tici

iTrader: (1)

4 years ago I installed a fiberglass hood that was painted locally.
At the beginning it was perfect: exactly the same color, same shine.
Now it begins to tarnish (!) No matter what I do (polish, wax) it shines only for a little while (1-2 weeks). Then it becomes matt again.
The surface is very easy to scratch and I can leave marks with my fingernails (!!!)

The original paint is still the same: nice and shiny.

Is the original paint much better than what a body shop uses or I just choosed the wrong shop?

The car is bright red (if it matters) and is parked outside all the year long.

Camaroholic

iTrader: (1)

There is a pretty wide range in quality of paint. You can buy a gallon of paint for $39 and paint your car with it. You can buy a gallon of paint for $700+ and paint your car with it. Chemicals (and materials in the paint) make a huge difference in price and quality.

Same with clears. UV protection, long term stability, etc - are dependent on the chemicals used.

And red is perhaps one of the worst long-term stability paints out there. My wife's old red car wouldn't stay shiny worth a darn. I could get it well waxed and shiny, but a few weeks later... it'd be dull and weathered looking again. Only long term solution is a repaint.

tici

iTrader: (1)

Mmhh... OK I got screwed.

Is there a way to say how long it will last wen I get it repainted?
Is there a guarantee?
Is there a test?
Is there a particular specification?
Is there a way to protect it?

...or it's just a matter of finding a honest shop? (pretty difficult.. yeah).

sercastiK

iTrader: (11)

they used **** clear. probably hit ya with the damn NASON, I like PPG concept clear, It is cheaper to use junk but not THAT much cheaper

tici

iTrader: (1)

There wasn't a second layer of clear coat.
They told me that "modern paints" already contain it in the base color.
???

Phoenix 5.7

iTrader: (7)

uhh, they don't know what the **** they talkin about.

Camaroholic

iTrader: (1)

Sounds like they used single stage. Cheaper than base/clear. And I bet it was Nason also.

Pro-Mo

[QUOTE=Camaroholic]Sounds like they used single stage. Cheaper than base/clear. QUOTE]
Bastards

People like this give us a bad name

sercastiK

iTrader: (11)

not only single stage but junk single stage. I've used some SS **** like centari, it holds up for a long time

tici

iTrader: (1)

Dunno the brand, In Europe we may have different stuff.
However... to go back after 4 years and complain... hopeless!

Is there something I can do to save the situation? Or just wait until it's completely fu*** and repaint it?

EarlSS

I had my car painted about a year ago and the hood has already bubbled and started flaking and the clear on the sail panel is fadeing bad. Took it back and the guy said it was because it was fiberglass and he could redo it but chances was it would do it again. I told him to just forget it. I still aint got it redone cause i like advertiseing his work

glocklimited9

iTrader: (3)

You guys are just going to the wrong people, my paint jobs never do that. Red also dies out the fastest of all colors of paint..

tici

iTrader: (1)

My other red parts are like new! (it's a 98). It's really only the hood.

Does it matter if the hood is fiberglass? (from suncoastcreations)

Pheonix

iTrader: (16)

Well if you can put your fingernail in it that means they didnt use enough hardner. Clear is suppost to get rock hard..

glocklimited9

iTrader: (3)

Nope doesnt matter if its fiberglass, remember, the doors and hatch are also fiberglass. you just got some shitty paint, heres how u find out if its single stage, get some rubbing compound, rub a spot out, if it comes off red on the rag you got single stage, if not you got base clear.

glocklimited9

iTrader: (3)

tici, there is no clear in basecoat paints what so ever, basecoat is just for coverage, and never has any shine or depth, you get the protection, shine, and depth from clear. If they did one coat of clear, then wet sanded and buffed it after, you dont have bairly anyclear on your car at all. My guess would be they used nason, or ppg omni, both terrible brands

Pheonix is correct, sounds like they didnt put enough harnder in the paint it should get rock hard. This is also a problem because its not fully cured, and when you go to paint again, you will have lifting in what ever you put on, the whole hood will need to be sanded back down because you cannot put new paint over uncured paint

tici

iTrader: (1)

The hood is paintet both sides: only the top has the problem, the underside is perfect, and "rock hard".

If I go with some kind of polishing product on the top (like Turtle stuff) the cloth turns to red

On the bottom (engine side) the cloth doesn't pick up the color.

Should they add some UV filter? The temperature is not a problem for sure (headers, supercharger...). Is it possible that this paint has just been ruined by the sunrays?

The color becomes soft only when the car has been in the sun for a while (high temperature). When it's cold it's pretty "hard". The underside is always "rock hard", no matter how hot it is.

Blakbird24

iTrader: (24)

HA! Maybe they forgot to apply the clear on the top?

Yeah I dunno how an experienced painter could miss that...but you never know.

Maybe they ran out of clear after painting the bottom

glocklimited9

iTrader: (3)

nooo if it was two stage and they didnt apply clear on top it would be dull, remember guys basecoats dont have any shine at all. Tici, the hot would actually cure the paint, think of how a spray booth works ( baking the paint at 140+ deg) on the other hand tho, too much sun ruins, shirnks, and causes all the chemials to bleed out of the paint ( if junkie materials were used, no sealer, so on) Sounds to be you just have little to no clear left on what was once on the car, i dont think they would put two stage on the underside of the hood, and single on the top, if anything it would be the other way around for ease of spraying, but then again, ive seen it all.. Break out the 1000 grit sand paper and dish soap and sand it down for a repaint to save yourself some cash

tici

iTrader: (1)

probably the only solution, isn't it?
repaint...