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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Wash, Wax, Detailing and Cosmetic protection/repairs > Anyone had paint defects, specifically clear coat failure?



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      06-22-2019, 02:38 PM   #1
drunkentrader
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Anyone had paint defects, specifically clear coat failure?

Super bummed that my 2009, 70k mile Le Mans blue 335 started developing bubbles on the roof a year ago, which obviously led to the clearcoat peeling off in small sections, all the while spreading.

No big deal, right? It’s just the roof - I could always strip the clear and have it wrapped in jet black or Shadowline black to match my trim!

...but then the ultimate insult happened - my freakin hood just developed the same quarter sized delamination/bubble in the clear. Now I’m pissed.. this is the “newest/low mile” car I I’ve owned(out of 30+, most of which were bmws) and never once have I had to paint a panel.


Clearly beyond the factory 3 year warranty on paint. But.. curious to hear if anyone else has found their factory paint to become defective prematurely. My mechanic said it’s common on Le Mans blue bmws, but I can’t really find any evidence to prove it being beyond anecdotal.


Anyone ever try to file complaints with BMW NA? It’s seems futile to try on a 10 year old car, but maybe there is a minute chance if it has been documented that certain colors were doomed from the start due to a paint supplier fault, or some other equivalent.




Note: my car has had paintwork performed by the previous owner(rear quarter), but the hood and roof are definitely factory virgin panels. Car is not garaged, but is washed and spray waxed every two weeks.

Last edited by drunkentrader; 06-22-2019 at 02:44 PM..
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      06-26-2019, 10:04 AM   #2
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My E92 has clear coat failure on the hood and roof. Granted, car sat outside for most its life before I purchased it. Florida sun is dangerous. Planning to get it repainted in the coming months, gotta quote for $800 to repair it.
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      06-27-2019, 01:01 PM   #3
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neglected paint. Gotta keep your car waxed...
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      06-27-2019, 07:18 PM   #4
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Ceramic coating
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      06-27-2019, 07:48 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by drunkentrader View Post
Super bummed that my 2009, 70k mile Le Mans blue 335 started developing bubbles on the roof a year ago, which obviously led to the clearcoat peeling off in small sections, all the while spreading.

No big deal, right? It’s just the roof - I could always strip the clear and have it wrapped in jet black or Shadowline black to match my trim!

...but then the ultimate insult happened - my freakin hood just developed the same quarter sized delamination/bubble in the clear. Now I’m pissed.. this is the “newest/low mile” car I I’ve owned(out of 30+, most of which were bmws) and never once have I had to paint a panel.


Clearly beyond the factory 3 year warranty on paint. But.. curious to hear if anyone else has found their factory paint to become defective prematurely. My mechanic said it’s common on Le Mans blue bmws, but I can’t really find any evidence to prove it being beyond anecdotal.


Anyone ever try to file complaints with BMW NA? It’s seems futile to try on a 10 year old car, but maybe there is a minute chance if it has been documented that certain colors were doomed from the start due to a paint supplier fault, or some other equivalent.




Note: my car has had paintwork performed by the previous owner(rear quarter), but the hood and roof are definitely factory virgin panels. Car is not garaged, but is washed and spray waxed every two weeks.
My ceramic coated E90 is mostly garaged. It sat outside for two weeks when I went to Qatar. I came back and the clear on the roof failed. I covered it with paint match vinyl wrap.
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      07-02-2019, 04:36 PM   #6
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My clear coat started flaking on the hood. My car is a 2009 coupe also - must have been something wrong with the paint in Germany
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      07-02-2019, 06:46 PM   #7
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Mine too. 2011 California car with 70k. The roof is starting to fade. It just leave the roof rack on it to cover it up!!
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      04-03-2020, 04:14 AM   #8
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My E90 Monaco Blue roof is all gone, trunk is half way peeled and now the doors are starting to peel a little but getting worst... I'm going to have it repainted later on.
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      04-15-2021, 10:21 PM   #9
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my e90 monaco blue clearcoat was bubbling, cracking, and peeling on the trunk. I went to wal mart and bought a couple cans of clear gloss top coat in the automotive section and layered in on with about 13 coats drying about 15-30 minutes between coats and it looked awesome for months. I had to delicately sand down the failing cracking parts first and wrap the car in plastic to keep it off of the rest of the car. but i did it in the sun and mild wind. However, last month i was installing a new pressure regulator in the gas tank as my brother was watching/helping and he put a gasoline soaked towel on my trunk and it screwed it up so now i gotta sand it back down and redo it.
my point is its a cheap and easy fix that actually looks really good, restores that factory shine, doesnt look ghetto, and holds up to the sun, rain, and machine and hand washes just like the factory stuff does.
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      04-15-2021, 10:26 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Benniese90 View Post
my e90 monaco blue clearcoat was bubbling, cracking, and peeling on the trunk. I went to wal mart and bought a couple cans of clear gloss top coat in the automotive section and layered in on with about 13 coats drying about 15-30 minutes between coats and it looked awesome for months. I had to delicately sand down the failing cracking parts first and wrap the car in plastic to keep it off of the rest of the car. but i did it in the sun and mild wind. However, last month i was installing a new pressure regulator in the gas tank as my brother was watching/helping and he put a gasoline soaked towel on my trunk and it screwed it up so now i gotta sand it back down and redo it.
my point is its a cheap and easy fix that actually looks really good, restores that factory shine, doesnt look ghetto, and holds up to the sun, rain, and machine and hand washes just like the factory stuff does.
If you are going to clear the car yourself using a rattle can, use a GOOD 2k clear coat like this; https://www.amazon.com/U-S-Chemical-...pcontext&psc=1 . 2k clear will be way more durable and look better.
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      04-16-2021, 01:43 PM   #11
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thanks for the tip.
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      04-16-2021, 01:57 PM   #12
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My roof, hood, and trunk had clearcoat damage when I bought my car. On the hood and roof, the damage actually went through to the paint underneath. I ended up wrapping my whole car a different color
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      07-21-2021, 11:04 PM   #13
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I had clearcoat failure - e90, Burgundy red. Here in Bay Area, I am told that I need to repaint the car and the lowest quote is $2500. Maaco says they might be able to do it for 2K. Sounds painful, but is that the best option? I am not super handy
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      09-18-2023, 02:04 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by e90burgundy View Post
I had clearcoat failure - e90, Burgundy red. Here in Bay Area, I am told that I need to repaint the car and the lowest quote is $2500. Maaco says they might be able to do it for 2K. Sounds painful, but is that the best option? I am not super handy
Skip Maaco.

I'm going to go to RJs in Pleasanton to get a quote on paint work (mostly clearcoat failure)
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