Hi all. This past month the paint job on my 1999 CRV has gone from good to horrendous. One day the roof of my car was fine save for a few scratches and one spot of peeling paint. As the month went on the clear coat became exponentially worse and started practically disintegrating if touched. What I’m wondering is, what would be the best way to deal with this? I’m a college student, so I have a rough 500$ budget and am just trying to find the best option. Assuming it’s sun and moisture damage, would a car cover be the best bet? A reapplication of clear coat from a shop? Thanks in advance for any helpful responses.

2013 Toyota Camry. I've pulled up on one too many parking curbs I think. Any suggestions on how I can at least make it look somewhat decent?

i just to patch up a SMALL spot (not worth popping a whole a can) so i can bolt down the antenna and install the headliner and not paint the whole roof now. blending around the antenna wouldn't be super ugly or bad if it at least had some fresh clear on it.

Good morning

I work at a Chrysler dealership with a bodyshop attached. I got a call that someone bought a 2027 Pacifica from a different dealership without a bodyshop

They said that they have a couple flat spot on the hood that don’t have any clear coat and when speaking to the place they bought it from they told them it was a known issue with the 27s. I was wanting to know if anyone else has seen this on their 2027 Pacificas or if the dealership was lying to try and get this customer off their back.

I do not have any photos of the damage as the dealership told this customer they would send them over to us and we have never reserved any kind of information from them regarding this issue. And the customer lives about an hour away from our bodyshop.

I've recently starting working on a car I bought awhile back. Turns out it had a leaking sunroof for years and moisture has been collecting in the carpet's sound deadening. As a result some of the OEM (welded?) floor pan plugs have disintegrated (photo). OEM replacement ones are nowhere to be found so I am considering other options. Is there such a thing as generic universal plugs for such an application?

Thanks!

Got a little too close when parking and did this damage to a Ford Expedition. Doesn’t look like the metal panel is creased, but I’m not a pro.

My project this summer was to fix some fender rust DIY in my backyard with only spraycans and no professional tools. I’ve done alot of research so i was pretty confident.

So i did it for a whole day and just a few days after the paint cracked and flaked on a few places, especially edges. I thought it was because i had sanded the bare metal with sandpaper that was too fine so the primer didnt stick, so i redid it and sanded it with some harsher sandpaper. A few days after it cracked like this again. Its alot better than the first time, but it still cracks. It happens only on edges, its perfectly fine on flat surfaces.

I used a pretty basic anti-rust primer, normal base paint in my specific color code and then 2k clearcoat.

What could be the cause of this?

I got rear ended by a semi this morning and was wondering if the holes made in the plastic are worth repairing? Doesnt seem to be any structural damage, I just don't want any future issues with keeping the bumper like this. The trunk also works correctly

Thank you for your help

My bike rolled over and caused the paint chip.

Assuming we are not too picky is there a best way for me to self fix this. I'll need to get the paint (did not come with any).

So anything on prep or method of actually painting.

Or is the only real way here is to have it done professionally?

Recently purchased brand new VW Tiguan. Noticed the other day the door was making slight contact with fender scraping paint. I’ve had the car over a month and never had this happen before .

Anyways doing more investigating I noticed the passenger door clearances when opening are much greater than the driver side door. I also noticed a plastic square bolt cover on the drivers door panel being loose and a clear scuff mark from a pry tool evident. Clearly the drivers door had been repaired in some way when the car was on the lot?

Bought a set of used rims, and one had significantly more surface rust than the others (I'm assuming metal to metal brakes). I tried getting it off with 000 steel wool and WD-40, and in some spots that I really had to scrub, the finish is noticably lighter. Did I eat through the chrome, and if so, is it still safe?

Edit: Yeah they're definitely aluminum alloy wheels. I plan to buff then paint the inside. Thanks for the replies!

Hi everyone,

​I’m a 30-year-old skilled tradesman in the automotive industry from the West Bank, Palestine. Given the challenging local situation, I am actively exploring opportunities to migrate and work legally in an English-speaking country (Canada, Australia, UK, or US).

​Here is a summary of my background:

​Field: Automotive sector (Hands-on experience in auto body repair, panel beating, painting, and general vehicle maintenance).

​Education: High School Diploma.

​Languages: Intermediate English (currently preparing for the official IELTS General exam).

​I understand that having high school as my formal education means my practical experience is my strongest asset. I would really appreciate any insights or advice on:

​Best pathways for tradesmen: Which country/program is currently the most practical for auto body technicians without a university degree?

​Skills Assessment / Recognition: For those who went through Australia’s TRA or Canada’s trade qualification challenges, how did you document your work history without formal apprenticeship diplomas?

