Help! New spec.B with strange stain on hood

[jsmadden]

Hey everyone,

 

I've had my 07 spec.B for only a month, and I love it. However, about a week ago, I noticed a new and mysterious spot on the hood. I only got worried when I realized that the spot wasn't going ANYWHERE. It's not associated with any scratching or rock chipping; the paint feels smooth to the touch, so i think that whatever is going on is under the clearcoat. It almost looks like a little oil spot except that it doens't wash off. Frankly, it looks a little rust-like, esp. due to the coloration of the edges.

 

Any opinions or suggestions? I'm sorry the photographs are so terrible; reflections make this really tough. The images are pretty magnified, the spot itself is about half the diamater of a dime, but it's quite noticeable in sunlight even if you're just looking at the car from a normal distance.

 

Thanks in advance for taking a look!

 

--Joe

 

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/7105/p1090089siy9.jpg

 

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/2881/p1090092snw2.jpg

[ZinFreak]

Looks like a problem with the clear coat to me. Does the surface feel any different if you run your finger over it?

[hondas123]

I would bring it back to the dealership if it's that noticable.

[jsmadden]

Looks like a problem with the clear coat to me. Does the surface feel any different if you run your finger over it?

 

 

The surface seems smooth to me.

[ZinFreak]

The surface seems smooth to me.

 

Weird. I'd have the dealer take a look. They'll probably try to rub it out, but I don't think that is going to do it.

[jsmadden]

Weird. I'd have the dealer take a look. They'll probably try to rub it out, but I don't think that is going to do it.

 

I think this is going to be my first step--fortunately, I love my dealer's service department, so I know I'll at least get listened to.

 

Thanks for the quick replies, everybody--anyone else seen anything like this or have any ideas?

 

-Joe

[fuzzydd]

try a clay bar or some car polish first

if that doesnt help its something to do with the clearcoat/paint; i would take to to the dealer

[pillboy]

Yeah, don't worry, they will repaint the hood, the color won't match and two years later the clear coat will peel off.

[jsmadden]

They employ blind men to paint the cars at SOA in Indiana.

 

I would do whatever it takes to get this taken care of. Not acceptable for the amount of money you paid, or even on a 10K new car.

 

They may have to get you a new hood. Plain and simple.

 

I should point out that, based on the stain's visibility in moderate light, there is a 99% chance that the stain wasn't on the hood when I bought the car. I don't know how I would have missed it.

 

However, I am suspicious that there is an underlying flaw in the paintwork, since I can't imagine what I could subject this car to in my first month that could get at the paint in this vicious of a manner. Like I said, the finish in the area of that stain is still absolutely smooth to the touch so it's not like I creamed it with a rock or a piece of metal...

 

So you think this is grounds for serious complaining? Like others, I am kind of skeptical of what the dealer might want to do to "fix" the problem....

[fweasel]

Industrial fallout, or rail dust. Often caused by rust on railroad rails that mixes with rain/water and falls onto the cars. Several posts and other documented pictures of this on the board. My car had these rust spots on the bumper and rear fender, some as large as nickels. They too were smooth to the touch and I was convinced it was below the clear coat. Took it back to the dealer about two weeks after I bought the car and they took care of it to my satisfaction in an afternoon. I didn't ask how, but the car certainly wasn't painted.

[Tide]

dealership shouldn't care since they can write it off as a paint defect

[fuzzydd]

Industrial fallout, or rail dust. Often caused by rust on railroad rails that mixes with rain/water and falls onto the cars. Several posts and other documented pictures of this on the board. My car had these rust spots on the bumper and rear fender, some as large as nickels. They too were smooth to the touch and I was convinced it was below the clear coat. Took it back to the dealer about two weeks after I bought the car and they took care of it to my satisfaction in an afternoon. I didn't ask how, but the car certainly wasn't painted.

 

+1

on second thought, that doesnt look like clearcoat failure

the dealer will most likely try to buff it out first so if you want to save yourself some time, try doing what i said first

[OCDetails]

Looks like it could be one of a few things. It could be etching from hard water. Typically you don't just see one of those on the hood though. More likely it is a stain from a bird bomb. Bird shit is highly acidic due to birds not having kidneys to filter toxins out. The acid will quickly burn your paint and leave a stain if you don't get it off the hood quickly. It also sometimes depends on the bird and what it has been eating. If it is a bird who has gorged itself with fruit for the last couple days, then that crap is going to sizzle when it hits your paint. The mark can sometimes be all the way through the base coat and can't be removed. If paint cleaners don't take care of it, then usually the next step is to wetsand the area. With as thin and fragile as Legacy paint is, I wouldn't wetsand it unless you had another hood waiting for you in case you screw it up.

