Clearcoat

[daveshoe]

I had a pretty dirty truck a few weeks ago and when I washed it there was a stubborn bird dropping on the hood. I was finally able to get it off with a very soft sponge and some patience as I didn't want to scratch the clearcoat. A small ''stain''remained so I got out the claybar and went over the wole hood and the " stain" and discovered the clearcoat had been etched and even the color coat was thin. I figured my fault for not washing it right away.

Last night I parked a clean truck and discovered a dropping this morning and cleaned it first thing. You guessed it -- clearcoat was etched again although not as deep this time.

Has anyone else had this problem? How did you/would you deal with it?

 

[Dkevdog]

What year is your truck?? I have a 96' and the clearcoat is all but about GONE. I'm not alone, and niether are you. LOTS of paint problems and especially clear coat failures. I'm looking into having mine repainted here in the not too distant future:{ . You'd think for the money we pay for these trucks, DC would use more than a couple cans of Krylon !!



Kev

 

[daveshoe]

Truck is 02

Truck is 02 with flame red. I called dealer this morning and explained how second bird bomb sat there for just hours before it etched paint. he said my homeowners insurance should cover it . I asked how long before they cancel my policy if they paid a hundred bucks every time a bird flew over. [if they paid at all due to deductible] He'll get back to me on it

Quality of paint job appearance wise is excellent-- very smooth, high reflectivity, but I wonder if its lacking in catalyst or something due to extreme tendency to grab on to bird crap even through two coats of Zymoil wax.

I cant use any other sealant due to fact that a poly sealant would make the hood impossible to paint . This is bad enough that repairs are in order first bafore sealant can be applied.

 

[Pit Bull]

Re: Truck is 02

Originally posted by daveshoe



I cant use any other sealant due to fact that a poly sealant would make the hood impossible to paint . This is bad enough that repairs are in order first before sealant can be applied.

Dave, I park mine outside. Does not fit in the garage. Wax it twice a year with a heavy duty poly wax. Every morning I clean off any bird droppings and I still get the etching of the clear coat. My truck is 3 years old black and looks good (I alway keep it clean). I also have a Toyota Landcruiser that stays in the garage, and I wax it twice a year, but when I get a bird dropping it etches the clear coat. If you find a solution please post your findings.

 

[duaneparks]

Good Lawd! What are the birds eating up there? I park mine outside too, and I get bird droppings, but they have yet to etch the clear coat.



'Course, there's a good layer of road grime on mine most of the time. I too keep a good coat of wax on mine, with regular waxings 3 times a year (the summers in Houston can be brutal).



FWIW, I don't have a Mexican built truck, it was built in St. Louis. Maybe that's a difference?



Duane

 

[Pit Bull]

Originally posted by duaneparks





FWIW, I don't have a Mexican built truck, it was built in St. Louis. Maybe that's a difference?



Duane

Mine was built in St. Louis and never put on a train so I did not get to have any of that good old rail dust added to the paint

 

[slo-ryde]

Originally posted by duaneparks

Good Lawd! What are the birds eating up there? I park mine outside too, and I get bird droppings, but they have yet to etch the clear coat.

I was thinking the same thing! My vehicles take direct hits and I've never seen it etch the clearcoat. Maybe those birds are on acid?

 

[TomGolden]

I have a Mexican built truck, Patriot Blue. Built in August 2000, I bought it in September 2000. I try to wash it at least every 3 weeks, and I have used nothing but Zaino Brothers polishes since day one. I think they are poly waxes?? I have a few tiny paint chips missing, mostly on the hood, but have never seen any places where the clearcoat has vanished.



Tom

 

[Pit Bull]

Tom I also use the poly I think its Turtle wax, every 6 months and my paint looks good. I think that poly is what you need if your truck sits outside all of the time like mine does. Now if I could only get the birds to stop crapping on my truck

 

[K_Arts]

Yepp got the same problem. Both my 00 and my 01 have lousey paint jobs and the clear coat doesn't show anymore.



