Your car’s appearance is important to you, which is why you wash, wax and detail it on a regular basis. You apply touch-up paint to places where rocks may have caused scratches. Despite all your best efforts, you may have noticed some small areas where the paint seems to be peeling. Despite taking good care of your paint, other factors can lead to peeling paint on your car, a process known as delamination. If you don’t deal with the issue, your car could decrease in value.
Multiple Layers
Your vehicle has multiple layers on its surface. The first layer is primer which serves as a bases layer for the paint. It protects the metal and evens the surface so that paint adheres well. The next layer is the base coat. This consists of several layers which are applied carefully to give the car it’s unique coloring. Finally, a clear coat is added as a hard shell that keeps the car from rusting, a process known as oxidation, minor chips and scratches as well as to keep it protected from rain, snow, sleet, and other environmental issues.
Peeling Paint
When one or more of the layers stops binding to the surface below it, delamination can occur. If the primer stops adhering to the bare metal, the paint above it will begin to peel. This can lead to small circles of paint flaking from the surface of the car. There are two reasons why this could occur. If the factory made a mistake in the process or if a DIY paint job was not done correctly, there could be flaking. Chrysler, Ford and GM models manufactured in the late 1980s to mid-1990s experienced issues on the production line that led to premature paint delamination due to a problem in the factory. The second cause is a compromised paint seal due to a rock chip, ding or scratch. If the chip breaks through the paint seal, road salt and other contaminants can damage the paint.
Repairing Peeling Paint
The first thing is to determine the deepness of the peeled area. If the paint beneath the clear coat starts peeling badly, the problem is serious. You will want to address the affected area as quickly as possible. There is a possibility that the factory paint job was faulty. You will know this if the peeling is over the entire body. If the car was manufactured by GM, Chrysler or Ford in the early 1980s to mid-1990s, it may be a factory paint issue. The same is true if it was a DIY paint job. If either of these is the case, you will want to have the entire car repainted before the peeling gets significant.
If you have noticed peeling paint on your car, contact Elmer’s Auto Body today to schedule an appointment. You can do so by calling or filling out the easy form online.