HELP! What is going on with my paint? UPDATED

[SilverS2k]

Updated a few posts down with some more pics...
I picked up an '04 Cadillac CTS-V with BEAUTIFUL paint. The only non-perfect parts were the front and rear bumper. The rear bumper has always looked dull and dirty compared to the rest of the car. Even after wash/wax it looked almost gray in harsh light. Today, I decided it was time to do a full detail so I began washing/claying when I noticed that clear flakes were coming right off. This was in random parts of the bumper all over. After rinsing, there were about a dozen spots you could see and 3 are large. The paint under the flaking is shiny black. The flakes will rub off with your hand with little effort and are VERY thin. They are easily as thin as a bible page.. I took some shots for you guys to look at:

http://www.replicasales.com/paint

I hosted them on my site. There are thumbnails if someone can post them..

I have no idea what could be going on. I do not think this is thick enough to be clear. It is very flexible and does not break if you fold it..

[SilverS2k]

Re: HELP! What is going on with my paint?

Oh two other things- the second shot of the larger area is after 1 pass of M80 with the PC. The flakes shot all around the pad..

[glucosegrin]

Re: HELP! What is going on with my paint?

The bumpers probably got a quick respray on the lot.

the corners of the bumpers tend to get scuffed up a bit, so if they hit a dealership, we will get a mobile paint guy to blow in the scratches and reclear the whole bumper/fender/door/whatever needs it. If the weather ***** or the paint guy is lazy, it won't have the same shine, the clear will be pitted, fisheyed, or peel.

I think that's what you've got going on. The best bet would be to have the bumpers sanded down and repainted by a good bodyshop.

[SilverS2k]

Re: HELP! What is going on with my paint?

Would clear coat bend like paper though? I've always found that paint breaks apart when you try to fold it. I counted it happening in 5 areas.

[Mayur]

Re: HELP! What is going on with my paint?

Would clear coat bend like paper though? I've always found that paint breaks apart when you try to fold it. I counted it happening in 5 areas.

Ive seen it happen on my car at the body shop but that was the weathers fault. They had to repaint it 3 times. The paint would just peel off like paper.

[Thejoyofdriving]

Re: HELP! What is going on with my paint?

maybe it could be clear coat failure?

[SilverS2k]

Re: HELP! What is going on with my paint?

Alright, here's an update:

I was outside trying to figure this out when I noticed a portion of the bottom had air inside what I thought was my clear coat. I pressed on it and everywhere I would spread pressure (forcing air under the rest) would bubble up. Almost like when removing tint... I bubbled up the entire side and peeled it right off. Suprisingly, there is paint on the film. There is clear coat under where there was film for sure. I took some more pics of the bubbles and the film that was removed.
You can see the bubbles where I spread my finger here:


Then the piece I peeled from the bottom:


Here is the whole gallery:
http://www.replicasales.com/newpaint

[gb387]

Re: HELP! What is going on with my paint?

Have you taken it back to the dealer? If so what did they say?

The V-Series are awesome cars! A guy at work has an STS-V !