VW Polo Front Bumper PPF as standard?

[LTP]

Hi all,

I'm looking for a little help and don't usually post in this particular forum so please play nice.

Does anyone know if VW applied PPF as standard on the front bumper of a 4 year old Polo? The reason I ask is my niece (who has such a car and bought it second hand when it was a year old) has sent me a couple of pictures showing what at first sight looks like the clearcoat starting to peel off in places but, on closer inspection of the pictures, I think it looks more like a thin plastic film starting to lift around edges and stone chips. Pictures below.

The bumper appears peppered with small areas where the film appears to be bubbling, maybe because it's been punctured and moisture has got in, with some bigger areas where it's starting to lift in sheets, which is what makes me suspect some form of PPF. Nieice reports the usual stone chips on the bonnet with no sign of this sort of film lifting, whereas the bumper has no stone chips - again, suggesting a PPF has been applied to just the bumper.





I'd welcome any opinions and ideas. I can't inspect the car myself as she lives half-way across the country, and Covid

[aka_kerrly]

That looks like lacquer peel to me. Tiny little chips that have been left unattended have allowed water to get under and lift the top coat.

The only proper way to fix it is a repaint, you can try some very light 2000 grade sandpaper to soften the edges to stop it getting worse and use a cutting compound to disguise the remaining marks.

That kind of damage is very common on red cars , to happen on a 5 year old car would suggest the car has only ever been through car washes an has likely never had a decent wax put on it. The clear coat gets abused by weather, could be that bird sts have been left on the paint for ages which has caused the lacquer to deteriorate quicker than normal.

Edit to add the VW should have a 12 year paint warranty so try giving it a really good clean and presenting it to the local dealer an see what they have to say.

[The Rotrex Kid]

That’s lacquer peel for sure

[cuprabob]

aka_kerrly said:

Edit to add the VW should have a 12 year paint warranty so try giving it a really good clean and presenting it to the local dealer an see what they have to say.

VW's paint warranty is 3 years, it's the corrosion warranty that is 12 years.

[aka_kerrly]

The Rotrex Kid said:

That’s lacquer peel for sure

Of course being a Milano Red Civic owner you are an expert in spotting lacquer peel..

my front bumper an side skirts are losing lacquer like a snake shedding it's skin

[LTP]

Thanks guys. Since posting I've been digging around and I asked Niece to see if it could peel off like a PPF and she says it comes off in thumbnail-sized flakes, is flexible not film-like and she thinks if it was dry (it's raining where she is) it would snap if folded - so almost certainly not PPF.

As I said she had the car as a one-year-old which she bought from a non-VW dealer, so a shoddy repair to hide some minor paint damage with the clearcoat not bonding properly is definitely on the cards.

It's due an MOT and service at her main VW dealer in a few weeks so she's going to ask their opinion. However, I was surprised to see cuprabob say that VW only cover their paint for 3 years, so she's probably out of luck there too

At least the paint on the rest of her VW isn't butter-soft like that on my Vantage!

Once more kudos to the sheer awesomeness of PH members. Thanks again.

[The Rotrex Kid]

aka_kerrly said:

The Rotrex Kid said:

That’s lacquer peel for sure

Of course being a Milano Red Civic owner you are an expert in spotting lacquer peel..

my front bumper an side skirts are losing lacquer like a snake shedding it's skin

Absolutely

Mine looked like that all over. The more you look the more you see!!!

[aka_kerrly]

cuprabob said:

VW's paint warranty is 3 years, it's the corrosion warranty that is 12 years.

Good point, as the lacquer is mostly peeling on a plastic surface it's not likely covered but the boot might be if there is evidence of rust coming through...

A smart repair might be possible, I've re applied lacquer before with mixed results from pre mix cans/polishing but I've seen repairs done with a tiny air gun that are almost impossible to detect.

[paintman]

It isn't PPF.
The lacquer (clearcoat) is coming away from the base (colour) coat.
Possibly had paintwork previously.
If the vehicle is/has been routinely cleaned with a pressure washer at close range I wouldn't be in the least surprised if the damage of a stonechip has been exploited by high pressure water.

[LTP]

Thanks for confirming paintman. I can confirm that Niece does not use a pressure washer. So it's just a rubbish paint job done over 3 years ago and now failing. Niece is going to talk to a local bodyshop that a few PH'ers rate but, as she's not flush with cash and it's only a problem on the front plastic bumper which won't rot, she may just decide to live with it until finances improve or she needs to move the car on. Her decision.