Technical Flaking paint!

[chicken_chau_mein]

As the title states, i went to the car wash this morning as i always do every sunday.

Once i got her home, i got out and had to admire her but then i saw this...

A closer look...

To say i wasn't happy is an understatement! I've been halfords ro pick up some touch up paint and i've gone over it but its still clearly visible as the damged area is quite big.

Any suggestions as to what i should do?

Its only an 05 plate so i don't understand how the paint can already be peeling.

Someone help me! :worship:

 

[850kd]

Can you be sure this has never been 'repaired', like have you had this car from new?

 

[minimad99]

I've had this on one of my sills, i used a jet wash and got a bit too close, the heat had obviously softened the paint and the pressure just blasted a piece of paint about the size of a 50p piece clean off leaving the primer underneath.
Yours looks more like something has actually scratched into the paint ulling it away???
To get a good repair you'll need to sand it down and respray im afraid.

 

[chicken_chau_mein]

Can you be sure this has never been 'repaired', like have you had this car from new?

I'm the second owner of this car. When we went to buy it, my brother had a close look. All looked well, no welds around the front or any signs of accident damage.

As for being scratched, i've always been to the same car wash and this has never happened before.

This is how she looks now:

Thats from using touch up paint mixed from Halfords.

 

[Muppet1]

I do like your grille on your stilo, Where did you get it or is it a standard one.

How about a picture of it in full please.

 

[JFL]

thats why i always hand clean mine myself

 

[dibbers]

that seems really bad if that is "fiat paint" flaking already. try the dealer for the paintwork warranty - think this should be covered. the big negative is that - understandably - you've tried to repair it yourself. may be a massive own goal as could invalidate any claim that may have been there....

-----
as for muppet1, the grill in question was on later models of the stilo, can be picked up as an aftermarket add-on for around £40 from your local dealer.

as seen full-on from my last pic of the abarth/presty' ...

more in gallery

 

[Big Black Stilo]

i have seen this before, i have a hole in the laquer on my rear bumper that was a tiny mark but jetwash ripped into a hole just smaller than a 5p.
personally, i wouldnt have tried to touch up the mark and spoke the carwash people, i feel the holes could have started with tiny stone chip and they got too close with jet wash and pressure ripped a hole in the laquer

 

[Muppet1]

Thanks Dibbers, may have to call local fiat dealers and get one, looks so much nicer than mine.

 

[chicken_chau_mein]

Yes its the updated grille which i retrofitted myself. Cost just over £40 from the dealers.

I think this grille only suits silver/grey stilos only.

I'm just disappointed that for a 3 year old car, the paint could be so fragile. Does anyone know the warranty on paint or anything that could help me?

As for that carwash, i don't think i'll be going back there even though i've used them for years.

 

[coyle]

thats not good.. but i geuss you could get it sanded and sprayed for £50ish

as for the grill. i had that on mine from new. but swapped it for a new one

 

[muppet42]

I've got a few small chips on the front of mine, but thankfully nothing as major as your's.

As Coyle says, think it shouldn't be that much to repair. Even Halfords do touch up work like that for around £50, though don't know about the quality of the work. That touch up paint doesn't look like a very good match, so not sure if I'd go there to get it sorted :chin:

Still not sure about that late model grille. I've seen it on a few and I personally prefer the black mesh style. That's my next job actually, now that I've given up on the pedals

 

[annemt]

Hi that once happened to the bumper on my T reg Brava fiat fixed it after a row..Regards..Anne

 

[bandido41]

Could be that when the bumper was sprayed it wasnt done with the correct plastic primer from the beginning hence the paint now flaking off.

 

[j0nny]

this has happened me in the area above the front number plate. pressure washer was to blame again tho i only ripped the laquer so the paint is still underneath
raging to see that happen. it looks like its a possible repair job that the paint or primer hasnt been applied to properly as flat areas like that shouldnt really suffer this sort of damage, its usually ends or sharp bends on panels (like mine)
no bodywork shop will just do this wee bit, it will have to faded into something so it'll prob be an area like an 18" circle masking the grilles and headlights.
as for the paint mix. its all to do with the person, i only have one person mix up my paint now, the smallest extra bit of any of the paint makes such a difference which was very frustrating; when colour coding my rub strips i had to do it 3 times!

 

[Big Black Stilo]

this is why i chose a black stilo- perminant marker hides a multitude of sins!