What does it look like?

• Random patches of rough, discolored or disintegrating surface that could result in a crazing or cracking appearance

What causes it?

• When the surface gets rain on it that contains contaminants from chemical industries or power stations.

How can it be avoided?

• Remove the harmful contaminants by regularly washing the vehicle
• Polish and or wax to protect
• Avoid parking next to industrial factories or power stations that produce chemical fallout

What does it look like?

• Well it is bird poo, but the effect it has on paint is that the area that was covered by the bird will be etched or have finish damage. The longer the dropping remains the more damage the finish takes

What causes it?

• Birds flying or perching overhead do their business and it lands on your car
• The organic etching process is sped up and intensified by heat

How is it prevented?

• Avoid parking under trees or other things that birds tend to perch on
• Remove the droppings as soon as possible
• Regularly wash your vehicle
• Wax and polish to protect

What does it look like?

·        Staining that bleeds through from the substrate/undercoat into the topcoat color.

What causes it?

·        Solvents in the repair materials dissolve the original\substrate coatings

How can it be prevented?

·        Follow the manufacturer’s material recommendations.

How will it look?

·        Surface bumps or bubbles either spread out or in groups

Why does it occur?

       ·        Contaminants or moisture get trapped under the surface

How can it be prevented?

·        Make sure that the surface is; properly cleaned, and dried

·        Allow surface to reach room temperature before spraying

What does a bullseye look like?

·        Visible edges or sand scratches around the repaired area.

What is the cause?

·        Improper surface preparation or improper material application.

How is it avoided?

·        Be sure to follow material manufacturer’s recommendations.

How do they look?

·        Loss of gloss due to many fine scratches.

What causes them?

·        Often use of automatic brush-type car wash.

How can they be prevented?

·        Go to a touch less automated car wash or wash by hand.

·        Wax and or polish the car regularly

What does chipping look like?

·        Small areas of paint that have been broken or chipped off.

Why does it happen?

·        Road debris hit the surface and chip off the paint.

How to prevent it.

·        Use anti-chip or chip resistant systems (i.e. anti-chip undercoats, chip resistant topcoats, flexible additives etc.).

What does it look like?

·        Clearcoat visibly eroding from the basecoat.

What causes it?

·        Ultraviolet damage

·        Too much clear removed during surface repairs.

How is it avoided?

·        Never remove too much of the clearcoat during repairs.

Periodically wax/polish to protect against U.V. damage.

What will cracking look like?

·        Wide spread fine cracks in the paint surface.

Why does it happen?

·        Excessive film thickness,

·        Painting over a previously cracked surface,

·        Improper mixing and/or application of materials.

How is it prevented?

·        Apply the recommended film thickness.

·        Entirely remove crazed or cracked finish before refinishing

Follow the material manufacturers recommendations.

How does it look?

·        The gloss becomes dull as it dries or ages.

Why does it happen?

·        Refinish coatings are not correctly applied,

·        Refinish is applied over a poor quality substrate,

·        Solvent fumes or exhaust gases are attacking the surface,

·        Refinish dries too slowly due to humidity or low temperature.

How is it avoided?

·        Use the manufacturer’s recommended primer.

·        Prepare the surface thoroughly.

·        Ensure that the paint dries under warm, clean, and dry conditions.

What does it look like?

·        There will be abnormal particles in the finish.

How does it happen?

·        Dirty spray environment,

·        Inadequate air filtration,

·        Improper/dirty clothing,

·        Dirty spray gun

·        Paint was not strained.

How is it prevented?

·        Make sure; tools, area, and person are clean.

·        Thoroughly blow off and tack wipe the entire surface

·        Wear a lint free paint suit, and

·        Strain your paint.

How will they look?

·        Small craters or indentations in the paint surface.

What is the cause?

·        Spraying over surfaces contaminated with oil grease or other contaminants,

·        Spraying over any surface containing fisheye eliminator additive,

·        Contaminated air supply

·        External contaminates entering the spray area.

How do I prevent it?

·        Clean the surface with wax remover and degreaser,

·        Making sure the compressor is maintained,

·        Keeping a clean shop,

·        Sure that the spray area is properly ventilated.

What does it look like?

·        Raising/swelling of the paint film or peeling of a dried paint surface.

What causes it?

•  Recoating over incompatible, uncured, or improperly cleaned materials.
• Exceeding maximum flash, or recoating times
• Heavy application coats

How can it be prevented?

• Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations
• Use barrier coat primers to seal old incompatible finishes

What does it look like?

• Distorted colors due to uneven layout of metallics, micas, or special effect pigments.  

What causes it?

• The wrong equipment or set up
• Not reduced right
• Not thoroughly mixed
• Uneven spray pattern
• Low temperatures

How is it prevented?

