2016 challenger paint pitting on the hood.

[Alain]

Looks to me like water got in under the paint somehow and caused it to separate from the hood. This is becoming an issue for sure as I’ve started to see a trend in threads about this exact situation lately. My guess is poor paint prep allowing this to happen. I’m sure we’re going to see more and more threads like this as time passes.

do you mean water got under the paint during the paint process at the factory? If so, would it take 5 years to show the damage?


The hood has had Xpel on it for the last 3 years. There was no tares on the film anywhere on the hood.

 

[Slowpoke387]

do you mean water got under the paint during the paint process at the factory? If so, would it take 5 years to show the damage?


The hood has had Xpel on it for the last 3 years. There was no tares on the film anywhere on the hood.

No I meant it looks a lot like when there's a paint chip and water gets in there. You have decent PPF protection so it may not be applicable to you. Could also just be like people have said about contaminants causing the issue. But normally even with that being the culprit there would need to be air or water to begin that paint lifting process imo. Otherwise contaminants would just be sealed in with the paint. Also the fact that most of these are happening on the leading edge of the cars points at possible paint damage from road debris to me.
Could also just mean poor paint prep and after time the paint just can't adhere any longer and begins to lift. Just my opinions which mean zero to my wife.

 

[Alain]

Haha. I like that last line about your opinion and the ol’lady. I can relate.

im leaning towards being an issue with the metal. Underneath the hood in that very same spot it looks much worse. Something must be going wrong with the metal when it is stamped at the factory, otherwise why would hoods, doors and trunk lids all be suffering from this issue in the same exact spot (edges of the panels).

that is my opinion........ which matters to no one either. hahahaha.

 

[Alain]

I got the car back today from the dealership.

They did a great job at getting rid of the blemish and matching the paint. I can't even tell where the issue was (I should have made some kid of reference mark). As expected, the dealership's body shop managed to find a way to do a sub-par job. On the underside of the hood, in the area where they did the repair, they left a minor imperfection.

It's barely visible, not sure how to explain it. Only way I saw it was because the service advisor called me and told me about the blemish. He told me to come look at it and if I wanted to, he would send the car back to the body shop to have it redone.

It's like a pimple, that is the best way I can describe it. I'm hoping there is nothing stuck under the paint/clear coat that will cause a similar issue a few years from now.

The blemish is so minor that I turned down his offer to have it redone out of fear that they might screw it up even more or find a way to damage something else on the car.

I'll try to get some pictures of it tomorrow, it's going to be hard since it's barely visible.

 

[Alain]

Wanted to update this one more time. I tried getting some pictures of the blemish on the underside of the hood but it's so minor that it doesn't show on the pictures.

After examining it closer I can tell it was caused by the clear coat. You can see the blemish is a result of a "run" in the clear coat. They must have sprayed quite a bit of clear coat, they sanded the top of the hood to get it just right but they didn't do the same with the underside.

I'll take the win while I'm ahead. Car is getting dropped off next week to have xpel put back on the hood. I was asked by the shop to let the paint job cure for 10 days or so before putting xpel back on it.

Coincidently, the service advisor cautioned me not to put the xpel back on the hood because it may cause the same issue to return.

Can anyone confirm that to be the case? I've never heard of xpel causing these paint bubbling issues.

 

[AeroF16]

Wanted to update this one more time. I tried getting some pictures of the blemish on the underside of the hood but it's so minor that it doesn't show on the pictures.

After examining it closer I can tell it was caused by the clear coat. You can see the blemish is a result of a "run" in the clear coat. They must have sprayed quite a bit of clear coat, they sanded the top of the hood to get it just right but they didn't do the same with the underside.

I'll take the win while I'm ahead. Car is getting dropped off next week to have xpel put back on the hood. I was asked by the shop to let the paint job cure for 10 days or so before putting xpel back on it.

Coincidently, the service advisor cautioned me not to put the xpel back on the hood because it may cause the same issue to return.

Can anyone confirm that to be the case? I've never heard of xpel causing these paint bubbling issues.

I go driving with a group friends with some high dollars cars (Ferraris, McLarens, etc.) that they drive often. They all have Xpel on their cars and I've never heard anyone complain about it. Some of those guys have their entire cars wrapped in it.

I have it on two of my cars with no issues as well. I'd definitely put it back on but I'd be extra cautious about the cure time of the paint. I've seen videos of what happens when Xpel is applied too soon after a paint job and then is removed later on (the paint comes off with it.)

10 days might be enough, I don't know, but that sounds pretty quick to me.

 

[MikeD1]

Wanted to update this one more time. I tried getting some pictures of the blemish on the underside of the hood but it's so minor that it doesn't show on the pictures.

After examining it closer I can tell it was caused by the clear coat. You can see the blemish is a result of a "run" in the clear coat. They must have sprayed quite a bit of clear coat, they sanded the top of the hood to get it just right but they didn't do the same with the underside.

I'll take the win while I'm ahead. Car is getting dropped off next week to have xpel put back on the hood. I was asked by the shop to let the paint job cure for 10 days or so before putting xpel back on it.

