Found this today, not really looking for it. I'd been writing a letter to the body shop, along with a FULL PAGE of items that need fixing after getting back Papa Fred's 2012 Nissan a couple weeks ago.
BASF offers industry’s only online instruction for painting plastic auto parts
Glasurit® guide shows step-by-step process for refinishing rigid, flexible plastic
SOUTHFIELD, Mich., October 15, 2004 --The Glasurit “Painting Plastic Parts” guide from
BASF, now accessible at www.basfrefinish.com, is the only online program of its kind in the automotive industry. Previously available on CD-ROM, the guide demonstrates proper procedures for refinishing plastic auto parts.
Because today’s vehicles include both rigid and flexible plastic parts, repairing the finish on them requires special preparation, products and processes. Determining whether the part to be repaired is made of rigid or flexible plastic is not as obvious as it may seem. The Glasurit guide enables painters to quickly identify the type of plastic by looking up the code, which is stamped on every plastic part, in the guide’s database.
Once the grade of plastic has been identified, the painter must use the appropriate procedures and products. The Glasurit guide features a step-by-step demonstration that includes testing the solubility and adhesion of the original primer, cleaning and preparation, and the entire refinishing process, from applying an adhesion promoter to clearcoating.
Safety precautions and proper use of the appropriate Glasurit products, including correct mixing ratios and application techniques, are covered in detail for each step. After studying and practicing all of the modules in the online Glasurit guide, a painter will have completed the standard BASF training course for refinishing plastic parts.
“This is another example of BASF’s leadership in using technology and the Internet to make training more accessible to our customers,” said Tony Dyach, Product Manager for BASF’s Glasurit product line. "Refinishing plastic parts correctly is crucial to avoid adhesion failure and costs involved in re-doing the job, and this innovative online program enables painters to learn at their own pace how to do the job right the first time.”
The Glasurit “Painting Plastic Parts” online guide can be accessed at www.basfrefinish.com, the BASF Automotive Refinish website.
Glasurit is a registered trademark of BASF Coatings AG.
Needless to say... MANY years ago BASF was concerned enough to make the above statement.
As far as what all I'm telling the shop they missed doing this repair, (which was $7300 worth) I'll go ahead and put that below while I'm thinking about it.
I do this just to show how one little thing can end up snowballing. All in all.... the repair itself is FAR from the worst I've ever seen, quite good in fact. But... it's NOT acceptable to ME. So... next week it goes back, I get a new Mazda, GMC, or Buick loaner, and it gets fixed RIGHT.
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Blue and
Red notes are in the document going to the shop.***
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Burgundy added by me for the forum notation. ***
- Deep scratch on the bottom of the Left A-pillar, in front of the mirror (above fender). This was caused in the accident when the mirror was ripped off.
- Left Rear wheel cover, side swipe damage from the first of two covered accidents.
o Left Rear Wheel well opening – VERY deep scratches (estimate noted scratch wouldn’t buff)
- Left Rear/Bumper – back of wheel well, front of bumper cover, gouge in bumper cover from accident. (Bumper cover was repainted!!!!)
- Left Rear Door – body side molding DEEP gouge / cut in molding.
- Right Rear – back of wheel well – gouge in bumper cover from accident, sharp edge. Bumper cover was buffed out, paint burned through at sharp edge, along back of wheel well.
- Left Front fender - orange peel throughout.
- Left Front fender -MISSING INNER FILLER PIECE!!! Pt#63815N/ 63815-ET000 (diagram attached)
- Left Front fender – defect below clear – top of wheel well about 1:00 o-clock angle.(Left Front Fender was replaced and painted!!!!)
- Left Front fender – top edge along hood has been sanded at 45° angle, giving a chamfered/beveled look. ALSO… Along the edge, by the hood there are deep paint defects and imperfections.
Needs to be refinished and properly shaped down the entire body line.
- Hood – rough clear coat all around edges – especially at back and left side.
- Hood – Alignment issue – Left side is too high (at headlight) Right side is too low.
