Why did GM have so many paint issues in the 80's and 90's? (pickup, GMC)

[rosecitywanderer]

Hyundai suffered from these issues up until recently.

Not sure what might have caused this but 2004 Santa Fe's have a terrible and well-deserved reputation for clearcoat peeling off plastic surfaces. Sure enough, mine is an '04 and like clockwork, has begun to peel. Now mind you this is a garaged car, owned by me since new, babied beyond belief, only hand-washed and NEVER take through a spinning automatic car wash. Despite it being a common problem with the 2004 Santa Fes Hyundai refuses to do anything about it so I'm eventually going to have it repainted as I have no plans on getting rid of it. However, that is very near the bottom of my priority list despite the fact I am still enamored with the car.

I have been told that the clearcoat peeling from plastic surfaces is caused by too long a wait in between applying the base and clear coats and a poor electrostatic charge, giving a generally poor bond. Thankfully, the plastic paint beneath where the clearcoat has peeled is shiny (for now) but give it time and it will haze and look crappy.

C'est la vie.

The newer paint is MUCH better. Now if only they could fix the haze of death that seems to overcome all their headlights with four years.

[shadowwalker]

I know they didn't stand behind their paint warranty. I had company trucks that had the stuff start peeling off before the first 30,000 miles. Because of them being fleet vehicles they basically laughed at us. But the dipwads in corporate offices still bought more of them. They didn't have to drive new trucks that looked like hell.

[rosecitywanderer]

Originally Posted by shadowwalker

I know they didn't stand behind their paint warranty. I had company trucks that had the stuff start peeling off before the first 30,000 miles. Because of them being fleet vehicles they basically laughed at us. But the dipwads in corporate offices still bought more of them. They didn't have to drive new trucks that looked like hell.

Exactly. I figured this out when a guy with a Tucson had clear peel, the paint bubble off and the bare metal below begin to rust. This was a three year old car with only 30,000 miles on it and Hyundai pretty much told him to go take a long walk off a short pier.

Makes me glad mine happened OUT of warranty because I know they wouldn't have covered it anyway. My peeling is low on the car so I can promise you they would have placed blame on a stray rock or something like that.

[texdav]

My 89 chevy truck had paint peel in spots and GM didn't notify me but when I called they said that they covered it for 5 years and I had the truck repainted at the local dealer for no cost.The dealer said it was a common problems as did other body shops.Ford and other vehicles had the same problems with the newer primers and paints.

[southernnaturelover]

Originally Posted by rosecitywanderer

Hyundai suffered from these issues up until recently.

They sure did. I've seen many newer model Sonatas and Accents around with the paint gone from the roof and hood.

[Deez Nuttz]

Thought I'd dig this one up from the dead with a few updates.

I'm pretty sure in '91 they were still using lacquer. Isn't lacquer just a single stage paint and not a base coat/clear coat like enamels?

Also....on my truck, I've touched up areas where the paint peeled off, only to have the new paint start coming off in those same areas. I know some have blamed the paint. I'm starting to think it's more of the primer myself...anyone else agree?

[css9450]

This problem was certainly not limited to GM vehicles. Ever notice all those silver or blue Ford or Dodge trucks that are still out there with their paint mostly gone and the gray primer speckled with rust? They're everywhere (if they weren't trucks, they probably would have been scrapped years ago). Tons of cars - Escorts, K-cars, Mustangs, Crown Victorias, Tauruses, Shadows, etc had the same issues for Ford and Chrysler. I still see a lot of peeling Dodge Neons which for some reason still peeled long after the other manufacturers had the problem solved.

Anyway, I had a car that had the paint peeling issue - it was dark metallic blue, probably the one color most likely to peel. GM repainted it for free for me at 107,000 miles. I also had a truck that was two-toned - dark red and silver. The silver peeled. GM repainted that one also (just the silver portion), for free. I have no complaints.

[Merc63]

Originally Posted by Kracer

How the heck can a major automaker screw up production paint technology!

Only one way, untested process!
Love to see the minutes of the paint process development committee.

Well, when the governemtn steps in and changes teh regulations you don't get a chance to say no, you have to use what they require or else.

Seriously, this was on ALL cars of that era, including japanese and german cars (though in the latter cases, it's mostly just clearcoat delamination, but the cause is the same)

[TimtheGuy]

Originally Posted by Deez Nuttz

Remember when you used to see a lot of 80's and early 90's GM cars running around with the paint peeling off and the primer exposed? Why was this?

So far I've gotten two different answers.

1. was the paint was a new water based enamel

2. was the bodies were now made of a more corrosion resistant steel that the paint didn't jive with being applied on.

Anyone know for sure?

The GMs of the 80's were junk.

[southernnaturelover]

GM F-body cars up until '87 were made in two plants, one in Van Nuys, CA and the other in Norwood, OH. The cars produced in California had much worse paint issues compared to the ones from Ohio, because Cali required special low VOC paint. The Norwood plant closed in '87, so that meant ALL of them were made in Van Nuys after that.


Also, I have noticed the paint lasts much longer on lighter colored cars (especially white ones). Maybe this is do to less heat? I own a white '95 Camaro with the original paint and it has none of the delaminaton issues (while my maroon '87 looked horrible).