Strange etchings!

**Roman92** · 12-09-2015, 09:09 PM

This is a friends car that at first looked like it had random patches of overspray. After trying several different clays and close inspection these tiny dots are actually etched into the paint. I tried a MF cutting pad with FG400 on a Rupes 21 and it had little to no effect. Any suggestions or ideas of what this could be?

Strange etchings!-imageuploadedbyagonline1449713321-860439-jpg

Strange etchings!-imageuploadedbyagonline1449713336-692341-jpg

**JWilliams.RadiantDetail** · 12-09-2015, 11:40 PM

I can't say 100% but it looks close to a co-worker who drove thru a huge sand storm and his paint got absolutely blasted. I'm guessing it was mostly due to his paint being old and the clear coat being gone. Is this car older?

**shagnat** · 12-09-2015, 11:43 PM

ouch.... don't have a solution, but, that's terrible !!!

**Eldorado2k** · 12-10-2015, 12:48 AM

And he has no idea about what caused it?

**AutowerxDetailing** · 12-10-2015, 03:11 AM

That looks like SEVERE solvent pop. These panels have likely been repainted. Solvent pop happens when bubbles of solvent get trapped under the paint film and then the solvent eventually out gasses as the paint cures, leaving air bubbles in the paint. Sometimes these bubbles rise to the surface and are immediately visible, other times they stay just beneath the top layer and are only exposed when attempting to polish the paint.

Depending on the type of paint used there are several likely causes as to why this would happen. Usually it is caused by incorrect solvent/hardener ratios by the painter. It can also be caused by the coats being applied too thick or too short of a flash off time between each coat. Unfortunately polishing the area will only expose more of the pinholes causing it to look worse...

**EWtheDETAILER** · 12-10-2015, 05:39 AM

I agree with Nicholas... It looks like a bad case of Solvent popping. Was this car recently repainted?

**David Hayward** · 12-10-2015, 06:03 AM

That was also my guess and I was going to ask if it was repainted also.

**Roman92** · 12-10-2015, 08:51 AM

Originally Posted by Nicholas@Autowerx

That looks like SEVERE solvent pop. These panels have likely been repainted. Solvent pop happens when bubbles of solvent get trapped under the paint film and then the solvent eventually out gasses as the paint cures, leaving air bubbles in the paint. Sometimes these bubbles rise to the surface and are immediately visible, other times they stay just beneath the top layer and are only exposed when attempting to polish the paint.

Depending on the type of paint used there are several likely causes as to why this would happen. Usually it is caused by incorrect solvent/hardener ratios by the painter. It can also be caused by the coats being applied too thick or too short of a flash off time between each coat. Unfortunately polishing the area will only expose more of the pinholes causing it to look worse...

He has had the car for almost 2 years. In those two years he has not had any paint work done. We polished it once when he first got the car and none of those spots where there. In fact I cleaned it for him about 2 months ago and they were not there at all.

**AGOatemywallet** · 12-10-2015, 11:27 AM

Are the "dots" raised above the surface of the paint, or actually "etched" below the surface of the paint?

Can you get a close-up photo...borrow a camera, maybe?

**Roman92** · 12-10-2015, 02:27 PM

Originally Posted by AGOatemywallet

Are the "dots" raised above the surface of the paint, or actually "etched" below the surface of the paint?

Can you get a close-up photo...borrow a camera, maybe?

They are definitely etched. As in indentions in the paint the same way that something like acid rain would etch just in small dots.