what is wrong with my spoiler?

[timaishu]

I bought my altima november 2009 and since day one of ownership, the rear spoiler has looked like the pictures below.

It looks like someone dragged sand paper across it or something. I cant grab them with my finger nail like I could with a scratch. Here is the weird part, I have gone over the surface with an LC orange with my GG with Ultimate Compound probably about 6 times since owning the car and it hasn't improved it at all.

I recently wetsanded it using 2000-2500 grit. It was my first time wetsanding and I must have done it right as I had white slurry coming off and I didnt go throught the clear. I then removed the sanding marks with a white pad and swirlX. And guess what.. It looks no different than before.

Whats going on here? Is a repaint in order? This is what it currently looks like and what it looks like 2 years ago.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a57/covertmission/Detailing%20Stuff/P1030149.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a57/covertmission/Detailing%20Stuff/P1030147.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a57/covertmission/Detailing%20Stuff/P1030145.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a57/covertmission/Detailing%20Stuff/P1030144.jpg

[ROMEO]

If you did all that, then I would guess that those are in the base coat (Under the clear).

Also, not saying you did, and by looking at the lines I don't think is the case, but is it possible that you inserted some swirls back into the paint while removing the polish? (Again, not saying you did, just trying to guess)

[Ron Atchison]

If it looked like that day one then you should of had the dealer fix it under warranty. Now it's your dime.

[timaishu]

If you did all that, then I would guess that those are in the base coat (Under the clear).

Also, not saying you did, and by looking at the lines I don't think is the case, but is it possible that you inserted some swirls back into the paint while removing the polish? (Again, not saying you did, just trying to guess)

Those scratches definitely are not typical swirling. Speaking of swirls, I forgot to mention those as well. Due to my paint color, I can only really see paint swirls at night under halogens like at a gas station. Those 6 rounds of polishing did not even touch the swirls. The swirls were either a crap load of rids that look like swirls or it was repainted with amazingly hard clear. I havn't taken it out at night to take a look after my wet sanding.

The rest of my cars swirls came out easy accept for that spoiler.


If it looked like that day one then you should of had the dealer fix it under warranty. Now it's your dime.

TBH I didn't notice it till I started really started getting into detailing months later. Besides, it wasn't a Nissan Dealer, it was a hole in the wall place and I couldn't even get an alignment out of them when I complained about it. Also, it was 6k passed warranty when I bought it.

[Ron Atchison]

Ahhh ok

[Twister]

I think those look like they are in the base coat. I once had a car that had repair work done on a panel. It had similar looking marks in that panel. I believe it was improper prep before tr clear was applied. Maybe sanding marks from sand paper that was too coarse before clear was applied

[Setec Astronomy]

That really looks like incipient CC failure to me. But I guess it isn't if you've compounded it 6 times and wet-sanded it and it still hasn't failed.

[Kristopher1129]

I've seen that MANY times on Nissan spoilers. I've tried to remedy it a couple times with no success. I think it's clear coat failure.

[BobbyG]

Factory cars are painted with en electrostatic process in a controlled environment then baked to ensure the dry spray "melts" and adheres to the surface.

Accessories like spoilers "may" not be finished in the same manor and are not mounted on the vehicle during the main finishing process.

It's quite possible that these are manually finished and those could be sand scratches in the paint then clear coated. If you've wet sanded and polished the finish with no improvement then those are in the color coat, not the clear coat. That said, you have two choices; live with this condition or have it refinished..

[Twister]

I didn't know that Bobby. So it's a similar process to powder coating

[BobbyG]

I didn't know that Bobby. So it's a similar process to powder coating

Yes it is and if I were to try and describe it I'd call it powder coating too...

[Setec Astronomy]

I didn't know that Bobby. So it's a similar process to powder coating


Yes it is and if I were to try and describe it I'd call it powder coating too...

Huh? If you're talking about how cars (and plenty of other stuff) are painted in production, it's NOT powder coating. The electrostatic charge is used to reduce overspray (for cost and environmental reasons), and this is similar to the way powdercoating is done, but the similarity ends there. Cars are painted, and paint is not powdercoat.

[BobbyG]

Huh? If you're talking about how cars (and plenty of other stuff) are painted in production, it's NOT powder coating. The electrostatic charge is used to reduce overspray (for cost and environmental reasons), and this is similar to the way powdercoating is done, but the similarity ends there. Cars are painted, and paint is not powdercoat.

You are correct and I stand corrected! I spoke with a friend of mine in the automotive paint industry and misunderstood his explanation....

Most of the paints applied at the factory today are still in a wet form are a combination of water and solvents. They do however employ an electrostatic process which attracts only a certain amount of product to the panel controlling the film thickness from .0008 to .0012.

Typically the paint head of the robot is under high pressure and spins at approximately 25,000 to 30,000 rpm. This ensures that the product it properly atomized also creating a specific spray pattern conducive to full coverage.

Once the product has been applied it gets baked on at a temp of 250 to 265 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure that the solvents and water are removed from the paint and the finish is hard...

[CrownKote]

OP; The crud you are seeing in the spoiler is the micro splits in the fiberglass that has caused the base coat to stripe. Very common with cheap factory spoilers... I see this all the time and the truth of the matter to fix it is it needs to be sanded down, gel coated then painted...

Some factory spoilers are not gel coated when they are painted which creates the issue as the fiberglass absorbs the paint like a sponge...

[BobbyG]

OP; The crud you are seeing in the spoiler is the micro splits in the fiberglass that has caused the base coat to stripe. Very common with cheap factory spoilers... I see this all the time and the truth of the matter to fix it is it needs to be sanded down, gel coated then painted...

Some factory spoilers are not gel coated when they are painted which creates the issue as the fiberglass absorbs the paint like a sponge...

Hey Chris,

If it's in the fiberglass wouldn't this be detected during final inspection at the factory?

Your explanation certainly sounds plausible and looking at it over time, I'm wondering if this is something that happens that the heat and cold causes, sort of like separation caused by thermal expansion and contraction of both paint and glass?

I think you're on to something here Chris!! :props: