Clear coat breaking up?? HELP

[Sam Sammons]

I have recently noticed a ton of what look like water droplet stains on my hood and front fenders. But under closer inspection, the clear coat is literally cracking from the inside out. My unit is a 2001 ST with 29K on the odometer. When I called the local dealership they told me that there was nothing they could do, (it was outside its 3yr) and that I should contact the selling dealer. They told me sorry, go see a local dealers service center and see if there are any paint recalls.. They told me no. I cant believe that ford would let such things happen with such low milage vehicle. I also have the esp warranty but that helps nothing. has anyone else experienced this and what have you done. I could really use some help here.. I love my truck and dont want to have to pay for a recoat.





Oh here is a link to some pics of our new little monster too.

 

[2]

There have been otheres on this site with this problem, do a search and you should be able to find them, make sure you search the archives. I believe a few had Ford pay 1/2 and they payed 1/2 and some had no resolution.



Good luck.

 

[Richard L]

The reason that Ford does not provide a Paint warranty beyond the 3 years is because it's the time and exposure to the sun, weather, and polution that damages paint more than miles.



Your vehicle is 5-6 years old. If the paint finish was not properly cared for with frequent cleaning and waxing, then your clear-coat damage was caused by neglect.



Since the clear-coat failure appears as water spots, it sounds like the vehicle sat for a long time with water spots on it and those spots were likely acid rain, or some chemical polution. It also sounds like the truck did not have a coat of protective wax or polymer sealant that would have provided some protection from damaging the clear-coat.



...Rich

 

[Keith L 2]

Maybe this will help:



Article No. 02-17-1



FORD: 1999-2002 EXPLORER

2000-2002 EXPLORER SPORT TRAC, EXPLORER SPORT

MERCURY: 1999-2002 MOUNTAINEER



ISSUE:

Some vehicles may exhibit crowsfoot or premature star cracking primarily on the hood, but could also be on other panels. This is due to high paint film build and acrylic melamine paint technology.



ACTION:

Read this TSB in its entirety BEFORE beginning any repairs. Inspect and repair as outlined in the following Service Procedures.



SERVICE PROCEDURE



1999-2002 Vehicles- Dark Colors (Code LL Blue, Code UA Black, and Code SU Green only)

NOTE: READ THIS REPAIR PROCEDURE COMPLETELY. SUBJECT VEHICLES HAVE PAINT THICKNESS ABOVE 5.5 MILS.



Check paint film thickness on affected panels.

NOTE: IF PLASTIC MEDIA BLASTING IS BEING USED, PROCEED TO STEP 4.



NOTE: TECHNICIAN PERFORMING THE SANDING OPERATION SHOULD WEAR AN APPROVED RESPIRATOR WITH HIGH EFFICIENCY PARTICULATE FILTERS (HEPA). TECHNICIANS SHOULD USE A DUAL ACTION SANDER WITH VACUUM COLLECTION EQUIPMENT. THE VACUUM EQUIPMENT MUST BE EQUIPPED WITH A HEPA FILTER ON THE AIR EXHAUST. OPERATORS ARE CAUTIONED TO FOLLOW MANUFACTURERS GUIDELINES FOR MAINTENANCE OR REPLACEMENT OF THESE FILTERS.



Remove all clearcoat and basecoat by sanding down to the E-coat primer with 80 grit-sanding discs on a Dual Action vacuum sander. The E-coat color is Green.

Blow off the panel with compressed air to remove loose dust and debris.

Wipe the panel with a wax and grease remover. Wipe dry using a clean, lint-free cloth to remove all residue. Keep wiping until the surface is completely dry.

Mask off all necessary panels. Tack off the surface.

Mix and apply Ford Approved epoxy or self-etching primer to all bare metal areas on the panel.

Mix and apply 2.0 mils minimum of Ford Approved primer surfacer following the manufacturers label recommendations and bake at 140° F (60° C) panel temperature per manufacturers recommended baking time.

Block sand the affected panels with 600 grit sand paper.

Blow off the area with compressed air to remove loose dust and debris.

Wipe the panel with a wax and grease remover. Wipe dry using a clean, lint-free cloth to remove all residue.

NOTE: KEEP WIPING UNTIL THE SURFACE IS COMPLETELY DRY. ANY RESIDUE MAY RESULT CONTAMINATION OF THE COATINGS TO BE APPLIED FOLLOWING THIS STEP.



Mix and apply Ford Approved basecoat material following the manufacturers label recommendations and flash time.

Mix and apply 2.0 mils minimum of Ford Approved clearcoat and bake at 140° F (60° C) panel temperature per manufacturers recommended baking time.

Demask the vehicle as necessary.

WARNING: TO SAFEGUARD OUR ENVIRONMENT, PLEASE USE PROPER DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES FOR ANY VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (VOC) OR EXCESS MATERIALS.



OTHER APPLICABLE ARTICLES:

NONE



WARRANTY STATUS:

INFORMATION ONLY



OASIS CODES:

106000

 

[Toni Rader]

I have this same problem on my black 01 with 40k miles. it also appears to have some black paint missing in two of the spots. grrr...:angry:

 

[Tyler Lance 2]

My girlfriends mustang does this. Its a 99 and has always been waxed, etc and well taken care of. We live in Florida and the car is red so I'm pretty sure that makes difference. Anyway, her clearcoat appears be gone and the paint has fadded or the car needs a real good buffing. (someone metioned sand waxing). Anyway the car is dull only on the roof, truck and spolier and the sides of the rear fenders. The car is going to Ford tomorrow to see what can be done to fix it or make is shine again.

Ford paint sucks!:angry: