I was walking in town today and saw a black V6 Gensis parked on the street. After looking sideways and from the hood, the paint looks to have some orange peeel to it. There's also happen to have a MB S550 to the right and a Lexus ES next to it. The ES was also black while the S550 was silver. ES has alot smoother black and not a hint of orange peel look to it. S550, despite it's much lighter color but the paint looks very smooth too and no hint of orange peel. But the paint on the Genesis did look like orange peel feel to it (from all angles).. Can some one shed light? It's a beautiful car though.
I'm surprised at this subject and people's findings. Getting up this morning and reading this, I felt like I should pull of the gloves here and let go from the person on this board who may have more experience, and thus credibility, than most if not any other person posting.
I have personally owned more than 20 Mercedes, and about half that in BMW's in the last 15 years, as well as being part owner in a Mercedes, BMW Ferrari dealership. Name the model of car and I either had it extensively for driving, or I owned it personally.
I have owned several current Hyundai's as well and have looked very closely at the details on the Genesis, in person. A friend owns two dealerships here in SoCal. I've had plenty of time with them.
I'll pull it point blank. The so called "orange peel" some of you state you see "in comparison" to BMW and Mercedes is
pure bullsh*t. Every Mercedes coming off the line has as much if not more, Orange peel. I stood and stared at the paint on the Genesis under fluorescent lighting for over an hour, the most revealing lighting one could possibly examine an automobile under. I learned this in our Concourse detail shop in Huntington Beach in the late eighties, early nineties. We prepped Pebble Beach show cars, as well as for other events, including detailing frame off restoration projects s they were made ready for their owners.
The thing I see here is 'projection.' People projecting what they wish to see. In my opinion its based on fear. The fear of committing to a product because of various factors such as brand image, what your neighbors will say, etc. AND the justification of buying a Mercedes or BMW. Maybe the need to justify the expense to a spouse, or to your inner self.
Its a proven fact people see many different things while looking at the exact same thing, at the same exact time. Notably the stabbing incident in the 1970's where 125 witnesses gave about 125 different descriptions of the assailant.
The Orange peel is exactly the same or LESS than Mercedes, maybe about 5% more than a BMW. I'm tired of the Lexus God image so i won't go into it, except to say they have the same quality as any other car in paint. It IS a Toyota, no matter how much you like to tell yourself otherwise.
I have detailed Mercedes and BMW, as well as every other type of car one can imagine. Lambo's, 57' Caddis, RUF Porsche's, whatever. I know paint and I know who produces good paint and who does not.
The "orange peel" referred to by those complaining, is just hogwash. Period.
Just about every mag out there has said the opposite, and the majority of people have sung praise on the LACK of orange peel.
There is no right or wrong answer on buying a German car over the Genesis. Its personal. But there are may who need justification
pro or con for buying, or not buying.
Projection.
The 08' Veracruz we have in Cashmere has been beaten to a pulp by us in not really washing it regularly. The salt air leaves actual salt on the paint on a routine basis. At this point it is being washed every two weeks. Without any exageration at all, there is not one swirl mark in the paint as would be expected when trying to get the salt off at wash time; there are no fine scratches, and NO dulling at all. I just waxed it and it looks better one year later than when we picked it off the showroom floor. In fact this is the first time the thing has
ever been waxed. I have no bias to project on my own. I've owed too many cars to think of it as anything more than an automobile.
Our past 07' Santa Fe, same thing. Not one bad remark in my book about the quality of any of the materials, inside or out.
If you need to talk yourself into something German, go for BMW. The lease payments are the same on a $45,000 car as will be on a comparable $32,000 Hyundai. FACT. They also pay for all maintenance, they give you a luxury BMW for a loaner, and they are superbly reliable. I got out of the dealership when Mercedes reliability went through he toilet. The reliability had been suffering since 1995. It took me to 2000 to bail.
Please, no more paint talk.
