I posted this in the Stock Problems section but got no response:


My '07 MCS has developed a problem with the clearcoat within the past 2 months. Apparently this is related to the windshield washer both front (right washer only) and rear, because it is only at the outlets. The front clearcoat is now peeling in a large area approximately 6" across, and the rear has peeled about 1/2" so far.

Yes, I know the early R56s had a leaky-checkvalve problem with the front washers. Mine NEVER did! I don't know if this is related to wear-and-tear with age, or something else. I'm almost thinking that I got a bad batch of washer fluid, because this is something totally new, and just showed up since late October. There has been no freezing weather here (I'm in the Houston area), but I can actually peel the clearcoat like a sunburn. The rest of the clearcoat and the red paint are both perfect other than the usual stone nicks.

Any thoughts? Do I have any options other than a hood and boot repaint? Can just the clearcoat be repaired?

 

Good afternoon,

I purchased my MCS in February 2012. About two weeks after I purchased it I decided to put my red hash marks on the hood (see signature pic). I was using 3M's blue painters tape to align the vinyl. Once the vinyl was all in place I carefully removed the blue painters tape and it pulled off the clearcoat! I was blown away. It too came off just like sunburned skin. I noticed that when I ran my finger along the edge of the hood that meets the plastic fender flair there was chipping clearcoat all along this edge! I quickly added a piece of vinyl over the chipped clearcoat to prevent additional chipping. I believe there is no way the washer fluid caused this issue. The pressure from the nozzles may have broken the bond between the clearcoat and paint. I have seen clearcoat issues similar to yours...

Seeing as how my MCS was still under warranty I brought it up to my local Mini dealer (Ralph Schomp Mini = Amazing) and their regional Mini Rep checked it out and they fixed it under warranty. I have since reapplied my red hash marks onto my hood.

As a side note I professionally detail cars and install vinyl graphics and have used 3M's blue painters tape as it is very low adhesion. Rarely will I see defective clearcoat but is usually a problem among several cars as poor product was used.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

Insurance claim. Throw a brick at it and claim comprehensive. That will not cause your rate to go up.

 

Did you buy your car used?

 

Yes my car was purchased used but still under warranty. I even took it to a different dealer than I purchased it from.

 

Hmm that's strange that the clear coat is peeling... I haven't seen this on any of the other MINI's at work nor my own, however I have seen it on newer BMW's like 2010's... a lot, typically a 5 serious for some reason. I'm just assuming that the previous owners didn't take real good care of the car? wash/wax ect.

 

I have heard of it on 2 other Minis. Ironic? Possible. I am just super stoked my dealer took care of me.

 

For some reason I didn't get a notice that there were responses to my original posting. The clear coat has continued to peel, and at this point I don't think I have any choices other than having the hood painted (or at least clear coated if that can be done). The area is now about 6" wide and 8" long, with the sunburn peel effect that myR56S described. The rear defect is about twice as large as before, and there is a new spot lower down on the hood (and away from the windshield washer nozzles). Other than not being garaged, the car has had excellent care, with hand washing and waxing. It's clearly a defect in the application, but at age 6, I'm sure no one at MINI will be interested. I now live in a different state, so don't have access to the dealer where I bought the car new.

Sigh.

 

I would still ask mini, they go by build date so if your build date is say 7/07 then you should have till 7/13 technically. I'm not sure what the warranty is on paint tho or if there is any.

I had a tried to get a rust repair done on my BMW and they went by the above for 6 years unlimited miles but I didn't make the cut because see my build date fell in the previous year branded as a next model year tho.

 

Off-topic, but it's nice to hear some validation about Schomp. I bought mine there used last August, and the experience has been pretty good to-date. (I hated the entire financing/closing experience, mostly thanks to their efforts to sell me every conceivable warranty and protection this-and-that under the sun—but it's that way everywhere.)

I still have a bad taste in my mouth about car dealers in general—what a slimy business on the whole—but Schomp has been great otherwise.

 

Good to know. I'm probably still out of luck because I have a week 3 build date, and the car was delivered 2/21/13, but I'll check it out.

 

I just discovered the clearcoat peeling on my 2013 Cooper. It's a 3/4 by 1/4 inch area just visible in the recess where the headlamp ring is set. I noticed it because I my eyes happened to be looking right there when I was shutting my hood....on one end of the clear-coat less area the coat is showing as lifted up so I'm sure the peeling will spread.
I have an appointment with the dealer tomorrow for an unrelated issue and will show them.

