These tiny cracks can be felt if you rub your finger over them. They do not seem to go very deep, possibly just clear coat. Is this something that can be fixed or should i just not worry about it. You could look at the car a hundred times and not see them, but I know they are there and it bugs the crap out of me. What could have caused this? Does anyone else have anything like this, and if so did you do anything about it? Thanks.
Found this when detailing....
1 - 20 of 25 Posts
Joined
·
1,569 Posts
Interesting. It looks like it could have been caused by blunt force trauma of some sort.
Is it above the battery area? If so, check your battery to see if it is clamped down properly. Can you check the panel underside with a mirror?
Are you the original owner or was the car previously owned?
Is it above the battery area? If so, check your battery to see if it is clamped down properly. Can you check the panel underside with a mirror?
Are you the original owner or was the car previously owned?
Joined
·
815 Posts
looks like somebody leaned on the clam during a repair. i'd have it fixed.
I have only felt the underside, but will check with a mirror. What would be involved in a fix?
Joined
·
2,845 Posts
I have seen this type of damage on the engine lids and tops of the rear fenders of the Elise from small stones/road debris that were somehow thrown up over the windshield and hoop cover only to get sucked back down and cause little chips in the paint on the rear of the car. As far as repairing the damage, it usually is in the clear coat only and short of repainting, the only thing that seems to help is to very carefully remove some of the clear coat to smooth the chips by wet sanding the spots with some 2,000 grit wet-or-dry sandpaper and then polish and buff the sanded area to hide the marks as best as possible.
Joined
·
613 Posts
I have 2 of the same type of spots. They likely come from the inside of the boot. Mine was from the soft top sliding into the clam while driving hard. That looks to be right above the battery if I'm looking at it right. Is is possible the battery got loose?
Battery has never gotten loose. Did you have your spots fixed? If not, have they gotten any bigger? If I knew it wouldn't spread or eventually chip off I wouldn't worry about it since it is hardly noticable. I have never had a paint issue like this so not sure what to expect long term.
Joined
·
5,402 Posts
Nothing external can crack clear like that and not also crack the paint. The clearcoat used is exactly like the paint, only clear. IMO this was not caused by something hitting the underside or topside, it was caused by a flaw in the painting process itself, and took some time to reveal itself.
Don't think of your clearcoat as being a sheet of ice on top of your paint, think about it like a weld. The car is painted, and while the paint is still wet the clear is sprayed on and allowed to "bite" into the paint forming a bond between the two like a weld joint.
Back when Lacquer was used for automotive painting processes, these types of cracks were common, and they were caused by the process itself.
Don't think of your clearcoat as being a sheet of ice on top of your paint, think about it like a weld. The car is painted, and while the paint is still wet the clear is sprayed on and allowed to "bite" into the paint forming a bond between the two like a weld joint.
Back when Lacquer was used for automotive painting processes, these types of cracks were common, and they were caused by the process itself.
$.25? :shrug:
Joined
·
11,690 Posts
Haha.... Paul !! You're getting used to my humor ! rotfl
Joined
·
667 Posts
I've seen something on my 05 Elise like this. Having long ago (in my youth) had a Firebird on which I fixed many rust spots and tried repeatedly to get the white paint to match/blend/etc... I looked at this sort of flaw it and said to myself, "Fixing it is a thousand times riskier than leaving it alone." Any sort of sanding/repainting of small portions of any automobile finish that matters to the owner should be done very carefully by someone with lots of experience. Even then, it might still create a (larger) area that didn't quite match in gloss or color.
Given that the body is fiberglass not steel and rusting is not an issue, I wouldn't touch it. I would be a little careful when you towel this area off after washing so that you don't catch it and tear up a flake. If that does happen you will have a much more visible defect and touch up or repainting might be warranted at that point.
Given that the body is fiberglass not steel and rusting is not an issue, I wouldn't touch it. I would be a little careful when you towel this area off after washing so that you don't catch it and tear up a flake. If that does happen you will have a much more visible defect and touch up or repainting might be warranted at that point.
Joined
·
637 Posts
'Liked that one. Very funny.
Joined
·
3,839 Posts
I've seen cracks like that on Tesla's test mule that was in Iron Man. It was made of fiber glass like our cars and not carbon fiber, which they currently use for the body.. I've always wondered what causes them.
Joined
·
1,828 Posts
It is hard to tell what may have caused that. It could have been something tapped there from the outside or, as others have indicated, from within the trunk.
I disagree about leaving it along - at least that wouldn't be my long term plan. This may seem minor now but it can manifest into something worse.
Cracks in clear coat allow oxygen and other material to get underneath and potentially cause the area to flake - regardless if you touch it carefully with a towel or not. Water can be the worst - which also, of course, contains oxygen. Even when you wash the car, water will likely enter into the crack promoting the clear coat to ultimately flake.
I do agree about spot painting - never a good idea if it can be avoided.
I disagree about leaving it along - at least that wouldn't be my long term plan. This may seem minor now but it can manifest into something worse.
Cracks in clear coat allow oxygen and other material to get underneath and potentially cause the area to flake - regardless if you touch it carefully with a towel or not. Water can be the worst - which also, of course, contains oxygen. Even when you wash the car, water will likely enter into the crack promoting the clear coat to ultimately flake.
I do agree about spot painting - never a good idea if it can be avoided.
T.J. is selling a battery bracket that really secures the battery... in case that was the problem. He has a thread started.
1 - 20 of 25 Posts
Join the discussion
