New Paint Questions

L

Leadfootluke

New member
I sold my truck and bought a new car about a month ago. The *first* thing I noticed was the bubbling on the hood.



bubbles.jpg




IMG_6188.jpg




I went right to the dealership to see if Chrysler would warranty the hood and they agreed to fix it. I spoke with many others who had the same issue [across the board on all 08 Avengers], and they all said they had their whole hood replaced. I fought with the dealer and got a full hood replacement authorized and immediately had it done. I have had work done through this body shop a few times and although they are known to do good work, I have never been particularly pleased [Chrysler took their bid on my job over other shops].



I got the car back early in the morning and when the sun came out, I immediately combed it over. There was polishing dust all over the underside of the hood



passengercorner.jpg




And the corners of the hood were unfinished



driverscorner.jpg




Even more, there were 2 new chips in the paint [shop gave me a BS story but I *do* look over my paint enough to know it was not there when I dropped it off].



I brought the car back and gave them an earful until they agreed to do everything they could to fix their mistake and clean it up. I got my car back 1 day later and it was much much better. It did rain the next few days though, and it needed to be washed. The glazes immediately washed off and I saw the true condition of the paint :think:



See all of the beautiful ghost flames?



Hoodholograms2.jpg




Hoodholograms3.jpg




This is an editted picture that shows the terrible work a little better



hologramedit.jpg




So they body shop said to wait 30-90 days before waxing, which is what I thought they would say.



But how long before I can polish it? Looking at the large amount of defects in the hood, the paint looks mighty soft [towel marks, not just holograms]. Will it be easier to polish now rather than later?



And I understand how body shop safe chemicals play a roll in outgassing, but is there anything I can use on the hood until the 30 day wait is over?



Thank you everyone!
 
It can be polished now and it might be a little easier, as the paint will be a bit softer than it will be once fully cured. You do not want to seal the paint until the solvents have had a chance to dry completely. I know a few people who have done this and the problem didn't become apparent until a year or two later when the clear coat failed.



I am almost always disappointed at the quality of work I see come out of body shops with regard to the quality of the polishing. The holograms you showed are typical and should easily buff out, even if the paint cures and is very hard. As long as the color matches, the coverage is good and the orange peel is similar to the rest of the car, I would recommend waiting 90 days, then do the correction and seal. One thing I would highly recommend at this point is have the paint measured with a Paint Thickness Gauge. Compare the measurements to the rest of the car to make sure it has enough coverage to polish safely. (Odds are it will be thicker, but now would be the right time to check so they can't claim it was polished too much.)
 
I would wait a couple weeks to polish it. Reason being is that the paint is probably pretty soft right now, so you'll likely induce marring back into it before the 30-90 day period. Also, I would worry about the polishing oils staying on the paint and causing problems, and after all of that, another problem sounds like the last thing you need. Give it a couple weeks IMO.
 
I am in the camp that would wait a couple weeks as well. The paint was not baked as in the factory so let it cure.
 
i agree that it can be polished now, but if you not comfortable doing it then wait.



shiny lil detlr- what are some of the sealants that are safe for new paint?
 
No one can give you sound advice without knowing the paint, clear, and type of application of the paint job. Brands and thicknesses and application play a large part in this type of thing. I'd just be safe and give it a full month to cure everything.
 
wascallyrabbit said:
i agree that it can be polished now, but if you not comfortable doing it then wait.



shiny lil detlr- what are some of the sealants that are safe for new paint?
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The ones I'm most familiar with are Optimum Car Wax and Opti-Seal; there is also a fresh paint safe sealant in Meguiar's #80 Speed Glaze.
 
Shiny Lil Detlr said:
.. there is also a fresh paint safe sealant in Meguiar's #80 Speed Glaze.
Click to expand...



Be just a little careful with the M80 as its normally very mild abrasives are *sometimes* a bit much for just-done paintwork. Not often, but it happens.



FWIW, I always use Meguiar's New Car Glaze (M05) on my repaints for the first few months, but then I'm really, *REALLY* paranoid about interfering with the hardening. I hear that OCW is Ford-approved for use on "post-production paintwork" so that's probably a safe bet.
 
Accumulator said:
Be just a little careful with the M80 as its normally very mild abrasives are *sometimes* a bit much for just-done paintwork. Not often, but it happens.
Click to expand...



Good point, very true.



I'm still not sure what you like about M05 over M07...
 
Shiny Lil Detlr said:
I'm still not sure what you like about M05 over M07...
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Eh, just me being me ;)



Besides my way-back-machine affection for the stuff I used on my first new car, I like the way M05 is utterly Accumulator-proof, most user-friendly glaze I've ever used. I still have a softspot for M07 for the same old-timey reason (grew up around the stuff), but unless I have a reason to reach for it (and I don't think I'll own any more black ss lacquer cars in this lifetime but you never know) its superior looks just aren't worth the added effort, at least not to me.



Since M05 isn't as commonly available as it used to be, if somebody wants to use M07 or DC#2 I can certainly understand, those products are on the shelf most everywhere.
 
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