Windshield Repair Forum

I don't know if this would fall under the topic of PDR.

But, my wife's 2001 Monte Carlo SS came with the worst factory paint job I have ever seen. Look at the exterior the wrong way and the (obviously) one layer of cheap enamel errodes.

Personally, I am "Old School" when it comes to paint and body work and would simply strip the durned thing, featherfill it and then blow 15 coats of lacquer, let it harden for a month, wet sand and keep repeating until I had a perfect product.

However, I do realize that there may have been advances in the industry since the "good ol' days" of having to keep a vehicle for 6+ months for a pristine look.

Any suggestions as to how I can "blend" her scratches and retain her finish without having to go through a complete re-shoot?

Hey Dave,
That would be paint restoration not PDR. I don't know who you whould talk to.
David
Coitster

Hi Dave- I've been in and out of the body business for over 25 years and alot has changed since the old school days. I also worked for a few years at a GM dealership and saw similiar paint problems as the one you describe. The problem could be caused by a phenomonem called atmospheric fallout. In laymens terms this means that somewhere in the assembly process prior to painting or application of the final clear coat... the car was exposed to the elements (moisture, pollution,whatever) then the finish was applied over the exposed areas. There could also have been an unstable batch of paint that went through at the time. I have personally seen GM pay for a repaint on an older car such as yours. What you need is alot of documentation and the sooner the better. Unfortunately the dealer will probably try to get rid of you instead of fixing the problem. In this case its the squeeky wheel that gets the oil. If you're willing to insist on seeing a factory service rep and follow up with letters to GM, you may get some satisfaction. The problem with bad paint is that its like having a crumbling foundation under a house, its hard to patch up or spot in if there is an underlying instability in the subsurface. If you decide to refinish yourself, probably best to take to a bodyshop, with the cost and complexity of the new compatible paint systems, you can expect to have to buy up to 8 cans of different products/ primer -reducer- activator -sealer- sealer activator- color- color activator -and clear Oh....I long for the old days of lead and acrylic lacquer. Good Luck Bob