Lacquer flaking off

[leadballoon]

Am I right in saying that if I have patches of flaking lacquer, I have to strip everything off the panel as its all probably badly bonded? Or can I just patch repair?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

 

[diydazzler]

I'd DA it back until it feathers in and then prime it

 

[leadballoon]

Whats DA please?

Ian

 

[Burnerman]

Dual Action - in other words, a random orbital sander, usually powered by compressed air.
John

 

[Burnerman]

Personally, I think the panel would have to have all of the lacquer removed, repainted and then lacquered again.
John

 

[diydazzler]

Burnerman,20 years in the trade tells me it doesnt .
Hit it with an airline at high pressure and if it all comes off fine but you've still got to flat the panel and repaint.
If it doesn't blow off under pressure it will be sound enought to feather in and primer

 

[Burnerman]

Yep good comment mate - what makes the lacquer come off anyway?
John

 

[leadballoon]

Poor adherance between the paint and lacquer due to poor prep from what I have read.

Mine started from a small light scratch before last winter. The car got covered in snow, which when it melted off took some lacquer with it. Its then just got bigger & bigger, now about a foot square, I imagine as more water gets between the pait/ lacquer layers, it is just lifting it.

Ian

 

[diydazzler]

Yep good comment mate - what makes the lacquer come off anyway?
John

Could be a few reasons.
Leaving too long between applying the basecoat and the clear...normally you have a 24 hour maximum window with solvent based paint,
or not leaving enough time
or just poor quality materials....it may have been done with an aerosol !

Also,smart repairers often work outside in less than ideal conditions,this is a factor also

 

[Burnerman]

Thanks for that...this happened to a friends VW Golf in the nineties.....no scratches on the laquer, and the car hadn't been repainted at any time.
Both the bonnet and roof were affected - he ended up with a complete respray.
John

 

[Peter.N.]

I have a Citroen XM with peeling lacquer but it is 15 years old, a lot of them seem to be suffering with this problem at this age, I think think that its the UV from the sun breaking the lacquer down like it does many plastics.

Peter

 

[diydazzler]

A number of manufacturers have had problems in the past,VW's are well known for fading (reds mostly),Rover had peeling clear problems as have other companies.

Oh and some years back Vauxhall used a nitro-cellulose paint which is the absolute pits to work with