Hello everyone! New member here but, I have two Fords that I have owned since 2015 (2015 Mustang and 2016 F-150). Over the past couple of months, I have noticed some paint peeling that has been pretty concerning to me. I have taken it to the dealership today, and as of this time, photos are being sent to them via the dealership I purchased both of my Fords from (Penske in La Mesa, CA). I'm wondering if anyone has experienced this level of paint degradation over such a short amount of time? I clean my Mustang the same way as my F-150 and my 1994 Toyota Supra with the OEM paint job. I'm honestly not too optimistic about the response from Ford especially given the dealership's initial response. If people have experienced this level of paint defect, what was the outcome, and if it's not too personal, what was the out-of-pocket expense as I have no delusions about Ford paying for the repair. How did you go about receiving it (letter to dealership owner, Ford, etc.) if compensation was offered? This kind of sucks to have this happen to a vehicle that I purchased 4 1/2 years ago but, I'll wait to see how the process plays out. Below are pictures of the defects. Thanks for the help.













This is under the RR wheel well. There is no paint degradation underneath any of the other ones.

 

Ford Will do nothing for a 6 year old truck. Neither will any manufacturer if the vehicle is out of warranty. As this is super common across all manufacturers with their white colors. Plaguing Toyota and Hyundai really bad right now as well. Mil build is low in these areas and prone to uv/weather degradation.

 

I bought it brand new on black Friday in 2016 so, it's about 4 1/2 years. If UV degradation was the issue, wouldn't it affect the roof and hood as a whole, and wouldn't there be layers of degradation? The UV degradation I have encountered shows flaking clear coats followed gradually by paint erosion depending on how thick the clear coat is and how long the paint has been left unprotected. Suppose UV damage is the cause I have not seen it damage a vehicle's paint in this fashion, although admittedly, I definitely do not know it all or have seen it all. Concerning weather damage, the technician said there is an issue with the sealant used on the rain guards on the roof and that moisture penetrates between the seal and the paint that I would agree would play a role but, still seems like it would be a manufacturing defect. He did not explain the other areas, though. What specifically is the issue with white paints? I appreciate the reply.

 

I’m going to say that the paint generally looks in fairly poor condition even the areas not flaking. Has the truck been outside all it’s life? How often have you waxed or done paint correction?

 

Do you mind if I ask how you came to that conclusion? Unless you're referring to the bed of the truck. It is daily driven by my wife and parked outside alongside my Mustang; I only have a one-car garage, which is where my Supra goes. I don't do paint correction often, if at all, as I am not a fan of compounding my clear coat away unless needed to fix heavy paint defects, which other than the delamination this truck does not have. Some spots are corrected only with compounds/polishes needed to correct the specific defect starting with the least abrasive compounds. Ammo's paint regime is applied bi-annually, usually with spray waxes monthly depending on when I am not away for work (I'm usually gone 7 months out of the year). Don't get me wrong, it's not a show truck, and I'm not trying to imply that it is. I use it for what I bought it for: to transport gear around work, supplies for home improvement, etc. However, I don't believe the paint's delamination issues are a result of any lack of wax or sealants being applied.

 

I’m pretty OCD when it comes to paint and detail my car fairly often and looking at the gloss (or lack of) and what appears to be a rather dull overall look to the paint, it just seems more worn than paint I’ve seen on cars or trucks of that age. Not saying that would cause chipping but as said by someone else, if you are leaving the car outside all the time and not waxing it regularly, paint will degrade and can lead to this. However, I also was wondering if the truck had been repainted poorly but since you bought it new (I just read that) and unless the dealer repainted it prior to delivery, that wouldn’t be the case.

 

The problem has nothing to do with washing and waxing. I had an '02 XLT that I traded in last year and I never washed or waxed it for years and it still looked good for it's age when I got rid of it. I've seen the problems on the roof seams in many different colors on this generation truck. The other problem areas are just crazy and a shame they evidently weren't more noticeable while still under warranty! That is not normal UV degradation regardless of color.

 

Either way you are way out of the 3/36 warranty. As that's 6 model years ago.

It's all in mil build and applications. Edges, corners, low areas, etc tend to have less mil build than large flat areas. Ending up with way less uv protection. This will penetrate all the way down to the e coat. And leave the e coat. Application problems can be as simple as one layer under not being fully flashed out. Example. If you see clear coat peeling off the color, typically it's in dime or quarter size areas. That means the color coat was not fully dry. Solvents are trapped. And they migrate under the clear. All it will need is a tap on that area. And the clear will let go. Now picture that with the sealer. Low Mil build plus not thoroughly flashed off? Recipe for a peeler. Thing is, you can go years before it shows up. Roof seam issues can be from the seam sealer not bring fully dry. Factories can rush things. And you literally should never rush paint

I've seen/see this constantly, as an auto painter for 22+ years. Worked at the dealership for nearly every car make. I was at Ford for 7 years.

Not sure why mostly white. That's not a rule. There are many exceptions. But Google Toyota white peeling paint. Hyundai(pic is from one of the painters groups I'm in).

I have a theory. What factory was the truck built in?

 

I don't think there is any correlation between one's level of OCD and the ability to diagnose white paint taken with an iPhone camera, but I am not the best detailer in the world. The paint condition on my truck is not anything close to show worthy, so, admittedly, there is room for improvement with it. I'm afraid I have to disagree that paint will degrade like this because there is no wax on it. I can point you to some vehicles that have sat in barns for 30+ years that don't have paint delaminating.

 

Yes, I agree, the truck was initially leased and then we bought it out with an extended warranty which of course does not cover the paint. It's pretty wild that paint is only good for 3 years or 36,000 miles on vehicles these days.