Paint Defects

I've got a '99 XJ that's Deep Amythest (dark dark purple) in color. I'm the original owner so I know it's not been repainted unless done at the dealer prior to me taking posession. Anyway, I'm noticing some cracking or blistering of the paint on almost all the surfaces that face Up. There's a bit on the sides but not nearly as prominent as the top. You can't see if unless you get right down on the hood and look at an angle. It looks as if someone took an X-acto knife and pushed the tip of it into the paint all over the surface. Now it looks like those are starting to blister.

I took it to a paint shop and they seem to think it's a paint application defect. Weird that it's only appearing now and then only on top surfaces.

I sanded it down to see where the effect was happening and it's definitely thru the clear and base, but I can't tell if it's thru the primer.

Anyone else with a new XJ have anything like this happening?

Thanks-Scott

My red Cherokee is now a dull red Cherokee on the roof. The clear coat peels like crazy after 15 yeas or so. The rest of the paint has held up pretty well. My buddy's grey paint was gone in like 3 years, so it's hard to tell how the paint will hold up. Isn't this another cute Jeep trait?

The paint shop I talked to said that I was lucky to have gotten 6 years out of the factory paint job!

I've got a 99 as well. I'm the 3rd owner, and I can tell its been repainted once already. Whoever painted it last didn't do to hot of a job and got paint down on the plastic underneath the front bumper (around where the fog light holes are). Mines a dark green so i know it just sits there and cooks in the sun. Right now the roof is lookin a little faded and the clearcoat on the hood is starting to bubble up a bit. As for the door and all they're pretty scratched and have alot of touch up paint on them. Orig. a NYC vehicle so I figure thats where the majority of the scratches and all came from. No biggie. Can't really see them till you get up close. A good coat of wax really helped put the green back in my dark green jeep...lol.

I'm the original owner of my '96 Classic and I can tell you that I've waxed this puppy 2-4x per year and the clear coat cracked in about that amount of time. My rear hatch on the top just burned off in spots. Thank DC for a S*@TTY paintjob. Now go out there and scratch it up wheeling!

I also have a 99xj and have noticed some paint weirdness. The most offensive section being the roof/windshield corner on the driver's side. I re-painted it last year and have just done it again last month. It was actually rusted though, not just a defect(well, a defect probably started it).

While working on the top, I noticed about 5 other spots on the roof where it was starting to bubble. I sanded & painted those too. One other strange effect is on the front right fender...it looks like a triangular shaped white stress mark _under_ the clear coat... Not sure what that's about, but I'm the 2nd owner so who knows.

When I first got it, I gave it a once over and noticed some "bubble" type defects in the gutters near the front of the vehicle. There's also a bubble on the lower corner of one of my doors, so that will prob. have to be addressed before winter -I'm afraid there might be rust under it.

Overall, I'm VERY disappointed with Chrysler's CRAP paint on these vehicles (while looking at 98's-2000's last year, about 1 out of 2 had the paint problem on either corner of the roof/windshield junction).

Now, I *am* in PA, but damn, my last car was a 95 cavalier that only had *little* rust on the insides of the door bottoms. It just sucks that the XJ is the newest/most expensive vehicle that I've owned and I'm having to do this crap bodywork on it already BTW, I have a GREAT respect for anyone that can do good bodywork!....I'd rather mess with about anything else on the vehicle than to have to mess with bodywork!

My 90's paint on the hood is darn near perfect (except for self induced damage), must be a late model thing.

Strech, live or work near a railroad? truck stop? river with commercial traffic?

Rev

My 94 is black and it looks like crap up close. All the upward facing areas are shot. I've got areas on the hatch where its just fiberglass now, spots on the hood and roof have lost the clear coat and most of the base coat.

Oh well, a nice coat of dirt and it looks just fine to me!

I'm the 2nd owner of a '90 XJ that's Dover Grey. Original owner is a good friend, and we remember the clear coat started to break down three years or so after he bought it new. It's coming off in big flakes now: the top and hood are a dull whitish-grey. Paint if fine everywhere else like the doors:laugh3: . This problem seems to be worst on the Dover Grey and light blue XJ's.

Gald I'm part of the club too. My black '89 XJ's hood started going frosty gray/white after about seven years...I had Earl Shribe paint it a couple of years ago but now the hood is going frosty again. Hope that lifetime warranty with Shribe will be honored...yea right!

98 sport here, my hood looks like a skin of a 90 yearold not mentioning my plastic pieces around the vehicle;P

I had a few obvious blisters where there was rust underneath. Those I could fix by sanding to metal and starting over. The stuff that I'm noticing now doesn't appear to be a rust issue. It's so hard to tell how deep they go. I may try sanding the clear in one section with 800 grit and reclearing to see how that fixes things. I don't really want (or even know how I'd begin) to take the vehicle down to metal to repaint.

-Stretch

My dad calls this a "Colorado paint job". Being at the higher altittude there is less atmosphere to help block the paint fadding effects of the Sun.

Stretch do you live or frequently park near an industrial park, airport, or construction site? How often do you wash and wax your jeep? Most likely what you are seeing is industrial fallout that is landing on the jeep and burning into the paint which is why it's most prominant on the flat surfaces.

Well, I've got a 99 XJ as well. I live in the Los Angeles, CA area and we definitely get plenty of sun. My XJ is black and the paint has held up pretty well. I just have some scratches, tree sap droppings that I didn't remove right away and some bird dropping marks due to leaving them on there too long as well.

I don't wash it as often as I should. Usually every month or two. I do wax it once a year or so. I've tried carnuba, some maguires stuff and the last one NuFinish which I really liked.

The only part that has peeling is the rear sheet metal bumper. The clear coat is peeling right off the whole thing.
Other than that the paint looks pretty good.

Avoid using a brush to wash the car.

MAP

I own three an 86 light gray original paint , 87 light blue painted twice , 91 red original paint all with bad paint on the top of the hood and roof sides are fine.
We will be doing custom paint on all this year.
It's a JEEP thing. LOL

My 98 is white and if you get up real close its all cracked up ALL over.
Not to mention the tiny tiny specks of surface rust starting all over the thing.
Good thing this will only be DD four a couple years. Then I will beat it off road!

Here's what mine's looking like:

http://www.paintanything.com/xj/paint_01.jpg

-Stretch

I have the exact same problem: little "-" marks on the hood, "a" pillar, and roof. The seem to be clustered near tight bends in the metal. Mine is a red 97; I plan to keep an eye on these marks to see if they are multiplying. I also have a spot on the hatch where the clearcoat has flaked off (but not peeled) and the paint is following. I am planning so get some wheeling scars to draw eyes away from these defects.

Jon

97 Cherokee SE