Hey guys,

I just got my truck painted in April of this year and the paint is already chipping off of the header panel really bad.
It looks as though I've been following someone really close on a gravel road, but that's not the case at all.
I have a couple of questions for you paint guys
1. What causes such a thing to happen? and 2 ... would it be easier to paint the header panel in place or remove it from the truck?

Here's a couple of pictures of what's happening.

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2004 black Ranger XLT- Sold
2004 Vista blue 2WD(custom paint job)Ranger XLT 4-door ext. cab with the 3.slow and auto trans black and blue FX4 Level II bucket seats with shorty console
2004 DSG FX4 with a 5R55E auto trans and 4:10 gears-Sold
2010 Redfire Metallic 2WD Ranger XLT,4-door ext. cab, 4.0 SOHC with auto trans, SLA front sus. traction control, Sirius Satellite radio and 3:55 gears
2003 red Ranger Edge 4X4, 4-door ext. cab -4.0 SOHC with a 5R55E auto trans

Had a similar thing happen to my 1999 Grand Am, I had just painted the lower part of the doors in the spring and that winter it started to peel for no reason. Turned out the paint we used (which was ordered specifically from a parts store for use in a paint gun so not duplicolour or Tremclad) was defective and were ordered back. Perhaps the paint that was used wasn't up to par or the painter failed miserably.

Almost looks like you've got a little orange peel on that first pic....I'd say it's a defective painter. May want to have him look at it, or somebody else at least.

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Yeah, It was definitely a defective painter ... lol and I'm sure he used the cheapest paint possible.

There is still some orange peel on the header panel but it's nothing like it was. It used to look like there was freezing rain all over the truck and there was dirt and hair in the clear coat. The whole truck had to be wet sanded with 1500 and then buffed out.

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2004 black Ranger XLT- Sold
2004 Vista blue 2WD(custom paint job)Ranger XLT 4-door ext. cab with the 3.slow and auto trans black and blue FX4 Level II bucket seats with shorty console
2004 DSG FX4 with a 5R55E auto trans and 4:10 gears-Sold
2010 Redfire Metallic 2WD Ranger XLT,4-door ext. cab, 4.0 SOHC with auto trans, SLA front sus. traction control, Sirius Satellite radio and 3:55 gears
2003 red Ranger Edge 4X4, 4-door ext. cab -4.0 SOHC with a 5R55E auto trans

Those are rock chips.

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2001 Ford Ranger Supercab (4dr), Oxford White, 4.0 Sohc, 4x4, Manual trans (hurst equipped), 4:10's, 3" body lift.

i second this motion.

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Dave K
2011 Ford Ranger 4x4 Sport 4.0L "Dixie"
Rancho Suspension/Auto/3.73's/Pinstriped/Flowmaster SS Exhaust.

FUTURE: 3' Body Lift/32's/Windshield Visor/Brush Guard.

x2...like what happens when you follow dump trucks way to close...

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or when said dump truck drivers are too damn lazy to tarp their load.

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2000 XLT 4X4, 3.0, Auto, regular cab - throttle cable mod, air silencer removed, K&N drop in filter, taylor thundervolt 8.2 plug wires, autolite sparkplugs, Accel coil pack, AVS Ventshades, Rampage LED tailgate light bar, BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A tires, Trail F/X toolbox, cruse control pod light fix, Cobra 19 ultra II CB, lil wil antenna, pioneer door speakers, expo woodgrain radio bezal, 06+ mirrors & tails, '01 powerdome hood. 90,000 miles and counting!

this happened to my truck when the truck barely hit 600 miles Brand new



Cracked my windshield

Those are not rock chips, like I said before, the paint job is only 8 months old, and even if it was 8 years old, the paint wouldn't be chipping like that.

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Damn!, that sucks ... When you got your windshield replaced, did the glass shop put the black Ranger sticker back at the top?
Ford started putting that on their trucks in 2006.

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2004 black Ranger XLT- Sold
2004 Vista blue 2WD(custom paint job)Ranger XLT 4-door ext. cab with the 3.slow and auto trans black and blue FX4 Level II bucket seats with shorty console
2004 DSG FX4 with a 5R55E auto trans and 4:10 gears-Sold
2010 Redfire Metallic 2WD Ranger XLT,4-door ext. cab, 4.0 SOHC with auto trans, SLA front sus. traction control, Sirius Satellite radio and 3:55 gears
2003 red Ranger Edge 4X4, 4-door ext. cab -4.0 SOHC with a 5R55E auto trans

those chips just come from normal driving...granted it might be a little worse than usual.

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I have those kinds of chips on my ranger too. They are rock chips. its just normal wear and tear.

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2001 CHROME YELLOW Edge, Reg Cab, 2WD,3.0 V6, 5 speed manual -Mods(<click)
2002 Medium Wedgewood Blue Expedition XLT, 2V 4.6 Triton V8, 2WD, Loaded.

Those are rock chips.... plain and simple

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98 Ranger some stuff done

PNW Crew

Ok, Here's the deal ... lets just say they are rock chips ... (even though they're really not) If a little rock has the ability to chip the paint off of a 8 month old paint job then obviously there was something done wrong to begin with.
#2 The original factory Harvest Gold is not chipped at all. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I believe I should be seeing primer behind the blue paint, not the original color of the truck unsanded. If you looked at it in person or if you seen a full size file then you would be able to see the blue paint flaking off.
This truck recieved one of the worst paint jobs in the world and all I'm asking for is some help fixing it, not a bunch of snide comments.

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2004 black Ranger XLT- Sold
2004 Vista blue 2WD(custom paint job)Ranger XLT 4-door ext. cab with the 3.slow and auto trans black and blue FX4 Level II bucket seats with shorty console
2004 DSG FX4 with a 5R55E auto trans and 4:10 gears-Sold
2010 Redfire Metallic 2WD Ranger XLT,4-door ext. cab, 4.0 SOHC with auto trans, SLA front sus. traction control, Sirius Satellite radio and 3:55 gears
2003 red Ranger Edge 4X4, 4-door ext. cab -4.0 SOHC with a 5R55E auto trans

OK with this in mind. Even though it is an 8 month old paint job. If there is no primer and the paint was sprayed directly on top of the original unsanded paint then the paint is going to chip/ flake off with even the smallest rock hitting it and will not disturb the original paint. A shitty job means it is even easier for rock chips to happen.

As for fixing it the only thing that I can think of is to pull them off sand them down for factory paint, prime and repaint with the color that you have now. There really is no easy way to fix a shitty paint job.

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2004 F-150 FX4 Supercab, Dark Shadow Grey, 5.4 liter Triton V8, Flowmaster Cat Back exhaust, K&N Drop-in, Intake "Gotts" Mod, Edge Programmer, 2.5" Level, Front tow hooks, 33" Falken Rocky Mountain ATS
Future mods: CB Radio, Dual band Ham Radio

The older I get the more I realize it is worthless to worry about tomorrow when you are living today. Love your family and friends, live like there is no tomorrow.