Very Alarming Discovery!

**ricka** · 12-03-2007, 10:42 AM

Awhile back, I noticed some weird bubbling and flaking on my '07 Audi A6 hood. First the dealer thought it was merely rock chips. However several excellent detailers thought it was a paint defect as the paint and clearcoat was flaking away.

So, I took it back to the dealer for another look see. They brought in their body shop guy who agreed it was a paint defect and repainted the hood. Thankfully the dealer covered the cost.

What was surprising/alarming was the SHEETS of old paint the body shop returned. Obviously, normal paint is sanded off before repainting. This time he said the old paint literally peeled off in large sheets. Couldn't believe it! (Sorry no pics).

Then, he explained how it happened. At the port there are thousands of cars. Some will have defects where body shops on site will correct the defects. Unfortunately, there are some that choose the cheap shortcut version of simply painting over the original paint! The process is called SCUFF AND SHOOT instead of removing the original paint. Sigh.

I can't fault the dealer---how would they know?--but it does make one just a little paranoid when even buying a new car. No VIN records will show the shabby work or even that any work was done at all.

Hopefully, the crappy port body shop only worked on the hood. Haven't seen any signs of other problems on the rest of the car but SHEESH!

Not to make everyone paranoid, but still wanted you to at least be aware of it. Good news is the body shop did a fantastic job and color matching (metallic silver) on the hood and now I know it was applied properly. Only downside is waiting about 8 weeks to wax again.

Guess from reading several posts ONR and Meguiar's #5 Glaze seems to be okay to use in the meantime.

Good times, no?

**2KLS1** · 12-03-2007, 01:59 PM

Yeah I've heard of this before. It's unfortunate but seems to be true.

**lethalxls1** · 12-03-2007, 02:03 PM

Thats why I buy domestic vehicles!

J/K! hahahahahaha

**TOGWT** · 12-03-2007, 02:36 PM

Detachment- clear coat detachment is the result of inferior preparation of the base coat (colour) prior to the application of the clear coat. This may be evident on any area of a vehicle where there is trim such as mouldings door handles, window trim, etc. You need to remove the entire clear coat and re-apply a base coat and finally a clear coat. If you don't the new paint will separate due to delamination of the original clear coat under the new paint you applied.

Correction- repair requires correctly preparing the area by cleaning and sanding, the base coat must be examined (checked with a paint thickness meter) to insure correct film build and the clear re-applied. The entire panel should be refinished rather than attempting a ‘spot repair’. Any attempt to hide the defect by wet sanding and polishing / compounding will result in further damage by removing the paint build (thickness)

Unusual in a German built vehicle as they USUALLY adhere to very strict QA (ISO 9001) standards

**Truls** · 12-03-2007, 02:44 PM

Good to know...

I know lots of cars get panels repainted before delivery, but i didnt know that some do it in a "cheap" way, so now im aware about it...thanks ricka

**Tex Star Detail** · 12-03-2007, 04:25 PM

When my Parents bought a new Ford Ranger in 1989, the hood did the same thing. I used to take it to the car wash and leave with a little less paint on the hood each time. You could actually pick at it and pull off little strips of paint....

**The Skillmaster** · 12-03-2007, 04:51 PM

Painting over original paint is not necessarily the cause unless it is a bad OEM pain job. It sounds to me more like bad prep.

**rwisejr** · 12-03-2007, 05:28 PM

Originally Posted by lethalxls1

Thats why I buy domestic vehicles!

That happens on domestics aswell !!!

**BILL** · 12-03-2007, 06:01 PM

Thanks for sharing.......

**killrflake** · 12-03-2007, 11:42 PM

I used to work by the port of Newark in New Jersey and would often go into work early and just watch all the new cars being driven at crazy speeds off the ships and lined up in huge parking lots. There would be 10 to 15 people
driving these cars followed by a van that would bring them back to the ship to go through the process over and over again. They all had buildings that they would bring the damaged cars to (yes they did bump each other at times) for repairs. The only make of car that stored their cars inside a building was Mercedes Benz at that time. Of course real exotics get special treatment. I guess my point was there's more damage to cars in transit then you might think.