• Use the recommended spray gun including fluid tip and air cap
• Use the right reduction ratio
• Allow the basecoat the correct flash dry time
• Use the correct spray technique

What does it look like?

·        The paint will have an uneven texture that looks like the skin of an orange

Why does it happen?

• The paint is not reduced enough or the air pressure is too low
• The reducer evaporates too fast for the conditions (temperature)
• The film is too thick
• The wrong spray gun set up and application
• The materials are too viscous

How is it prevented?

• Use the right reduction ratio and air pressure
• Use the recommended reducer based on conditions and the size of the repair
• Avoid heavy coating and high film builds

What does it look like?

• There will be paint mist on the neighboring panels of the repair
• The finish might be rough or have a hazy look to it.

What causes it?

• Not masking off the repair area properly
• Commercial or industrial paint fallout

How is it prevented?

• Mask carefully
• Follow the material manufacturer’s guide

What does it look like?

·        The top/clear coat peels away from the undercoats

Why does it happen?

• Ultraviolet rays penetrate and cause damage
• Improper substrate cleaning or preparation
• Use of incompatible materials
• Improper mixing or application of materials
• Loss of adhesion between the layers
• If too much of the protective coat is removed during surface repairs

How can it be prevented?

• Clean and prepare all substrates properly
• Follow the material manufacturer’s recommendations

What does it look like?

·        White or cloudy areas or spots appear, if in light metallics it may look like a coffee stain.

What causes it?

• Moisture trapped within the paint film
• Use of aftermarket front covers or magnetic signs may result this condition

How is it avoided?

• Avoid items that cause moisture entrapment

What does it look like?

·        Tiny holes that are visible at the surface

Why does it happen?

• Air or gas bubbles that get trapped and escape in the finish materials
• Too much film application
• Adding too much hardener to the body filler
• Not thoroughly mixing the body filler

How is it prevented?

• Follow the material manufacturer’s recommendation
• Correctly harden and mix body filler

What does it look like?

·        The original finish or undercoat is visible through the topcoat

Why does it happen?

·        Not enough coats

·        Over reduction of product

·        Not using the right primer or not using it at all

·        Wrong equipment set up

·        Not enough light in the spraying area

How is it prevented?

• Make sure that materials are thoroughly mixed
• Reduce product according to the label directions
• Use a color keyed undercoat when using transparent topcoats
• Spray enough coats to achieve hiding

What does it look like?

·        Depending on how bad the rust is it will appear in different degrees. It can appear anywhere from bubbles to blisters or even rust spots. There may also be corrosion underneath the paint surface.

Why does it happen?

• Damage to the paint surface exposing bare metal
• Flash rust formation on bare metal prior to primer application

How can it be prevented?

• Thoroughly remove all rust prior to refinishing
• Follow recommended procedures for refinishing bare metal substrates

What do they look like?

·        Paint runs down a panel as opposed to sticking

What causes them?

• Improper reduction
• Applying the materials without the proper flash time
• Holding the spray gun too close to the surface
• Applying the materials too wet
• Improper overlap

How can they be prevented?

• Follow the material manufacturer’s recommendations
• Properly adjust your equipment

What do they look like?

·        Visible sanding marks under the surface of the paint

Why do they occur?

• Improper surface preparation
• Inadequate drying of undercoats

How can they be avoided?

• Use the recommended grit of sandpaper for the materials you are using

What does it look like?

·        Small bubbles will appear as a defect in the surface

Why does it happen?

• Solvents get trapped in the paint film
• Not enough flash time between coats
• The film is too thick
• The reducer or hardener is too fast

How is it prevented?

• Use the correct solvents for the shop conditions
• The correct amount of film build
• Allow proper flash time between coats and before baking

What do they look like?

·        Fine circular scratches in the surface of the finish

What causes them?

• Incomplete surface condition repair
• Compounding or polishing the surface before it’s cured
• Too much pressure or to high of speed on the polisher
• The compound is too coarse

How are they prevented?

• Follow the steps in the paint repair procedure chart
• Allow proper curing time
• Don’t press too hard or set the speed too fast with a mechanical polisher
• Make sure to us the recommended type of compound

What does it look like?

·        Sap spots that look kind of like syrup

What causes it?

·        Tree sap get on the finish of the vehicle

How is it prevented?

·        Avoid parking under trees

·        Remove the sap before it can do any damage to the finish

What does it look like?

·        Little whitish circles that appear on the paint surface

What causes them?

• Alkaline rich (hard) water is allowed to dry on the paint surface

How are they prevented?

• Regularly maintain the vehicle finish
• Do not allow hard water to dry on the paint surface