paint issues--please help

[ViperSmith]

Any updates Kris?

 

[KB Viper]

Car was flatbeded to a new dealership (Glen Thomas Dodge) and was met there by te SoCal viper president, Lance. They are working to fix all issues and after speaking the service manager, Lance, and the Chrysler customer car advocate I am confident they will work it all out with as least paint work as possible. At this point I am waiting. Cool thing is I got a dodge journey as a rental its a half mini van half SUV, I believe they call those a cross over???

 

[ViperSmith]

Well, that is good. Sorry you are out of it for so long! I can't imagine! Hopefully it all gets corrected quickly.

 

[VENOM V]

Car was flatbeded to a new dealership (Glen Thomas Dodge) and was met there by te SoCal viper president, Lance. They are working to fix all issues and after speaking the service manager, Lance, and the Chrysler customer car advocate I am confident they will work it all out with as least paint work as possible. At this point I am waiting. Cool thing is I got a dodge journey as a rental its a half mini van half SUV, I believe they call those a cross over???

Sounds like the Viper community and SRT stepped up, thank goodness. I was watching this with scrutiny.

Those crossovers are pretty nice. I have a new Ford Flex AWD with a turbo 6. 0 to 60 in 5.7 seconds if you can believe it, light for it's size, handles like a car not an SUV, halls ass. Also hauls 7 passengers, mountain bikes, even my kids' goats, LOL.

 

[ViperSmith]

Goats eh? nice.

 

[02 Graphite GTS]

I spent 90 minutes with the Service Manager at Glenn E. Thomas and the Chrysler Technical Advisor on Thursday morning.
We went through the list of flagged items that needed to be addressed.

While some of the items were obvious SRT related warranty items, some were marginal at best as to whether or not they should be covered under warranty. The Service Manager and the Chrysler Technical Advisor were methodical, reasonable, conscious of the overall situation and extremely professional in their decision making. I'm sure there were a lot of items on the list that they could have rejected as a warranty item for replacement, but after 90 minutes of inspection and discussion, everything on the list will be addressed and corrected.

 

[SRTviper]

I spent 90 minutes with the Service Manager at Glenn E. Thomas and the Chrysler Technical Advisor on Thursday morning.
We went through the list of flagged items that needed to be addressed.

While some of the items were obvious SRT related warranty items, some were marginal at best as to whether or not they should be covered under warranty. The Service Manager and the Chrysler Technical Advisor were methodical, reasonable, conscious of the overall situation and extremely professional in their decision making. I'm sure there were a lot of items on the list that they could have rejected as a warranty item for replacement, but after 90 minutes of inspection and discussion, everything on the list will be addressed and corrected.

What about paint issues and misaligned door panels on a car not even a few months old could not be a warranty issue?

 

[Capt Van]

I spent 90 minutes with the Service Manager at Glenn E. Thomas and the Chrysler Technical Advisor on Thursday morning.
We went through the list of flagged items that needed to be addressed.

While some of the items were obvious SRT related warranty items, some were marginal at best as to whether or not they should be covered under warranty. The Service Manager and the Chrysler Technical Advisor were methodical, reasonable, conscious of the overall situation and extremely professional in their decision making. I'm sure there were a lot of items on the list that they could have rejected as a warranty item for replacement, but after 90 minutes of inspection and discussion, everything on the list will be addressed and corrected.

Please explain what items could possibly be considered "marginal" on a one month old car? That just doesn't sound right to me. Is SRT turning into GM, questioning every little warranty claim on C6s?

 

[ViperSmith]

Please explain what items could possibly be considered "marginal" on a one month old car? That just doesn't sound right to me. Is SRT turning into GM, questioning every little warranty claim on C6s?

He has an 09 ACR, or does he have an unlisted car from his sig?

 

[Capt Van]

He has an 09 ACR, or does he have an unlisted car from his sig?

