Back in late August I purchased an unpainted Rallytech carbon blade spoiler.

This I had painted in WR Blue at a local body shop at a cost of over £230. Believing it was better to get quality that would last, over a cheap fix that would look sh1te in 12 months.

When the spoiler came out it looked fantastic. I put it on the car but instead of using the supplied body tape I used Sikaflex body adhesive especially around the boot holes to prevent leaks. The spoiler was fine for ages. However I noticed when washing the car on Saturday that the paint had bubbled/blistered all over the bottom. Pic at bottom

I took the spoiler back to the bodyshop and they told me that it was the fibreglass in the spoiler releasing air over time and that they always do this. Surely the primer would seal the spoiler and would stop the paint from blistering ?

IF, this is the case is there anything I can do to stop it happening again ?

Any comments, suggestions or advice ?

Thanks

Nathan..

 

"They all do that sir" BOLLOX!!!

I reckon that you speak to a few "independent" body shop sprayers, ask thier opinion, get jenned up on the subject then take it back and demand a new one [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

It's the air in the fibre glass..............what Bollox

Jeeeze, anyone out there gonna tell us the truth?

Mikey :not cool cos someone else has just been fobbed off:

 

Well Lane had a few problems with spoilers they were selling same problem. They too put it down to the spoiler and not painting. Not sure whos right and wrong just saying what i was told.

 

m8 that looks like water to me , if the spoilers are stored in a damp place before they sell, it could be sucking in moisture

 

It could either of these problems....If it only happened in the cold spell,it more likely to be 'blistering'..When it gets cold moisture gets under the paint and separates from the base and then you get blistering.

And ive heard that GRP is more prone to 'blowing'(blistering and blowing look very similar) but that normally ONLY occurs with poor filling technique(air bubbles get trapped under paint film)...Anyway its NOT your fault so take it back and get it sorted.

 

yes take it back.. the body shop that did mine baked it in the oven for two days before spraying to get rid of moisture and any gas from the resin's used in it..

 

Thanks for all the replies

I've gone back to the bodyshop and they have agreed to re-spray te spoiler for me F.O.C.

However, the manager has said that within six months he guarantees me it will be the same again.

Is there anyway to stop this from happening ?

As Fizz says, baking the spoiler before it's painted ?
Painting underneath the base ?
Special primer ?
Better preparation ?

Thanks again.

Nathan..

 

As I said had mine for over 12 months and no bubbles!!!

 

 

Fizz I'll suggest it and see what they say.

Can anyone else offer any advice on the preparation ?

Thanks

Nathan..

 

The problem you have is or can be cuased by several things either independantly or a mixture of all of em.

1) silicone will cause this kind of blistering and is an indication of contamination and crap preparation
2) the body shop failed to use a specific sealer coat after the initial rub down of the spoiler
3)a non vinylised paint has been used.

In my experience it is items one and two that are the cause.

There is only one thing you can do. Take back to the bodyshop or another one and ask for a "back to metal" (its not but thats the term) and begin again.

 

Silicone contamnination normally shows within a few day/weeks of painting but i would say prepping is VERY important and if not done properly problems will appear at a later date.

 

Thanks for the info.

Mark do you use a sealer coat then prime or the opposite way round ?

Thanks

Nathan..

 

Nathan,

I showed the picture to our painters, and he sugested it could be moisture being trapped during the original painting, but only coming to the surface during the cold weather.

They also use ICI 565 888 High Build 2 pack, to seal the surface before painting, and to stop this type of problem.

David

 

David thanks for the reply.

The spoiler goes back to the bodyshop tomorrow AM so I will wait and see what happens.

The Manager was not impressed when I asked for them to repaint it FOC, he seemed to think his sprayers were beyond reproach and that they couldn't possibly be at fault.

Nathan..

 

Nathan,

had this on my 1st spoiler - so sent it back. got another brand (& better!)
it IS coz of air in the GRP. it should be baked & then preped with applicable sealant/base coat. then it should be ok.
have spoken to several people about spraying GRP bodies cars & they say there is alot of prep with GRP. some paint/base coat & then bake it & then manually remove any air bubbles. then prep it again & repeat until its perfect!

that's WHY is cost so much to paint! so get them to check the sealant(s) / base coat with the manufacturer of the spoiler!

cheers
Steve