Hello,

I am seeking some help on a problem the PAINTER is having with my car. Recently my car was hit from behind and the bumper had to be repainted. My car is Medium Quasar Blue Metallic with Silver glossy racing stripes.

4 Years ago it was rear ended and was painted by my REGULAR body shop who had the car out of the shop with no problem in 3 days.

However due to needing 4 new tires, oil change, and repairs and the great convenience I dropped the car off at the local Chevrolet dealership.

They have had the car for 2 weeks and have painted the bumper 6 times and STILL can't get it painted right.

The problem they explain: WATERBASED PAINT, SOLVENT CLEARCOAT, and STRIPING = BAD BLEEDING

They explained that in the last 2 years the government here in British Columbia regulated a BAN of all solvent Paint and are required to paint in WATERBASED now. They explained that with waterbased paint remains tacky and when trying to paint stripes that the solvent based clearcoat melts the waterbased paint and causes the stripes to badly BLEED.

They have repainted it 6 TIMES in 2 weeks and they still are having SUCH A PROBLEM.

I complained (before there explanation) WHY it takes them 2 weeks to paint something that should take no more than 3 days and if they needed to get ADVICE from the other body shop to paint my bumper right????

That is when they explained the above and claim it's IMPOSSIBLE to paint stripes now with waterbased paint without bleed and is a REAL ISSUE now....

I am STUCK now because my insurance company will not pay for the repair if taken to the other body shop and it's up to the dealer to get it fixed...

What I want to know is.. IS THIS TRUE????? IS it true that no matter who paints the stripes with the waterbased paint that they will have this problems??? How does the manufacture paint them now then???

 

Nice car! Sorry to hear about your troubles. Sounds fishy.

 

They should have told you about the paint issue when you took it in ,they knew that first of all !!!.If they can't paint it take it to someone who can and refuse to pay them for a incomplete job,explain that to your insurance co.
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I agree totally with explaining it to your insurance company. Tell them that this shop has proven to be incapable of painting your bumper/stripes, and ask them to send an assessor out to meet with them so they can see for themselves....and tell them you want to take the car elsewhere...

It's unfortunate, but most insurance companies hope you'll just "give up" and accept it as is....they WILL try to lowball you at every turn. They only care that it's settled....not about your car.

 

This is actually a legitimate problem that the shop is having while trying to paint your stripes. A number of states around the country here in the U.S. have enacted regulations that are gradually forcing shops to reduce VOC emissions. These regulations, in a nutshell, mean that American paint shops will need to use waterborne paints in order to comply. The move to less toxic, water-based finishes is already well under way elsewhere. Waterborne paints are currently in extensive use in Europe and Canada, and many OEMs now use water-based paints on their newest products.

When doing multiple colors and taping up, the paint manufacturers had to come up with different tape where it wouldn't bleed underneath. Waterborne paint has a tendency to bleed a little bit underneath the tape. They did come out with different plastic tapes to help alleviate this problem, though. My guess is that the shop that's doing your paint work is using a traditional masking tape. Suggest to them to use the new plastic masking tape that's specifically designed for the new waterborne paint.

 

carlos64030 seems to know what he's talking about, but low VOC paints should be nothing new to any reputable body shop nowadays...and you say they've had SIX chances to get it right?!? I'll admit, WATERBORNE paint is "relatively" new (I think), but I would also think any shop that does any decent volume of work would know how to use it by now.

Low VOC paint was enacted several years ago...California (of course) was one of the first.

EDIT: But I see you're in BC....so it might just be a new deal altogether up there....take the car south and get it painted! lol - Nice ride BTW...!!

 

I'm thinking this is where it started to go wrong.

Doing the same thing over and over yet expecting a different outcome is the basic definition of insanity. If they're getting the same results each time, then they must not be trying anything different.

They're making excuses. I'm certainly no paint expert, but experts ARE doing this stuff every day with success. I think the problem is not necessarily the water-borne paint. I'm thinking it's the painter not doing something different that he needs to be, like the plastic masking tape thing.

Is it just the edges of the stripes that are bleeding?

The insurance company owes you something called "like kind and quality", make sure they don't forget.

 

Just out of curiosity, are there not many places in B.C. to get a car worked on? Here in the U.S., car guys normally shy away from automotive dealerships if the vehicle isn't being repaired under a manufacturer's warranty. Not saying that a dealership isn't capable of producing quality work, but their prices are usually a lot more expensive compared to other repair shops. I don't know if that's the case in B.C. or not.

 

I'm sure many paint manufactures like PPG would have a solution to this as they make the paint and have developed ways to make it work. The dealer should have contacted the paint manufacture after the first time they screwed up.

 

I have not been to the water based class yet, but yes bad tape will bleed even regular paint. They make a specific thin tape just for the application, we use it for stripes, flames and graphics. Trust me thet thin stripe that outlines the SS stripes is a bitch with out the right tape, nothing worse than pulling up tape to find a bleed. I use 3M fine line tape, it even bakes up to 250 degrees, and never get a bleed unless I screw up.

3M 218 Fine Line Masking Tape - 1⁄2" x 60 yards





EnlargeCreates a flawless, clear paint line and color separation.

• Ideal for vehicle detail painting, silkscreen masking and lettering.
  
• Resists solvents and moisture.
  
• Resists baking temperatures up to 250°F for 30 minutes.
  
• Green polypropylene film with rubber adhesive.