[hiker chick]

Anyone heard of such a problem with Elements? My '04 paint is in terrific shape (thank you, Zaino!)


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703735004574569662150151926.html

Q:I am the original owner of a 2004 Honda Accord. The car has been maintained in accordance with factory requirements, garaged and never wrecked. Recently, the paint has become dull, splotchy and mottled in a number of areas. The local Honda dealer diagnosed the problem as clear-coat delaminating. They have indicated the entire car will need to be repainted to correct the problem and to prevent rusting.

I was wondering if you have heard of any other owners of 2004 Accords with similar paint issues.


A: Honda owners have been buzzing about paint problems for several years. I have seen several five- or six-year-old Hondas on which the clear coat is peeling or discolored, though many other cars have similar issues.

Repainting is the best way I know of to fix the problem, and getting that job done well can cost a few thousand dollars.

This kind of paint malady was common two or three decades ago, when clear-coat technology was newer.

 

[Dom.five]

It appears that the Issue is confined to Accords. I have seen several posts about the issue on other forums.

This Forum had an extensive thread about it.


However on that forum, if you want a reply, You have to PAY for it.

I love the EOC !!

Dom

 

[Mikement]

My old '92 Accord's paint is holding up fairly well and it hasn't seen a coat of wax for like 7 or 8 years. We did get a letter from Honda for our 2003 Odyssey stating that the Midnight Blue Pearl color may fail on certain areas around the windows etc. and they would fix it if it happened but we haven't seen any signs of that paint failure yet.

 

[av911]

8th gen Civic owners have been complaining about it.

 

[don sailing]

Paint problems?

Hey...not trying to be contrary or argumentative here....just thought I'd share my experience.

I've been painting cars for a living since '67. I've worked for a large body shop owned by a large Dealership that sells Honda, Pontiac, Buick, GMC, Porsche, MB, Lexus, Acura, Jaguar, Saturn, and Hyundai. I've painted thousands of Honda automobiles since the dealer started selling them in '72. I've also painted thousands of GM "peelers"....mostly trucks and Pontiac Grand Ams and Grand Prixs. No wonder I'm not too "keen" on GM.

I can honestly say I've never painted on any Honda with a peeling problem with the original finish. I've had some with some transportation damage....minor piece of dirt in clearcoat. I repaired a driver's door on a Ridgeline that had a smear in the basecoat prior to clearcoating. I've repaired some front bumper covers under "warranty" that had some peeling paint...caused by, in my opinion, blasting the bumper with a car wash wand at a chip....causing it to tear open. If the customer squawks loudly enough, the dealership paid to keep the customer happy.

My point is this.....obviously without seeing the Accord in question here, I cannot be 100% certain, but would there be a possibility that the Accord had been painted on prior to being sold brand new? It happens. Not every new car sold at a dealership has 100% original paint. And if an unsold, new car is repaired prior to selling, it is possible that the repair might not be a "quality" repair.......there are some butchers out there. Poor prep...inferior product.....and the fact that warranty or damage repair on a new car doesn't pay very much for the technician could contribute to a poor repair.

I would suggest checking the film thickness at several places around the car.....and certainly checking the layer of paint that is delaminating. A Mil-thickness gauge looks like a pencil-type tire gauge with a magnet on one end. The hood on my Element that definitely has "original paint" registers 7 1/2 to 8. And that's consistent all over the vehicle....obviously I don't know the thickness on the painted plastic parts.

If there are body shop people and Honda Reps involved, perhaps they've already checked the mil-thickness on your Accord.....and if the readings are consistent, then the paint is probably the original finish and there must be a problem.

While I've painted on thousands of Honda's, it's a big world.....I certainly haven't worked on them all. I know no car is perfect...and it very well could be your Accord does have an issue. I just wanted to share my experience. I've known many painters over the years who share my opinion about the Honda product....they're hard to beat....and they really don't recall any warranty issues involving peelers with Hondas. The 13 Honda automobiles I've owned since '74 have all had very nice paint jobs.

It will be interesting to see the outcome of your situation. If I'm "all wet" here, then just disregard my entire post....ha!! Obviously, being a painter, when I read about a paint issue here I get interested. Just wanted to share a suggestion.... Wishing you the best...

 

[Dom.five]

Thanks for that don. It's nice to have a professional chime in on any subject. Does not matter if it's air conditioning or Zbart.

The opinion and experience of someone in the trade, is invaluable.

Dom

 

[Darth Raider]

I bought a brand new 1987 Acura Legend Coupe when they first came out, and this is exactly what happened to it. Luckily I owned a professional detail shop and was able to document the paint care. Honda finally caved, and repainted the entire car at no cost to me. So it does happen, I just have no idea how often it does.

Chief