2015 Viper with Bubbling in Paint

[7TH_SIGN]

So I currently have 100 miles on the car and noticed bubbling in my paint near the vent for the front hood and where the side sill meets. I contacted Prefix and they are blaming it on the "engineering" of the car and the exhaust heat. Keep in mind I don't see any signs of bubbling on the other side of the car in the same location and it only has 100 miles on it.

I purchased the car new and I recived it with a cracked rear brake light which was covered under warranty. Im sure the bubbling in the paint will be covered however if Prefix isn't doing the work, I'm afraid the quality won't match with the rest of the car.

Is this a known issue?

[dasvolk]

That is *not* normal. And while we're on the subject I suspect my color coat wasn't cured to the primer correctly, because my paint is chipping off without any actual strike damage or obvious incidents.

[Rapidrezults]

The high heat here is definetly a known problem. You can see in the picture what it has done to my white paint. With that said, that definitely doesn't look right, especially only having 100 miles on the car. The orange peel displayed on that piece is also not in line with Prefix quality. Not to jump to conclusions, but I wouldn't rule out the fact that the dealer did some repaint work on that area before it was delivered to you. Dealer scratches happen all the time and get fixed without the consumer's knowledge. If you look at the color match between the adjacent panels you should see perfection if it is all Prefix paint work. I've never heard of that area bubbling up like that, although others may have. Mine has extreme heat from tracking and only yellows the paint, no bubbles of any kind.

Either way, make them fix it. If I were going to have a bodyshop repaint it, I would only let them repaint (spot fix) that small lower portion, and not touch the rest of the panel. Not worth it IMO. If you do end up going to a bodyshop and want them to use the exact paint (or as close as possible) to Prefix...PM me and I will send you the details they sent me when I inquired.

If you live near Prefix, send it to them and they will fix it for you.

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[7TH_SIGN]

Thank you for your feedback.

How difficult is it to remove that panel? I would rather remove it myself and send it to Prefix for repair. It looks like just a couple of screws holding it on.

That's the only spot on the car with bubbling. Well at least for now.

[ViperSmith]

With the issues you had with this car, I wouldn't be surprised if Rapidrezults was right and that panel was repainted at the dealer.

I believe it pops right out with just the few bolts, it is a really easy part to take off.

[Nine Ball]

Easy to remove that panel.

Most of the lighter color cars, especially white, show signs of turning orange/brown in that area due to catalytics heat. That is repairable under warranty. I need to get it done on my white TA.

[Coloviper]

Not a GEN V but my 96' RT/10 has same issue on the passenger side, in the same spot. It is also bubbling and yellowing the black paint. I believe it is caused by a cat running very hot. You can probably get your panel fixed 100% but if you have an issue with the cat running hot, it might still do the same thing again. It is a new vehicle so I would take it back where you bought it. I am sure once they send in pics, it would get repaired ASAP. If panel can be sent in to Prefix, that should be a very easy fix IMHO

[Rapidrezults]

Thank you for your feedback.

How difficult is it to remove that panel? I would rather remove it myself and send it to Prefix for repair. It looks like just a couple of screws holding it on.

That's the only spot on the car with bubbling. Well at least for now.

Easy to remove the panel, and easy to ship it to Prefix. They will tell you however that in order to get a perfect match, they would need to see the whole car. I wouldn't worry too much about that if you tell them to just focus on that specific lower part of the panel. Even if it is slightly off (color) you would never notice it. I would call Prefix ASAP. I will PM you a good contact for this.

[ViperSmith]

Easy to remove the panel, and easy to ship it to Prefix. They will tell you however that in order to get a perfect match, they would need to see the whole car. I wouldn't worry too much about that if you tell them to just focus on that specific lower part of the panel. Even if it is slightly off (color) you would never notice it. I would call Prefix ASAP. I will PM you a good contact for this.

his best bet would be to send both of those panels (right and left) and let them color match on the other side

[Rapidrezults]

his best bet would be to send both of those panels (right and left) and let them color match on the other side

Cha ching! Great idea! You just gave me a great idea for something I am working on with them.

[ACRucrazy]

When I get a Gen V, the first thing I am doing is getting rid of those cats and getting some DEI Reflect-a-gold.

[VIPEREPIV]

his best bet would be to send both of those panels (right and left) and let them color match on the other side

^^^I too like this idea.


You could also get the carbon fiber panels. Looks like they're on sale, but still fairly expensive at $995 for the pair. Can also take some time to ship.

[timberwolf]

With only 1200 miles on my white GT, I started seeing yellowing too after taking the rockers off and protecting them from this exact issue. Thread here: http://driveviper.com/forums/threads...ing-on-rockers

I neglected that little tab area that the OP is discussing. This thread inspired me to go down to my car and take things apart. Here is what I found, and what I plan on doing:
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By adding a double layer of heat protection, it should thwart the massive heat emitted from the cats.
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It looks like they tried to protect the area. I will probably add some heat shielding on the black inner panel and replace the piece that's on the outer body panel, and go further to the edges. I really prefer not to have the car painted as of yet, (since it's brand frekin new)... I can live with the minor yellowing that only I will notice. As long as I can stop the issue.

I'll post pics as I add protection...

[timberwolf]

I added some heat shielding to the inside black lining, and some additional pieces on the side skirt to cover all potential areas
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Next step is to cover the inner panel from the duct area that is melting

[Rapidrezults]

I added some heat shielding to the inside black lining, and some additional pieces on the side skirt to cover all potential areas
IMG_0577.jpg
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Next step is to cover the inner panel from the duct area that is melting

Thanks for this post. I am determined on my incoming white ACR to prevent this from happening again. I will use every possible solution to minimize heat in this area.

[timberwolf]

Thanks for this post. I am determined on my incoming white ACR to prevent this from happening again. I will use every possible solution to minimize heat in this area.

I have spent so much time and money just trying to protect this car from itself!! lol Seriously.. Clear bra, boomerang mudflaps, heat shielding, sheesh.. And I still got some yellowing. Doesn't bother me too much, just need to stop it in it's tracks.

[ViperSmith]

timberwolf what kind of film is that?

[timberwolf]

Next is removing the factory heat insulation which is only partially covering the panel. When you pull the aluminum sheet off, you're left with a hairy adhesive mess. I used Goo Gone and rubbing alcohol to clean the surface.
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I cut out a rough shape and will trim the rest off with an exacto knife and a steady hand.
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[timberwolf]

timberwolf what kind of film is that?

Cool It Therma Tec from Summit Racing in 24"x36" sheets

[7TH_SIGN]

Thank you all. Some great info.

Some pictures of the full paint correction. Took three days and almost 36 hours.

Some before and after shots. Holograms and swirl marks everywhere.


Before and after shots:

[dasvolk]

When you guys contact Prefix, how do you do it? Just the number on the website?

[Rapidrezults]

When you guys contact Prefix, how do you do it? Just the number on the website?

PM Sent.

[timberwolf]

FWIW here is the final piece before I re-assembled. Starting the passenger side today, which doesn't look as bad color wise.
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[ViperPete]

My car is 2 years old just crossed over 6k miles and I do not have any paint bubbling.

[7TH_SIGN]

Took the car to the dealership today and the service advisor wouldn't even look at the car, stating that his dealership didn't do body work. I told him that was fine because I didn't want a "body shop" to touch the car. I explained to him that I was told to bring the car to have digital pictures taken by SRT customer service so that a case could be opened. He still refused to do so and reffered me to a different Dodge dealership.

I contacted Prefix and informed them of my day. They offered to do the repair free of charge if I can get the panel to them.

I'm attempting to remove it. There is one screw that is hidden behind the lower part of the door. How are you getting to that one? Also are you removing the four bolts at the top of the side sill to remove the panel in question? Does that black plastic piece come off with the panel?

Thank you in advance.