I purchased my new BLACK NAVI RIDGELINE about 4 weeks ago and love it. Yesterday my daughter and I were sickened while washing it. We noticed that it had extreme paint deterioration on entire drivers side of exterior of vehicle. The problem worsened to the rear of truck. The paint appeared to be damaged from droplets of acid. Two or three of the spots were down to the metal (through clear coat and paint). The front 66% spots are small and speckled resembling a basketball. The plastic body parts behind rear wheel, mirror, and front bumper are all ok and undamaged. The rear 33% spots range from .1 to .3" in diameter. The passenger side of vehicle is ok and shows no signs of damage. I have not met with HONDA regional rep yet. Please advise if any other BLACK NAVI owners have seen this problem. I am concerned that assembly plant might have had a bad batch of black paint used on driver's side only. Thank you.
Black Navi Paint Problems
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Any chance you did come in contact with acid spray somehow? Drive past unusual construction or industrial site? I hope for you it is a Honda problem. They may say it is industrial or environmental exposure damage and you will have to fight with your insurance company for a new paint job.
My little knowledge of how the factory robots paint bodys tells me it is unlikely they switched batchs of paint mid-vehicle.
My little knowledge of how the factory robots paint bodys tells me it is unlikely they switched batchs of paint mid-vehicle.
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I just got back from signing all the paperwork for my long awaited Black RTL-Navi. I have looked it over fairly well so far but I will pay particular attention to the paint and look for any signs of trouble when I pick it up tomorrow. If there is any indication of paint issues, you (and anybody else within earshot) will be the second person to know. I will post the results if there is any problem. It does sound like you may have encountered some sort of chemical but what would cause the damage to your paint and not the plastic or rubber trim? You may want to contact your local Police, State Police and possibly the EPA to see if they have had any complaints about chemical spills in the areas that you have traveled. I feel your pain... 
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I have own a black RTL for four weeks and have had no paint problems. Hope this helps.
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my black seems fine. I did notice some surface scuffs on the roof where the installed the rack, but that will come out. Also there was a small chip on one of the door edges. All in all the factory paint seems ok, although a little to much surface variations and a super thin coat for my painting tastes. Nothing like painting and wet sanding yourself
Sorry to hear that rjjk, im sure Honda will make it right. I had an Acura that had a front bumper that looked different than the rest of the car and they sent it in and repainted it no questions asked. The aftermarket paint turned out nicer than the factory job. Let us know how you turn out, we'll keep our fingers crossed for you.
follow-up: from rjjk
I have a couple of pictures I would like for everyone to see. I did go to an expert yesterday. I plan to meet with HONDA district rep next week. I also know that HONDA has an exceptional history of customer service and will take care of this apparant isolated problem. I will advise everyone later.
I have a couple of pictures I would like for everyone to see. I did go to an expert yesterday. I plan to meet with HONDA district rep next week. I also know that HONDA has an exceptional history of customer service and will take care of this apparant isolated problem. I will advise everyone later.
I dont have the problem you had with your black RL, but I do have a paint problem with mine. Where the bumpers meet the fenders and come to a corner, the paint is peeling off. Took it to the dealer today and they said it looked like the bumper was put on b4 the paint dried... so bumpers are being repainted next Wednesday. Hopefully they'll look ok when done!!!!!!!!
Last week I went to pickup my new Black Ridgeline. Excitement to say the least. Looked over the New Ridge with a microscope, was elated with it, and a nightmare occurred. The hood had a one and a half inch stripe of dull paint that ran from the passenger side of the hood diagonally across 3/4 of the entire hood. Looked like a tape mark. Dealer tried to buff it out but no luck. They couldn't swap hoods because Honda Parts are VIN stamped. Next they wanted to repaint the hood. Needless to say I don't buy new do overs, so I am now waiting for Ridgy #2. Sounds like I will have a different one tomorrow..Wish me luck. BTW I love the information I have found on this site! Gives me lots of things to get excited about and what to be aware of (like the paint).
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As you can tell from my title I have a WHITE RTL, but I know a little about paint. The damage you describe sounds like brake fluid has gotten on the side of your truck. if not brake fluid, then something similar. I used to see a lot of cars that rode in the lower part of the car carrier have lots of spots on their hood and top from the cars above leaking brake fluid. The funny thing is, it sometimes takes days or weeks for the damage to show up because the fluid dissolves the paint slowly. This is just my opinion, but that is what it sounds like.
RTL, but I know a little about paint. The damage you describe sounds like brake fluid has gotten on the side of your truck. if not brake fluid, then something similar. I used to see a lot of cars that rode in the lower part of the car carrier have lots of spots on their hood and top from the cars above leaking brake fluid. The funny thing is, it sometimes takes days or weeks for the damage to show up because the fluid dissolves the paint slowly. This is just my opinion, but that is what it sounds like.
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I had what looked like hard water spots that had gotten into the clear coat all over the hood only on my black RTL. The fenders, the roof and the rest of the vehicle were flawless. I only had the truck for a few weeks when I noticed the spots. It is garage kept and washed and dried what seems like daily. Never had any water dry on the truck. Wash in the shade or in the garage with McGuires Gold Class Car Wash, rinse with Mr Clean filtered and deionized rinse, towel dry with microfiber towels. Using clay did not seem to have any effect on the spots. I spent four hours and applied about ten coats of Klasse polish with a Porter-Cable orbital buffer to reduce them to the point that they are not noticable unless you look at a reflection of the bright sun. The dealer did not think that they could do any better and advised against repainting. I am reasonably happy with the apperance now and since I am probably the only one that can 'spot' the spots I am trying to forget about them. HiPsi, I bet that you are right about the car carrier. They do put white plastic protective film over most of the vehicle but I am not sure how much of the hood gets covered. I will try to catch a fresh delivery at the dealer just to see if that could be the cause. If the hood is not covered during transport you must be correct. I bet Honda would like to know about it. Thanks!
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I noticed that too on my black hood. But I only see it while I'm drying it and really can't notice after it is dry. It is something I have never seen a paint job do when drying. I'll have to look better now. I'm not impressed one bit with Honda paint. It's very thin and I can see Orange peel in some spots.
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