Question: How did they repair yours? Repaint the whole hood? Did they color match well and did they properly remove all the trim from the hood before repainting (instead of just masking around the edges)?

 

My clearcoat failed after warranty, so I took it to a local body shop. Just the clear coat was done, not including the color, and it looks fine. I think a better body shop would have done a better job overall, but it's not something I lose any sleep over. I don't think anyone has ever noticed.

Since your car is under warranty, your dealer will probably send it to a body shop experienced in these repairs. The dealership won't do this sort of repair. Usually these are high-end shops because of the connection with BMW. You should be fine.

I would suggest that the entire area be done, as the clear coat will probably fail elsewhere. In my case, it began coming up in small sheets, until I had several inches exposed. Check the car carefully before the work is done--I discovered multiple areas, all associated with the windshield (and back window) washers, which had NOT previously leaked. I think I also had a problem in the area above the headlight ring, but it's been over a year since it was repaired, so I don't remember now.

 

I know which bodyshop my local dealer uses and it's supposed to be very good. I didn't know they could just respray clear.....did they do the entire hood or somehow blend in that section?

Ideally, I would want all the trim removed from the hood and the entire hood resprayed in one continuous coat.

 

They did the entire body panels affected--bonnet and boot. And yes, they removed the trim, and replaced the stripes. I had an unrelated door ding done at the same time, so I don't remember how much the clear coat portion was, but the total bill was $1300. I think the ding was over $400 (it was a weird one that involved paint on two panels), so I think the rest was $900, for 2 areas.

I had a couple of other quotes (should have taken the middle priced one), but I think it was about $1100 for the clear coat issue. That should give you a ballpark. Remember, I had multiple areas. Get it fixed now before winter! Mine first showed up when I visited a colder area that had freezing weather (my car lived in Houston, then).

 

I have an appointment with the dealer tomorrow, so I'll hopefully get the ball rolling then. Since I've only noticed the hood so far and I have a good year left on my warranty, I'll focus on getting that completely re-cleared and keep an eye on the rest of the car for any signs.
I'm going to tell them I expect all the trim to be removed from the hood, including the emblem so it's a continuous new coat.
Thanks for your advice!

 

Sounds like a good plan. Good luck!

I'd be curious if the SA has seen this before, and if so, on what years. When I first got serious about this problem, it was out of warranty. I was told a dealer might do something even so, but by then I had moved to an area that didn't have one. We were expecting one to open within a few months, so I didn't pursue it for a while. As it turned out, the dealership didn't open until well over a year later, and by then I'd bit the bullet and paid for it myself (given that I also had the door ding to worry about).

 

It's funny you mention the additional ding. I just got one on the hood 2 weeks ago dead center. A rock flew out of a dump truck and struck a glancing blow there and on the windshield. It was such a hard strike, it sounded like a gunshot. There's a small chip in the clearcoat there since it wasn't a direct hit. The color is intact but some of the clear came off on impact.

I wonder if they're going to make me pay for part of the respray since it will also cover up that damage. There's a tiny ding there too but I'm not too worried about that.

 

Mine was considerably larger, and was an "outie." We don't know how it happened, but the most plausible theory is that a seat belt clasp had been in the wrong place when the driver's door was closed. It didn't happen to either of us, but the car had been in for service a day or two before. Why we didn't see it then, we don't know, but we couldn't claim it as dealer's fault because we didn't see it upon delivery. And maybe that's not how it happened. We just don't know. The whole door had to be repainted after pounding it out, as well as part of the rear quarterpanel. I held off for a couple of years before spending that amount of money, but it irritated me every time I opened the door, so I finally had it repaired. Sure wish it had been an "innie." so that paintless dent repair could have been done.

 

aaaaaah, the pain we go through trying to keep a car in nice condition. LoL

 

Yes, indeed. And we're about to start all over when my 2015 is finally released from EPA hell...

 

Why are the Feds holding your new car?

 

They are holding ALL 2015 hardtops. There's a big long thread in the F56 section, especially towards the end. My car arrived in Brunswick, GA, on August 2; we are hoping the EPA will release it by October 1. Then it's at least a week to the dealer...

 

I'm sorry to hear that. Hope you're united with your new Mini soon!