White paint peeling; warranty repair offered is substandard.
I am filing this report to document ongoing paint failure and warranty repair issues with my 2019 Hyundai Sonata under the Z05 White Paint Warranty Extension. The factory white paint is peeling on metal panels. Hyundai has confirmed that my vehicle qualifies for Z05 coverage, which acknowledges this known defect.
To begin the warranty process, I contacted four Hyundai dealerships, and each provided conflicting instructions. Responses included:
“We don’t know what we’re doing because we don’t have a body shop.”
“You must get outside quotes.”
“Just bring it here, we’ll take pictures and wait for approval.”
“If you expect your car to look like it did when you bought it at 2 years old, you should forget it.”
Three dealerships named the body shops they use, while one refused to disclose their contracted shop at all. Corporate was also unclear and inconsistent. I was told at one point to obtain outside estimates, and at another time that I only needed to visit a dealership for photos. None of the guidance matched Hyundai’s own written repair process, and no two answers were the same.
Because of the conflicting information, I contacted every body shop associated with those dealerships and asked specific written questions about their repair methods, paint matching, and whether blending would be performed. Only ONE shop out of four responded in writing. All others ignored multiple requests or would only respond verbally.
The written response stated that horizontal surfaces (hood/roof/deck lid) are tinted only, NOT blended and trim may be used to disguise color differences. Two other shops verbally confirmed they do not blend on top surfaces and instead tint and rely on trim to disguise mismatched paint. This is not an OEM-level repair.
Every independent collision center I spoke with as required, said proper repair requires blending, especially with white pearl paint. Their OEM-level repair estimates ranged from $3,064 to $10,378.92.
I forwarded this information to Hyundai Corporate. Corporate acknowledged in writing that tinting alone does NOT meet Hyundai OEM standards and that blending should be used when necessary for proper color match. Yet Hyundai continues directing me back to body shops that refuse to blend and will not confirm OEM compliance in writing. Hyundai is knowingly steering customers to repair facilities that cannot meet Hyundai’s own documented standards.
I was also encouraged by Hyundai personnel to misrepresent the repair as a cash job instead of a warranty repair when seeking estimates, which is concerning and inappropriate. I was told outside quotes were needed, and later told those quotes would not be used at all. One dealer would not name their body shop, and I was repeatedly directed toward substandard repair solutions that independent professionals warned against.
To be clear, I am not refusing repair, I am refusing a substandard repair. I am requesting an OEM-quality refinish with blending where necessary, as supported by Hyundai’s own documentation. Hyundai has not provided any shop willing to guarantee OEM-standard work in writing, leaving me without a viable warranty repair option that restores the vehicle to factory condition. Hyundai even stated in writing that if a body shop will not put the process in writing, that Hyundai Corporate should be contacted. I informed them of lack of acknowledgement and they once again steered me to the exact body shop that ignored my request in writing.
I am filing this report so other Hyundai owners are aware of the conflicting dealership information, lack of transparency from contracted shops, refusal to confirm OEM compliance, substandard repair methods, and attempts to bypass proper warranty protocol associated with the Z05 paint defect. No consumer should be forced to accept inferior repairs on a known manufacturing defect.
I have all of the emails and documentation if you need any or all of the information.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
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White paint peeling; warranty repair offered is substandard.
I am filing this report to document ongoing paint failure and warranty repair issues with my 2019 Hyundai Sonata under the Z05 White Paint Warranty Extension. The factory white paint is peeling on metal panels. Hyundai has confirmed that my vehicle qualifies for Z05 coverage, which acknowledges this known defect.
To begin the warranty process, I contacted four Hyundai dealerships, and each provided conflicting instructions. Responses included:
“We don’t know what we’re doing because we don’t have a body shop.”
“You must get outside quotes.”
“Just bring it here, we’ll take pictures and wait for approval.”
“If you expect your car to look like it did when you bought it at 2 years old, you should forget it.”
Three dealerships named the body shops they use, while one refused to disclose their contracted shop at all. Corporate was also unclear and inconsistent. I was told at one point to obtain outside estimates, and at another time that I only needed to visit a dealership for photos. None of the guidance matched Hyundai’s own written repair process, and no two answers were the same.
Because of the conflicting information, I contacted every body shop associated with those dealerships and asked specific written questions about their repair methods, paint matching, and whether blending would be performed. Only ONE shop out of four responded in writing. All others ignored multiple requests or would only respond verbally.
The written response stated that horizontal surfaces (hood/roof/deck lid) are tinted only, NOT blended and trim may be used to disguise color differences. Two other shops verbally confirmed they do not blend on top surfaces and instead tint and rely on trim to disguise mismatched paint. This is not an OEM-level repair.
Every independent collision center I spoke with as required, said proper repair requires blending, especially with white pearl paint. Their OEM-level repair estimates ranged from $3,064 to $10,378.92.
I forwarded this information to Hyundai Corporate. Corporate acknowledged in writing that tinting alone does NOT meet Hyundai OEM standards and that blending should be used when necessary for proper color match. Yet Hyundai continues directing me back to body shops that refuse to blend and will not confirm OEM compliance in writing. Hyundai is knowingly steering customers to repair facilities that cannot meet Hyundai’s own documented standards.
I was also encouraged by Hyundai personnel to misrepresent the repair as a cash job instead of a warranty repair when seeking estimates, which is concerning and inappropriate. I was told outside quotes were needed, and later told those quotes would not be used at all. One dealer would not name their body shop, and I was repeatedly directed toward substandard repair solutions that independent professionals warned against.
To be clear, I am not refusing repair, I am refusing a substandard repair. I am requesting an OEM-quality refinish with blending where necessary, as supported by Hyundai’s own documentation. Hyundai has not provided any shop willing to guarantee OEM-standard work in writing, leaving me without a viable warranty repair option that restores the vehicle to factory condition. Hyundai even stated in writing that if a body shop will not put the process in writing, that Hyundai Corporate should be contacted. I informed them of lack of acknowledgement and they once again steered me to the exact body shop that ignored my request in writing.
I am filing this report so other Hyundai owners are aware of the conflicting dealership information, lack of transparency from contracted shops, refusal to confirm OEM compliance, substandard repair methods, and attempts to bypass proper warranty protocol associated with the Z05 paint defect. No consumer should be forced to accept inferior repairs on a known manufacturing defect.
I have all of the emails and documentation if you need any or all of the information.
- krc, Windsor, CT, US