jono89

Hey Acurazine,

Been reading this forum to find commons solution for many years.

However, I have a new and weird problem on my car so I would like your opinion or help.

Please feel free to move the posting to the correct section if it's wrong.

Here a little background of my car:
I been driving an Acura TL 2007 base model - white pearl since the end of 2013. The Km to date is at 97K and yes its very low for a 9-year-old car. I'm the second owner of this baby!

Since day one I have been taking good care of it. I take it to a weekly non-contact car wash at "SHELL" in winter and monthly (hand wash) or whenever it's very dirty in the summer.

This winter I had decided to save some money and clean my car 1-3 times a week with a Petro-Canada daily unlimited soft-cloth car wash. The wash is way cleaner and faster, however sometimes it leave some mark on my car (maybe some rock got stuck on the cloth). No worries, I can take it out with wax.

This week, something weird on my car: I have noticed that the paint on my hood is shattering. At the beginning, I was thinking some kids/or jealous parents key my hood. But the mark looks to perfect, like a spider web. Maybe it happens this week or during our cold winter.

My previous owner has mentioned that he has taken in 2010-2011 it twice to the dealership to fix the metal V-bar on the hood from getting rust and that the dealership has repainted the whole hood. Look like they use cheap paint and that my car wash is killing it.

My question are:

1- Should I just repaint at a body shop

2- Don't be silly just buy TURTLE WAX® SCRATCH REPAIR KIT!

3- Buy a used hood or carbon fiber and repaint it white...

4- Save money, do nothing, those mark will come back next year!

5- Others

Thanks for the opinion in advance!

jono89

Any feedbacks are welcome and if you had a similar issue, please share it

Oh Sickest TL

iTrader: (3)

i thought your car is WDP? these pics are blue

regardless, that'll have to be repainted if you want it to look the way it did before the cracking.

Does the underneath of your hood have the liner still? That helps a little bit with the heat.

And please DO NOT take your car through one of them petro can washes. Ask me how I know lol

jono89

Hi Sickest TL,

The car is white diamond pearl, I just took the pic outside and it looks like my iPhone is having some issue for balancing pic. Sorry for the confusion.

Yes (if I understand clearly), the underneath of my hood have the liner still (I don't need the stick holder to keep it still) So you're saying this might cause the cracking?

What happen to your car when you took it to Petro-Canada car wash?

Oh Sickest TL

iTrader: (3)

I'm saying if the liner isn't there it could contribute to pre mature cracking of the paint on the hood due to the heat but that would prob take a long time if at all.

petro can car wash scratched one of my rims to shit lol. long story. You said the hood was repainted right? I would bet money that the shop just used sub-par materials an poor prep work, get it repainted at a repuatable shop and you shouldn't have any issues

FamilyGuy

Sounds like a bad paint job. I took my hood liner off as soon as I got the car over 3 years ago and my hood still looks the same. My car is mostly washed at a non touch gas station car wash too.

Oh Sickest TL

iTrader: (3)

1oz weight reduction

jono89

OHH now I get it! Thx for explaining it, I will check this week to see if there a liner.

OUCH! I think switching to Petro-Canada soft cloth car wash could be the worst decision I have ever made.

Yah I also think the Bodyshop at the Acura Metropolitain Montreal (now Gravel) Dealership used very cheap paint, the white on my hood was a bit off from the rest of the car (missing the diamond pearl effect) but very hard to notice from far.

Would changing the hood (either used or carbon fiber) would be cheaper than repaint it?

Oh Sickest TL

iTrader: (3)

im not too sure what would be cheaper. and as far as the WDP not matching up , that is also very common. patch paint work on the Acura WDP colour never seems to match 100%. it always has a yellow ish effect

FamilyGuy

1.8lbs

TacoBello

Don't buy a carbon hood. Those were sweet 10 years ago. Not so much these days. And a big waste of money, for, at best, average fitment.

Brettka7

The paint is developing cracks. This is irreparable. Carbon fiber hood will look shitty. Have the entire hood repainted, blended into fenders (bunker won't match regardless. Bumpers are painted separately with different paint so they are never 100% match from the factory), and have the entire fenders re-cleared to avoid premature clear coat failure on your new paint.

anx1300c

iTrader: (2)

^^

Lol, bumpers are not painted with different paint. If anything, the flex additive they add, to add a little "give" to the bumper causes it to have a marginally different shade.

OP, you have clear coat failure. Needs to be taken down to bare metal, primed and sprayed.

Brettka7

The paint they use on the bumpers is a different batch than the rest of the car, and yes, it has the flex additive, so it is different that the rest of the paint.

My point was he doesn't need to blend into the bumper.

jono89

TacoBello: Yes, Carbon fiber hood is indeed ugly.

Brettka and anx1300c: Thx for the details information, I have learn so much bout car and paint.

An Acurazine user sent me a personal message and give me a proper term for this type of crack.

I guess im going to do a repaint on the hood, after I replace my timing belt im at 97K and braking pad.

Im going to get some quotes this week, gonna be a bit hard cuz most body shop in MTL closed at 5pm.

I will keep you guys an update

imj0257

iTrader: (1)

Whatever you do, don't make it Maaco. They suck.

MarcDavidoff

That's strange it cracking like an eggshell. Was it repainted do you know prior?
A little unrelated, by my 02 TLs is Pearl white as well and my hood mysteriously started rusting from the inside out. I thought it had a few rock chips rusting but turned out when I sanded them they turned into holes right thru the hood.