Paint & fit problems / new car...
Discussion
One of my first posts here was in regard to two stonechips in a strange place on the car, picked up whilst driving home from the dealer after collecting the car from new. I was gutted. However...
In the last ten days I have noticed several things wrong with the vehicle, all cosmetic, and would like some opinions / advice etc. etc.
In no particular order...
1. Paint falling off in very small flakes around the edge of the door as if I have been banging it into a wall.
2. Rough finish / no paint on top of the A pillar.
3. Very rough finish / black overspray (the car is Grigio Titanio so the black presumably must have come from the rear quarter panel) on the area around the metal kick plate on the sill on the passenger side.
4. A crack in the fibreglass on the top of the back roll over bar. Currently hidden when the roof is in place but getting a little bigger with each drive. This is obviously quite a concern.
5. Boot won't close easily (in fact it sometimes won't close at all) and is obviously too low on the drivers side causing the boot to crash into the rear end bodywork. Also the boot point (facing the front of the car if looking from the back) is way too high on the passenger side. Just adjustment maybe.
6. Rear three quarter Triplex glass panels are nowhere near accurate in either size or fit. Black paint has been added around the edge of the panels to make it look like they fit properly. Do they all look like this ?
7. Drivers side A pillar is "dog leg" in shape resulting in a non-fitting, non-sticking length of trim and a large discrepency in the line of the window compared with the passenger side which has a perfectly straight A pillar.
8. Numerous tiny pin holes around the body, worse at the top of the doors and on edges of panels. I thought the factory checked for this.
9. The stone chips on the top of the front panel have been described by an Aston Martin paint shop manager as "blisters" and therefore a fault.
10. Inside the car, uneven gaps between the half moon surrounds to the door release buttons and the dash - the gap is much bigger on the drivers side.
11. Still inside the car, the handbrake sheath has split, badly, due to a sharp edge of the metal surround.
...does any of this sound familiar ?
I sent a series of digital photographs to the dealer who now has told me that a paint guy will be sent to my house to look at the car, all of the work agreed (which could take time) by TVR, and then put right.
However, if my car needs paint work within 2 weeks, through fault of manufacture, should I reject it ? And if so, how do I go about doing so ? What time scales are involved.
I have made it clear to the dealer that since I have paid TVR Tuscan money for the car, I require a TVR as a loan car whilst my car is in limbo. Furthermore I have insisted that my car be picked on on a truck rather than me having keep driving to and fro.
The dealer (TMS) has a very good reputation so I presume this will be sorted out as quickly as possible.
The car is still a fantastic looking, sounding, and driving machine. BUT for £40k + the fit and finish isn't what I expected. Its almost as if TVR's quality control is carried out by the customer in the first month of ownership.
And finally, why the hell can't they fit a petrol filler cap with some grip to it ! - £40K !
In the last ten days I have noticed several things wrong with the vehicle, all cosmetic, and would like some opinions / advice etc. etc.
In no particular order...
1. Paint falling off in very small flakes around the edge of the door as if I have been banging it into a wall.
2. Rough finish / no paint on top of the A pillar.
3. Very rough finish / black overspray (the car is Grigio Titanio so the black presumably must have come from the rear quarter panel) on the area around the metal kick plate on the sill on the passenger side.
4. A crack in the fibreglass on the top of the back roll over bar. Currently hidden when the roof is in place but getting a little bigger with each drive. This is obviously quite a concern.
5. Boot won't close easily (in fact it sometimes won't close at all) and is obviously too low on the drivers side causing the boot to crash into the rear end bodywork. Also the boot point (facing the front of the car if looking from the back) is way too high on the passenger side. Just adjustment maybe.
6. Rear three quarter Triplex glass panels are nowhere near accurate in either size or fit. Black paint has been added around the edge of the panels to make it look like they fit properly. Do they all look like this ?
