Just bought showcar w/ perfect paint. bumps appearin under the paint a few days later

I

imported_fireberd350

New member
I just bought this car, an 87 Buick GN, 2 weeks ago. Last weekend I washed it off and was going to polish/wax it but it was in such great shape and beaded so well I decided to just throw on some Souveran and call it a day. This weekend I pulled it out of the garage and noticed the bumps under the paint, in various spots on the front clip and fenders. Also some other random spots around the car. I have no idea where they came from and am 100% sure they were not there before. It looks almost like rust bubbles under the paint.



Also, I should mention that this car was in an accident and repainted about 8 years ago. The paint job was the real deal, show quality job. I know this because the previous owner is a good friend. So in the 8 years he has had this in his garage (same town) there have been no issue, but in one week in mine I see these!!!



Sorry I dont have any photos of the bumps at the moment but I've linked to photos of the car. I'm really beside myself about this. One of the main reasons I sold my last Buick and bought this was because the paint was so nice and I'm a freak over perfect paint.



ANY insight on this would be helpful. Thanks in advance, Steve



Picasa Web Albums - Steve - New Toy
 
I tried to clay one small spot but was in a rush and didn't have much time. In any event, if it was overspray then it would have been there for the last 8 years, no?



This just appeared in the last 7 days since I put it in my garage.
 
Why not do a test spot with a mild clay and see if that removes your "bumps"? Moving up in aggression if that does not work, try a medium or aggressive clay. Also, take detailed pictures of the area if the test spot is not successful.



Overspray is something typical during the painting process. It should be prevented with proper masking but not always. It can also occur in day-to-day life.
 
It's either overspray(repairable) or your paint is bubbling(requires a complete strip/refinish). Try claying some spots to guage. I'm concerned when you say it's "under the paint"? Can you explain this in more detail?



BTW - Nice GN!
 
Under the paint: Well it appears as though the paint has something underneath it that caused it to lift up. There doesn't appear to be anything sitting on top of the paint (i.e. sap, which I thought it was originally).



I don't see how it could possibly be overspray because it was painted 8 yrs ago and there were never any signs of this until this weekend.



When I get home tonight I will try to re-clay. Unfortunatley the only camera I have at the moment is on my phone so ill do the best I can with that.
 
As David mentioned, if it's truly under the paint, like a rust bubble, then the only fix is a complete repaint. If it's overspray, it's a quick and inexpensive fix by comparison.
 
fireberd350 said:
It looks almost like rust bubbles under the paint.
Click to expand...



If they really look like that, claying will do nothing for them. Clay will only remove surface contaminants that are on top of the paint, not something underneath the paint. Try to get some quality pics. I don't even want to mention this, but are you sure that they aren't rust spots underneath the paint? I'm not aware of anything else that would make the paint bubble like that. Solvents would not take 8 years to surface.
 
Im not sure they are not rust spots. Thats what I fear actually. I just keep telling myself that is impossiblt for them to appear in such a short period of time with zero warning signs before. The paint was flawless 2 weeks ago. I can't put any logic behind this.



I didn't inspect the glass but I have free time after work so I will be going over the car w/ a fine tooth comb.
 
Can you check underneath some of the areas? Looks like the blisters are clustered;

probably repair areas that has microscopic solvent pop (contaminants, improper

flash times, rust, etc.).
 
What was used on the car prior to you buying from the owner and what did you use to wash it?



I just checked out my friends new G/N today and he has very similar spots on his hood. They are actually solvents under the paint of his.
 
Those pictures really make me lean towards a major paint defect. :eek:



I'd bring it back to the body shop for them to see it. There's usually no gaurantee when a vehicle is sold, so you'll ultimately be out of luck. Maybe the original owner could do it instead?
 
It is major for sure. And the warranty would only apply to the person who

paid for the job (usually). Going to the shop that repaired/refinished the GN

would be a good start. And talking with the previous owner might help too.
 
The sun provided some better light and I added 3 more pics today.



The owner never even used soap. He said he just pulled it out of the garage and if it had some dust he'd rinse the car then blow it off w/ an air gun and blot the rest of the water off. Up until this point I have not used any soap either.



Would the paint still have a warranty 8 yrs later (Even from the previous owner) ?



And I know the prev. owner VERY well and he is not hiding anything from me, I am 100% on that. The last thing he used was UPP. All I did was rinse it off and top w/ Pinn. Souveran.



Thanks for the help so far. I'm gonna talk to my friend at a body shop. I'd like to get all the info I can before I talk to the prev owner and the guy that did the original paint work.
 
Paint warranties(assuming your friend received one with this quality/cost) generally are 2 part - workmanship(by the shop) & paint/materials(by the paint manufacturer). They are usually only enforcable to the original owner/1st party. If you're smart, make sure your friend doesn't tell the shop it has changed ownership.
 
As a shop owner/painter, i would work with the individuals. Wouldn't want to lose

either. But if they try to pull a fast one, waste my time and money, while i

schedule the warranty job, i wouldn't hesitate to flick them off and send them

on their way.



Bottom line: it needs to be repaired and refinished (separate these 2 processes).

And the new owner will likely have to pay for the job. Perhaps at a discount or

at no charge.



The shop that did the repair job would likely be the best place to take it.

The individuals that worked on the car may provide the best answers.

It's almost second nature to be defensive when a complaint comes about.

So, be tactful in the approach.
 
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