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Blistering clear-coat on black plastic divider panel between honeycomb grills!

3carmonte

Gelbrain
Location
Seminole, FL
Car(s)
2007 GTI DSG Coup
This is on the top edge surface of the center trim panel below the badge honeycomb. It started as one blemish of a clear-coat blister that has now progressed (in a month) to three with a fourth starting. I don't want to cloud or scratch the plastic underneath. I've been scraping the clouded clear-coat around the "sites" back with my thumbnail but a nice halo still remains. Would anyone with experience on this problem please advise?:help:
 

LilRaverBoi

Optometrist Prime
Location
Cedar Rapids, IA
IMO, you have three options: 1) continue doing what you are, it will look a little 'worse for wear' and will probably continue to degrade slowly over time when more rock chips start other areas. 2) sand down the clear coat and reapply then wet sand and polish to final finish. 3) Buy a new grille.
 

3carmonte

Gelbrain
Location
Seminole, FL
Car(s)
2007 GTI DSG Coup
IMO, you have three options: 1) continue doing what you are, it will look a little 'worse for wear' and will probably continue to degrade slowly over time when more rock chips start other areas. 2) sand down the clear coat and reapply then wet sand and polish to final finish. 3) Buy a new grille.
Man that's what I'm spinning on! How the hell could rocks find that surface when the face of the panel is perfect! I like option 2 but how to sand off the clear coat without damaging that soft plastic panel plastic (clouding/fine scratching, etc). It looks just like blistered clear coat over paint jobs I've seen. I wish I could hide it somehow with something that comes in a bottle you know?
 

LilRaverBoi

Optometrist Prime
Location
Cedar Rapids, IA
You could plastidip black over it but then it would not be glossy. Guess you could follow up with the plastidip glossifer, but it would still have some texture. If you sanded, I'd go with a really fine sandpaper, maybe 600 or 1000. Just enough to smooth the area (as well as rough the entire surface to prep for new clear. Fine scratches should fill in with new paint or clear.....ie: don't use 60 grit and expect that to look good LOL.
 

3carmonte

Gelbrain
Location
Seminole, FL
Car(s)
2007 GTI DSG Coup
Thanks LilRaverBoi. Sanding paint down to primer, OK. Sanding primer down to bare metal or fiberglass, still okay. Sanding clear coat down to a smooth gloss plastic...not so confident. I'll give it a go now though cause you've shown me the way! 1400 grit final then re-coat should look good.
 
Last edited:

vath

Ready to race!
Location
east PA
Car(s)
2009 GTI
Plasti Dip or however you spell it...



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vath

Ready to race!
Location
east PA
Car(s)
2009 GTI
Remove the grille and emblem, carefully separate red accent piece from grille, then mask off the honeycomb and spray all pieces.

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3carmonte

Gelbrain
Location
Seminole, FL
Car(s)
2007 GTI DSG Coup
Final update (for closure)

IMO, you have three options: 1) continue doing what you are, it will look a little 'worse for wear' and will probably continue to degrade slowly over time when more rock chips start other areas. 2) sand down the clear coat and reapply then wet sand and polish to final finish. 3) Buy a new grille.

After all the input, I went with option #3. $181.25 from the dealership. Part # 1K0853651HVW8. The parts counterman said it was in stock because they sell a lot of them. All for the reason I replaced mine. Things that make you go hmmmm.
Really restores the "snap" and "snaz" to the nose though! Thanks for the advise. If it's any consolation, when I compared the two I realized how faded the honeycomb had become and when I harvested the GTI badge (new grille comes with it) found out how brittle the plastic had become. It's the heat here in Flo-da.
P.S. I re-used my VW escutcheon. The grill doesn't come with it.
 

LilRaverBoi

Optometrist Prime
Location
Cedar Rapids, IA
Nice....glad you got it replaced. You could always use the old one as practice painting for future skill-building. The more abilities you have, the better!

P.S. I re-used my VW escutcheon.
Plus 20 points on the vocab word! I haven't heard that word since my fraternity's initiation ritual LOL.
 
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