HELP! Bubbles in paint! Advice Needed!
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 306
Likes: 1
From: Loganville Georgia
HELP! Bubbles in paint! Advice Needed!
OK, so I was up in NC this weekend at The Tail of the Dragon (which was effing awesome, by the way), when my buddy noticed that I had some slight bubbling on the rear hatch on either side of the Corvette emblem. None of the bubbles has broken; nearly all of them are fairly small. Still, this is distressing. Has anyone else had this problem? What should I do to put off the inevitable breakage?
My car is a 2002. It was NOT a daily driver in its previous life nor is it one now. It is always garaged when not in use. (This weekend was the first time since I've had it that it spent the night outside.)
My car is a 2002. It was NOT a daily driver in its previous life nor is it one now. It is always garaged when not in use. (This weekend was the first time since I've had it that it spent the night outside.)
Pro
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 628
Likes: 4
From: Columbia SC
This is a nasty little problem that's fairly common. Search on "rear hatch bubbling" or variations on that theme and you should find relevant posts. I can hardly force myself to look at the back of my 2003, fearing I'll see the bubbles(of course, with the crappy, orange-peely factory paint on my C5, bubbles won't look much worse).
Anyway, as I recall from reading these posts in the past, it is a problem with the base material, or subsurface, or some such. People have had the area refinished and it comes right back. I understand that you basically have to replace the hatch and even that is no guarantee that your new hatch won't bubble too. Then, with replacing the hatch, you have alignment and other issues on top of the huge expense. What a
nightmare.
Perhaps you could get a shop to refinish the area and give you a guarantee (in writing) so they will be on the hook for any re-do needed. Or maybe a really good shop could somehow neutralize/seal the base material and keep the bubbles from re-surfacing. Good luck, and I'm sure the Forum would like to hear back from you regarding what if anything you choose to do and your results.
Anyway, as I recall from reading these posts in the past, it is a problem with the base material, or subsurface, or some such. People have had the area refinished and it comes right back. I understand that you basically have to replace the hatch and even that is no guarantee that your new hatch won't bubble too. Then, with replacing the hatch, you have alignment and other issues on top of the huge expense. What a
nightmare.
Perhaps you could get a shop to refinish the area and give you a guarantee (in writing) so they will be on the hook for any re-do needed. Or maybe a really good shop could somehow neutralize/seal the base material and keep the bubbles from re-surfacing. Good luck, and I'm sure the Forum would like to hear back from you regarding what if anything you choose to do and your results.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 6,993
Likes: 25
The hatch has to be replaced to permanently fix it, there was a TSB on it.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...rome-help.html
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...rome-help.html
Last edited by dougbfresh; Jun 15, 2010 at 10:39 AM.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,787
Likes: 2
From: Wildomar CA
My Vert had some small issues I never even considered and I figured out it is from this issue. I called GM and the dealer and they basically told me to take a flying leap 
Sad that they do such a poor job on paint, but why would any aspect of quality be higher than the sub-par job they do on the rest of their vehicles? I have purchased 14 GM vehicles over the last 8 years. She basically told me a TSB means nothing and that something on the internet doesn't mean anything, I told her it means that you identified a "known defect" and although you will not cover it under warranty you have informed dealers how to fix it when they repaint the car and cannot figure out why the problem keeps coming back. She had no retort to THAT!
Not surprised in the least, and I'm SURE GM was posting this everywhere telling customers about this known defect under the original warranty period so the owners could have them fixed.
Oh well it is a driver and not all that noticeable, at least my roof doesn't de-laminate and fly off
Sad that they do such a poor job on paint, but why would any aspect of quality be higher than the sub-par job they do on the rest of their vehicles? I have purchased 14 GM vehicles over the last 8 years. She basically told me a TSB means nothing and that something on the internet doesn't mean anything, I told her it means that you identified a "known defect" and although you will not cover it under warranty you have informed dealers how to fix it when they repaint the car and cannot figure out why the problem keeps coming back. She had no retort to THAT!
Not surprised in the least, and I'm SURE GM was posting this everywhere telling customers about this known defect under the original warranty period so the owners could have them fixed.
Oh well it is a driver and not all that noticeable, at least my roof doesn't de-laminate and fly off
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 2,487
Likes: 0
From: China Grove N.C.
I was in Georgia 3 years ago an looked at an orange Z06 on the show room floor and while looking down the side in the light I saw a huge run right at the gas door 3in long an orange peel all to hell I showed the salesman and he just laughed an said thats extra !! Quality paint work GM ,NOT!!
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,787
Likes: 2
From: Wildomar CA
I was in Georgia 3 years ago an looked at an orange Z06 on the show room floor and while looking down the side in the light I saw a huge run right at the gas door 3in long an orange peel all to hell I showed the salesman and he just laughed an said thats extra !! Quality paint work GM ,NOT!!
My favorite was the co-worker who said "I don't want to alarm you, but I think your whole car has been in an accident and repainted." It was a year old with 4k miles. I told him not to worry it was just the crap GM orange peel Corvette paint.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Racer
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 470
Likes: 1
From: Bellevue Nebraska
It's GM, not 3M paint...
It ain't meant to stay on there and shine forever. My car is 13 yrs old and still looks pretty darn good, when the paint is in need, you bet I'll repaint this bad boy!
~ 5ltrEATER
It ain't meant to stay on there and shine forever. My car is 13 yrs old and still looks pretty darn good, when the paint is in need, you bet I'll repaint this bad boy!
~ 5ltrEATER
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,640
Likes: 83
From: . New York
<== avatar shot shows the problem. It usualy shows up in varying degrees in a line paralell to the rear of the car along the hatch on either side of the emblem.
Mine isnt bad and in the 4 yrs Ive had it doesnt seem to be getting any worse. If I remember correctly its an internal thing caused by a reaction between (or within) the bonding agent used in that area. Depends on how bad you have it if its better to repaint/replace hatch.
I didnt notice it for a long while after I had the car, and I do keep it "pretty damn clean"
so I was bound to notice it while waxing sooner or later.
Like I said, it hasnt moved in 4 yrs, not bugging me atm.
Mine isnt bad and in the 4 yrs Ive had it doesnt seem to be getting any worse. If I remember correctly its an internal thing caused by a reaction between (or within) the bonding agent used in that area. Depends on how bad you have it if its better to repaint/replace hatch.
I didnt notice it for a long while after I had the car, and I do keep it "pretty damn clean"
so I was bound to notice it while waxing sooner or later.Like I said, it hasnt moved in 4 yrs, not bugging me atm.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,109
Likes: 1
From: Clayton CA
I have the same problem on my black '99 coupe. I also have the typical stone chips on the front and wind shield. I figure it's an 11 year old car - I don't worry about it any more. It still looks great. I definitely got my $16K worth.
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,640
Likes: 83
From: . New York
Mine = no and I havent seen any pics of that type of thing when I looked into it before. It si mostly a "rippleling" under the paint. Can be pretty visible if its bad, but havent seen it peel.
