Need Help proving what is ruining my paint job [new title]

Factual Questions
1

In order to right a corporate wrong!

Okay, to make a long story short, here’s the scoop:

I bought a new car recently (4 months ago) and about two months ago noticed some strange stuff dribbled onto the car’s front fender and hood (Let’s call it ‘Goop’).

Anyhoo…said Goop would not come off with soap and water or by intense rubbing. It resembles a clear, resin-like material.

Now, I bought a paint protection package with the car that explicitly covers things like acid rain, bird droppings and tree sap (which is what I believe it to be). The dealership tell sme that they cannot get it off because they don’t believe it’s tree sap. The company that offered the paint protection says the same thing. Both tell me to call my insurance.

Fast forward to last week - they had me thinking “hey, maybe it WAS glue and some freak glue truck drive by splattered it on me on the highway”.

So I go out to my car two days ago and lo and behold…three new “Goop” splotches on my hood. This time they’re bigger and more noticeable than before. I’m thinking “Gotta be tree sap”…

So I go BACK to the dealership and paint protection company. This time they don’t even bother to investigate the second claim and say “It’s tree sap” right over the phone! (Helluva diagnostic team they have over there, apparantly)
My point is that 1) now I’m pissed off I bought this fairly expensive ($500) paint package for just this type of thing…and now 2) I’m getting screwed over when it comes time to actually file a claim.

Question: What can I do to prove it IS / ISN’T tree sap or glue?

Is there some reagent test I can do? I could probably scrape enough off the car to send somewhere…but I don’t want to pay for expensive lab tests.

p.s. the car dealership said that they would have to sand and repaint the entire front end of my car at a cost of $1400 bucks.

Any help appreciated! I was hoping that after I can prove it IS sap, I can go to small claims and make them pay for it…

2

Hello Daylon and welcome to the SDMB.

I have no answer for your question, but I do have some friendly advice for posting on the SDMB.

For future reference, a more descriptive title will get you a better response to your question. “Need Help!” doesn’t tickle anybody’s curiosity. I just wandered in here 'cause I’m bored, and I can’t answer your question at all.

You might be tempted to, but please don’t re-post the question with a better title. The mods here hate that. You might try e-mailing a moderator asking them to change the title for you.

3

Just an unworthy thought. I bet if you scraped some off, ground it up and sent it to the insurance campany’s offices, they’d have it examined pretty quickly. Hmmm :slight_smile:

More seriously, I wonder whther some clever type from, say, a local park or botanic gardens would have an idea. Or if your neighbours have had similar goop troubles, they might have solved the problem and could tell you how.

Good luck

4

The problem with that is that they have no incentive to prove it’s not glue. They’re going to hold out and not pay in hopes that I’ll go away or learn to live with it.

I mean, after all isn’t that how insurance companies make money? You don’t survive long by paying out premiums…

The local botanist / university might be an angle… seems like an interesting enough question for one of them to figure out pretty quickly…

5

If it is tree sap it shouldn’t be all that difficult to take off, Daylon.
Remove Tree Sap & Pitch

Remove Tree Sap & Pitch II

6

First: The dealership tells me that they cannot get it off because they don’t believe it’s tree sap. The company that offered the paint protection says the same thing.

Then: So I go BACK to the dealership and paint protection company. This time they don’t even bother to investigate the second claim and say “It’s tree sap” right over the phone!

So if they’re saying it’s sap now, it’s covered and your problem is over, right?

Am I missing something, or is there a typo in the second passage above? I’m confused here.

7

I’m confused also. You determine it’s tree sap. Tree sap is covered. They agree that it’s tree sap. Problem solved? :confused:

8

Daylon, I changed your thread title to make it more descriptive. Please choose more descriptive titles in the future.

9

Well, the first diagnostic I’d perform is…are you parking under a tree? If so, find out what kind of tree it is. Find out whether it’s a kind of tree with a particularly corrosive sap.

I'm curious.   Is the paint protection limited to tree sap, bird droppings and acid rain?   I would think that it would be more comprehensive.    

Incidentally, and this may be an expensive lesson, this is why you don't buy any of the expensive packages that the car dealers attempt to stick you with.   They are basically worthless and it's hard to get them to standby their warrantees.  No matter what, I'd register a complaint against the dealership with the BBB.
10

I meant to say that the paint control company said “It’s NOT tree sap”.

I’m sure certain chemicals can take it off…what I’m loooking for is a determination of whether it’s Sap or Glue or some other heinous material…
Thanks…sorry for the confusion…

11

Take some of it off & give it a wiff, sap has a distinct odor, you would know right away
what it is that way.

12

A simple test to see if it’s organic or chemical? Might not be that easy. Realistically, ain’t gonna get the dealer’s attention.

The ‘paint protection’ package probably doesn’t come with a specific warranty. I’d be surprised if it did.

You can get your insurance to take care of it - although the folks on these boards will scare you about how big insurance companies will run you around. But LISTEN…

I think your options are realistically:

-pay out of pocket

-call insurance comp. (haggle with them. they’ll pay. Car damage tends to get paid for. It’s that simple. If you are flat on your face because the dealer won’t warranty the paint protection package, you don’t call the insurance company and give them some story about paint protection packages!!! - you call them and tell them your car was damaged, upon which you go to the repair facility of your choice for an estimate) PERIOD.

13

I think you should find out who to contact at the manufacturer’s national headquarters and complain that your warranty isn’t being honored by your local dealer. Get some pressure put on the dealer. Make the dealer prove that it ISN’T sap. You shouldn’t have to jump through hoops for this.

14

You have some sort of documention that this “warranty” covers sap? If so…

Get someone to verify it is sap. I would suspect there would be some botany dept at a local college/U that could do this for you, probably gratis. If not, someone who runs a greenhouse or something may be able to help you.

Then, go to the dealer. Say -
“Here’s the deal. I have this crap verified as sap. Something your ‘warranty’ specifically covers. You either fix it properly as per your warranty or I’ll pay someone else to fix it and sue you to recoup the costs”

See what they say to that. If they balk, do it.

[sub]PS - IMHO Paint protection, diamond kote, yadda, yadda, are all Dealer scams for upping the profit on the car. Much like “customer protection/extended warranties” on electronics and appliances.[/sub]

15

Tried the Nail polish remover route. It takes off the goop no problem…does this prove glue versus sap either way?

The problem is that the paint is etched underneath the goop spots… you can still tell that SOMETHING was there.

The dealerships line is “We subcontract to this Polyshield paint company…not our fault, you have to work with them…”

I maintain that the dealership sold me the warranty, I paid the DEALERSHIP money…not some Polyshield employee.

It’s just frustrating as all hell…

Thanks for the ideas…keep em coming…

16

Sue them and “Polyshield” company. They were representing the “Polyshield” company when the sold you on the “warranty”. I really think you would have a very solid case. Hopefully, it wouldn’t get that far though.

17

Read this, about Polyshiled as pitched to dealers…looks like American Financial offers the paint protection. What shock, it’s about money, no protection:
"American Financial and Automotive Services is proud to offer the Professional Series of Super PolyShield System. The program is set up to accommodate small or large operations. Dealers like the program because it is the warranty that they are essentially dealing with, making the program very similar to the other F&I products they already have.

The Super PolyShield System provides interior and exterior protection to the vehicle. The product is very attractive to retail customers because it increases the trade-value of the vehicle up to $500 or more. Super PolyShield offers:

Paint Protector
Fabric/Carpet Protector
Vinyl/Leather Protector "

18

I’d love to sue em…the problem is I need to have more evidence that it’s tree sap (which is the point of my first post)

How do I for certain determine if it’s sap or glue?

19

here’s the warranty in question:

http://www.cn-group.com/vehicleenvironmentalprogram/superpolyshield.htm

20

Um, you might not have to prove it’s tree sap if the car is under a year old…many car companies cover enviro damage w/in first year:

Please read: http://www.cn-group.com/carcareproducts/turtlewax_factwarranty-2.pdf