Team-BHP - Paint peeling off on a 3-year old Hyundai i20 Active. EDIT: Many more Hyundais affected

My friend who owns a 3 year old i20 Active has been facing this strange issue of painting just peeling off! There is no impact or nothing! Small bubble started to form and then the paint just started to peel!

I noticed it last evening and felt within few hours, the car could be fully peeled without much effort!!!:Frustrati

Hyundai service engineer came to the conclusion that the car could be parked under the sun for a longer duration! I don't know if Bangalore has such harsh weather to skin out a car!!

This is strange. As far as I can see, the car is parked under a shelter and if cars can withstand heat of Delhi, why not Bangalore? Also, Bangalore's climate is not coastal. Has the car been exposed to certain corrosive chemicals in its lifetime? (I myself doubt this as chromed decals are alright) If not, I see this as a manufacturing defect and Hyundai should offer a complete paint job for free.

Have these two panels been repainted before ?

Only an improper paint job can cause this and not exposure to sunlight. Excessive sunlight exposure causes clear coat failure and that will result in patchiness first. Modern paints usually last longer as technology has gotten better. Your friend should push the dealer to take this up with the manufacturer as that looks like the grey surfacer or primer that is sprayed on before applying base and clear coat.

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Originally Posted by vinair (Post 4605756)

My friend who owns a 3 year old i20 Active has been facing this strange issue of painting just peeling off!

Hyundai service engineer came to the conclusion that the car could be parked under the sun for a longer duration!

Holy guacamole!! This is just absurd. I can't just believe my eyes. To top it, the service guy's explanation is sending chills down my spine. I park my car in the Delhi sun all the time due to lack of shaded parking and to avoid being bombarded by pigeon poop and tree sap. Should I expect this to happen to my car in 3 years?

Please tell your friend not to take this lying down. The explanation from the SA is pure horse manure.

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Originally Posted by vinair (Post 4605756)

... strange issue of painting just peeling off! There is no impact or nothing! Small bubble started to form and then the paint just started to peel!

Does your friend use a car cover, by any chance? I had a similar bubbling issue (though not this serious) when I had used a plastic cover once. In my case, it appeared that some chemical in the cover leached into the paint, which peeled off.

Alternately, was the car washed recently? May be the some ingredient in the car wash resulted in this?

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Originally Posted by vinair (Post 4605756)

I sincerely hope that your friend has not been sold a repainted accidental damaged vehicle. The horror stories that we keep hearing about. Was he facing any other unrelated issues or just paint?

Is the vehicle still under extended warranty?Do they cover paint related issues? Do involve the higher ups of hyundai as this is just ridiculous.

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Originally Posted by iron.head (Post 4605835)

Could it be that this car missed going through the primer spray run?

Many new cars come with primerless paint. In the case of our duster we has brought this issue up when a slight ding caused a dent but on the top the paint had peeled off to expose bare metal. Got a goodwill repair done but was told that these days water based paint is used which does not require primer. Haven't verified it though the car does not have any primer anywhere on it.

Nopes, just regular wash or car wash, that's pretty much about it. I did not notice any chemical spill over as there was no discoloration on the white paint anywhere. No scratches, no dent or nothing. The paint peels in a way that it just comes off very easily. Unlike in some surfaces where the paint peels only at the affected area. Its as if the paint never bonded with the metal in the first place!

That looks like a repainted or replaced part to me both the hood and hatch door. There is no reason paint from the factory will peel off like that so easily since factory paint is done in the best methods and conditions possible. This peel off especially on the rear hatch looks like it is a case of poor surface preparation before painting. The painters would have not degreased the edges of the hatch properly and hence the peel began from the edges and is moving to the center. Mostly beyond this point the surface would have bonded better to the paint. Regarding the hood, like Vikram D has mentioned, you can see dampness on the primer surface which points to a hurried paint job. No way this is a factory paint. They either replaced the parts and painted them or just tinkered existing parts and painted.
I wonder how any dealer can pass off this issue. Better escalate this matter to Hyundai and spread the news.

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Originally Posted by audioholic (Post 4605902)

+1 to that. This is in all probability a repainted panel.

Simplest way to check: Go to any reputed detailer who has a paint depth gauge/you can source your own cheap one from Aliexpress which can give you an idea. Get the paint depth tested. The Aftermarket paint job will be thick and not as fine as the factory paint job.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVsND7LyG-U

Regards,
Shashi