R-12 and automotive paint

[chevygirl]

Does anyone know if R-12 Freon if released into the air can damage clear coat? I have small nicks in the paint from one end to the other and have just appeared. Nothing has worked to fix it. I can't figure out what happened to the paint. Some work has been done on my air-conditioning system and R-12 was used. There was a large leak in the hose and it went into the air. In the sunlight these places look like sap or spray all over the truck. They are all deep and cannot be removed. It appeared like indentions in the clear coat but I cannot figure out what caused it.
Can anyone tell me if the R-12 could have done this?

[stealth]

I've worked w/R-12 for many years & never heard of any damage occuring as you mentioned. The R-12 systems had refrigerant oil in them, allbeit a small amount, that may be adheared to your paint, depending on how the R-12 escaped into the atmosphere. I still don't think the R-12 is a suspect in this investigation.

[the other pc]

Hi chevygirl, to Meguiar’s Online!

Sorry your first post couldn’t be on a happier note.

Like stealth said, it wasn't the R-12. It’s a gas and there’d no way it could do that. I don’t think it was the oil in the system either. I’ve never heard of refrigerant lubricants causing any damage to paint (but I’m no expert on refrigeration).

Can you post a picture of the damage?


PC.

[swf5150]

Hi, i'm not an expert on car finishes,but i'am a refer tech and i agree with car crazy,R-12 is nasty stuff that why the EPA banned it's use.More harmfull to breath than to paints finish. :

[Setec Astronomy]

Originally posted by swf5150
R-12 is nasty stuff that why the EPA banned it's use

LOL It was nasty to the ozone layer, and that's about it. They used it as a blowing agent for foam coffee cups. The Freons were pretty non-toxic; the biggest hazard was displacing your breathing air if you were in an enclosed space. That "nasty" R12 is in your house right now, if you have an older refrigerator.

[Setec Astronomy]

Back to the topic, if you had your car in a repair shop, all kinds of stuff might have been accidently sprayed on your car, some of which could be damaging to the paint (brake fluid and coolant come to mind, but it could be anything the guys were using ). I'm with everyone else that the refrigerant and oil shouldn't damage the paint....but wait, if you had a seriously damaged A/C system, causing excessive heat....that will break down the refrigerant into some "nasty" byproducts...so, it's possible...

PS swf5150, if this is what you meant by "nasty", my apologies, but I'm pretty sure that the newer refrigerants will break down in the same way.

[the other pc]

Originally posted by Setec Astronomy
....but wait, if you had a seriously damaged A/C system, causing excessive heat....that will break down the refrigerant into some "nasty" byproducts...so, it's possible...

It takes a lot of heat to do that and the decomposition products will still be gaseous so they'll dissipate into the environment rather than dwell in close proximity to the whole vehicle ("in the paint from one end to the other"). I suppose if the gas were escaping through a tube that was glowing red hot and the car was encapsulated in sealed container with minimal volume...

Anyway, like you said "all kinds of stuff might have been accidently sprayed on your car" and could have cause it.

The short description, "small nicks", could refer to crazing or cracking, which can be caused by chemical attack, re-spray paint/application quality or simply age and environment.



PC.

[chevygirl]

Thanks guys for all your information. I have been trying to rule out things that could have caused it. I have had mechanical problems for one year in which the truck has been to 2 repair shops and 2 dealers. I emphasized to these mechanics to be careful with my truck. I was restoring this truck to show and it is a really nice truck which had a really great paint job on it. It was the original paint job but looked better than new. I have not got the truck fixed yet so I have to take it back to the shop and leave it. It appears to be all over the truck from one end to the other and it doesn't look like the cracking on the photo posted. I don't have a digital camera to show you and the truck is white so it is hard to tell anyway. It appears like tiny pin pricks all over the paint. I tried 83 and that worked by hand in some places to make it appear better but didn't take it away completely. I have spend alot of time trying to fix it but it looks like it is not going to happen. I have spent alot of money on the new engine and everything mechanical but now the paint is messed up. I tried the Scratch remover also. You cannot feel it because it is depressed into the clear coat. You can look down the paint side ways and see tiny specks. I don't want to remove too much clear coat and it is factory paint. I will just have to do the best I can to make it appear without looking hard to be still a great paintjob. I don't know why the 83 made it look more noticeable with the buffer unless it made the paint more clear and reflective which made it more noticeable. There is a post by Jeff Smith on what sounds like the same thing except his truck is new. It is a shame to have a nice paint job one day and turn around and this uncorrectable problem is there. I don't like to give up on things or let things beat me but it looks like something happened out of my control.

Thanks guys!