I'm actually trying to find a place here in town that will repaint both of my trucks to look like factory paint again and slap a couple layers of clearcoat. Does anyone know of any good paint shops that are either in denver, or any that are nationally known? I have no problems travelling a little ways to get a good quality paint job.



Kev

 

[1tuffram]

K Arts

When you find that paint shop let me know. My truck has the infamous peeling paint syndrome thing happening.

 

[K_Arts]

Re: K Arts

Originally posted by 1tuffram

When you find that paint shop let me know. My truck has the infamous peeling paint syndrome thing happening.

Will do. I have found about 4 so far that will do what I want to do, all down south of Denver, but when I went to look at their shops they were all nasty and dirty and the quality if work literally sucked. So I told them what my concerns were and walked out. So I will keep you updated.



Kev

 

[daveshoe]

Thanks for the input , guys. I'll take the Mighty Cummins [why give the other manufacturer brand name recognition after this] -to a guy who can touch up the hood and then I'll call up the guy who advertises the sooper dooper poly wax and see if he wants to ''guarantee '' his finish can survive the dreaded battery acid dropping birds of Ohio for more than two hours

BTW My old 1992 C***rolet did not suffer this much damage when a battery exploded one night while being charged next to the truck.

Now I'm supposed to accept this when the dealer says it's an act of God.

At least I'm still keeping my cool because seven out of the ten voices in my head tell me not to shoot

 

[Pit Bull]

I don't know what to say? Today at the gym one of the guys asked me if all I did was wash and clean my truck all of the time since it alway shined. I have not cleaned my truck in 2 weeks. I just wax it with Turtle wax with poly, twice a year and park it outside and let the birds crap on it. Trucks 3 years old and has lived outside since new. Guess I got a good one. Black is beautiful

 

[slo-ryde]

I'm just back from a camping trip across Nevada, Utah, and Arizona and took several direct hits from birds along the way. I had one rather large one on the roof that I didn't even notice until I was washing the truck after the trip. I checked all the areas in bright light from different angles and can see no evidence of etching. It's either something in the bird's diet or bad paint.

 

[daveshoe]

Paint issue

I went to a body shop with a good reputation and the owner stated that EPA mandates have caused the clearcoat on the newest vehicles to be subject to this problem. I checked Slo Ride's profile and found he also has a 02 truck and no problems.

If anyone has any success dealing with a dealer in resolving this issue , please advise . I have seen recent paint posts on other forums and have seen some not so happy campers.

If i find out how to make a repair or how to get a dealer to fix this problem I will be sure to let everyone know.



Thanks Guys Daveshoe

 

[slo-ryde]

Hey daveshoe,



I know this is probably not what you want to hear BUT... Take the truck to a paint shop that you trust and get a quote to re-apply the clearcoat on the hood only. It's almost a no-brainer to do the clearcoat and should be real cheap. Doing just the hood would mean simply masking off everything else below and shooting it. I'd like to think Dodge would have this done just to make you happy but from some of the posts I've seen they can be real difficult at times!



I'm assuming that the problem is only on the hood? If it's the whole truck THEN never mind...



BTW: I didn't see anything for a profile on your truck on the post. Is it new?

 

[Mike Ellis]

Bird Diet....

... . can affect things a lot, especially for buzzards. Apparently a diet of rotting possums and armadilloes requires stout stomach fluids... ...

 

[Bhooper]

birds of a feather

these birds are the victums eating fast food french fries left in Mcds parking lots, they suffer from gastrointestinal acidity and theyre life spans will be significantly shortend. My last Dodge, a Dakota, had a horrible paint job, two years old and the hood and roof were flaking, eventually it had mostly primer showing , I have the flame red now on a 98. 5 and it looks real good. . Didnt know you could see that clear coat that well, will have to take a look. .