours per panel.. It will look like a different car. Probably run you $500-$600+ if it's being done right. I think the paint on the Gen.2 cars was better. My 2006 paint was so brittle. After a few hundred miles, there were chips all over the wheel well.

The panel gaps and seams aside. Bring your car into the garage, and light it with dual halogen lights up close. You will be horrified, Im sure. probably holograms all over it.

 

[shooter_t1]

Just because jerks with more money than sense buy something doesn't make it better.

Sounds just like someone who would buy a 100K car and not expect the paint to be flawless.

As much as I love my Viper, it doesn't hold a candle to Porsche's fit & finish. And I say that after owning 4 Porsche's through the years.

 

[VIPER PIT]

You have to keep in perspective that this is a low volumn car. The paint work is done somewhat differently than a high production car. My 2000 GTS has a thumb print in the door paint right in front of the side mirror mount. The one and only flaw on it. My 09 ssg coupe has one fish eye, though very small, and a minor tape masking irregularity on the rear painted diffuser where the stripe meets the black edge. We are talking a 1/16". Ever so minor, but only I have seen them. I have done my share of custom paint work over the years I can find every one, but nobody else has ever seen them or mentioned them unless I pointed them out. But for those that have seen my previous 98 gts have seen the bubbles around the gas cap and on the hood. These imperfections where the size of quarters and dimes and there many of them, an area about 6" x 6" on both areas that appeared with high humidity or after washing. Dodge took a look and agreed that those where an issue and took care of it. But that other small stuff on the 09?? Go out and drive the ####ing car. I am just amazed that Dodge can produce that car for such a fair price. Those irregularities just add character to the car and most people think it is kinda neat. Don't worry!! You guys keep ******** and Obama is going to take your frigging 09 car away from you anyway!

 

[Stealth]

My GTS Blue/Silver Stripes '08 Coupe has excellent paint and very, very good fit and finish. While this may not be up to "Porsche" standards, the Viper consistently stomps the stuffing out of the Porsches at the track--especially the ACR.

Have the local Dealer repaint your car until you are satisfied and be done with it. It will be in the "books and records" of your car and should not really affect value.

 

[Coloviper]

No paint problems on my 06' Coupe. Paint is perfect but I do have that slight seam behind the drivers door, just as you described. It is only visible in certain light and at the just the right angle. Almost like they did not line up the rear quarter panel before glue during factory build. Nothing can be felt to the touch, but at certain times, I notice it. That way from day one at the factory. No other problems on my Viper other than Dodge replaced the tranny completely, a month after I bought it. Maybe 100 miles on it so whatever!

QC/QA sorry but maybe the guy with glasses was off that day. BTW ANY change from factory will affect your value. Best to just put it out of your mind. That is what I did.

 

[FrankBarba]

The Viper has become the new "Neon". Yes there are issues. Just imagine how the '10 Viper is going to come out. Less people working the line building Vipers, you think you have problems...these people are wondering where they are going after this run of vipers. Maybe there should have been an option for a "body in white" so we could save some cash & have our own people we trust to paint our cars.

 

[compcoupe21]

Sounds just like someone who would buy a 100K car and not expect the paint to be flawless.

As much as I love my Viper, it doesn't hold a candle to Porsche's fit & finish. And I say that after owning 4 Porsche's through the years.

Touche my friend! When I bought up my Porsche it was just to use as a comparison, even though my GT3 had a list price of 135k look at a regular 911 and drool over how good the fit and finish is.

My GTS Blue/Silver Stripes '08 Coupe has excellent paint and very, very good fit and finish. While this may not be up to "Porsche" standards, the Viper consistently stomps the stuffing out of the Porsches at the track--especially the ACR.

You are right, that 600 pony V10 beats the piss out of my 415hp opposing 6cyl. The V also kills all the 400k supercars too, this thread is about the quality of the f an f, not track capabilities. BTW though, if they run the new P turbo it might give the V a run!!

