theandies

When I bought my car there were a few bubbles on the front drivers side quarter panel. I know this is caused by a fluid of some sort getting into the fiberglass the working its way out over time causing the paint to bubble. The other day I took a small pin and punctured one of the bubbles and a clear liquid came out. I don't know what it is because its not enough to smell or get a good feel. I think it may be DOT5 brake fluid though.

Now to my questions:
Has anyone that has had their car repainted and had the bubbles before repainting had any luck with the bubbles not returning?
If you had good luck what did you (or the body shop) do to prevent this from happening again?
thanks

NHvette

Silicone is the most evil nasty stuff as far as body shops are concerned.
You can get a solvent to remove the silicone, but I doubt
you will be able to get it all out - if it has soaked in.

What makes you suspect DOT5 ?

TheKomoman

I have similiar bubbles in my paint, very small. The body shop told me that in my case it's the lacquer actually breaking down. Apparently this was what the Dupont rep advised them. They recommended strongly against painting over it as it would inevitably show it's way through. A complete strip and re-paint will some day be the solution.

theandies

I think it may be DOT5 because the master cylinder is the only thing close to the area that would allow fluid to spill on the quarter panel or be sprayed on the backside of the qtr. It isn't DOT3 because it is not eating through the paint. I guess it could be just plain water.

shamby

My paint was doing the same thing, so I had the car repainted. Within a year they came back. Not sure on what to do now.

Tom454

"Silicone is the most evil nasty stuff as far as body shops are concerned."

Yes... it's tough to get out. So is Armorall I have Armorall on the bare fiberglass on the firewall of my C2 and I cannot get it out to save my life. Ive even used Dupont PrepSol (7919?) on it. Once silicone wicks into the fiberglass, it's nearly impossible to remove.

I've had the same problem with DOT 3 though. Once it gets into the fiberglass, yer screwed.

"You can get a solvent to remove the silicone", e.g.- PrepSol or the current replacement. The stuff is carried by Body Shop supply houses.
But it won't work miracles.

I used enamel reducer, lacquer thinner, acetone (a component of lacquer thinner), and Dupont 7919. I got lacquer primer & lacquer topcoat "fish-eye" all over my firewall. Enamel won't even begin to adhere.

As far as silicone filling a bubble.... there would have to be some phenomena that drew the silicone out of the fiberglass. From my experience, lacquer thinner (or other thinning solvents) won't pull silicone out of fiberglass when used in the open air. Under a top coat, maybe it's a different story. But it should have been impossible for the top coat to "bridge" the brake fluid while you were spraying.... you should have gotten a massive amount of fish-eye, and no bridge if there was any brake fluid on the fiberglass to begin with.

I'm sure you cleaned the surface really well with the correct solvent(s) before you painted. Maybe water invaded that bubble after it formed due to a contaminated surface (such as brake fluid)?

I've also had bubbles form on Lacquer topcoats because of chemicals that I used in the primer (retarder). The evaporation rates were conflicting... the primer felt dry, but was still technically "wet".

mark79,80

Years ago when I used to paint with lacquar I had a similar problem
with bubbles forming in the paint after the car was left in the hot
summer sun. I tried stripping and repainting several times and the
problem came back. Then tried stripping the paint again and then
spraying several coats of Fiberglass Evercoat's Feather fill over the
bare fiberglass. Sanded with 220 paper then sprayed several coats
of primer/surfacer. Then applied the color and clear. Bubbles never
came back.

The Featherfill is still sold as is a similar product called Slick Sand.
They are both a polyester body filler in sprayable form and use a
hardener. The Featherfill has a strong odor so use in a well
ventilated area.

EDDIEJ82

Mine had tiny bubbles all over too. That's why I stripped it.

See my post on Stripping done.

This was 1 coat and the original paint that came on the car. I know this to be a fact as I am the 2nd owner. So how did the bubbles get there?