1998 GTS bad paint?

[Ricksnake1]

Hi. I purchased a 1998 red gts a few weeks ago and the car has a number of small bubbles in the paint. On the top of the rear fenders, around the gas cap and also the front edge of the hood. Is this a common problem on the 1998`s? If it is, was there ever a recall to repair the problem? Thanks for your help

 

[Eric H]

its normal, they are heat bubbles from the massive amount if heat the engine and exhaust give off. No recall on it.

 

[GTS1998]

My red 1998 GTS does not have any paint issues.

 

[AviP]

The only paint problem on my 97 GTS is when it meets stationary objects.

 

[PDCjonny]

I have a few little bubbles in the paint on my Red '98 just behind the passenger door. Not noticable unless you look at the right angle. They almost look like clear coat bubbles.

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

I have bubbles that flare up on the hood of my 98 around the front edge only. Seems they pop up and then go away. Mostly I only notice it after washing the car. Not sure if it is water related.

 

[BigCarrot]

I had some on my '99 GTS. I took it to a Dodge dealer and they fixed it under warranty. My car only had like 7k on the clock, so I'm sure that helped.

 

[ViperLB]

I have the same bubbles in the exact same areas. Red 98 GTS with 8k miles. This should have been a recall.

 

[1MEANSNAKE]

I have it at the front of my hood too

 

[Earl_H]

Is this a problem only with the red cars? Two red 97's that I was considering purchasing had this problem...one of them with fairly low miles. One for sale by a private owner...the other by a dealer. The dealer said that it was "normal" for those cars. I decided to purchase a silver/blue instead. I will be going for a final inspection in 1 1/2 weeks. The owner reports that it doesn't have this problem. But I am wondering if will develop later.

 

[Jerry Dobson]

Paint bubbles appear to be common on 1997 and 1998. (Later years still had some problems) Red is affected the most because it is the most common color.

Heat is not a factor. In fact heat can help make the problem disappear for a while.

Washing, polishes and waxes can bring on the bubbles. Leaving the car in the sun can make the bubbles disappear. When the bubbles are gone, there is no evidence of the problem.

Many GTS will bubble around the gas cap area. Some will bubble on areas of the hood.

The only fix is to sand down to the fiberglass and put a heat lamp on it for a minimum of three days. This will allow the resins to finally evaporate.

I recently heard of someone doing this and it took more than one try to eventually fix the problem.

The only reason I can see this happening is that during the manufacturing process, they did not allow the panels to dry long enough before applying paint.

 

[cgmaster]

This is a very common problem from what my dealer told me. Dodge has been repairing these problems even on out of waranty cars under the Goodwill program. My Viper tech told me that the coating used did not bond well with the composite. He said his dealership has repaired several. They just did a 98 a few months ago and only charged $300 to paint it. His and my car are both red.

 

[Jerry Dobson]

$300 to paint the hood?

 

[kalani]

I ahve bubbles on my rear quarters, around the fuel filler and on the bonnett, near the headlights.

Mine is a 98 Silver GTS,

will they go away?

should i stop polishing the car?

 

[Eric H]

So, any dealership we should talk to to see about getting it repaired for the "not under warranty cars"? my 98 has it on my rear quarters pretty bad.

 

[Inferno]

This sounds $hitty, it's like a coming out of the closet thread for the bubble people. Have you guys always had these bubbles or do they appear after 6 or 7 years? Anyone have pics?

 

[kalani]

Ive always had them but now they are flaring up really bad - i think its because i recently polished the car then had it outside in the sun for a car show - the gases are probably trapped now.

 

[PDCjonny]

Nothing like bringing a thread back from the dead, but just in the last 6 weeks or so I have suddenly got some bubbles appearing on the hood above the front wheel wells. Exact same spot on both sides of the car. Now how in hell after 8 years do they start coming out now???? I've tries heat, cold and other remedies to no avail. Is a total hood repaint the only option? I guess it's not possible to sand and redo a small area and have it come out well?

 

[ViperJohn]

Depending on how deep they have to go, you may be able to get away with having it blended. They will apply red paint just in the area that needs it. Then they would re-clear the entire hood.

 

[Bolt]

I have bubbles everywhere mentioned here on my 98. I'm going to repaint mine.

Bolt

 

[PDCjonny]

It would be very interesting to know what condition would cause the paint bubbles to appear after 8 years of being dormant. There has to be a root cause.

 

[Bonkers]

The only fix is to sand down to the fiberglass and put a heat lamp on it for a minimum of three days. This will allow the resins to finally evaporate.

On my 99, when we took the paint down to fiberglass is was clear the bubbles
formed where someone at the factory had greasy hands. The fingerprints were
clear as day. We sanded and allowed to sit for almost a full week (my car was
worked on weekends so there was plenty of time) and the bubbles are slowly
returning in the new paint.

 

[Vreracing]

I have a 98 Silver that has spent at least a third of its life sitting out in the Texas Panhandle sun, heat, and wind.

The paint still looks new.

How is that possible?

 

[Ron]

Akzo Nobel brand paint was used on all GEN 1 and II Vipers except early 1998 when PPG was used.

It would suggest that the issue is PPG not heat or uncured glass. The fact that ASC went back to Akzo during the model year seems to further indicate a problem with PPG.

Are the bubble cars early 1998 production? Neil, is yours a mid to late 1998?

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

Akzo Nobel brand paint was used on all GEN 1 and II Vipers except early 1998 when PPG was used.

It would suggest that the issue is PPG not heat or uncured glass. The fact that ASC went back to Akzo during the model year seems to further indicate a problem with PPG.

Are the bubble cars early 1998 production? Neil, is yours a mid to late 1998?

My VIN is 0079 as has bubbles, was supposed to have silver stripes also.

 

[Vreracing]

Mine was a late '98.

Here's a sample of the hood.

You must be registered for see images

I guess they compensated late in the year.

I expected there to have been significant fading after this time period.

 

[agentf1]

I would use a polish that can be used on new paint like Zaino, not a carnuaba that will seal the paint and not let it breathe. JMHO

 

[PDCjonny]

I don't think the wax has a thing to do with it, I've used them all. It's under the clear and under the paint itself. And perfectly symmetrical, localized in the same area on both points on the hood. I will check the build date on the car later.

 

[HARDVIPER]

Sounds like a re-paint to me, definitely not factory.

 

[Bolt]

I have bubbles everywhere mentioned here on my 98. I'm going to repaint mine.

Bolt

Mine is early "98"

Bolt