7. Drivers side A pillar is "dog leg" in shape resulting in a non-fitting, non-sticking length of trim and a large discrepency in the line of the window compared with the passenger side which has a perfectly straight A pillar.
8. Numerous tiny pin holes around the body, worse at the top of the doors and on edges of panels. I thought the factory checked for this.
9. The stone chips on the top of the front panel have been described by an Aston Martin paint shop manager as "blisters" and therefore a fault.
10. Inside the car, uneven gaps between the half moon surrounds to the door release buttons and the dash - the gap is much bigger on the drivers side.
11. Still inside the car, the handbrake sheath has split, badly, due to a sharp edge of the metal surround.
...does any of this sound familiar ?
I sent a series of digital photographs to the dealer who now has told me that a paint guy will be sent to my house to look at the car, all of the work agreed (which could take time) by TVR, and then put right.
However, if my car needs paint work within 2 weeks, through fault of manufacture, should I reject it ? And if so, how do I go about doing so ? What time scales are involved.
I have made it clear to the dealer that since I have paid TVR Tuscan money for the car, I require a TVR as a loan car whilst my car is in limbo. Furthermore I have insisted that my car be picked on on a truck rather than me having keep driving to and fro.
The dealer (TMS) has a very good reputation so I presume this will be sorted out as quickly as possible.
The car is still a fantastic looking, sounding, and driving machine. BUT for £40k + the fit and finish isn't what I expected. Its almost as if TVR's quality control is carried out by the customer in the first month of ownership.
And finally, why the hell can't they fit a petrol filler cap with some grip to it ! - £40K !
Sounds similar to the list I had with my 00 Tuscan some items you notice quicker than others & some develop over the first few weeks/months of ownership & so they are not noticeable when they leave the factory/dealers, but this is still not very good to hear that cars still have/develop all these faults particularly the fibreglass splitting!
All the issues I had with mine were corrected by TMS to a good standard.
As for the fuel filler cap get a Leven one they are much easier to remove & look better.
Nick
All the issues I had with mine were corrected by TMS to a good standard.
As for the fuel filler cap get a Leven one they are much easier to remove & look better.
Nick
mmm well I've been lucky then as since new from 1st March I have not had any problems...may be the odd flake of paint in the arches when door is opened but not bothered about that as it can't be seen and can be touched up.
So am happy with mine, I got all leven bits on car BEFORE I picked up the car as knew some of the caps were not great.
Alan.
So am happy with mine, I got all leven bits on car BEFORE I picked up the car as knew some of the caps were not great.
Alan.
I suspect this is how quie a few cars come out of the factory - the dealer is supposed to fix them as part of the PDI. For some reason some cars don't have good paint and need a respray, maybe yours is one of them ?
>> Edited by andyvdg on Friday 8th August 08:45
Up The Octave said:
1. Paint falling off in very small flakes around the edge of the door as if I have been banging it into a wall.
- Doesn't sound right.
2. Rough finish / no paint on top of the A pillar.
- Doesn't sound right.
3. Very rough finish / black overspray (the car is Grigio Titanio so the black presumably must have come from the rear quarter panel) on the area around the metal kick plate on the sill on the passenger side.
- Doesn't sound right.
4. A crack in the fibreglass on the top of the back roll over bar. Currently hidden when the roof is in place but getting a little bigger with each drive. This is obviously quite a concern.
- Doesn't sound right.
5. Boot won't close easily (in fact it sometimes won't close at all) and is obviously too low on the drivers side causing the boot to crash into the rear end bodywork. Also the boot point (facing the front of the car if looking from the back) is way too high on the passenger side. Just adjustment maybe.
- Easy fix, they all do that sir.
6. Rear three quarter Triplex glass panels are nowhere near accurate in either size or fit. Black paint has been added around the edge of the panels to make it look like they fit properly. Do they all look like this ?
- I guess so. I have black paint around mine - and I looked at a recent car last week and the finish was similar.
7. Drivers side A pillar is "dog leg" in shape resulting in a non-fitting, non-sticking length of trim and a large discrepency in the line of the window compared with the passenger side which has a perfectly straight A pillar.
- I'm not sure I can visualise what you mean.
8. Numerous tiny pin holes around the body, worse at the top of the doors and on edges of panels. I thought the factory checked for this.
- Doesn't sound right.
9. The stone chips on the top of the front panel have been described by an Aston Martin paint shop manager as "blisters" and therefore a fault.
- Not right then!
10. Inside the car, uneven gaps between the half moon surrounds to the door release buttons and the dash - the gap is much bigger on the drivers side.
- Not sure I can visualise this.
11. Still inside the car, the handbrake sheath has split, badly, due to a sharp edge of the metal surround.
- Needs fixing then!
...does any of this sound familiar ?
- Most of this sounds like a bad paint job.
I sent a series of digital photographs to the dealer who now has told me that a paint guy will be sent to my house to look at the car, all of the work agreed (which could take time) by TVR, and then put right.
However, if my car needs paint work within 2 weeks, through fault of manufacture, should I reject it ? And if so, how do I go about doing so ? What time scales are involved.
- I suppose this depends on whether you want the car or not. If you reject it would you order another one ? If so I wouldn't have thought it would be worth it - just get TVR to respray it.
I have made it clear to the dealer that since I have paid TVR Tuscan money for the car, I require a TVR as a loan car whilst my car is in limbo. Furthermore I have insisted that my car be picked on on a truck rather than me having keep driving to and fro.
- Fair enough. Interesting to see the outcome. I think the truck is more likely than another Tuscan.
The dealer (TMS) has a very good reputation so I presume this will be sorted out as quickly as possible.
The car is still a fantastic looking, sounding, and driving machine. BUT for £40k + the fit and finish isn't what I expected. Its almost as if TVR's quality control is carried out by the customer in the first month of ownership.
- You got it! Well QC by the dealer and the customer. My car's PDI took over 2 weeks. I shudder to think what got fixed but it was presented to me immaculate.
And finally, why the hell can't they fit a petrol filler cap with some grip to it ! - £40K !
- Yeah I don't know either! Phone Leven and get one of theirs.
>> Edited by andyvdg on Friday 8th August 08:45
Your list of faults seems very long and is a surprise to me. We picked up our Tuscan S in April (also Grigio Titanio) and our dealer said it was one of the best cars they had seen and they had virtually nothing remedial to do on the PDI. The general message was that the factory had been making big strides on quality in recent months. Fit & finish, in particular seem much better than on our previous TVRs.
BTW - you're not slamming the boot shut from a great height are you? A gentle push on the lid above the lock should be all that's needed.
BTW - you're not slamming the boot shut from a great height are you? A gentle push on the lid above the lock should be all that's needed.
I thought I should add I also saw a new car last weekend which was also Grigio Titanio and it looked perfect, fantastic. I gave it a good inspection 'cause I'm nosey like that 
and I absolutely agree the quality has continually and visibly improved since the first Tuscan's were built. It looked very well put together.
Cheers,
Andy.
and I absolutely agree the quality has continually and visibly improved since the first Tuscan's were built. It looked very well put together. Cheers,
Andy.
I bought my new Tuscan around the same time as Alf Essex and would have to agree that the quality of build was very good and alot higher than I expected after reading various threads. No problems at all with the paint or trim.
Only down side is that it has been in Blackpool for 3 weeks being fixed and hoping to get it back next week or it will be locked away for another 2 weeks while the factory closes... Fingers crossed and all that!
- Pete -
Only down side is that it has been in Blackpool for 3 weeks being fixed and hoping to get it back next week or it will be locked away for another 2 weeks while the factory closes... Fingers crossed and all that!