- Front bumper cover – slight trash and/or overspray in paint along a line about 7” long, bottom left area where it meets the grill. (Almost horizontal area, about ¾” wide.) Cleaned most of it up with clay bar
- Front bumper cover - Textured imprints (fabric imprint) about 11” from center on BOTH sides, each about ¾” in size, in the middle portion of the bumper cover (top to bottom).
Caused from placing the cover on a work area, or leaning on it before paint was fully cured.
- Front bumper cover – paint chip at top edge, under hood, between Right Front headlight and grill (in front of core support).
- Right front fender, small paint nib above wheel well opening. Needs de-nibbing/color sanding.
- BUFFER TRAILS & HOLOGRAMS throughout, on all areas that were buffed with rotary buffer!
I will be doing a paint correction, and ceramic coating on the vehicle once the paint is cured.
Were I not… we’d need to discuss how to buff without leaving holograms everywhere.
Additionally:
Preferably the left front fender mounting jamb (under the hood) should match the right fender. Whereas, the right one is e-coated at the factory, the inner portion isn’t painted, only the top lip and outer panel.
However, I understand that in the collision repair scenario “collision parts” are not prepped in the same manner as “factory parts”. (
This could lead to both fenders being painted the same. If for no other reason that they both match when you open the hood. This alone would keep them from being glaringly obvious that there has been crash repair.)
So yeah... can-o-worms indeed were you to ask them to repaint it. Although personally, I might go ahead and get them to do it if they offer. Why? Because the factory paint is STUPID THIN! Taking the bumpers off, and to a good shop, you'd end up with more paint, and maybe even a better match, but surely more durable than the ultra thin factory paint.
Speaking of factory paint. Look up this book: Making it Right: Why Your Car Payments are Lasting Longer Than Your Factory Paint Job.
There is a preview on Google Books, and even though it's a preview, it has some VERY interesting information. Lots of talk about film thickness, paint suppliers etc. Also there are some KILLER reference links at the end. (The above BASF release was one of them.)
Interesting pages like one from DuPont with status from 2000~2003 on the Ford Taurus, Mercury Sable, produced at the Atlanta plant. Out of 981 sampled vehicles, the number that met prime film thickness was
34 or 3.5% and the number that DID NOT meet prime film thickness specifications was
947 or 96.5%. HOLY CRAP!
Same status from other plants as well. At the Dearborn plant, with DuPont paint, from 2000~2001 out of 374 Mustangs, 27% met spec, and 73% failed to meet spec. That was a GOOD one.
Then there was the one for the Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute from 2001~2003 from BASF out of the Kansas City plant, with 508 vehicles where ONLY 1 yes ONE vehicle, a measly .20% met film spec where 99.8% (507 of 508) FAILED!
Talk about work trucks shall we? In Kentucky, where Ford produced the Super Duty, in years 2000, 2002~2004, again with DuPont paint... they sampled 636 trucks and
11 or 1.7% met spec, where
625 or 98.3% failed!
Then in 2003 at the Norfolk plant it wasn't any better, where with DuPont, out of 82 sampled vehicles
a grand total of ZERO trucks passed to meet minimum film build specification!
Minivans are your favorite you say? What about the 1998~2004 Ford Windstar, Freestar, and Mercury Monterey? Out of 2095 samples (again with DuPont paint) they managed to get
16 or .80% right, and
2079 or 99.2% WRONG!
It's staggering to think of JUST HOW BAD vehicle manufacturers had gotten by moving to robots to do everything and letting it pass, one by one, till it seems as if walking on water would be easier than only ONE PERCENT of their vehicles being painted correctly!
The book seems to have data through at least 2009, and goes on to talk about reports of various paint failures from literally all makes. From "Paint - No Strength" to "Body Rust", and of course paint peeling, bubbling flaking, chipping, cracking, delaminating, poor adhesion, clear flaking, failing, peeling, you name it. All happening from within WEEKS, to within 1 year, to "Paint Peeled".
All the data is of course not available on Google Books (being as you only get a preview) but its enough to make me want the book. Unfortunately, it's $180 USED, and $239 to $380 new!
Cool yes... but me thinks I'll pass. :dunno:
