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-   -   Paint blemish on new Trailhawk (http://www.usajeepin.com/showthread.php?t=681)

Rich Z 10-28-2019 03:54 PM

Paint blemish on new Trailhawk
 
So right after bringing the Trailhawk back home after purchasing from a dealer in south Florida, my wife noticed a blemish in the paint on the hood.

http://www.usajeepin.com/pics/TrailH...blemish_01.jpg


http://www.usajeepin.com/pics/TrailH...blemish_02.jpg


http://www.usajeepin.com/pics/Trailh...blemish_03.jpg


http://www.usajeepin.com/pics/Trailh...blemish_04.jpg


This appears to be an obvious factory defect, since it appears there is something underneath the primer as well as the top coat. So what concerns me is that eventually it will break loose, and then I will have a spot of bare metal showing on the hood where rust can get a toehold.

Thing is, the dealer I purchased this from is a good 6 hour or so drive (I am near Tallahassee FL, and the dealer is in Bradenton FL), otherwise I would just take it to them, and I'm sure they would take care of it. I asked the Bradenton dealer about just taking it to the local dealer instead of making the trip down there, and they felt that if the local dealer determined that it is a factory defect, then no problem getting it fixed under warranty.

So what do you think? Obvious factory defect? Think the non-selling dealer will balk at repairing it?

Rich Z 11-02-2019 07:07 PM

Well, interestingly enough, I discovered today that the hood on this Trailhawk is not just a mild steel sheet metal part. It is not magnetic. Not really sure what it is made out of, though. But the place underneath the hood latch base definitely looks metallic.

I was taking a look at the hood latch that has the paint chipped off of it where the latching mechanism grabs it, and wanted to set down a magnetic base lamp I have. Sure wouldn't stick to the hood, so I was a bit surprised by that.

One good thing is that I guess I really don't need to worry about that hood paint blemish developing into a rust spot if whatever it is just pops off one day.

In any event, here's what the damaged hood latch looks like:

http://www.usajeepin.com/pics/TrailH...d_latch_01.jpg

Looks like the paint is just flaking off of that part. Well, that is because that is exactly what is happening. The paint doesn't really adhere to the metal latch at all, and I was able to easily scrape it off just using a screwdriver blade. So apparently the hood latching mechanism just broke through the paint, and then it started flaking off more and more.

The dealership I bought the "Hawk" from sent me a bottle of white touchup paint, but I'm think I will use POR-15 on it, because it is just a tougher paint and hopefully will be able to withstand being on that latch without breaking and peeling away. I do have some POR prep fluid, so I will treat the metal with that before applying the paint coat. I have already scraped all of the paint off of the 'U' shaped part, figuring I might as well just repaint the entire thing. Not painting the base, however, and hopefully I won't have to in the future.


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