Over the years of using your car, there are really times when you will notice blemishes appearing on its paint. While others might be because of normal wear and tear, others really have their own distinct causes, which can actually be prevented. Once you notice these marks on your car paint, it is best if you will have it repaired as soon as possible. You can do it yourself or you can go to the body shop, whichever suits best for you.

Here are several car paint problems, their causes and how to repair and prevent them:

Craters or Air Entrapment

This type of blemish is characterized by openings that look like small craters. They can be found in or on the paint film of your car.

Cause:

Air pockets that have been buried or trapped in the car paint film while it is still wet. These usually go towards the surface of the film before bursting to form tiny craters. Usually this air entrapment problem is caused by insufficient atomization and may be because of low air pressure or the improper setup of your spray gun. It could also be caused by the spray gun’s too close distance to the car’s surface while painting or its slow travelling over the panels.

Repair:

Sand the blemished area with a 1200 sand paper. You can also use one with a finer grit if you wish. After sanding, compound and then polish the sanded area to bring back its gloss. You can also use the known procedure of sanding, smoothing and refinishing.

Prevention:

If you are painting your car yourself, you can prevent craters from forming on its paint by maintaining correct distance and speed of your spray gun. You should also use the amount of air pressure that is recommended for the kind of paint and spray gun you are using. You should also follow the recommendations with regards to the proper nozzles, air caps or needles needed for clear coatings.

It is also good to note that several cases of crater formation on car paint may look quite the same to dust contamination or solvent pop. However, air entrapment usually happens with wet film and can be repaired by following the process of compounding. Meanwhile, dust contamination normally appears when the film is already becoming dry. Craters caused by dust usually hold a speck of the offending material right in the middle of the opening. Solvent pop also happens after the skinning over of the film and usually forms pinholes when sanded.

Blistering 

These are the swollen areas on the topcoat film of your car paint, which look like bumps, bubbles or pimples. More often than not, you will notice these marks only months after paint has been applied to your vehicle.

Cause:

Blistering is often caused by the confinement of moisture underneath the paint film. This, in turn, is caused by contaminated air lines, inadequate drying time after wet sanding and spraying in places with extremely high humidity.

The use of poor grade reducer or thinner or one that evaporates too fast is also another reason that could cause bumps or bubbles to appear on your car paint. It could also be because of the solvents that have been trapped after the application of wet heavy coatings with insufficient flash time in between coatings. Applying paint over rust, grease or oil and inadequate drying time of undercoats before the application of top-coating are also other reasons for the appearance of this type of blemish.

Repair:

These pimple or bubble blemishes can be repaired through the removal and refinishing of affected areas. In extreme cases though, marked parts should be stripped until you arrive at the bare substrate before you can start with the refinishing process.

Prevention:

If you prefer to do wet sanding, you must allow adequate time for the evaporation of the moisture. You must keep away from wet sanding any lacquer primer surface whenever possible though. Moisture from air lines and your compressor should also be drained frequently. When applying paint during humid conditions, you must add a retarder or allow added flash time in between coatings. If possible, only spray during low humidity weather.

You can also prevent blistering from happening of you will choose the adequate reducer or thinner for spraying conditions. You should also allow undercoating to cure or dry thoroughly before applying the top-coating.

Materials or products should also be applied based on the recommendations posed by the manufacturer and you should also allow the proper flash time before applying another coating. It is also best if you will prep and clean the substrate with the use only of recommended procedures and products.

Bleeding or Discoloration

This is characterized by a yellow or red discoloration that usually appears on the topcoat color of your vehicle.

Cause:

This kind of blemish is often caused by the dissolution of the pigments or soluble dyes in the original finish of your car brought on by the solvent of the new topcoat. Once these pigments dissolve, they seep into the topcoat and cause the discoloration.

Repair:

You can fix this problem by allowing the pigment to cure or by isolating with two component undercoating before refinishing. You can also get rid of the original paint film before starting with the refinishing process.

Prevention:

The best way to prevent discoloration or bleeding from happening, you need to isolate the area you suspect to be bleeding through the application of a sealer or a two-component surface. You should allow this to dry or cure according to the product recommendations, before you can apply the topcoat you want.

Chalking 

You can usually see this as a chalky white blemish that appears on the paint film’s surface. This is also known as fading, weathering or oxidation.

Cause:

This kind of flaw on your car paint is largely due to a pigment that is no longer protected or held together by the resin, which results in the lackluster or powder-like appearance of your car’s surface. The reasons for this occurrence are the wrong application of your paint product, the natural wear and tear of your car’s paint film, the excessive utilization of fog or mist coats during the application of single-stage metallic finishes and the use of nonspecific reducers, thinners or hardeners in the paint.

Repair:

You can mend this kind of flaw by using compounding procedures to take away the oxidation and then by polishing so that the gloss will be restored. You can also sand the blemished paint film and then refinish it after.

Prevention:

During the painting process, you can prevent chalking from happening if you will agitate, shake or store all the paint products thoroughly before application. When you are using single-stage metallic finishes, you should apply the fog or mist coats by panel while the finish is not yet dry.

You should be aware that when the clear resin protecting the pigments and flakes of your car finish wears off, these components are exposed to the natural elements, which causes their rapid deterioration. Washing your car once every week and waxing or polishing it occasionally can help in getting rid of weathering from your car’s finish.

Blushing or Milkiness

This is characterized by a milky-gray cloud blemish that can be seen on your car paint’s film surface shortly after or immediately after it has been applied.

Cause:

Air moisture condenses on or in your car’s paint film when you spray during humid weather. This is because the evaporation of the solvent and the air coming from the spray gun lowers the temperature of the substrate right below the standard dew point. Such condition is worsened with the utilization of unbalanced or too fast drying reducer or thinner.

Repair:

If blushing should happen during the car painting process, you can fix this by applying heat to the area where the blemish is or adding a retarder and putting on additional coatings. If your car’s finish has already dried, minor milkiness can be mended through using compounding procedures or polishing. However, more serious blushing will need for you to sand the blemish before you can refinish it.

Prevention:

Blushing or milkiness can be prevented if you will always utilize high quality solvents and reducing or thinning materials based on the directions specified on their labels. You should also make sure to choose the right reducer or thinner for every spraying condition. Only the recommended volume of retarder should be added when you are spraying during humid conditions.

You must also apply some heat to your car’s surface after paint application so that excess moisture will evaporate. Remember that as your thinner dissolves, air moisture naturally condenses in your car’s paint film.

The five problems mentioned above are just among the many common glitches you might encounter when it comes to your car paint. The good thing about arming yourself with such information as the ones you have just read is that you will be aware of what caused the problem, the ways you can fix it and how this can be prevented.