- Pete -
I have had similar problems with over 30 minor moans and the factory have righted most of them. However, the paint job is another story and I will be viciting Harrogate Horseless Carriages in the near future. As a layman I think the aint is a little on the soft side and I have suffered loss of paint on front bonnet, door surrounds, roof surround, boor etc. My boot did not close properly either but this has been fixed by the factory.
andyvdg said:
I thought I should add I also saw a new car last weekend which was also Grigio Titanio and it looked perfect, fantastic. I gave it a good inspection 'cause I'm nosey like that
Cheers,
Current Tuscans are so much better, end of the day,we the customers do the research and in some cases advise on the the development, I have a lot of confidence in TVR, being a first owner, and, believe it or not had three engine rebuilds. One of my customers has had his Audi TT off the road for 8months??, international company!!, shit loads of resources??
I am well happy with my TIV, for the price.
Andy.
How is the car mechanically?
If it is good then DONT reject it.
The problems you are having are very easy to put right and if you car is currently a good one that is rough round the edges (and therefore can be put right easily) you should keep it. There are quite a few Tuscans on the road that look perfect but have plenty of mechanical faults under the skin. My car looks perfect, but in 6 weeks I've had the wipers stop working, the horn stop working, squeeling brakes, and a few other niggly problems. Add to that the fact that I don't know whether I've got air con or not, even though I didn't pay for it and you will begin to see that these cars are put together by hands, english hands, and that the english don't have a reputation for quality.
Perhaps one day TVR will start making a car that is finished 100%.
I think you should push for a factory respray and re-trim, and make sure TMS give you a Tuscan as a loan car while you wait.
Then push for a few free extras to compensate you for all the telephone calls that I presume you have had to make and all the time you have wasted (not to mention the mental cruelty you have endured by having your dream car spolit by bad finishing !!), like maybe some leven caps (since you have already fallen foul of the dreaded "can't get the f*%^ing petrol filler cap off" syndrome).
I didn't get my car from TMS but I know someone who did. I'm sure they will do whatever it takes to keep you happy. Just make sure you are firm with them and you should get what you want.
A happy customer is what the dealers want, or at least should want. If you don't get any joy, which is very unlikely from what I've heard of TMS, then give one of their rivals a call and see if they can sort it out for you in return for service business. I know that you are supposed to stick with one dealer for sales and service, but if you told TVR you weren't happy with one dealer they would understand and not block you.
So, keep pushing until YOU are 100% happy, and don't rest until you get exactly what you want.
Good luck.
If it is good then DONT reject it.
The problems you are having are very easy to put right and if you car is currently a good one that is rough round the edges (and therefore can be put right easily) you should keep it. There are quite a few Tuscans on the road that look perfect but have plenty of mechanical faults under the skin. My car looks perfect, but in 6 weeks I've had the wipers stop working, the horn stop working, squeeling brakes, and a few other niggly problems. Add to that the fact that I don't know whether I've got air con or not, even though I didn't pay for it and you will begin to see that these cars are put together by hands, english hands, and that the english don't have a reputation for quality.
Perhaps one day TVR will start making a car that is finished 100%.
I think you should push for a factory respray and re-trim, and make sure TMS give you a Tuscan as a loan car while you wait.
Then push for a few free extras to compensate you for all the telephone calls that I presume you have had to make and all the time you have wasted (not to mention the mental cruelty you have endured by having your dream car spolit by bad finishing !!), like maybe some leven caps (since you have already fallen foul of the dreaded "can't get the f*%^ing petrol filler cap off" syndrome).
I didn't get my car from TMS but I know someone who did. I'm sure they will do whatever it takes to keep you happy. Just make sure you are firm with them and you should get what you want.
A happy customer is what the dealers want, or at least should want. If you don't get any joy, which is very unlikely from what I've heard of TMS, then give one of their rivals a call and see if they can sort it out for you in return for service business. I know that you are supposed to stick with one dealer for sales and service, but if you told TVR you weren't happy with one dealer they would understand and not block you.
So, keep pushing until YOU are 100% happy, and don't rest until you get exactly what you want.
Good luck.
Gassing Station | Tuscan | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff