Automotive Paint Problems

Automotive paint problems and ways to avoid them

It is well known within the collision repair industry, that one area in particular can cause major headaches and this is automotive refinishing. A bad paint job is highly noticeable and will be the first thing a customer notices. The automotive world is small and it is all too easy to quickly gain a bad reputation for refinishing and harder to win back lost business.

The problem with automotive paint refinishing is that it is very time consuming and every task needs to be carried out in the right way at the right time. Therefore it can be very tempting to try and cut corners to save on time. However, if adequate prep work is not undertaken, then it is all too easy to produce a sub-standard paint job. So, what can cause someone to perform a bad repair job?

Wrinkling

This refinish nightmare is normally the result the old paint work attacking the new finish. Patches of wrinkles (like wrinkly skin) will appear in places where the existing layer of paint shrivels up during the application of the new coat of paint. To avoid this when recoating enamels or urethanes, you should make sure that they are fully cured before applying.

Peeling

When there is loss of adhesion between the coat of paint and the metal, the appearance of peeling will emerge. This is a common and extremely unsightly error and the best way to avoid this mistake is to thoroughly clean the metal, allowing the paint to dry for the optimal time and ensuring that there are no drastic changes in temperature.

Blushes

Blushes appear as grey patches on the car's surface shortly after a coating of paint has been applied. If you carry out repaints in the wrong climate (when the room temp is too hot), the air coming from your spray gun can potentially cool the metal and create condensation to occur. To avoid this, ensure that you spray paintwork in optimal conditions.

Bubbling

Bubbles appearing up on the surface of a painted vehicle is the result of trapped solvents 'popping'. The best way to stop this from happening is to ensure you do not over spray or go too heavy with the undercoats.

Orange Peel

So called due to its similarities with the skin of an orange, orange peel occurs when your spray equipment pressure is too low or if you have under-thinned your paint. Ensure you have adjusted your spray gun to give an optimal performance and that you do not excessively coat the vehicle.

Runs

A sign of a bad paint job is when you see paint runs on a car. These runs appear as raised, thick lines, typically showing up on vertical surfaces of the vehicle. There are various causes of runs with spray technique and using the wrong thinner as the main reasons.

Pinholes

Pinholes appear as tiny little holes throughout your car's finish. This is a result of trapped moisture, air or solvents and is primarily caused by poor surface cleaning, contaminated airlines or just spraying the paint whilst too close to the vehicle.

Eradicate Bad Paint Jobs with Spray Booths

The most effective way to avoid making costly paint job mistakes is to use an automotive spray booth. However, it can be hard knowing which type of booth would best suit you and your business set-up. That is why David Utting Engineering have developed the “Smartshop” - a plug and play car body spray and repair booth. This unique and high-quality turnkey solution is the spray booth solution chosen by countless vehicle manufacturers, dealerships, and repair centres, across the UK.

Investing in a spray booth will give you greater control over the spray environment, the temperatures will operate at optimal levels and the spray guns will give the perfect finish.

If you would like to find out more about how you could avoid bad paint jobs by using the smartshop spray booth, please call us on 01603 623764 or alternatively email us at sales@davidutting.co.uk.

Automotive Paint Problems