[Shannon Davis]

OK-

I fell victim to the whole "satin hood drama/clusterf*ck" when I collected my car January 3rd. They showed me the car/ I balked as the hood was not satin/ Proved that I had INDEED ordered the satin hood/ Dealer confused/ Me not amused/ Dealer still confused/ Price adjusted/ Drove it home...

So, I had the local wrap guy wrap the hood/ Looks great/ Gives me the versatility to sell the car later, should I ever choose to, to a non satin hood enthusiast/ All is well...

Weather finally allowed the car to be cleaned and I am shocked that the hood, wrap and all, is not even/level with the surrounding front fenders. In some cases the hood is higher or lower by as much as 1/4 inch.

This is the first American muscle car, or for that fact, American NON muscle car I have purchased...ever. Is this the norm level of fit and finish, or did this get shipped to the aftermarket hood painter guys who removed the hood in hast and then realized they could not paint it and then reattach the hood...poorly??

I assume the local dealer (not where I bought it) can adjust the hood?

Thoughts please-

S

 

[gts_2001]

I am aware of two other Hellcats with this issue. Both of them were Torr Red and also had some other paint issues. The paint, fit and finish on my Sublime Cat is flawless. Is your car Torr Red? My comments are based on only two cars, but who knows? Was Torr Red the first color off the line?

 

[Zebug]

I saw that on the 2 cats I looked at on a dealer showroom floor. The hood sat low in one corner and hence high in the opposite. My advice...drive fast so no one can notice. Oh and the 2 cats I saw it on was pitch black and phantom black

 

[Carnage]

OK-

I fell victim to the whole "satin hood drama/clusterf*ck" when I collected my car January 3rd. They showed me the car/ I balked as the hood was not satin/ Proved that I had INDEED ordered the satin hood/ Dealer confused/ Me not amused/ Dealer still confused/ Price adjusted/ Drove it home...

So, I had the local wrap guy wrap the hood/ Looks great/ Gives me the versatility to sell the car later, should I ever choose to, to a non satin hood enthusiast/ All is well...

Weather finally allowed the car to be cleaned and I am shocked that the hood, wrap and all, is not even/level with the surrounding front fenders. In some cases the hood is higher or lower by as much as 1/4 inch.

This is the first American muscle car, or for that fact, American NON muscle car I have purchased...ever. Is this the norm level of fit and finish, or did this get shipped to the aftermarket hood painter guys who removed the hood in hast and then realized they could not paint it and then reattach the hood...poorly??

I assume the local dealer (not where I bought it) can adjust the hood?

Thoughts please-

S

Welcome, looks like your first post. Sounds like your local installer botched the hood or warped it somehow. Could be the material he used offset the whole hood too. Have him fix it under warranty

 

[RammJaeger]

Pics please!

 

[gts_2001]

Welcome, looks like your first post. Sounds like your local installer botched the hood or warped it somehow. Could be the material he used offset the whole hood too. Have him fix it under warranty

HCDC, I hadn't thought of that, but you make a valid point. The melting point of aluminum is much lower than steel. It is possible that use of a heat gun while applying the wrap warped the hood or that stretching the wrap while applying it may have placed some torsional forces on the hood? Will this be a new issue that we will have to worry about if / when we get our hoods wrapped?

 

[440 Superbee]

HCDC, I hadn't thought of that, but you make a valid point. The melting point of aluminum is much lower than steel. It is possible that use of a heat gun while applying the wrap warped the hood or that stretching the wrap while applying it may have placed some torsional forces on the hood? Will this be a new issue that we will have to worry about if / when we get our hoods wrapped?

This can be a great discussion and collection of knowledge of problems and challenges of getting your hood wrapped. I hope others will chime in. From an engineering perspective, the aluminum melting point and torsional stress placed on the hood may require the right shop to perform a wrap.

 

[Carnage]

HCDC, I hadn't thought of that, but you make a valid point. The melting point of aluminum is much lower than steel. It is possible that use of a heat gun while applying the wrap warped the hood or that stretching the wrap while applying it may have placed some torsional forces on the hood? Will this be a new issue that we will have to worry about if / when we get our hoods wrapped?

This can be a great discussion and collection of knowledge of problems and challenges of getting your hood wrapped. I hope others will chime in. From and engineering perspective, the aluminum melting point and torsional stress placed on the hood may require the right shop to perform a wrap.

Good point guys, hope we get some more experts to chime in because I definitely am not LOL

 

[Paladin06]

I've only seen one in person and the hood fitment sucked. IMVHO
Take it back to the dealer.

