[02bluemustangGT]

hey guys, ever since ive had my car (about 6 months) the hood has been chipping more and more, the front bumper has some kinda spider web like cracks in the paint, it scratches waaaay to easily and behind the rear wheels there is more spider web cracks. the car is an 02 True Blue GT.
i will post picks tomorow but it just looks HORRIBLE. i hate it, the hood gets 20 new chips everytime i go to touch up, the whole front bumper looks like its covered in bugs, there's scratches EVERYWHERE.
has anyone had this same problem? waxing and polishing doesnt help, cause believe me i take care of my car. anyone know whats wrong? does the paint really suck this bad?? come on! again ill post pics tomorow.

 

[twogts4us]

The paint is VERY thin. I have the same issues. I wish I had a bra for mine because I have tons of little divots on the leading edge of my hood.
As far as bugs on the bumper - these have to be cleaned off immediately after driving the car. The guts of the bugs do some nasty stuff to the paint surface.
I'm now using Dr.ColorChip Custom Automotive Touch-Up Paint Kit - Dr. ColorChip: Automotive Paint Chip Repair Systems as it is MUCH better than any other touch up solution I have ever used. A bit pricey, but it works very well. (Hint - some deeper chips/scratches will need 2 or even 3 coats, but they dry in mere seconds, so you can tackle these quickly.) With this stuff you no longer have the 'zits' on your hood - that's what it looks like after using regular touch up paint. It looks like you are trying to cover a zit. And it ends up looking like crap. Try this stuff - you'll be impressed. It does actually work as advertised. (And no, I don't work for them! :winks)
Best of Luck!
Chris

 

[Ray 06 GT]

It sounds like the clearcoat is failing amoung other things. This is unusual for a factory paint job. I would suspect that someone did a cheap paint job on the car with inferior products. It sounds like you bought the car used. Did you get a carfax report to see about any crashes? I do paint work as a hobby. The spiderwebbing you are describing sounds like a primer filler product that was put on too thick and is now shrinking. I've seen that happen when guys are in a hurry and don't finish off their body work. They use too much filler and it cracks and shrinks after paint is applied. It's hard to tell though without pictures. Sometimes urethane front bumper covers will spiderweb from normal hot and cold cycles of changing seasons. No matter the cause it sounds like you are unhappy with the current paint job and are in need of a new one. My advice would be to ask around about a good reputable body shop in your area. It's worth paying a little bit more for a paint job that will last the life of your car. That way you won't have to re-paint it every few years.

 

[02bluemustangGT]

as for repainting, i have no idea. it looks like factory true blue metallic, and a cautious as we are, we unfortunately never thought to get the carfax....:nono:
and id love to get a repaint, but i just cant afford a 2+ thousand dollar paint job, i still have to pay for the car. but maybe in a year or two. im the 3rd owner i believe also.

-the pictures. the first is the hood, before there were large chips but i recently touch them up. then theres the bumper, which looks like bugs but IS the paint cracking. and then theres the scratch, tons of those show up everywhere. and then theres the cracked paint behind the rear wheels.

 

[Ray 06 GT]

That front bumper has definatley been repainted. I understand being tight on the finances. You could paint the hood and the bumper cover for now and then tackle the rest of the car when you have the finances. It would certainly look better. I don't know how energetic or talented you are but some shops will let you do the labor part of the body work i.e. removing parts, sanding, and light prepping, then they will paint the parts for you at a reduced cost. You would have to check around and see. With labor rates at most body shops around $65 an hour it doesn't take long to add up quickly.

Good luck with everything. :bigthumbsup

 

[02bluemustangGT]

thanks ray i will call some shops and see once i get some funds built up. first i need a job! haha thats gonna be a big hurdle...so for now ill just polish and wax and hope it doesnt get worse...

 

[mcate]

I'm not sure about 02's, but I had an '03 Mach 1 that chipped very easily. Did some research, & it turned out that the paint Ford used in 03 was prone to chipping. For the 04 model year they had the prob fixed.

 

[b1lk1]

Ford did some really horrible paintjobs on these cars in the early 2000 range. My 2002 has paint peeling off the hood in sheets and it is a common problem that sadly Ford never recognized and recalled. Just Google it and you'll see thousands upon thousands of pissed offf people with this problem.

 

[2Manystangs]

The BIG 3 use a cheap clearcoat stabilizer to save money...my Chem E brother says they have stabilizers that will never fail but duh it costs more...
The paint will only get worse, waxing it will not help...if I was you I'd go to Maaco, for $500 you can get a basecoat/clearcoat complete paintjob with a 5 year warranty...they did all 3 of my cars and they look great...also my local shop turns it around in 3 days...check them out if you are near one.

 

[jim293]

Those rock chips are going to happen unless you use something to protect that front. end. Something like a clear bra or just a regular bra. I use a clear bra and I do not have one rock chip in the front end of my car. My 1988 GT had the same deal. I had it re-sprayed and used a bra and that took care of that.

 

[NBK]

The BIG 3 use a cheap clearcoat stabilizer to save money...my Chem E brother says they have stabilizers that will never fail but duh it costs more...
The paint will only get worse, waxing it will not help...if I was you I'd go to Maaco, for $500 you can get a basecoat/clearcoat complete paintjob with a 5 year warranty...they did all 3 of my cars and they look great...also my local shop turns it around in 3 days...check them out if you are near one.

Maaco...... seriously.



If you want paint work done right and done with good quality products, Maaco is the last place you should go.

 

[mustangted1963]

doesnt macco use a wagner power painter?

 

[mcate]

I have an 06 Focus that I use as my work car. The paint started peeling off the hood last summer. I didn't want to put much $$ into it, so I took it to Maaco. For $250 they stripped & shot the hood, & I was very pleasantly surprised at how good it came out. I expected runs & orange peel.