I have a '19 Nissan and is common with aluminum hoods where rust looking spots are popping out.
I have 2 places that had foreign debris on it resulting in the premature separation of the paint.
With it still under warranty I took it to the dealer in town and he carefully looked it over and im very sorry but we cant honor the warranty because the hood has been repainted,i told him really?,,how can you tell?,he points to the center of the hood and said see all this bad orange peel thats a dead give-away.
I smiled at him and said ''your full of ****'' as the area you pointed to is NOT orange peel,its where the thinner in the paint evaporated a little too soon and the coat of paint didnt lay totally down which is common for 99% of all paints jobs even those from the factory.
another reason can be where it wasnt baked as much as it could have been leaving a less than perfect painting,
I looked at him and said ive been doing paint/body/collision work for 45 years,so is your answer still no?
he politely said yes it is

So im going to sand a few spots on the hood which will definitively show every coat of paint/clear/sealer on it,take it back to him and tell him were going to court and you will pay me to repair my hood and my services are very expensive.
The dealer in question is FIRST TEAM NISSAN on Peterscreek road in roanoke,Va

 

The pain, time and expense involved of building a court case far exceeds the cost of good repair and paint job. But it's your time and money, so good luck with that idea.

 

its really not much of a hassle,just go down to the clerks office pay $25 to file the papers and then just wait for the court date and while im waiting just get prepared
even if I lose it will cost First Team much more than what it would have if they had done the right thing and honored the warranty.

 

Interesting....I had my Alum trunk bubble on my 02 Altima SE. It had very little miles on it and was out of warranty. Had to argue with the manager because he insisted that my trunk was not aluminum. Long story short, Nissan repainted it as a good will thing. It worked...I bought another.

 

my only issue is right now its basically my word against the dealership,im currently just waiting till our body shop gets a free spot so i can take my car in and sand it down in a couple spots to verify just how much paint is on it and use that in court,but im in no hurry as i still have plenty of time left on the warranty.

 

It is ridiculous you have to do that....did you try another dealer?

 

no,i actually considered that but its a 35 mile drive which isnt too bad

 

Might be worth it!

 

Did you buy the car new? If so, filing a lawsuit might not be what you need to do. Around here it’s more like $300 to file a court case and then an additional fee to make sure it’s properly served on the proper entity. Then you might get thrown out anyway if your state has a lemon law statute that applies and you didn’t file the steps in that law. In Florida you have to take a problem that effects the safety or value of the car to the dealership 3 times for the same issue (all 3 documented). Then after the third visit you have to send a certified letter to the regional office outlining all the issues and attempts to correct the problem. The company will then get one more attempt to fix the issue or submit the case to arbitration. So, before you send the time and money filing a suit, check the lemon law in your state. Sometimes, the companies will work with you if they see you have followed the correct procedures.

 

Well spoken Gator!

 

its a 2019 model so im not the original owner,i dont see the point of taking it in again since its already denied ,its isnt like a mechanical issue that cant be fixed.
Id prefer paying $25 and file a court date as it would cost them more in time and lawyer fees and who knows i may win and if i dont then ive had 45 years in paint and body work ill just fix it myself.
its all more of the principal,the cars still under warranty and i know they should fix it.im gonna get it in our shop and sand a couple spots showing each layer then give them another chance to honor it and if not well go to court.
it makes me wonder how many claims they have denied yet should have fixed,im sure im not the only one.

 

Well if you are sure only costs $25 to file a lawsuit remember you still have to have the suit served. That costs money. Also keep in mind If you lose the case, you may have to pay court costs and possibly attorney fees for their lawyer.

 

Your hood is now evidence after you file and serve your lawsuit. You will not be allowed to tamper with it (ie sanding it down). The other party could confiscate the hood under court order to protect their interests. If you sand it down to prove paint coats, the evidence is tampered with and the court could reject it as evidence. You better hire yourself an attorney to advise and guide you through this.

 

the hood wont be evidence until i i file a claim of course so in the mean time i plan on leaving the rust untouched and sand another area to show the dealer its factory paint.the rust is the ''evidence'' so im sure im ok
now if by some wild chance the hood has been re-painted ill be the first to admit it and even apologize to them but my 45 years experience says its factory
i should know in about a week when i finish my current job.

 

I think the suggestion to try another dealer before doing any sanding, repairing, or filing a lawsuit would be well worth the time and effort. JMO...

 

agreed

 

Read your terms.
Sometimes they require arbitration. Not sure.

 

45 years in the business and no thickness gauge?

 

no,ive never needed one
i do know my hood is 2mil more than the top but not enough for a 2nd painting

 

Yes, according to the 2019 Nissan Maxima Warranty Information Booklet, pages 2 and 3 discuss the process.

​​​​​​2019 Nissan | Warranty Information Booklet | Nissan USA

 

we look at the owners manual to learn our car but never at the pages that looks useless,thx Rick guess ill have to travel this route first.

 

Keep your records for any corrective work in the event a recall is eventually issued. I have been reimbursed by Nissan on two separate occasions long after my issues were resolved: rear suspension rotting out prematurely on 13 Altima, and immobilizer issue on 09 Maxima that left me stranded. Obviously I had to force the reimbursement.