 

[RadCat]

Actually the melting point of aluminum is over 1200 degrees. I wouldn't think a heat gun could get the hood that hot...besides the wrap would melt of catch fire before then. I doubt it's from the wrap. Could be from removing the hood to wrap it and not taking the time to get the fit right during the reinstall though? But it sounds like it's happened to several cars of all colors.

 

[gts_2001]

Actually the melting point of aluminum is over 1200 degrees. I wouldn't think a heat gun could get the hood that hot...besides the wrap would melt of catch fire before then. I doubt it's from the wrap. Could be from removing the hood to wrap it and not taking the time to get the fit right during the reinstall though? But it sounds like it's happened to several cars of all colors.

Sorry if there's confusion. I didn't mean to imply that a heat gun would melt the aluminum. Given it's lower melting point, it softens or becomes more malleable at a lower temperature than steel would. Everything, short of diamond and a few other exotic materials, warps with temperature change. Warpage becomes even more noticeable when one small area (e.g. Heat gun sized) is hot and the rest is cool. If the whole hood is hot (sunlight) it still warps but is less pronounced. This was one of the issues that Lockheed had while developing the SR - 71 Blackbird. Regarding the actual hood wrap, I believe they leave the hood on the car during the process. I have a feeling we haven't heard the last of this.

 

[Top Cat]

Shannon, when you took delivery of the car was it like this or you just didn't notice it and now the satin makes it stand out? The wrap process should not warp the hood it just doesn't get hot enough, so did they do the wrap on the car or take it off?

 

[Fast cat]

On my sublime hellcat the driver side front corner is about a 1/4 inch high the other side is fine there is dirt in the paint on the top of the roof in one spot !

 

[Shannon Davis]

Welcome, looks like your first post. Sounds like your local installer botched the hood or warped it somehow. Could be the material he used offset the whole hood too. Have him fix it under warranty

No. I watched the install. Very little hairdryer use, an NONE near corners. Mine is Pitch Black. Issue is related to factory.

 

[Shannon Davis]

Actually the melting point of aluminum is over 1200 degrees. I wouldn't think a heat gun could get the hood that hot...besides the wrap would melt of catch fire before then. I doubt it's from the wrap. Could be from removing the hood to wrap it and not taking the time to get the fit right during the reinstall though? But it sounds like it's happened to several cars of all colors.

Also, hood NOT removed during wrap job.

 

[Shannon Davis]

Shannon, when you took delivery of the car was it like this or you just didn't notice it and now the satin makes it stand out? The wrap process should not wrap the hood it just doesn't get hot enough, so did they do the wrap on the car or take it off?

It was this way on delivery... contrast of satin hood wrap agains the pitch black fender and front make it more pronounced.

 

[Sublimecat]

Take it to the dealer and have him adjust the hood. Nothing the hood wrap guy did would affect the alignment if the hood was not removed. It's a common problem mentioned on this forum. I would like to see pics of the hood wrapped both top and bottom. I am interested in how the wrap goes over the edges of the hood and around the vents on top. Pics would be appreciated. Can you also share the cost of the wrap and the material used?

 

[Shannon Davis]

Take it to the dealer and have him adjust the hood. Nothing the hood wrap guy did would affect the alignment if the hood was not removed. It's a common problem mentioned on this forum. I would like to see pics of the hood wrapped both top and bottom. I am interested in how the wrap goes over the edges of the hood and around the vents on top. Pics would be appreciated. Can you also share the cost of the wrap and the material used?

Wilco. I'll get pics and specs tomorrow

 

[huggytree]

i think once you accepted it your stuck....its one of those things you needed to see when you bought the car

mine was perfect before my accident and last i saw it it was up about 1/4" on the drivers side front...im assuming my body shop guy will fix it.....

remember its a $25k body with a special engine....its not a $65k body...........its not a Viper, its not a Ferrari.

they dont treat your HC any different than a SXT when it comes down the assembly line

hope you get lucky and they fix it for free....maybe a rubber mallet or just get a fat friend to sit on it

 

[Shannon Davis]

i think once you accepted it your stuck....its one of those things you needed to see when you bought the car

mine was perfect before my accident and last i saw it it was up about 1/4" on the drivers side front...im assuming my body shop guy will fix it.....

remember its a $25k body with a special engine....its not a $65k body...........its not a Viper, its not a Ferrari.

they dont treat your HC any different than a SXT when it comes down the assembly line

hope you get lucky and they fix it for free....maybe a rubber mallet or just get a fat friend to sit on it

Yeah, I think the dealer will adjust under warranty. Also, I understand your point as far as build quality, but still, its 2015.