Finish Troubles

[Bishop]

Ok, I have a problem with the finish on my C5.

I bought the car used about 5 months ago.

At the time I picked up the car it was raining, overcast and kinda dark so I missed this at first. Anyway there appears to be places in the paint where the clear coat has for lack of a better word worn through.

I took it to a colision shop that did excelent work on another car of mine after a mishap with a deer and they tell me to fix the trouble they would have to remove the body panels affected and then repaint/repair the clear coat. In other words I am looking at several thousands of dollars to fix what the painter believes to be spots in the clear coat where the previous owner (or maybe the dealer) allowed bird droppings to sit for an extended time before being removed.

So basicaly my question is this, is there any way to repair the damage other then having them remove the panels? (hood, right light cover, and right rear quarter panel)

I unfortunatly do not have any pictures of this problem, they did not show up when I try to photograph them.

The car is a 1999 Navy Blue Corvette coupe.

I will probably post this on a couple other sites also. thanks for any and all help.

 

[Bishop]

Ok, this is an image my friend took that seems to be showing it pretty well, but I am not sure if it will be enough for anyone to actuallly help but here goes

 

[JJU]

I see the two spots on the hood. They do look like bird droppings. If so, they can be very acidic and, unless removed fairly quick, can go right through the clearcoat. No amount of wax, polish, or sealant will help in these instances.

I question the dollar amount of the body shop. It's true that the area will have to be repainted if the stains are through the clearcoat. To do a first rate job, the painter must be careful to blend the repainted area in to the non-repainted area.

I would try another body shop.

 

[Bishop]

I see the two spots on the hood. They do look like bird droppings. If so, they can be very acidic and, unless removed fairly quick, can go right through the clearcoat. No amount of wax, polish, or sealant will help in these instances.

I question the dollar amount of the body shop. It's true that the area will have to be repainted if the stains are through the clearcoat. To do a first rate job, the painter must be careful to blend the repainted area in to the non-repainted area.

I would try another body shop.

As I stated earlier they did the work on my Lincoln when I had a close encounter with a deer, They did excelent work and blended the pain in very well with the rest of the car... but they are rather expensive as you noted. Just thinking of taking it to maaco(sp) sends a shiver down my back. Blah!

It has also been suggested to me to have it wet sanded if their is enough clear coat allow them to even it out, but again it's expensive, but probably not as bad as having it repainted.

Also, if they just have to replace the clear coat, they shouldn't have to actually repaint the hood should they? If not then they don't have to reblend, just seal it.

But what do I know? I should have spotted it before signing the papers... grrr.......

 

[JJU]

It's so hard to see these things over the Internet. Don't kick yourself too hard for missing the stains.

I guess you have nothing to lose by having someone take an abrasive to the area. You know you want it repaired, correct?

Whoever you have do the work regardless if that's a complete re-paint or just the clearcoat re-sprayed, someone must either wet sand the area or take a polishing compound (or similar) to the area. You should consider trying the repair yourself. If it's in the clearcoat, it WILL come out. You can do a little by hand to start. If you see the stains start to come out it may require a little more "elbow grease". If so, get yourself a buffer. (borrow or rent) The clearcoat on a C5 is thin. You might want to have the clearcoat resprayed in any case. The shine will be much better as a side benefit.

My partner had his C4 hood scratched by a boat that backed up in to him. Insurance covered the cost of repair but the body shop repainted and re-clearcoated the entire hood even though the damaged area was small. The cost was under $2,000. A C4 hood is much larger than a C5 hood and he had a crack that needed patching.

I'm loyal to people that do good work but when someone quotes you several thousand dollars when you get an estimate for under $2,000, you have to ask yourself what more are you getting for the extra money?

Good Luck.

 

[Bishop]

Thanks for your reply, but it isn't on the clear coat, the damage is through the clear coat, I just don't know if it is all the way into the paint, I don't think it is but you can feel the depth of the problem if you run your finger over it.

 

[JJU]

I'm not sure what the primer coat under the base coat looks like on a C5. It doesn't make any difference; it's still a repaint to make the area look "good" again. Unless you know how to prep the area for repaint, you'd be wasting your time and money trying to make the stains go away.

 

[paintdaddy]

Bishop,are you in ellenwood Ga?If so ,stop by my shop and Ill look at it.Im not trying to sell myself,just trying to help.

 

[Bishop]

Yes, I am in Ellenwood Ga, send me directions to your shop and I would be glad to come by and have a pro look at it... you are a pro arnt you?

 

[paintdaddy]

Yep,give me a call in my shop in the am,770-946-8949