[Lost4x4]

Figured I’d make a quick post to introduce myself. This forum helped me learn a lot while we were looking for a carnival this past week. Wound up scoring a a Silky Silver LXS for MSRP, then added some extra warranty coverage. The “market adjustments” at some of these dealers was insane!

Plan to make some changes. Absolutely hate the 17” silver wheels, so will be hunting for some black SX or Prestige wheels to buy or trade for. Or find some nice after markets to put on. Then plan to tint the windows, have the roof wrapped blacked, some PPF, and a ceramic coating. It’s a real bummer I can’t de badge the hood, it has the holes under the emblem. (The carnival badge was the first thing to go though! 🤣)

I am a car guy at heart and manage a euro shop. (Own a few Jeeps, have built VW’s and Volvos, and will modify anything I can get my hands on!) And the wife said I am allowed to play with her new car to make it look better, so it should be a fun journey. Look forward to sharing with you all!
I’m

 

[starling]

Interested to see what you do with it but I think it already looks good.

 

[jemiles527]

I, too have recently acquired a new LXS. Mine is the flame red, which I really like. Curious to know if your Carnival has a less than perfect paint job. Mine has more than it's share of orange peel. Would even go so far as to call it overspray. It is without a doubt the worst factory paint job I have ever seen. It needs to be color sanded and buffed, but I'm afraid the clear coat is too thin. If anyone knows if a buyer has recourse on a bad factory paint job. It 's a shame to have a brand new car that looks as if it just came out of a cheap body shop. I may just go ahead and wet sand one of the bad areas and compound it. If I go through the clear coat, I have a son in law that has owned a couple of body shops. Congratulations on your new Carnival. I lucked out and found one with minimal markup, plus got a killer trade deal. Ended up financing less that MSRP with no cash down and my payments only went up $45 a month over the old ride. Be sure to post pictures of the progress on your wife's new ride.

 

[Lost4x4]

Dropped the ride off this morning for vinyl, PPF, tint, and ceramic coat.

Going Weds. to pick up the wheels. Going with 22" Niche Rainiers and a 236/65/22 Conti Extreme Contact DWS06

Interested to see what you do with it but I think it already looks good.

I don't think any car looks as good as it can in stock form lol. There's always things to do to better a vehicle. That's part of why I love doing it.

I, too have recently acquired a new LXS. Mine is the flame red, which I really like. Curious to know if your Carnival has a less than perfect paint job. Mine has more than it's share of orange peel. Would even go so far as to call it overspray. It is without a doubt the worst factory paint job I have ever seen. It needs to be color sanded and buffed, but I'm afraid the clear coat is too thin. If anyone knows if a buyer has recourse on a bad factory paint job. It 's a shame to have a brand new car that looks as if it just came out of a cheap body shop. I may just go ahead and wet sand one of the bad areas and compound it. If I go through the clear coat, I have a son in law that has owned a couple of body shops. Congratulations on your new Carnival. I lucked out and found one with minimal markup, plus got a killer trade deal. Ended up financing less that MSRP with no cash down and my payments only went up $45 a month over the old ride. Be sure to post pictures of the progress on your wife's new ride.

All cars have orange peal from the factory. I will say I do not find the paint on mine unacceptable in any way. I might consider asking the dealer about your paint job if possible.

 

[jemiles527]

Dropped the ride off this morning for vinyl, PPF, tint, and ceramic coat.

Going Weds. to pick up the wheels. Going with 22" Niche Rainiers and a 236/65/22 Conti Extreme Contact DWS06



I don't think any car looks as good as it can in stock form lol. There's always things to do to better a vehicle. That's part of why I love doing it.



All cars have orange peal from the factory. I will say I do not find the paint on mine unacceptable in any way. I might consider asking the dealer about your paint job if possible.

I don't have much faith in car dealerships. Plus the nearest one is a 2hour drive away. I decided to do what I have always done and take care of it myself. I'm wet sanding with a 2000 grit wet or dry paper, followed by a second sanding with 3000 grit wet or dry foam backed sanding sheets. I finished the front bumper assembly and the front passenger side door. This is followed with buffing using a good grade of buffing compound liquid. The results are amazing. It is glass smooth and show car quality. Not looking forward to the large sliding doors. This is a tremendous amount of work. I've done this many times before, so I am confident that it will not harm the finish. You are almost right that all cars have orange peel from the factory. If you look at high end vehicles, they generally have a very smooth paint job. There is a difference in the quality of materials used in more expensive models, especially the clear coat. A top quality clear coat can easily cost several hundred dollars a gallon whereas a production quality clear can be had for as little as $30 a gallon. There is a definite difference in the finished product between the top dollar clear and the cheap stuff. And I don't think Kia is going to spend a lot of money on clear coat for a production line paint job. I saw a lincoln SUV at the gas station the other day and the paint job was flawless. I may try to get some before and after photos when the weather warms up.