Iridescent Pearl Tricoat Paint Repair

billrose12

billrose12

New member
Apr 2, 2022
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Hey guys, I have a 2016 Chevy Malibu Limited LTZ with iridescent pearl tricoat and have a couple places where the paint is chipping off. What would be the best solution for defects like these? Do I need to wet sand or is there a product that would be a good match for repair? Also, has anyone used a product that matched well with Chevys pearl iridescent tricoat? I know that’s a tough color to match up to.

View attachment 75242
#1 is in the channel where the roof meets the door. This is the worst spot of all as it is down to the bare body and rusting.

View attachment 75243
#2 is further up the same channel, down to the bare body just not rusting

View attachment 75244
#3 is the most noticeable spot. Inside the door jamb

View attachment 75245
#4 is the last spot. Same door jamb and if you look closely you can see cracking between the two chips

these are driving me crazy and I need to repair them before they just get worse.

any suggestions?
 
Yikes...has that been repainted b4? Looks like some delamination form bad prep work.

First off it can be fixed some what easily so long as any of the paint does not chip off when sanding further than it already has over the rolled edges of the body lines. Which is unlikey judging by the pics. That is where it would become a much larger job and i would take it to a paint/body shop.

Start sanding with 400 grit (220 if 400 isnt cutting it) and a red scuff pad...feather it out. Be sure not to sand it out or have it flake off past that edge of the body line. Completly sand out any rust or it will come back.

If that goes well, then look up automotive touchup paint website. I have used them in the past with perfect color match(of difderent color though). Get the primer,base and clear all from them.

Going to have to tape off a hard line with making tape right at that body line edges. Next wipe with wax and grease remover. Spray etched primer. Sand that with 1000 or just red scuff it. Wax and grease remover again and tac cloth. Then spray base, then clear.

Just know that this project could go from bad to worse real quick. And if does just know when to say stop and let the pros handle it. Anyone can do anything so long as they know what to do when things take a bad turn
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I’m not sure if it’s been repainted or not. I’ve had it for 3 years and at that time it was 3 years old, it only had 28,000 miles and nothing was on the car fax but that don’t mean much lol. Thanks for your advice, I’ve never sanded a car before and would rather take it to someone then try and do it myself.
 
Have you checked any warranty materials for your car? I think some GM products have a 6-year paint warranty. This seems like manufacturer defects in the paint quality and wouldn't be the first time a GM product has had issues like this. The only thing that can truly fix this is a full repaint unfortunately. You may be able to stave off any additional peeling with the tips Opie suggested but at the risk of causing more damage.
 
looking at the pictures and you saying its down to bare metal, im going to say you have delamination between primer and metal.-how bad it is is hard saying. you could be seeing just the beginning of the problem. hopefully the problkem is contained to just those areas.
repairing it- what do you want for final outcome? just protect the metal or exact match?
 
billrose12 said:
Thanks for your advice, I’ve never sanded a car before and would rather take it to someone then try and do it myself.
Click to expand...

With that being said i would say take it to a reputable shop.


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In the late nineties, GM had a bad problem with this iridescent pearl Tricoat paint. It would peel like that and continue to get worse with age. It was especially prevalent at the edges of panels, hoods and roofs where it starts its peeling. It would just keep coming off in rubbery-like strips of paint. The only remedy was to repaint. During those years GM would not warranty this paint issue.
 
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