paint underneath the roof rails / rail gutter

[cmg540]

I'm not a body shop guy, but I know enough to know that paint is NOT supposed to bubble, when it does it's due to a lack of adhesion. Bubbles lead to high spots, and those lead to holes in the paint that will eventually allow water to get in under the paint. I have to agree with trailcrunchers, paint on a 40,000+ vehicle should not bubble. I'll be checking my explorer in the morning and calling the dealer to have them repair it.

 

[Halwg]

They determined this correctly. Every Ex has this, including mine...it is by design.

Bogus. A new car shouldn't have bubbled paint, and if you buy this explanation from the dealer, you are extremely gullible, which is what Ford is hoping for.

 

[182RG]

Bogus. A new car shouldn't have bubbled paint, and if you buy this explanation from the dealer, you are extremely gullible, which is what Ford is hoping for.

The paint isn't bubbled. It covers the sealer underneath that has an uneven surface. It's in a non visible channel. No beef....

Some of us chuckle over the ****-retentive rants of some.

 

[HughCares]

The paint isn't bubbled. It covers the sealer underneath that has an uneven surface. It's in a non visible channel. No beef....

Some of us chuckle over the ****-retentive rants of some.

Couldn't agree with you more 182RG.....some folks need to get a life (and/or put the so called concern into perspective). You can find painted-over sealant areas on any vehicle... This particular one is in a non-visible area on the EX and its NOT a defect people.....Geez....

 

[cmg540]

I inspected my 2013 explorer this morning and there is a painted ripple surface where the sealant is located on the roof. There entire area was solid and not spongy at all, just for laughs I contacted my local dealership and asked the service manager about it. His reply was that "It is supposed to look rippled, however there should not be any bubbles, as this indicates an adhesion issue, as the sealant is designed to chemically bonded to the paint, and this should be addressed."

Trailcrunchers, I did ask him if they had any explorers come in with this issue, and they have not as of yet. He did want to make it clear that the surface should look rippled, but NOT bubbled. Hope this helps.

For those of us that have pay attention to detail

 

[trailcrunchers]

182G and HughCares, thanks both for your input. You both may be 100% correct in that this is a normal function/performance of the seam sealer underneath the paint. I'll even take your opinions one step further and speculate that these bubbles will remain unchanged for years to come.

But what about in say, 5 years from now, when integrity of the protective paint covering one of those bubbles is compromised b/c it became too brittle? (remember, I can depress several of them with very little pressure) My 3yr/36K warranty is long gone, and there's no way I'd expect Ford to repaint my roof at that time.

I think our definition of "non-visible" may be different. This particular issue is located in an exposed area on the roof where sun and moisture may have a direct impact. Although I can't see it from the ground, it's exposed to the weather and by definition that's different than if this were in an section under the trunk, hood, or inside a door jam.

Please do not misinterpret this post as a misaligned effort to create unnecessary problems. I am trying to think ahead and protect myself from potentially incurring a very expensive roof repair should rust or further paint damage develop, and seek input from other Explorer owners who've had experience in taking this issue up with Ford.

 

[trailcrunchers]

In July I was inspecting the roof of my 2011 Explorer for hail damage. Fortunately, no hail damage was found, but I did notice these bubbles under the roof rails. When I took the Explorer in for it's next oil change I showed these bubbles to the service manager. After inspecting both roof rail channels, he said "that's not normal." The dealership provided me a rental and keep the Explorer for 11 days. According to the service order for that visit the Explorer went to the dealers collision center where they "repaired bubbling seam". The roof rail channels no longer feel "spongy". There remains a bump or two along the channel but the repairman from the body shop said that was a seam. Before they repaired it you could push down into the paint all along the channel. Now it feels hard and smooth. The statement on the service order for this repair says "SEALER-PREP-REFINISH-CLEARCOAT ROOF PANEL-APPROVAL'.

This is very helpful, ronninco. Thanks for the post.

 

[13Sport]

Please do not misinterpret this post as a misaligned effort to create unnecessary problems. I am trying to think ahead and protect myself from potentially incurring a very expensive roof repair should rust or further paint damage develop, and seek input from other Explorer owners who've had experience in taking this issue up with Ford.

Please post pictures of what you consider the defect, I'd love to get a better idea of what you are talking about. If you presented the problem to Ford, and they stated that it is not a problem, and you incur a cost down the line, you would have a lawsuit against Ford for negligence.

 

[13Sport]

The roof rail channels no longer feel "spongy".

because they stripped the "spongy" sealant that was present, and painted over the raw seam instead? The original sealant is a spongy/rubbery material as far as I can gather from pics on other posts. Now you have a painted seam w/ no sealant (or a hard sealant)...

 

[tmg19103]

My Ex is unfortunate to be one of those with paint bubbles. I noticed bubbles on the front edge of the hood (hood was is 3M-protected from delivery) last year and in August 2014 it was repainted under warranty. I was lucky my claim was accepted from the first time and I didn't have to battle with Ford.
And now the bubbles start appearing again (hood is 3M-protected as before)!
Moreover, I noticed an awful addition to those hood bubbles - paint bubbles under roof railings! Bubbles are all over the place there! It is just matter of time when they start cracking and exposing metal to water/salt etc...
It pisses me off, this vehicle is just 4 years old and is always garage stored!

I think I'm going to escalate this to Ford again...

I have noticed the same thing under the roof rack in the water well below them. From feeling them they feel solid as if they are unfinished welding and not rust spots. Strange in that they are all over and not uniform. This part of the body is steel as opposed to the hood issues which is aluminum.

I'm going to examine them closer. Hard to see without a step ladder. Might take pics and see if they change shape/enlarge over time. Will do watchful waiting for now.

 

[JarHead1833]

My Ex is unfortunate to be one of those with paint bubbles. I noticed bubbles on the front edge of the hood (hood was is 3M-protected from delivery) last year and in August 2014 it was repainted under warranty. I was lucky my claim was accepted from the first time and I didn't have to battle with Ford.
And now the bubbles start appearing again (hood is 3M-protected as before)!
Moreover, I noticed an awful addition to those hood bubbles - paint bubbles under roof railings! Bubbles are all over the place there! It is just matter of time when they start cracking and exposing metal to water/salt etc...
It pisses me off, this vehicle is just 4 years old and is always garage stored!

I think I'm going to escalate this to Ford again...

Get rid of it while you still can!!!!!

 

[RedDen]

What you feel under the roof rails apparently is normal and is not paint bubbles.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=348195&highlight=bubbles

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=369988&highlight=roof+rail

Peter

I would not agree its normal cause they really look like bubbles and they soft when I press on them...