Two days after Thanksgiving I received a surprised phone call telling me that my 1st Ed. Lotus Emira order from February had arrived unexpectedly earlier then planned! However when I arrived to the dealership to take my first look at it, our salesman informed us upon PDI that the underside of the front bumper was devoid of any paint and that they needed to get it resolved before they felt comfortable releasing the vehicle to me. Well, almost 2 months later I finally took delivery two days ago. The dealership said they had an awful time trying to convince Lotus they didn't paint the car and it took a lot of arguing and back and forth before Lotus admitted to the mishap. So Lotus approved the warranty claim and we had a very reputable body shop add paint to the bottom of the fender. However, after taking the car home and washing it the bumper looked like this. (See attached Photo)
I took the car back and showed them the photo and explained how the bumper was a different shade of blue. At the dealership in direct sunlight the difference was not as extreme, but our salesman agreed that it did not look right and would contact us once he got some additional opinions. Later that day he called. He said the body shop only added paint under the splitter where it was missing, but then clear coated the rest of the bumper to match the applied fixed. He said the color difference is from the factory and the only way to fix it would be to blend the bumper into the surrounding panels. He also talk to a PPF guy who echoed the same thought and said that even PPF wouldn't hide the color disparity and that the paint would need to be blended.
I have no reason to distrust what our salesman is saying, they have always been amazing and forthright. The dilemma I have currently is that I do not want my paint to be blended. I don't want the rest of the panels to be ruined to match an off colored bumper that accounts for a small part of the car. I will notice it and it will bug me to no ends. Second, the idea I need to send a brand new car through a body shop two days into ownership where it will come out looking as if it was in a accident seems ridiculous to me. Lastly, anyone with a discerning eye will know it had aftermarket paintwork done to it which will impact the resale value.
What are my options? Can I request a factory painted bumper to be delivered? If they cannot return the bumper to factory condition can I request a trade, a buyout? Or am I overreacting? Have others experienced mismatching panels from the facotry? I absolutely want to keep this car, because aside from the bumper I'm in absolute love with the Meridan Blue paint. It looks like a night sky with the blue and silver flake in it.
I look forward to the feedback.
I took the car back and showed them the photo and explained how the bumper was a different shade of blue. At the dealership in direct sunlight the difference was not as extreme, but our salesman agreed that it did not look right and would contact us once he got some additional opinions. Later that day he called. He said the body shop only added paint under the splitter where it was missing, but then clear coated the rest of the bumper to match the applied fixed. He said the color difference is from the factory and the only way to fix it would be to blend the bumper into the surrounding panels. He also talk to a PPF guy who echoed the same thought and said that even PPF wouldn't hide the color disparity and that the paint would need to be blended.
I have no reason to distrust what our salesman is saying, they have always been amazing and forthright. The dilemma I have currently is that I do not want my paint to be blended. I don't want the rest of the panels to be ruined to match an off colored bumper that accounts for a small part of the car. I will notice it and it will bug me to no ends. Second, the idea I need to send a brand new car through a body shop two days into ownership where it will come out looking as if it was in a accident seems ridiculous to me. Lastly, anyone with a discerning eye will know it had aftermarket paintwork done to it which will impact the resale value.
What are my options? Can I request a factory painted bumper to be delivered? If they cannot return the bumper to factory condition can I request a trade, a buyout? Or am I overreacting? Have others experienced mismatching panels from the facotry? I absolutely want to keep this car, because aside from the bumper I'm in absolute love with the Meridan Blue paint. It looks like a night sky with the blue and silver flake in it.
I look forward to the feedback.
