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Clearcoat Failure

garydh2000

CEG'er
Joined
Sep 18, 2007
Messages
66
Location
Western PA - USA
I am looking at this green 98' SE and I actually washed and hand waxed it so I could get a really good look at the finish. Well on the roof and hood are some spider looking spots, that I think are defined as clear-cote-failure?

Can anybody confirm wthout photos that this is what I am seeing?

Thanks,

G-Man
 
Not sure if you are poking fun as my posting was not very clear, but yes I was referring to spider web looking marks on the surface of the car.

Gary
 
i was not making fun. crows feet is a real blemish.

spider webbing is swirl marks in the clear coat. basically a ton of small scratches. these are polished out with a polisher and polish. it is not a clear coat failure.
 
Cool thanks.

This car sat under a tree for almost a year. I washed it, then used a cleaner/polish and then topped it with a coat of Natty's Blue pure carnuba paste. The Natty's really brought out the sparkly in the green paint. There are a lot of scratches on the hood and a few smal rust spots on the roof.

My neighbor is a detailer and he is going to use a buffer and some light abrasive compound on these bad surface areas so we will see how that works.

And all of this for a car that I don't even own yet!
 
Does anyone think it could be the paint failure dark color contours had? I think it was something to do with the primer used cracking under the paint and clear. I can take pictures of mine if anyone would like.
 
Blacke1 - I would like to see the pics.

Christine - Yes I do like the Contour. It handles well especially in the curves. Green isn't my favorite color for a car but I can live with it:crazy:

G.
 
ok i will go take some pics right now...
Worst spot on trunk lid
n20303248_32587361_2482.jpg

n20303248_32587362_2726.jpg

Hood near washer nozzle
n20303248_32587364_3197.jpg

Roof
n20303248_32587363_2960.jpg


Car looks great at a distance but up close its not so good. Most people think it just dusty.
n20303248_30546087_1474.jpg
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the photos.

The "spider-webbing" on mine looks the same but smaller and also at a distance the finish looks great on mine as well.
 
From what I have read online and on CEG this is a common issue with dark colored cards from Ford. Also seems they wont do anything for you unless you really willing to fight it.
 
the only way to prevent such spider webbing is to regularly wax/polish your car with a polish that is designed to protect against UV rays (pretty much any polish out there).
 
Do that plus some, car get klasse all in one 2-3 times a year and klasse sealant once a month and wax on top of that twice a month. Spider webbing was on the car when it was bought with only 18,500 miles on it.
 
Do that plus some, car get klasse all in one 2-3 times a year and klasse sealant once a month and wax on top of that twice a month. Spider webbing was on the car when it was bought with only 18,500 miles on it.

Miles is nothing to paint, if the car sits in the sun thats going to happen regardless, its all about exposure to the elements.
 
The paint cracking was a known problem with black Contours during certain years.

Alias, I don't care what you say, that black paint could not be saved at any point. If Ford knew how to paint, it wouldn't of happened. There was actually a recall for this when the Contours were new but they had to be under a certain mileage to be accepted for repainting. (under 10,000 or 20,000 miles)

I bought my car with major paint cracking. The hood, trunk and rear quarter panels were repainted after I was rear ended so they don't have any cracks now. But I still have tons on the fenders, doors, and the worst area of all, the roof.

It hides very nicely when cared for with Zaino. It doesn't stand out much and doesn't have white inside the cracks like it did before.

Other black Contours I've seen show the defects a lot more than mine and basically need a good polish to hide them.
 
Miles is nothing to paint, if the car sits in the sun thats going to happen regardless, its all about exposure to the elements.

Your right but I got every single piece of paper work (oil change, warranty, recall, inspections all from ford) including the original window sticker when I bought this car in 2001. I highly doubt it sat outside but if it did it would have only been for 3 years.

This is a factory defect that was never taken care of.
 
There was actually a recall for this when the Contours were new but they had to be under a certain mileage to be accepted for repainting. (under 10,000 or 20,000 miles)

Man, I wish I had known about this. But then again I don’t think I would have let ford repaint it and screw it up again anyways...
 
Man, I wish I had known about this. But then again I don’t think I would have let ford repaint it and screw it up again anyways...


there was a New England member that had Ford repaint his car at least 7 times because they couldn't do it right ....
 
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