Your engine tick wasn't caused by a rock hitting your engine or anything similar... It's an existing condition from the factory so of course that falls under manufacturer defect and would be covered. Now if you tore the engine down and changed a bunch of the internals they might claim the parts you put in caused damage but considering it's a stock engine unless you did something retarded like put laundry detergent in for oil it falls perfectly under the warranty.

 

That and taking it in documents it as ticking and its known. So it gives ya a better edge for warrantying it

 

I'm reaaaally not trying to be a dick (I swear I'm not), but this conversation is getting downright comical. If the engine tick is an existing condition, then why wouldn't paint shipping/body rust from a ding, or other INCIDENTAL circumstance, be an existing condition also? I guess many people replying to this thread is missing my entire point.

I realize that my opinion (personal or professional) is only important to one person...me. With that said, as I've stated before, my feeling is that paint chips and/or rusted body panels on a vehicle in the year 2009 from NORMAL usage is, in and of itself, a manufacturer defect. It just shouldn't happen. Not when you know what the primers, color coat, and clear coat used on mass produced vehicles are made from and how they SHOULD be applied.

If my truck got hit by a 1" rock kicked up from a vehicle ahead of me, then I assume I would certainly understand if some of the finish chipped off. Just as if the same type of projectile cracked my windshield. I'd be pissed, sure. But the same concept applies and would realize that it happens. Paint chipping that seems to happen normally from road gravel, or salt/sodium chloride granules used for snow and icing road surfaces though? There's just no excuse for that. Over time, that NORMAL wear from those same conditions (small road gravel, etc) will speckle/sandblast a windshield, but if the windshield got damaged/broken by those same conditions 6 months after buying the vehicle, I'm sure each and every one of us would be at the dealer with a legitimate gripe.

So, to reiterate, my beef is with the quality of the finish, or lack thereof.

 

Seems to me we're arguing somewhat different things. While I don't see this as the dealer's responsibility to cover especially as it's clearly laid out in the warranty your issue seems to be mainly with the quality of the paint job itself which I agree could be better. Most manufacturer's don't seem to agree unfortunately.

 

Wow. Well, after 2 beers and a couple of smokes after reading this thread, here are my 2 bits. I live in Alberta, Canada, where it's pretty much winter 8 months of the year(yeah, it sucks). That being said, there is A LOT of salt and small pebble gravel on our roads, which, you guessed it, creates a crap load of chips and dings. Not to mention chips in the windshield. Don't get me started on that one!! Anyways, if I went to my dealer and demanded warranty on the rust caused form the ROCK chips, they would probably call the loony wagon on me. is it their fault that all that salt and gravel is on the roads because the city put it there so you don't wrap your truck around a pole? No! It's the idiots who cut you off and riddle your truck with all that $hit, or yours, if you tail gate to close. Go after those losers and get them to fix your rust. And, by the way, good luck with that.

Anyway, I just go to my local stealership and get a bottle of touch-up paint which is pre-mixed with the clear coat and touch it up and away I go!

 

Because the chips and rust aren't existing conditions. You didn't buy it with chipped paint, did you? Exactly...
Paint chips, exposing the steel underneath. Steel rusts. It's normal. It's the owners responsibility to take care of the vehicle.
For example: I see people all the time driving around in cars that have faded, totally crappy looking paint. It's pretty apparent by just looking at the person driving it that they probably never took the time to wash/wax the vehicle. Yet, a similar year/make/model vehicle could have a showroom finish on the same stock paint job.
My 1996 Dakota, a Northern Illinois vehicle, has a pretty good paint job. It's the original paint, too. Yet, I see all the time, the same trucks, even newer Dakotas, with totally crap paint. Amazingly, the owners are usually idiots that are too lazy to take care of their trucks, yet put all the blame on Dodge.

 

Wait...we cant use laundry detergent instead of oil. ****...

 

Every post I've made about this subject is regarding new vehicles. I haven't owned any of my 4 Dakotas (or the last 2 Chevys I had) for more than 3 years. Just to clarify.

Oh yea, and they all looked like brand new when they got traded (or totaled, in one case). I take care of my stuff, which is probably even more reason I get pissed when this sh*t paint chips like an eggshell.

Right now probably isn't the best time for me to be posting about ANYthing. I'm pretty peeved at Dodge and/or my dealer right now since ALL of the things they supposedly fixed 2 months ago when it was in for service are ALL still effed up. I'm sick of this BS. :/

 

When someone told you to clean your engine that's not what they had in mind...

 

The original intent of this thread was that, apparently, somehow people think that if they get a paint chip on their vehicle, they think it should be covered under warranty. I'm not making a comment on the quality of paint jobs on vehicles. As far as I'm concerned, all paint can/will chip at some point if it's hit with the right rock.
Yes, there are vehicles with legitimate paint problems. Just like at work, I hear stories of aircraft that get painted, and they take a trip over the ocean, and, well, the paint doesn't last the trip. They used bad paint/primer.
With the fact that all paint can/will get chipped/scratched, it's the owners responsibility to take the correct actions after this happens.
But, since the attitude of the world now is to blame "everyone else," this thread doesn't surprise me one bit.

And further, let's say the quality of the paint is bad. How do we test to take sure the paint is brought up to a set standard? Is there some kind of "rock toss" test that should be done? How should this quality or benchmark be set and tested?