whataretheodds

last summer i got my new oem bumper rapainted for my 00 camaro because my stock one was crack due to person backing into me. i have had the bumper repainted now for close to a year and iam getting lots of chips on my bumper ive notic that this bumper gets chiped easily, i know that u will get some chips when driving but i dont drive my car alot, since i got my new bumper on my car ive put may 900 miles on it boy there are lots of chips on it, i compared it to my stock bumper which i put about 20k miles on it and my stock bumper has alot less chips on than the one i have one my car, my bumper was painted by a good body shop that has been there for more than 30yrs, would u think that the paint is to thin on my bumper causing it to chip alot so easliy? also should of they removed the old paint from the bumper before painting it? any experts in here...thanks

DARK AGE 53

They probably air dried the paint, baked paint with a hardner would have held up better. JMO

Al

Diesel

Could be a lack of flex additive to the paint......

DARK AGE 53

Dave, Flex is used more to keep the paint somewhat flexible, this helps keep the paint from cracking. I doubt that's the problem in this case, again JMO.

Diesel

Thanks for the clarification Al. I was under the impression it gave the paint more elasticity and as a result made for more resistance to chipping in general....

Black 98 T/A

iTrader: (3)

its chipping becuase they did a shitty job, go beat their ***.

If its done right it should last as good as or better than the stock paint job PERIOD. thats the only way to run a reputable bodyshop. everybody makes mistakes but give them the chance to fix it.

They may have not prepped the bumper properly, may have not scuffed the bumper enough to make the paint stick and bond well, used shitty paint, low number of thin *** coats, lots of different things come into play. all i can tell u is be polite take it back and ask them to fix the problem, tell them ur not satisfied. hope that all makes sense i've been doing alot of this------->

HACKER JOE

it has nothing to do with baking the paint, all baking does is make the paint dry faster so the shop can paint more cars a day. it has more to do with either they put on too much material(paint, primer, ect...)didnt use a flex agent(which is used to help the paint be almost as flexible as the bumper) or didnt prep it correctly.

in paint work the opposite of what seems right usually is. paint that is too thick will chip easier due to the fact that paint isnt very flexible by itself and the more you have the stiffer and more brittle it becomes. that is why the more times you repaint something the easier it chips.
flex agent is to help the paint be able to absorb impact and bend with the panel. you also need to have something to bond into the bumper (etching primer) some bumper come from the factory like this (most GM).
prepping the bumper is probly the most important. you not only have to scuff it good but cleaning it is very important. all bumpers have a release agent in them so they dont stick to the mold which in turn makes it hard for paint to stick to them.
also hardener is put in all paint to make it dry not to make it "harder". without hardener you wouldnt get stone chips...the stone would just stick there.
finally, it is pretty much impossible to mach factory paint on bumpers for durability.

thanks,
Joe (painter for 12 years)

VoodooWS6

...lol Very true!

INMY01TA

iTrader: (1)

I had a new bumper put on my car. It did the same thing. they redid it but it doesn't seem much better.

Xsta Z 28

iTrader: (2)

Repaints never are as durable as compared to OEM paint - unfortanately . . .

DARK AGE 53

Check with the manufactures of flex, you'll find it doesn't help the paint from getting chips. The manufactures will even tell you only need flex if the bumpers off the car while painting, when reinstalling a bumper there's a lot of movement with the bumper, that's why they suggest you use flex if the bumpers off the car. JMO

whataretheodds

when painting a new bumper should they removed all of the old paint first before painting the new bumper?

DARK AGE 53

I'm not understanding your question, a new bumper doesn't come painted.

whataretheodds

the bumper i bought for my camaro came silver which was from a 99 silver camaro, and my car is bright rally red, so when they painted my bumper should of they removed the silver paint first before painting my bumper red?

Black 98 T/A

iTrader: (3)

Hell Yes

DARK AGE 53

When you said new I thought it was new in the box, anyways. They really don't need to remove the silver paint, what is needed is to prep the painted surface for repainting.

Black 98 T/A

iTrader: (3)

ummm in my humble opinion you are to start anew. take it down to the bare surface, prep it, primer it, then start the painting process. This is taking precautions bc if you paint over paint that has been damaged (even if you have sanded below the damage) you are still playing russian roulette. To get the job done right (how we do it in the body shop i work in) is you take it down to the bare bumper, the point of this is so you are starting with a basically new bumper. the only reason its not is bc there used to be paint on it but you want to get it to as close to new as possible to ensure the best quality paintjob. Again ask them what kind of paint there using bc that may play a factor.

Hacker joe made some good points and he has experience in this field. He is correct about baking and he is correct about the overuse of primer. The idea is to give the bumper a light dusting coat of primer, they may have slammed it on and used way too much.

wickdss

You said it exactly. Everyone could have their own theory about why it is chipping, but no one can match the durability of oem paint. You just can't.

Black 98 T/A

iTrader: (3)

well if your body shop dosn't suck they should back their work with a lifetime guarantee which is good enough although it may not be as durable as oem. so in other words mabey it will last 89% as long with equal upkeep in comparison oem.

whataretheodds

just curious why no one can match the durability of oem paint? what does the factory use thats make gm paint so durable compared to other body shops paint?