My 08 Cooper S is having some paint problems on the hood. The clearcoat is flaking off right in the center of the hood and the paint underneath is also damaged. Could this be due to too high of temperatures in the engine compartment or not enough insulation? Perhaps this was a factory defect for this color (bright blue). Anyone else have this problem? The rest of my factory paint looks mint.

 

I thought mine looked mint too .. until vinyl was gently placed on a portion above my fuel cap and upon lifting the vinyl, paint and clearcoat came right up. This is usually the result of poor prepping ..

In your case, it could be due to high temperatures, sitting in the sun, etc. Not being that old though, it may just be poor quality. There's no fixing it at this point, other than having it repainted ..

 

Are you the first owner? If not, then the hood may have been repainted at one point for any number of reasons. If the paint shop did a poor prep job or low qaulity materials, then this can happen.

 

even if you ARE the first owner


manufacturer is allowed to make a certain amount of repairs - including paint - to a car before delivery with NO DISCLOSURE REQUIRED up to a certain percentage of the price of the vehicle.... damage in transit is not unusual.


6-7 years isn't bad life for respray . . .