Coincidently, the service advisor cautioned me not to put the xpel back on the hood because it may cause the same issue to return.

Can anyone confirm that to be the case? I've never heard of xpel causing these paint bubbling issues.

WAY too soon to put any sort of wax/coating/film back on !! Minimum of 30 days to allow it to fully cure, 90 is even better.

 

[Alain]

WAY too soon to put any sort of wax/coating/film back on !! Minimum of 30 days to allow it to fully cure, 90 is even better.

30 days ! Wow, that’s not even close to the suggested 10 days hahaha. I’ll call my shop and tell them I’m going to wait a little longer to bring it in. I just won’t drive it.

the car is sitting in my driveway, in the sun (I have no choice).
I hit it with my California Duster every day to keep the pollen and the dust off of it.
you guys think I should refrain from washing it and/or spraying any detail spray on it while the paint cures?

I go driving with a group friends with some high dollars cars (Ferraris, McLarens, etc.) that they drive often. They all have Xpel on their cars and I've never heard anyone complain about it. Some of those guys have their entire cars wrapped in it.

I have it on two of my cars with no issues as well. I'd definitely put it back on but I'd be extra cautious about the cure time of the paint. I've seen videos of what happens when Xpel is applied too soon after a paint job and then is removed later on (the paint comes off with it.)

10 days might be enough, I don't know, but that sounds pretty quick to me.

I’m with you, I don’t think the Xowl film was the issue here. It was definitely something wrong with the build process when the car was put together.

 

[MikeD1]

Yes, you do want to gently wash it (so you do not introduce scratches on the 'soft' paint) with high quality car soap while it sits.
Until fully cured, paint is susceptible to water spotting from rain, bird shit stains etc.

 

[Alain]

Yes, you do want to gently wash it (so you do not introduce scratches on the 'soft' paint) with high quality car soap while it sits.
Until fully cured, paint is susceptible to water spotting from rain, bird shit stains etc.

Thank you for the advise. the touch up is approximately the size of a quarter on the leading edge of the hood.
I’ll be sure to keep that area free of bird shit or whatever else may fall on it.

i always wash it myself with Adam’s products and the two bucket system and a foam gun.
I can’t believe the shop only suggested 10 days for the paint to cure.

 

[68coronet]

As someone who use to work in the paint department at FoMoCo, I can say with near certainty that it was caused by surface contamination; prior to going through paint. Grabbing the hood with grape jelly in your fingers will do it. I've seen vehicles get sent through paint as many as three times. The production tag has a star stamped into it for every time it went through paint. Those cars will never rust.

 

[Alain]

As someone who use to work in the paint department at FoMoCo, I can say with near certainty that it was caused by surface contamination; prior to going through paint. Grabbing the hood with grape jelly in your fingers will do it. I've seen vehicles get sent through paint as many as three times. The production tag has a star stamped into it for every time it went through paint. Those cars will never rust.

You May be a good person to ask this question.

I waited 10 days or so after the dealership touched up the paint on the hood to get Xpel paint protection film put back on the hood. In your opinion, is 10 days long enough ? Or should I have waited longer?

I did some research and got some wildly different answers, ranging from 10 days to 3-6 months.

 

[68coronet]

You May be a good person to ask this question.

I waited 10 days or so after the dealership touched up the paint on the hood to get Xpel paint protection film put back on the hood. In your opinion, is 10 days long enough ? Or should I have waited longer?

I did some research and got some wildly different answers, ranging from 10 days to 3-6 months.

Depends on the amount of catalyst used. A dry finish does not equal a cured finish. To be safe, you should not apply coatings or treatments of any kind for 3 months after it's been painted. All vehicles leaving customer acceptance get driven to the staging area, unwashed. I didn't apply wax to my 2020 50th for 90 days after purchase.

 

[Alain]

Depends on the amount of catalyst used. A dry finish does not equal a cured finish. To be safe, you should not apply coatings or treatments of any kind for 3 months after it's been painted. All vehicles leaving customer acceptance get driven to the staging area, unwashed. I didn't apply wax to my 2020 50th for 90 days after purchase.

Oh, so the 3 month suggestions were not an exaggeration.

in my case, I know they did not re-paint the entire hood. I’m sure they used the least intrusive/most economical way to repair the paint. I assume it would be impossible to for me to tell how much catalyst they used just by looking at the hood.

It’s too late for me to worry about it, the Xpel film has been on there for a week now. If there is an issue whenever it’s time to remove the Xpel, I’ll just have to spend a few hundred bucks to have it repainted.
oh well.

 

[68coronet]

Oh, so the 3 month suggestions were not an exaggeration.

in my case, I know they did not re-paint the entire hood. I’m sure they used the least intrusive/most economical way to repair the paint. I assume it would be impossible to for me to tell how much catalyst they used just by looking at the hood.

It’s too late for me to worry about it, the Xpel film has been on there for a week now. If there is an issue whenever it’s time to remove the Xpel, I’ll just have to spend a few hundred bucks to have it repainted.
oh well.

I wouldn't sweat it... It will be fine.