Maverick1

Just wonder if you guys think using a paint thickness gauge to check out the paint when taking delivery is going overboard?
Doing so I might catch areas that were repaired if the car was damaged during transport.
I'm also planning on asking to have the car put on a hoist to check the undercarriage for damage.
My Xpel gent said that I should not have the dealer detail the car and just take it as it comes from transport because they can do more damage to the paint.
That does not make much sense to me, I would expect the dealers detail shop to do a good job.
Then why am I paying big $$$$ for the pdi?
My view is better safe than sorry.
Secondly, my SA said my car is now "V300" which means "vehicle Complete" and was told it would be leaving Germany at the end of the week.
Any ball park idea how long until it reaches the dealership, as I was told delivery would be around mid November.
I'm asking because I am getting a courtesy delivery and will need to make flight arrangements.

Bonzai30

It's only one recent data point, but my car achieved vehicle complete status on 9/15 and is currently in Davisville awaiting shipment to the dealer. That having been said, I don't think there's any way to time delivery perfectly in advance. There's a lot of uncertainly around which ship it gets stuck on, how fast that ship will cruise, whether it will go directly to the right port, how long it will take to clear customs in port, how long it will take to get the right transport to the dealer, etc.

Bardman

I think this depends a lot on what your car means to you. For some these cars seem to be objects of obsession, with every blemish a cause for significant angst. For others its a track car which will gain "patina" as its struck by rocks and rubber. I'm somewhere in the middle, minor paint and interior issues are not welcomed, but I'm not really going to loose sleep over them. The only damage which really drives me nuts is damage to the wheels - not sure why but it really does.

One suggestion I can make is to feel under the front lip for damage. There will almost certainly be some, which is grounds to get a free front lip.

4carl

Originally Posted by Maverick1 View Post
Just curious but what happens if you check the paint thickness and it's off?
So they admit there was port damage, but it was repaired, what is your recourse?

Then its your decision. If your happy with the work and not concerned about someone discovering it on an inspection when you sell it and using it to lower the resale value take it. If not you can pass on the car.

The issue is if you plan on keeping the car for years is re-paints don't always age the same as the original, even though they can be a perfect match when first painted. .Some colors are worse than others and fade or change hue from sun ect. over time.

No one knows for sure what the damage was that they fixed in port? A scratch is one thing a dent where they used filler is another.

By testing thickness at least you will know what you have and how large the area is that was painted. I learned on the 14 CS i had when i had a clear bra replaced and a small chunk of paint came off. It was about 1"x1/4"on the corner of the front fender probably got scratched in port. i touched it up myself and had the clear bra reinstalled.carl

IrishAndy

One view:

It's fine for your Xpel agent to say that you shouldn't have the dealership detail the car... As long as they'll do it!

Fact is, that car will need detailed, and you'll want that done before it gets wrapped. Even simple things like claying the areas where the adhesive wrappers are taped to the body panels.

It's accurate IMO that a lot of dealers are awful at detailing. I once had a BMW dealer that put holograms over my entire car... Supposedly as a favor to me, because they screwed something else up. It's amazing how bad some shops can be. That said, my Porsche Dealer (North Olmsted) is the best I've seen as far as dealers go.

So, someone needs to do it. Who is up to you

Oh, and in terms of a paint depth gauge... I didn't because I have an OK eye for spotting paint defects, but a gauge may give you peace of mind. It probably sounds like overkill to many, but the fact that you're getting your car wrapped makes it a touch more important. Repaired paint is much more likely to have lifting issues when clear bra is eventually removed, so even if you were going to accept that car regardless, knowing if certain parts have been resprayed is important for both you and your Xpel agent to know.

RealityGT

Maverick1,
Are you in the GTA or Toronto?
-Ive already instructed my dealer to leave the transport tape on as I will be dropping it directly to my detailer for new car prep and clear bra. I will be checking paint thickness as 4carl has done.

That said, I'm quite ocd..

A430v

Careful with the transport tape. You leave it on and don't allow the dealership to inspect the car before delivery...any damage discovered after when you take off the tape yourself won't be covered. FYI.

Maverick1

I think I'll just let the dealers body shop do a proper pdi, and trust that their workers are skilled and capable.
After reading what Carl said about discovering suspension damage after the fact, I will ask them to put the car on a hoist to check out the under carriage.

RealityGT

Yes, thank you & understood. This will be my 4th new vehicle I would have accepted in this manner, but your concerns are 100% legitimate which is why I go through a visual inspection myself with the dealer.

I always advise them that I still want a mechanical PDI completed, while I am present. No better excuse to take a day off, IMO,

4carl

Its a good idea to have a look your self. Take along a good extra bright flashlight. Check all the control arms for damage and also for any oil leaks from the engine or trans and shocks.
As i said in an eariler post i learned the hard way to check. carl

mqandil

Talking about paint thickness, I got unusual readings for the clear coat on my rear wing (56 Microns), and there was some paint defect on the wing. My detailer thought they may have dropped something on the wing during transit, then sent the car to body shop to get the rear wing resprayed at San Diego Port. Luckily he was able to remove 99% of the defect, but i still reported it to my SA, along with the loose carbon fiber door sills which are on order and would be replaced as soon as they receive them. Mark

mqandil

Here is a picture or the paint reading at hood. This is more like a normal reading. Normal Clear coat thickness should be around 30 microns on the newer Porsches. Mark

supercup

I had a paint correction detail completed when my car was a few weeks old. The detailer who did it had done 3 before mine - all (mine included) needed a lot of work on the rear wing. He said all 4 had been color sanded, but they never really finished and took out all the scratch's they left when the some flaws in the wing.

Not sure if done at factory or at PDI, but in all 4 cases of 4 cars the wing was the area in need of the most attention to detail.

mqandil

That's interesting. May be this was done at the factory. Were the other cars also Sapphire blue. Do you know if they paint the wing while installed on the car, or is it painted separately then mounted on car later on as it is hard to get good paint coverage on the underside part while mounted on the car. Just wondering. Mark

4carl

Mark,nice gauge.i have the poor mans version it only reads total thickness.
154=6mil thats good coverage, mine is like 5.4-5.8. Your gauge works on the wing composite? Mine only works on steel or alum. carl