Newly painted bars - rusting already

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DeliveryCarDriver
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2017 8:39 pm
Member's Photo Album: http://www.delica.ca/Photos/
Vehicle: Delica L300
Location: Vancouver

Newly painted bars - rusting already

Post by DeliveryCarDriver »

Hi everyone,

I've had my Delica L300 for 8 years and the external bars were getting rustier and rustier. It's been on my wish list to get them cleaned up. Last December I decided to splurge and have a Lower Mainland Delica specialist shop (to be fair, I won't specify the name) de-rust/paint them for me along with a slew of other basic maintenance.

I was told by the shop owner that all of my bars were going to be removed and:
- de-rusted manually (not sandblasted)
- "undercoated" (I believe with Line-X)
- painted white

The shop re-installed all bars afterwards. The bars looked fine when I picked up my van: not as smooth as if they'd been powder coated...the surfaces were still a bit bumpy...but the paint coverage looked okay. I didn't care about the bars looking perfect. I mostly wanted them to be fully de-rusted and coated with paint to deter future rust development and preserve the structural integrity of the bars as long as possible.

This past weekend, though, I noticed that all of the bars have speckles of rust apparently rising up through the paint. Sigh. Pictures attached. This is only 3 months after having the bars apparently de-rusted and painted. Given that I paid $1000+ for the work to be done right, I'm pretty disappointed.

I followed up with my mechanic and forwarded him pictures. By way of explanation, my mechanic simply said that "no problem...the road chemicals are pretty harsh."

I don't commute to work in my Delica. Aside from the summer when I go away camping for the weekend, I maybe drive my Delica 1-2 hours per week max. The rest of the time, my Delica is parked out of the elements in a warm, dry, underground parkade.

Given how little I drive my van and how quickly the rust is spreading, it seems very unlikely that "road chemicals" are to blame. If this were a 'normal' rate of rust development, I assume my bars would have crumbled to dust years ago. It seems more likely that the rust wasn't removed properly in the first place before the bars were painted.

As soon as I can, I'm going to drop by an auto body shop for an in-person opinion. In the meantime, I wanted to consult the Delica experts here. Is there any way my mechanic could have actually done a good job on my bars and that "road chemicals" are in fact to blame for the rust? Or have I been taken advantage of by a mechanic I thought I could trust?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts. :)
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User avatar
Roscoe
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Vehicle: 1991 Delica L300 Exceed
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Newly painted bars - rusting already

Post by Roscoe »

Sorry to hear. Definitely not enough elbow grease when prepping. I would think all the hard work is sanding all the rust parts off. I'd hope he would have done at least 2 coats of white after the primer. Rust is coming through paint in my opinion.
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Growlerbearnz
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Newly painted bars - rusting already

Post by Growlerbearnz »

It could be grind spatter rusting. If someone was using a grinder near the bars while the paint was curing it would be speckled with tiny specks of steel, which are now rusting. It's not a sign of great professionalism though. (Neither is fobbing you off with "road chemicals". If the paint they used can't handle "road chemicals", and they knew about "road chemicals", then they also know they've used the wrong paint.)

The paint doesn't look spectacular. It's probably the photos, but it looks flat and lumpy like water-based house paint, which is porous and will let moisture through. The original paint hasn't been completely removed, which is not a great idea when you're dealing with rusty metal- rust can hide under the old paint, and come out to play later.

I would sandblast the bars to get all the paint and corrosion off (especially in the pits), wipe with a phosphating surface treatment to convert any remaining specks of rust, prime with a 2-pack epoxy primer to seal the surface, let it cure for 3 days in the dry, lightly sand smooth, and finish with 2-pack automotive enamel. But I'm a perfectionist.
Nothing says "poor workmanship" more than wrinkles in the duct tape.
DeliveryCarDriver
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2017 8:39 pm
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Vehicle: Delica L300
Location: Vancouver

Newly painted bars - rusting already

Post by DeliveryCarDriver »

Thank you both for the replies. I really appreciate the possible explanations and the tips for doing the job right.

Sounds like my initial reaction was correct...that the initial workmanship was poor, and the follow-up excuse from the mechanic was inadequate. Lesson learned, I suppose.

Thanks again for your time.
TieMyShoe
Posts: 265
Joined: Mon Sep 09, 2013 11:14 am
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Vehicle: L300
Location: Abbotsford

Newly painted bars - rusting already

Post by TieMyShoe »

- de-rusted manually (not sandblasted)
- "undercoated" (I believe with Line-X)
there is your answer right there. Sand blast is the only way to remove rust fully. Sanding just moves the rust around, wire wheel only takes some of it off, it will always come back. By spraying over residual rust you actually accelerate the rusting process.. hence its already back. Body shop should know this.... or at last have advised you.
Yo can see the lack of prep work just looking at the paint. It is very clear where the old paint was not removed or feather edged out. A proper job would not show any of that.

Take off the bars and have them blasted, then either spray it with self etch primer and an epoxy paint, or have them powder coated. Just remember you can repair epoxy paint, you cannot repair powder coat.
TieMyShoe
Posts: 265
Joined: Mon Sep 09, 2013 11:14 am
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Vehicle: L300
Location: Abbotsford

Newly painted bars - rusting already

Post by TieMyShoe »

if you want to prove it to him that its not road chemicals... start scratching the paint away.. bet its rusty underneath already... try say that came from outside ;)
DeliveryCarDriver
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Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2017 8:39 pm
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Vehicle: Delica L300
Location: Vancouver

Newly painted bars - rusting already

Post by DeliveryCarDriver »

Thanks for the further input!

Re. epoxy paint versus powder coating: right, that was initially why I was inclined to go with paint rather than powder coating. I figure it's just a matter of time until I get chips again and I'd rather be able to repair minor damage as it occurs, but I understand that powder coating is more durable. Damn tradeoffs. ;)

I ended up following up again with the shop that did the work and submitted better photos that showed the damage more clearly. It sounds like things will be made right. The owner acknowledged that the work didn't meet expectations, apologized for the hassle and said he'd have the auto body work redone correctly at no charge. Can't ask for more than that.

And now I know what steps I'd take to de-rust/paint my bars if I decide to do it myself some day.

Thanks again to everyone for the thoughts!
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Growlerbearnz
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Newly painted bars - rusting already

Post by Growlerbearnz »

Just an observation re: powder coating vs paint-

The correct powder coat, adhered to a correctly-prepared surface, is very tough. However there are a lot of different grades of powder coat and the glossiest, most paint-like ones tend to be a bit brittle and chip easily. You need to find a powder coater who knows what they're doing, and what service life your part is expecting to see.

I found it hard to find a powdercoater who would do a one-off with appropriate powder (not just whatever they were using at the time that happened to be the correct colour). I go for 2-pack paint now.
Nothing says "poor workmanship" more than wrinkles in the duct tape.
DeliveryCarDriver
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2017 8:39 pm
Member's Photo Album: http://www.delica.ca/Photos/
Vehicle: Delica L300
Location: Vancouver

Newly painted bars - rusting already

Post by DeliveryCarDriver »

All very good to know...thanks! I have no first hand experience with powder coating, so I've taken lots of notes.

Appreciate all of the advice!
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