Original post referes to #36 LE, I assume it's a 13, but I have been wrong before

 

[ViperSmith]

Duh I was reading incorrectly.

Excuse my stupidity!

SRT should be more than willing to fix it all, perfectly.

 

[SRTviper]

Duh I was reading incorrectly.

Excuse my stupidity!

SRT should be more than willing to fix it all, perfectly.

Well apparently they were debating whether some of them were to be considered acceptable for warranty replacement which is absolutely ridiculous on a 3 month old car.

 

[kratedisease]

These Vipers always had quality control issues. My 1997 had the factory recalled leaking exhaust manifold gasket that caused the car to run rich and dump fuel into the exhaust that caised the fuel to burn in the side sills and caused the car to catch fire and start to melt. lucky for me the cabin started to smoke and smell like burning plastic, and I was able to shut down the engine in time.
Chrysler had to put in new carpet that melted along with new side sills to replace the melted ones and pay for a body shop to respray the door.

 

[02 Graphite GTS]

SRT IS taking care of all the issues.

I should have been a little more clear in my comment. In my honest opinion "some were marginal at best as to whether or not they should be covered under warranty. "

The few items that could be considered marginal are things like scuff marks on the aluminum door sill "Viper" plate. I think Kris will agree that this is not a manufactured defect nor an item that was flawed by the factory. It was scuffed by getting in and out of the car by a person that was not very careful. I will assume that Kris is VERY careful. The technician or whoever drove the car at the first dealership....maybe not so much. No way to prove either. Bottom line is that SRT and Glenn E Thomas is committed to making the customer's car right and that he is treated the way a Viper owner should be treated. The door sill plate will be replaced under warranty.

There is nothing to read between the lines on this guys. SRT/Chrysler is committed to Viper Customer Service. From what I have seen firsthand from them (SRT/Chrysler) is above and beyond the call of duty....which is EXACTLY what we Viper owners expect.

If there are issues, they seem to arise at the dealership level. This is not a dig at the dealerships. It is simply a statement saying that it is important to find a dealership that truly understands how particular we Viper owners are about our cars and being able to perform at our high level of expectations. If you are not comfortable with them....maybe you should consider finding another dealership to work with.


Absolutely nothing "ridiculous" about Chrysler/SRT or their customer service based on what I have seen from them so far.

I am confident that Glenn E Thomas will live up to all our expectations and Kris' 2013 Viper will be returned in better condition than how it was received.

 

[kratedisease]

SRT IS taking care of all the issues.

I should have been a little more clear in my comment. In my honest opinion "some were marginal at best as to whether or not they should be covered under warranty. "

The few items that could be considered marginal are things like scuff marks on the aluminum door sill "Viper" plate. I think Kris will agree that this is not a manufactured defect nor an item that was flawed by the factory. It was scuffed by getting in and out of the car by a person that was not very careful. I will assume that Kris is VERY careful. The technician or whoever drove the car at the first dealership....maybe not so much. No way to prove either. Bottom line is that SRT and Glenn E Thomas is committed to making the customer's car right and that he is treated the way a Viper owner should be treated. The door sill plate will be replaced under warranty.

There is nothing to read between the lines on this guys. SRT/Chrysler is committed to Viper Customer Service. From what I have seen firsthand from them (SRT/Chrysler) is above and beyond the call of duty....which is EXACTLY what we Viper owners expect.

If there are issues, they seem to arise at the dealership level. This is not a dig at the dealerships. It is simply a statement saying that it is important to find a dealership that truly understands how particular we Viper owners are about our cars and being able to perform at our high level of expectations. If you are not comfortable with them....maybe you should consider finding another dealership to work with.


Absolutely nothing "ridiculous" about Chrysler/SRT or their customer service based on what I have seen from them so far.

I am confident that Glenn E Thomas will live up to all our expectations and Kris' 2013 Viper will be returned in better condition than how it was received.

Chrysler repainted my 1997 back when it was new due to the melting parts and it came out OK. The paint does not match perfectly but I did not care at the time...

 

[ViperSmith]

SRT IS taking care of all the issues.

I should have been a little more clear in my comment. In my honest opinion "some were marginal at best as to whether or not they should be covered under warranty. "

The few items that could be considered marginal are things like scuff marks on the aluminum door sill "Viper" plate. I think Kris will agree that this is not a manufactured defect nor an item that was flawed by the factory. It was scuffed by getting in and out of the car by a person that was not very careful. I will assume that Kris is VERY careful. The technician or whoever drove the car at the first dealership....maybe not so much. No way to prove either. Bottom line is that SRT and Glenn E Thomas is committed to making the customer's car right and that he is treated the way a Viper owner should be treated. The door sill plate will be replaced under warranty.

There is nothing to read between the lines on this guys. SRT/Chrysler is committed to Viper Customer Service. From what I have seen firsthand from them (SRT/Chrysler) is above and beyond the call of duty....which is EXACTLY what we Viper owners expect.

If there are issues, they seem to arise at the dealership level. This is not a dig at the dealerships. It is simply a statement saying that it is important to find a dealership that truly understands how particular we Viper owners are about our cars and being able to perform at our high level of expectations. If you are not comfortable with them....maybe you should consider finding another dealership to work with.


Absolutely nothing "ridiculous" about Chrysler/SRT or their customer service based on what I have seen from them so far.

I am confident that Glenn E Thomas will live up to all our expectations and Kris' 2013 Viper will be returned in better condition than how it was received.

Sorry, I had misread it all

SRT has quickly corrected all the issues I have presented. They have been top notch in any factory problems I've had. I expect the same for Kris issues he is having.

Unhappy customers cost more than happy ones!

 

[Flylow]

Kris:
Sorry to read about your problems. It sure looks like the issue is a misaligned door and/or window, and the "paint issue" is a function of that misalignment. A re-sprayed anything, is simply not an option, as a dealer paint job will not match the factory job.

I am seriously interested in getting the Gen V Viper but I am watching closely how your issue is being handled by SRT. As a manufacturer of equipment, I fully understand that a mistake can happen. It is very cool that the Viper is put together by a group of enthusiastic people, and some things may be acceptable - but a misalignment that leaves a gap on the window, and rubbing the paint, must be fixed correctly - no questions asked.

Best -Kurt

 

[02 Graphite GTS]

One thing I would say is that it really is NOT a door mis-alignment issue. The driver's door gaps all looked really even and there were no signs of rubbing except for the one small spot.
With the car parked in the parking stall, we used a flashlight and looked in the gap where it was rubbing. There was at least a 1/8" gap between the two spots where it was obviously rubbing. On the passenger door, looking at the exact same spot there was a gap of about 3/16" . Standing back from the car and looking at both sides repeatedly, there was no visual difference or "mis-alignment".

We even pressed the drivers door in with light pressure to see if we could close up the gap. No luck. The conclusion was that there must be just enough flex in the body when the car transitions up or down driveways (which Kris stated he has to do on a daily basis). the slightly smaller gap on the driver's side was just enough for the two painted surfaces to rub.

The plan is to move the door just slightly forward to gain more of an air gap between the two painted surfaces.

Guys, we are talking about a paint rub that is maybe 3/16" by 1/8" . It is not some huge thing, but by the same token, it would personally make me crazy every time I opened my door.
It is on the inner edge of the door and not really visible from outside the car with the door closed. It will be very easy to mask off, spray the edge inward and never even touch the outer door surface. Per Kris' wishes, the black air duct will not be repainted. It will be replaced with a new duct.

 

[Flylow]

Hi Graphite,
Thanks for clarifying - very good input. Moving the door is to me some sort of alignment issue - but as the hole issue is described by you, something I could live with on a hand assembled car - as long as it is corrected. Thanks -Kurt

 

[ViperSmith]

Fly low,

There are a few minor quirks with the Gen 5, but it is worth every single penny! I'd buy it again in a heart beat

 

[Capt Van]

02, thanks for clearing that up for us. Glad to hear that SRT is stepping up but it's to bad that it took a long thread here and you as president to get involved to get things moving along.

My experience with SRT so far on both my ordering a 13, finally canceling and reordering a 14 is zero, nada, zilch. They could certainly use some better communication skills.

 

[SRTviper]

One thing I would say is that it really is NOT a door mis-alignment issue. The driver's door gaps all looked really even and there were no signs of rubbing except for the one small spot.
With the car parked in the parking stall, we used a flashlight and looked in the gap where it was rubbing. There was at least a 1/8" gap between the two spots where it was obviously rubbing. On the passenger door, looking at the exact same spot there was a gap of about 3/16" . Standing back from the car and looking at both sides repeatedly, there was no visual difference or "mis-alignment".

We even pressed the drivers door in with light pressure to see if we could close up the gap. No luck. The conclusion was that there must be just enough flex in the body when the car transitions up or down driveways (which Kris stated he has to do on a daily basis). the slightly smaller gap on the driver's side was just enough for the two painted surfaces to rub.

The plan is to move the door just slightly forward to gain more of an air gap between the two painted surfaces.

Guys, we are talking about a paint rub that is maybe 3/16" by 1/8" . It is not some huge thing, but by the same token, it would personally make me crazy every time I opened my door.
It is on the inner edge of the door and not really visible from outside the car with the door closed. It will be very easy to mask off, spray the edge inward and never even touch the outer door surface. Per Kris' wishes, the black air duct will not be repainted. It will be replaced with a new duct.

I am confused by this....He could stick his fingers through the window with the door closed. This gap was created by flex in the body from going over the driveway?

 

[02 Graphite GTS]

I am confused by this....He could stick his fingers through the window with the door closed. This gap was created by flex in the body from going over the driveway?

This is a separate issue. The window was not moving up into the window rubber channel when the door closed, as it is supposed to do. The first dealership replaced the window channel piece but did not reprogram the window properly. Unfortunately the window rubber channel piece they put in is still subpar (bad installation) and will be replaced.

It does not appear that the paint rub and the window issue are directly related to one another.

 

[KB Viper]

i can say this, i'm glad to be a member of the viper forum without being a member i wouldn't have the support of Lance (socal viper president aka 02 Graphite) and the rest of contributors to this thread and i'd be fighting this battle on my own witch i know would be hard to win. In my opinion the dealership involved with situations like this make all the difference and i am grateful that Lance has done an amazing job vetting a 5 star dealership and i'm confident I'll be happy with the car when i get it back. I just hope i get Brutus back soon than later. .

 

[KB Viper]

This is a separate issue. The window was not moving up into the window rubber channel when the door closed, as it is supposed to do. The first dealership replaced the window channel piece but did not reprogram the window properly. Unfortunately the window rubber channel piece they put in is still subpar (bad installation) and will be replaced.

It does not appear that the paint rub and the window issue are directly related to one another.

Lance--did you get any update as to why the car was stuck in race mode and why the traction control & check engine light were stuck on?

 

[ViperSmith]

Kris,

My ESC randomly pops on, they are replacing some break switch in my SRT.

After your saga might be useful to log issues / resolutions in a new thread to help (hopefully no one else) anyone else that may run into issues.

 

[02 Graphite GTS]

Hi Kris,
I have not heard anything yet, but as soon as I hear back from Tom, I will let you know.

 

[SADVIPER]

Too boogy for me.

 

[SRTviper]

Well now you all know if you have problems give the southern california VCA president a call lol

 

[HyperViper]

Well now you all know if you have problems give the southern california VCA president a call lol

Or you could call SRTviper (more commonly known in our offline conversations as *******) Lol