Do repairs to correct paint defects on a vehicle fall under a warranty?
You may have a paint quality issue with your vehicle due to:
- Chips as a result of a fault in the manufacturing process or any other problem due to the use of poor-quality paint ingredients;
- Debris or contamination of the paint (e.g. resulting from dust particles);
- Uneven coating; and
- Variations in the colour across the bodywork.
Before getting the paintwork repaired, you should check the terms and cover of your warranty policy. When buying a new car, a vehicle manufacturer will often offer a specific warranty policy covering the paintwork.
If the paintwork warranty is still valid, you should contact the vehicle manufacturer by submitting a formal complaint to the business in line with their internal complaints procedure.
If the paintwork warranty has expired at the time the issue occurred, you may wish to have the seller of the vehicle repair the problem under your sales contract in line with the Consumer Rights Act 2015, if it has been less than six years since buying the car.
If you have been unable to resolve your complaint to your full satisfaction, and you have reached a state of deadlock with a Motor Ombudsman-accredited business, you are able to submit your dispute to The Motor Ombudsman for help getting it resolved.