 

That is just a guess though. Take it to the dealership and have them take a look at it. Better yet, take it to a body shop and have them look at it. They may know better what it is than some mechanic who doesn't know the first thing about paint.

[jsmadden]

Looks like it could be one of a few things. It could be etching from hard water. Typically you don't just see one of those on the hood though. More likely it is a stain from a bird bomb. Bird shit is highly acidic due to birds not having kidneys to filter toxins out. The acid will quickly burn your paint and leave a stain if you don't get it off the hood quickly. It also sometimes depends on the bird and what it has been eating. If it is a bird who has gorged itself with fruit for the last couple days, then that crap is going to sizzle when it hits your paint. The mark can sometimes be all the way through the base coat and can't be removed. If paint cleaners don't take care of it, then usually the next step is to wetsand the area. With as thin and fragile as Legacy paint is, I wouldn't wetsand it unless you had another hood waiting for you in case you screw it up.

 

That is just a guess though. Take it to the dealership and have them take a look at it. Better yet, take it to a body shop and have them look at it. They may know better what it is than some mechanic who doesn't know the first thing about paint.

 

OCDetails, thanks for checking in with your thoughts.

 

I really don't think it's a bird poo stain--I have NEVER seen poop there and I watch that car VERY carefully (I was going to say like a hawk, but that doesn't seem right right now )--I mean, I check it several times a day. Plus, I park it in a covered space--there's nowhere above it for birds to sit. I had a WRX before this car (the WR blue color) and bird poops (including some fantastically colorful ones) never really seemed to stain it as long as I got them off within a few hours.

 

Anyway, i am going to try to clay the area tomorrow--this will be a new procedure for me, but I've been reading about it on your site and it sounds like something I should be capable of. I will post the results--and really hope that it works because if it doesn't I feel like I might be screwed.

 

thanks for the help again, everyone,

 

Joe

[ilh]

Thoroughly wash the area before claying (in case that isn't obvious).

[OCDetails]

A covered space, eh? What kind of covered space? I've done cars that live in parking garages that have lye dripping on them. Lye also causes similar marks.

 

Good luck with the stain! Hopefully it comes right out.

[2006Specb122]

Lye.... from a lye tree?

[jsmadden]

Well, I went to the dealer on Monday.

 

The service manager, my salesman, the sales manager, and the guy at the body shop all agreed that it was a defect in the paint--nothing I could have caused at all. They speculated that a drop of either solvent or water landed on the hood before the basecoat was applied or between the base and clearcoat.

 

Unfortunately, that leaves me in an awkward place as far as what to do next. Option 1 is to have them repaint the hood--they were very willing to do this for me, no hassle at all. The downside is that I'm afraid of both the durability and color-matching of the repaint.

 

Option 2 is just to ignore the problem. At least I still have factory paint, but I have the annoyance of having purchased a 34k car with a paint defect you wouldn't expect on a Kia or really anything else.

 

There's no way to just get a new hood from SOA in Indiana since a *painted* hood is not a part that's available. They would just receive an unpainted hood and do it themselves.

 

Any advice?

 

thanks as always,

 

Joe

[hondas123]

Hmmmmm.....tough decision indeed.

 

If the spot is really noticable and is bothering you.......I would get the hood repainted.

 

OR....live with it, since you're probably the only one noticing it anyway. Perhaps try to get the dealership to give you something as consolation such as Free Oil Change coupons. Just a thought.

[jsmadden]

unfortunately, a new painted hood from SOA is unavailable...

[Brady]

I'd have the dealer paint it. The paint is pretty much brand new, so a match is much more likely than if the car were 2 years old and had time to be affected by the sun. I would be willing to bet if you get the new hood painted (or your hood repainted) you'll never know the difference.

 

FWIW ... back in 2002 I saw a White WRX that had been badly discolored all over the hood from tree sap while visiting a cabin in Wisconsin. Clear coat and paint ARE porous.

[GTTuner]

I see this symptom often on new vehicles. Your picture is fuzzy, but it looks like a "white" spot in your clear coat. Almost resembles a water spot????

 

What I have found is that it is moisture in the clear. We bake the area with a heat lamp for 30 minutes or so and your all set.

[laz]

IF they can't take it out, repaint it.

 

The paint jobs taht Subaru does on these cars is crap anyway.

 

I saw orange peel on my new one on my 07 on the hood. Not noticeable right away, but you can spot it if you look for it.

 

I vote new paint job.

 

GL

 

X

[jsmadden]

I see this symptom often on new vehicles. Your picture is fuzzy, but it looks like a "white" spot in your clear coat. Almost resembles a water spot????

 

What I have found is that it is moisture in the clear. We bake the area with a heat lamp for 30 minutes or so and your all set.

 

It *does* kind of resemble a water spot--a very shiny, semi-iridescent water spot. Hm.

[Guinnesspower]

paint the hood...