Re: Paint problem?

["Fred Munro" <munrof@isys.ca>]

Andy;

    Audi had a problem with their clearcoat finish which gave the appearance
of numerous fine scratches. These would appear over large areas as the
clearcoat failed. The problem usually appears after 3-4 years and gets
progressively worse until the clearcoat actually peels off the basecoat.
Horizontal surfaces are the worst because they get more sun, heat, and
airborne contaminants.
    This problem was quite prevalent in the early clearcoat finishes ('86 -
'87). Resolution requires a re-paint, although 600 grit wetsanding the
clearcoat and re-applying clearcoat may resolve the problem.
    Audi is not the only manufacturer with this problem - my wife's '87 Olds
is beginning to show the same symptoms.
    I had a total clearcoat failure in this fashion on my Zermatt Silver '86
5ktq. My Titanium Gray '91 200q shows no sign of failure at this point.

HTH

Fred Munro
'91 200q  261k km
-----Original Message-----
From: AW <weststar@ziplink.net>
To: quattro@coimbra.ans.net <quattro@coimbra.ans.net>
Date: Tuesday, October 27, 1998 2:29 AM
Subject: Paint problem?


>Hi,
>
>I have a 1990 80 Quattro with gold ("bamboo tan") paint.  It has many
>scratches all over--I assumed that the previous owner had overdone it
>with commericial carwashes.  However, when I asked a local auto body
>owner about it, he stated that it looked like the paint was actually
>cracking.  He said that it looked like a laquer paint and that he hadn't
>used laquer paint in years (in fact, Massachusetts recently outlawed its
>use).  He specializes in upper end cars (Porsche, Mercedes,etc.) and
>seems to have a good reputation, so he started me wondering.
>
>Since I spoke with him, I have noticed two other Audi cars in parking
>lots with exactly the same type of problem.  One was an 80 (not sure of
>the year) and the other was a 1993 90Q; both were silver.  The
>"scratches" on my car and the two others I saw are quite extensive.
>
>Does anyone know if this is related to the paint used?   I have no
>reason to believe that my car has ever been repainted, anywhere on it.
>Also, the two others seemed to have original paint as well.
>
>Thank you in advance.
>
>Sincerely,
>Andy