Having clear popping problems

[Beck]

I have been having paint failures. I haven't painted anything in some time but the older stuff is having problems. My current issue; about 5 years back my wife's daily driver took a big rock just above the windshield. It put a sizeable dent in the roof. I did the prep and filler work, then primed and sanded. I applied the black base, waited the required time, and then applied the clear. It came out super. Now the car belongs to my sister-in-law. My wife recently asked if I could fix the paint on the roof. The clear is coming off. The worst is right where the filler was applied, but there are a couple of other tiny spots starting.

I have had the same issues for quite some time. Initially I thought I was not putting the clear on soon enough. I was trying to get a solvent/liquid bond. That didn't help, so then I believed I was putting the clear on too soon and causing solvent popping. Changing that time between base and clear hasn't fixed anything.

The last couple of things I painted I sold before owning them long enough to see any failures. It takes a couple of years before the problem shows up. My worst issue was using House of Color base with Omni clear over it. That one started failure quickly. There were panels attached with button head bolts. I used nylon washers under the heads. The pressure from the bolt head delaminated the clear from the base. In time the delamination began on the large panels.

Way back I used the good PPG paint. Since then I have been unwilling to pay those prices. I am guilty of not using the same brand from metal to finish. I like the Omni epoxy primer. The Omni dealer is close so I normally use their base coat. I had been using the Omni clear but thought that was causing my problem, so I switched to Nason. I believe I used the latter clear on the current problem car.

[kb426]

I'm not the expert but I believe that both those clears will do the same thing you described in about the same time frame. I've started using higher priced clear over cheaper bases. Some of my painter friends have recommended that.

[idrivejunk]

I have no experience with those brands. I sprayed an Omni base / clear job and its five or six years old now but never leaves the garage.

[Beck]

Funny that when you sell a vehicle to a family member it is guaranteed for life.