I just bought a 05RL, I am the third owner so I don't know if it has been repainted. I bought the car from my friend and he hit a lamp post in a parking lot very slowly, didn't crack the bumper but I guess it got pushed in a little on impact and ever since the paint has been flaking off in inch pieces, I thought it was strange, I'd never had that happen after hitting something or someone hitting me. Either way, he is paying to have the front bumper repainted. Now after having the car for a week I noticed a half inch piece of paint missing from the back bumper (center of the bumper), I figured I would just touch it up. But today it has doubled in size. Does the RL have really crappy paint? Is this normal? Or have both bumpers been repainted before by a shop that does half assed work?

 

Actually the Rl has an exceptional factory paint job. I'm guessing the bumpers were quickly (and poorly) repainted before resale. Is there paint under the paint that is peeling?

 

I'm with Mikey. Paint peeling like that screams improper prep. That bumper cover material isn't hard to paint, but it has to be thoroughly degreased, preferably etched, and then primed before paint.

I think they come factory-primed from Acura, but if they just take them out of the box and shoot them, there's a fair chance the paint will peel. And if the shop used a "refurbished" one (which most of them do ... it's a dirty little secret of the body shop industry), extra prep is required. Failing to do so spells trouble, and I suspect yours may be an example of that.

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I think that might be it. Under the paint is very smooth plastic that has a shine. I would expect to see a rough dull service as primer. Bastards, now I am stuck with an even bigger repair bill. Bastards...

 

I had a Honda Accord a while back that was hit relatively softly on the bumper. After not too long, the paint started flaking. I brought it to a body shope who explained that while the bumper is flexible, the paint is not. Even though you may not see any damage, the bond between the plastic and paint may have been compromised, leading to the flaking. He showed me another bumper in the shop that from a foot or so away, looked fine but up close - a few inches - you could see very, very faint cracks in the paint where it was sure to fail in the not too distant future.

Although this doesn't rule it out, I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that the bumper has been repainted when the bumper has been hit, even softly. A body shop may be able to tell you if it was in fact, repainted.

LL

 

Oh, and another thing...while I've found the actual paint job on the RL to be among the best of any car (no "orange peel" on mine), I do find the paint itself to be somewhat hard and brittle. Very easy to chip.

I don't know if this goes for all colors but I've seen more than my share of small chips and scratches.

LL

 

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...5&page=2&pp=25

Scroll down (on page 2) to Sclass88's post regarding his dad's TL.

 

Agreed, the paint job is superb, smooth as glass, no orange peel, very uniform, but it does seem very fragile, prone to scratches and chips. Maybe that is because it is a black car.

Actually, I believe I read somewhere that modern automotive water based paints are more fragile than their the solvent based counterparts. However, I cannot recall where I read it, and whether it was fact or opinion.

While I cannot cite the differences in paint durability anywhere, I do know that environmental concerns over VOC (volatile organic compounds) release is of paramount concern in Japan, Europe and US, and the driving force behind the change to waterborne paints. In fact, I believe Europe mandates a 2007 shift to all water based paints for cars, and Japan may have been even earlier. Honda got rid of solvent based painting booths two years ago in their Marysville, OH plant. California is requiring the use of waterborne paints by 2009 for the entire state's automotive refinishing industry.

Regardless, after you have the paint job fixed, I recommend after you invest in the clear bra. Just use the search engine to find recommendations, etc.

I think my XPEL clear bra is great, and has saved the bumper a couple of times from scratches, and most definitely from chips. Of course it figures that where I have a 1/8th inch gap between the chrome trim on the hood, and the clear bra, there is a chip....sigh

 

I might do that. What did you pay to have yours done?