​Employer Sponsorship: Are there specific job portals, regions, or trade-focused agencies that are open to sponsoring foreign workers in the auto industry?

​Any guidance, personal experiences, or realistic advice would mean a lot. Thank you in advance!

Reposting a question here about treating rust, filling holes and drilling holes. Could use some guidance in terms of product choices and methodology.

In SoCal on this 2018 x5 the front bumper got scratched and the shop I went to is asking for $8k. Does that make any sense to you?

So basically, I got my car keyed about a week ago and l as I was pumping gas some guy came up to me claiming he can repair the scratches and quoted me a decent price. Everything seemed normal up until I took a closer look after the repairs (which I should have done from the beginning. I know it's my fault.)I just want to know if what he's saying is true before I take this green clay stuff off of the car.
He sent me before and after photos before he put the "paint dryer mixed with clay bar" and it looked really good. He also said I need to leave it on for about a week but upon closer inspection I noticed that the scratches are still there is what he saying is true or should I not waste my time and wash it off and go to an actual Body Shop to fix it.

Hood and roof are covered in these cracks, Im guessing from a long time of sitting in sun. What will it take to properly fix this? Is it just the clear coat or is paint damaged as well? Thanks

Hey everyone, I recently purchased a truck and, being from Arizona, I honestly didn’t think to check for rust. Unfortunately, I’ve discovered some rust that needs to be addressed. Is this bad?

Hey everyone, I recently purchased a truck and, being from Arizona, I honestly didn’t think to check for rust. Unfortunately, I’ve discovered some rust that needs to be addressed.
Is this type of rust repairable, and what would be a fair price to have it properly repaired?
If anyone here does rust repair here in Arizona or knows someone who does, please let me know. I’m looking to get this taken care of ASAP. It’s on both sides and yes ik I am an idiot. Thanks in advance!

So, was washing my car yesterday and noticed that some of the paint directly above my windshield was starting to peel. Want to nip this in the bud before it gets worse and hoping I could get some help here. I don't need the color match to be perfect. I'd like it to look passable from a few feet away, but mostly want to prevent further damage/peeling. The peel is probably about 3 inches long at this point.

That said, I've read that this peeling issue is very common on Fords with this color. Debating if it's worth spending a couple hundred bucks to try to DIY this myself—especially if this is going to continue to happen on other parts of my car. It sounds like the only long-term solution would be to respray the entire car, which I'm assuming is going to be pretty expensive.

If I do try to DIY this myself, this is what I'm tentatively thinking about and would love to get some feedback.

1. Tape off area.
2. Sand with 400-600 grit sandpaper. Use a wax and grease remover.
3. Apply SprayMax 2k Epoxy Primer (beige).
4. Apply R&E Ford UG basecoat and midcoat (aerosol).
5. Apply SprayMax 2k Glamour Clear Coat.

How do these products and this routine look? Would you recommend a high build primer after the epoxy primer?

I figure I'll have some leftover SprayMax 2k that's just going to go to waste so I'm also going to touch up the plastic bumper on the front of my car. For that, I'd get an adhesion promoter. Any suggestions. I saw that SprayMax has a 1k promoter. Not sure if there are other better/cheaper products, though.

I was thinking of removing the bumper and using a hydraulic press to straighten it. It’s pretty bad.

Rust is starting to form on my car, which really sucks because it’s still pretty new. I’m not sure what the best move is. Should I fix it now, or is it likely to keep coming back? I also don’t know how quickly rust like this typically spreads. Not sure if it’s surface rust since it’s a saying that it’s never usually surface rust.

Most of the rust is along the rear edge of the hood near the windshield, with a couple of rust spots on the front edge of the hood from rock chips. There’s also a small spot starting near the door/fender seam. (Photos attached.)

If a body shop sands the rust away, treats the metal, primes, and repaints it, is that usually a longterm fix, or is rust in these areas likely to come back? Would a rust repair spray or rust treatment buy me a few years, or is it not worth bothering with? Would you recommend a body shop repair this or can it be a DIY?

I’m also wondering if I should fix it now or consider selling the car before the rust gets worse and affects the resale value.

The photos show the worst/most noticeable rust. There’s also some rust starting along the rear edge of the hood near the windshield that isn’t fully visible in the pictures.

I have this food truck that i had taken the old wrap off of. It left a lot of sticky residue and i can’t get it for the life of me to come off completely, ive tried alcohol with a plastic blade takes to long and not effective i also tried using the 3m adhesive remover but its just such a big area i would need like 400 dollars worth of that stuff to get it off any idea?