Damage caused by Car Cover
Discussion
Mate of mine was getting this on his Chim when he had to store the car outside whilst he was moving house.
He kept the car covered and when he would first remove the cover the car would like it was covered in zits
. These turned out to be micro blisters as mentioned above, if you burst a blister clear water leaks out. Once the car had sat uncovered for a couple of hours the zits would disappear and you couldn't see any damage 
.
I understand some cars suffer this because the fibreglass was not 'cured' long enough and then painted,
trapping the moisture in..... I am sure a sprayer will explain this better.
Bodders
He kept the car covered and when he would first remove the cover the car would like it was covered in zits
. These turned out to be micro blisters as mentioned above, if you burst a blister clear water leaks out. Once the car had sat uncovered for a couple of hours the zits would disappear and you couldn't see any damage . I understand some cars suffer this because the fibreglass was not 'cured' long enough and then painted,
trapping the moisture in..... I am sure a sprayer will explain this better.
Bodders
If it's micro blistering you won't just cure it with a respray. The gelcoat will be damaged. The only way to fix it properly is to strip all the paint off and dry the
fibreglass out. The gelcoat then needs to be stripped off and the car re-coated. You may get away with localized gel coat repair but you run a higher risk of the blistering reoccurring.
fibreglass out. The gelcoat then needs to be stripped off and the car re-coated. You may get away with localized gel coat repair but you run a higher risk of the blistering reoccurring.
Paint inherently is a porous coating, lacquers when applied will provide a level of protection but still will over time degrade, that is why it is important to wax and/or seal the surface. Poorly cured fibreglass will release residues when hot and this can cause bubbling. Strange things can happen when under an outside cover, especially if the paintwork has not been particularly well applied or not had a good wax or sealer. In short when outside under a cover the heat and moisture trapped in can cause micro blisters as water molecules are effectively forced into the surface where porosity is present. So, in the first instance let it dry out thoroughly, when dry and hopefully all blisters have subsided thoroughly clean the car, use a good quality polish (i.e. Autoglym Super Resin Polish) buffing out any marks, when finished go over again with a good quality sealer (i.e. Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection). I use micro fibre cloths and sponge applicators.
Try bringing your paintwork back first before considering any costly repaints! A bit of time and elbow grease, along with quality products and cloths may bring it back. When I recently had my car resprayed my guys applied a sealing coat to the fibreglass base coat before the primer filler, to stop nay potential leaching out.
Hope this has been helpful, regards, Pete
Try bringing your paintwork back first before considering any costly repaints! A bit of time and elbow grease, along with quality products and cloths may bring it back. When I recently had my car resprayed my guys applied a sealing coat to the fibreglass base coat before the primer filler, to stop nay potential leaching out.
Hope this has been helpful, regards, Pete
I read somewhere recently about people getting what I think were micro blisters under stickers because water trapped beneath the sticker had been forced into the GRP and it was cured by giving it a good blast with a hair dryer.
I cant see pictures here at work, but thought I'd mention it in case you think it could work or might want to test it in an inconspicuous area.
I cant see pictures here at work, but thought I'd mention it in case you think it could work or might want to test it in an inconspicuous area.
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