Bubbles Under Paint on New Car
 

When the sales guy was putting plates on my brand new 05 Civic EX SE (after I signed the papers), he saw some bubbles under the paint on the edge of the hood near the right headlight. He said it was a somewhat common problem and just to make an appointment with the service dept. and they'd have it "sanded and repainted" in a day. Here's my problem, I had a some body work done on a 98 Civic after an accident, and the paint was noticeably worse than the original paint. Should I just let these bubbles go and stick with original paint? Should I have the dealership fix it? How common is this problem?

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y17...bblesClose.jpg

I never had that happen, but it could. The problem is silver is very hard to match. When I had my rear painted after the accident, you can still tell under certain light that its not factory paint. They'll prolly just paint the hood and I doubt it will match exactly. They blended mine and it still didn't match perfectly.

well if u dunt want it to be painted cuz it may not match just get a carbon fiber hood :)

when i installed my grille, u could tell that the paint was lighter, but its barely noticeable.

I'm not worried about color matching. The car is brand new, so they should be able to do ok. I'm more worried about the re-paint being worse in quality and durability than the original paint. The bubbles now are super hard when I push on them, can't imagine they would break or chip. The "repair" paint may not be baked on as well (or at all) as the original was. I guess I should have 3 years in which to repair this "manufacturing defect" under warranty.

i would suggest you have them re-paint it asap if u decide to do it... 3 years down the line, they might not re-paint it for you free if u decide to do it then.

imo, i would just get it repainted... even if it isn't baked on, it would should still be fine if its quality paint job.

I would ask them to give me a diffrent car. That is un-acceptable. Now you have to ether live with bubbled paint or paint that doesn't match. Silver almost never match if its repainted. Its really hard to match, even if its a brand new car.

My g/f's 03 EX coupe had some minor paint flaws. The dealer said that I could bring the car in so the body shop could fix them, but I also had the idea that the factory paint should be better and matched perfectly. I told them that the flaws were fine, and I would bring it in if something happens from them. No problems from them yet.

So far, the factory paint is a joke. Very NON-durable. What a disappointment :yell:

Tell them that the thick paint bubbles will become fragile in the future, and their refinishing at the dealer will be subpar when compared to the factory. Have them replace the hood with a silver hood from the factory :rockon:

You can tell the difference between factory and after paint. It won't look the same texture up close. Don't worry about the quality of a new paint, worry more about color matching. Every shop bakes paint on these days. If you get it done just don't wax it for 2 months.

same thing happened to my 04. My good friends neighbour owns his own bodyshop, and I got it fixed for free...lol. He told me its just the clear coat peeling. So its probably just the clear coat. My clear coat starting peeling after a year or so. So I guess its a common problem, but mine didn't happen till after a year.

My clear coat started peeling on the front bumper, near the fog light area.

I would have them locate another car for you. If nothing else another MM hood and swap it. I have seen several cases of paint that is hard to match.

Hmm. Thanks for the advice, but I'm not sure how willing they will be to put on a new hood. I guess I'll just give the guy a call and see what he'll say. Has onyone left these bubbles as they are? Did they crack? Sooner or later the car is going to get banged up by doors and such in parking lots and I'm not going to stress over the minor paint problems. I'm more interested in which will be more durable/rust proof: original paint with bubbles or new paint (assuming the dealer won't agree to replace the hood).

new paint will be durable. Nothing happened to mine in a few months, and now its nice and waxed for protection. If anything does happen, its lifetime warranty on chips and flaking for my shop at least. Ask what kind of paint warranty you get.

After a cold night I noticed what look like, may not be, but look like tiny little condensation bubbles. Obviously I need to get this fixed, durability doubts and all. I can't have water trapped in those little bubbles. Thanks for everyone's input.

Just remember, This is a brand new car. You have the right to a perfect paint job. I would make some noise !!! Contact American Honda if needed.

Don't let the salesman trick you into keeping the car. That bubble thing is NOT a common problem. As a matter of fact, that's the first time i've seen a new Honda vehicle with that problem. I would demand a new vehicle, no repaint's or hood swaps. If he doesn't comply talk to the manager of the dealership. If you still have problems get a lawyer, you should have a case with this one. :mad:

agreed

I took the car in for the paint repair. The body shop seems on the ball. The repair work is guaranteed for the life of the car, so if there's any peeling or chipping they will fix it. They also walked me through the procedure, they bake the paint on, just like the factory. Although they do it at 140 degrees and I've been told the factory is hotter. Anyway, this was the only silver EX SE sedan in the area and it's been on the lot for some 60 days so I got it for $1100 under invoice. I really can't bitch up a storm since I got a good deal and they're fixing it with a lifetime warranty. Thanks for everyone's input.

Glad you took it in!