Clear Coat Failures

[mis3]

My friend's car (Chrysler 300) was painted 2-3 years ago in a reputable paint shop.

After the first winter, he saw some clear coat was peeling off near one of the door handles. Now, after the 2nd winter, the clear coat was peeling off at the bottom of each door (all 4 doors). These defects were all repaired by the paint shop.

I am curious how this can happen. Maybe the paint was not cured before the clear coat was applied? Maybe the paint was "dirty" and they applied the clear coat?

[TOGWT]

Re: Clear Coat Failures

The finished product in both painting and applying a wax / sealant is very similar

> its all in the surface preparation<

[mis3]

Re: Clear Coat Failures

Since the immediate surface of the clear coat is the paint, this is where the problem lies.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Clear Coat Failures

There are all sorts of ways to define "bad paint job". It can be poor prep of the raw surface to the point that imperfections are seen in the paint. It can just be a poor spraying of the paint resulting in drips and run, dirt nibs, etc. Or it cab be an issue with how the different components of the paint were mixed; improper ratios, incompatible ingredients, or even flat out forgetting to add something can manifest themselves in a variety of failure scenarios.

Check with the warranty offered by the body shop and if he's within the window, take the car back. If the warranty has expired he could be in for a real fight with the shop, even if the failure began while the warranty was in effect. If it wasn't reported to the body shop they have no proof that the paint job started to fail more than a year ago.

[mis3]

Re: Clear Coat Failures

Apparently he has life-time warranty of paint job. However, this is a hassle because this is his daily driver.

I am just curious on the root cause. Apparently the paint is OK but not the clear coat...