How Do I Remove Moisture That Has Got Under My Paintwork?

[Danielmorgan00 0]

Hi all,

 

I bought a 205 gti last summer with the intention of getting it in showroom condition. I took my time and found one with great bodywork but needed a few things changed to get it mint and original. I left it on the drive under a stormforce cover (that was supposed to be breathable) until I had my garage built. Last weekend I took the cover off to move it and found that small bubbles had appeared - mainly on the roof and the bonnet !! I've spoken to a few people and they have said that moisture may have built up under the cover and as it couldn't escape up it has forced itself down - great! I'm waiting for some quotes but I was wondering if anyone had any advice or previous experience? It would seem a shame to do a full respray as it was already perfect before I put the cover on. Could it be buffed, lightly sanded or heated out? Any ideas/suggestions I would greatly appreciate

[Kane 34]

If there is moisture under the paintwork that would suggest that there is rust lurking there also. Unfortunately, I would say the only way to fix this would be to strip the offending area, treat any rust that is there and then paint over. The problem I found, not on my 205 but my mini, was that small bubbles on the bodywork turned into quite large areas of rust underneath. Moisture trapped under the paint will just continue to eat away at the metal so best trying to fix it as soon as possible.

 

Are you positive it is moisture that is under the paint rather than the start of lacquer peel? I just mention this as you have said it is mainly on the roof and bonnet which in my experience is more so this problem than rusting. Somebody else on here will probably have better knowledge than me but it would help if you could stick up a few photo's of the problem areas

[Danielmorgan00 0]

Hi mate, thanks for your reply. I'll try and stick some pics on here tomorrow but I'm kind of new to this so I don't know how easy it is to upload photos. It's hard to explain what they look like, there like tiny water droplets that have frozen or a bit like raised goosebumps. But they were defiantly not there before putting the cover on, so made me think they were not rust issues, but could be wrong.

[Miles 331 1 Cars]

You normally only get this when its been painted before, It only shows up a while after its been done

[Kane 34]

Get yourself a photobucket account or similar the you can upload images to there. After that all you have to do is copy the link for the specific photo into here and it should show up.

 

Out of interest is it over the whole roof area? Also are you sure that the paint is original and not a respray? The reason I ask is because I have the exact same thing on my mini, As you say it looks as though rain droplets have frozen. I resprayed my car and it showed up several months later, I put it down to a reaction in the paint with possible contaminants while it was being sprayed/cured. It sounds very similar to your situation although it just so happens that my car was under a cover also. Strange one!

 

If it is similar to my situation theni don't think it is water under the paint. If it was moisture you would be able to push them in and in extreme cases pop them. I would say from looking at mine the only way to clear it up would be to sand it all back and respray unfortunately. You could try get a rubbing compound, a bit like t-cut but you can get it in varying stages of roughness, and apply that with an electric buffer. That would be your best bet I think although you have to be careful not to go at it too much or you'll end up stripping back the laquer.

[Danielmorgan00 0]

No it's only on a few areas of the roof. I did try heating them up and they did go soft but I stopped in case I ruined the paint even more. I've no reason to expect the car has been resprayed, apart from the fact it was in excellent condition, but I could be wrong as I don't know the full history of the vehicle. Still trying to upload some photos.

Edited January 12, 2014 by Danielmorgan00

[Danielmorgan00 0]

Edited January 12, 2014 by Danielmorgan00

[Slo 283 1 Cars]

From my own experience it was reacting to whatever was underneath and looked exactly like this. Unfortunately its gotta come off to bare steal as it will just re-react. At least it was the only way to sort it in my instance, had to do a rear quarter about 9 times cos of the galvanized steel on my cti. Acid etch primer is the key and a proper prep.

[Kane 34]

After a little reading it seems that if it is not a respray then it is down to poor storing conditions. Although a breathable cover was used there still would have been moisture present which can supposedly work its way into the paint. Once the body panel has the chance to warm up a little the moisture tries to escape causing small bubbles.

 

Again this information is just what I've found while searching online so there may be a different source for your problem but as expected the only solution I can find is to strip the offending areas back to bare metal and respray. Sorry I know its not the news you were wanting to hear.

 

Maybe someone else on the forum that knows more about this kind of stuff can offer some other advice.