No paint problems on my 06' Coupe. Paint is perfect but I do have that slight seam behind the drivers door, just as you described. It is only visible in certain light and at the just the right angle. Almost like they did not line up the rear quarter panel before glue during factory build. Nothing can be felt to the touch, but at certain times, I notice it. That way from day one at the factory. No other problems on my Viper other than Dodge replaced the tranny completely, a month after I bought it. Maybe 100 miles on it so whatever!

QC/QA sorry but maybe the guy with glasses was off that day. BTW ANY change from factory will affect your value. Best to just put it out of your mind. That is what I did.

Your comments are well said. My reason for posting this thread was mostly to find out how many guys had the same problems and if and what they did about it. My excitement and happiness were just like all who would see the car carrier pull up with their car on it, unfortunately the flaws took some of the air out of my sails. Today I am going to wash the car and post some pics, I hope I don't find anything else!

The Viper has become the new "Neon". Yes there are issues. Just imagine how the '10 Viper is going to come out. Less people working the line building Vipers, you think you have problems...these people are wondering where they are going after this run of vipers. Maybe there should have been an option for a "body in white" so we could save some cash & have our own people we trust to paint our cars.

Maybe Frank if the buyers and owners scream loud enough they will here us! I also agree w/you, these guys are fearing their jobs and that is terrible but like Kevin said it shouldn't change the quality! I would rather they charge an extra 3-4k to make the paint and fit perfect, it's a highly touted car that I don't care what anybody says should be perfect, like a Porsche. I would like to think that they want their reputation regarding this car to be a good one!

 

[ACRsnake]

my 09 is all good

 

[Mopar-man]

My 06' paint quality & panel fit are perfect

 

[Flexx91]

I wish I could have been in on some of the earlier responses but we all know that there have been paint issues on these cars for quite some time. My 2004 had paint issues but for someone to call out another person saying in essence that you should just drive the car and be happy with it is totally stupid - yeah that's right and I'll say it again.... It's totally stupid!!!

 

[Peter Nielsen]

I have a black 08 coupe and the paint is absolutely flawless. There is also next to no orange peel.

My 2006 was absolutely flawless with amazing paint job and no OP. However, my 2008 has much worse orange peel than any of my Corvettes had (and OP is "standard" on Corvettes - or at least used to be)

My 2008 also has a couple very small pin-sized spots where the base color shines through. Almost looks like small stone chips, but they're actually paint flaws. The red paint did not fill the area, however the clear coat on top of the flaws is perfect

Panel fit on the 2008 is horrible compared to 2006. Convertible top is a botch job on the 2008 too...

 

[compcoupe21]

I wish I could have been in on some of the earlier responses but we all know that there have been paint issues on these cars for quite some time. My 2004 had paint issues but for someone to call out another person saying in essence that you should just drive the car and be happy with it is totally stupid - yeah that's right and I'll say it again.... It's totally stupid!!!

My 2006 was absolutely flawless with amazing paint job and no OP. However, my 2008 has much worse orange peel than any of my Corvettes had (and OP is "standard" on Corvettes - or at least used to be)

My 2008 also has a couple very small pin-sized spots where the base color shines through. Almost looks like small stone chips, but they're actually paint flaws. The red paint did not fill the area, however the clear coat on top of the flaws is perfect

Panel fit on the 2008 is horrible compared to 2006. Convertible top is a botch job on the 2008 too...

I remember my 2005 Copperhead was excellent as was my 2006 VOI coupe. Why hasn't the buying customers been up their ass regarding these 08 and 09 problems?I know I will be later today!! It is a beautiful morning here in CT and I am about to go out and detail the car, report to follow.

 

[fireball]

My '04 had terrible panel gaps and a vert top that didn't fit right (but better than anything GM has done). The paint was excellent.

There are a few flaws on my '08 ACR. There's a slightly loose end plate on the wing that rattles everytime I close the door and the carbon fiber layup is simply terrible. It's all crooked and pulled all over the place. I've compared it to the carbon fiber on the other cars I see at the track like Lambo's etc. and the ACR carbon fiber work is pretty lame.

As for Porsche. Have you looked at one? They might be the ugliest cars ever built. Saying that they have great paint and panel fit is like saying "What beautiful skin that 650lb gal has."

Greg

 

[Sellshomesdrivesviper]

My '04 had terrible panel gaps and a vert top that didn't fit right (but better than anything GM has done). The paint was excellent.

There are a few flaws on my '08 ACR. There's a slightly loose end plate on the wing that rattles everytime I close the door and the carbon fiber layup is simply terrible. It's all crooked and pulled all over the place. I've compared it to the carbon fiber on the other cars I see at the track like Lambo's etc. and the ACR carbon fiber work is pretty lame.

As for Porsche. Have you looked at one? They might be the ugliest cars ever built. Saying that they have great paint and panel fit is like saying "What beautiful skin that 650lb gal has."

Greg

Growing up, I was always told that you could only drive a Porsche if you had a really small penis, is that still true today?
Signed,
John Holmes

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

What has Porsche done for the Porsche club members lately? Porsches ****!

This post is about poor paint issues and lack of quality control. Not about a bunch of matching shirt wearing owners showing up to keep their egos in check. You forgot to mention though that Porsche is NOT limiting production in 2010 and shutting their plant down for a year. And Porsche dealers dont even have to discount their cars ala Viper.

 

[gilly6993]

I've had my ACR about a month and haven't even looked at the paint.....I just love driving it!

 

[dans69ss]

My '08 coupe was near flawless but I've have to spend $$$ to correct the problems on the '09 ACR. Mr. Maggoo must be working at CAAP as the quality control supervisor. On a different note, I noticed someone had signed the bottom of my hood.

 

[redtanrt10]

Compcoupe, sorry to read about your paint issues. Get back to the dealer and ask them to fix it if you're not satisfied. To your questions/concerns about paint work and resale, ask Bill @ Woodhouse, Bernie @Tomball, etc. I can't beleive there would be a measuarble difference in resale in a few years, especially for non-collision paint. Lot's of folks respray the facia and sills I don't think the market value drops?

To everyone else, I got a 94 in 96, I didn't buy it for the quality, I got it for the performance/looks/uniqueness, lot's of little flaws, didn't bother me and I still have it. 99 acr, better but not perfect, 2 '06's better not perfect, 08 still better but not perfect. I will also say that selling dealer makes a difference in what you get, how they prep, inspect, etc.

Look at the JD Power IQS or other measures, Chrysler brands are fair, Porsche is very high. Wife's got an 07 911 cab and had a number of 3 series convertibles, fit/finish quality is better than viper, Reliablity/Warranty repairs isn't better!

Got to buy viper's with eyes wide open, if you expect above average or best in class quality, you're going to be disapointed. If your seeking great bang for the $$$'s in kick-ass performance and uniqeness, you won't be disapointed!!!

 

[VIPER GTSR 91]

My '08 coupe was near flawless but I've have to spend $$$ to correct the problems on the '09 ACR. Mr. Maggoo must be working at CAAP as the quality control supervisor. On a different note, I noticed someone had signed the bottom of my hood.

Nooo this cant be? Or can it.........Mr. Magoo was one of the ones replying on the SRT chat session too I bet.

 

[TAILWAG]

Bottom line is that some people are more selective than others. Some also have a better eye than others for imperfections. A car that is absolutely flawless and perfect to one, given to an extremely picky/selective person, I bet he/she can find dozens of small tiny imperfections.

It is a matter of what one is comfortable with. Let's face it...if it was bad enough that one could not live with, we shouldn't have taken delivery of said car.

Out of the 70+ cars I have owned/purchased, many brand spanking new, I have yet to take delivery of one that is perfect/flawless. I know what I can live with and I know what I can't live without. I have sent a couple of cars back and refused delivery because I know I would have not being able to live with the things that I found wrong. I also have taken delivery of others thinking..."meh...I can live with that".

 

[bluesrt]

fat,lazy,spoiled,overpayed non pride pigs- period!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[fireball]

fat,lazy,spoiled,overpayed non pride pigs- period!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Who are you talking about?

 

[Chelseasnake]

i have had 7 vipers so far. 2 06 2 08 3 09 and 1 2010 on order, i love them all. they are not perfect but close. the only beef i have is the guy or gal doing the buffing at final inspection, should check there hands, i think they might be using a GRINDER instead of a POLISHER