Just bought a 2011 G37x and noticed that on the trunk lid and back fenders, if you look at the paint in the right light and angle, you can see quite a few small (1 to 2 mm diameter), clear blisters or bubbles in the paint. If you run your fingers over them you cannot feel any change -- no roughness or raising.

Took it to the local Infiniti dealer and the service manager took one look at them and said they were environmental. I asked him what could get on the paint the would cause damage from underneath the surface -- in other words, damage the paint but leave no tactile trace and his only response was, "oh, lots of things". I stressed that I wanted to understand how he was determining the damage was environmental (not covered by the warranty) and not a factory defect (covered by warranty) and still he could only reply that 'lots' of things could cause this -- I found it odd that he couldn't come up with a single specific causal event... but at that point, I was done talking to him.

So, I'm here in this forum asking the same question; what environmental events could occur that would 1 - create small, clear, smooth bubbles, 2 - affect only individual panels on the vehicle (as opposed to a more uniform effect), 3 - have no effect on window glass, chrome, or other vehicle surfaces.

I'm willing to give the factory paint job the benefit of the doubt, but I'd like a better response than, "lot's of things".

Thanks in advance

 

Let me preface this by saying I have no idea...

That being said, perhaps it's not environmental in the sense that nature caused it. Perhaps a solvent of some sort was splashed onto a few places of the car. This would explain why it's not all over and only affects a couple of panels in a couple of spots.

The lack of an obvious entry point is interesting as is the lack of tactile feedback. Could you possibly get us some pictures? I realize that you'll be lucky to have them come out with enough clarity given the angles involved, but try and see what you get.

 

My gut instinct based on not seeing this first hand, and reviewing the given information, is that a repaint may have occurred at some point. Since you say you cannot feel any damage, perhaps a good orbital buffer and compound can correct these defects.

 

Photos will help, otherwise as mentioned already, it could be caused by some chemical spill/overspray or a bad repaint. He's right in that "lots of things" could cause it, but it definitely doesn't mean it's environmental.

Ivan @ DI

 

I actually noticed the same thing on my hood under the bright fluorescent lights of my garage. At first glance, it almost looks like a tiny dent from rocks, etc- but it's smooth to the touch and from 99% of angles, invisible.

 

Hi, pwyller,

Are you able to post any pictures of the blisters/bubbles?

A couple cars ago, I owned a red C6 Corvette. I bought it used, so don't know the history of the car. It had something similar that covered a significant portion of the car. It looked like little pits/holes/bubbles in the paint that you can't feel when you touch it. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of it...

I had the paint corrected by a pro, and they did some research on what was happening to my car... turned out to be 'solvent pop'. Unfortunately the link they sent me from Dupont's website is now dead, so I don't have too much info on it.

It can be caused by excessive use of solvent during the paint job. When it evaporates, it causes bubbles in the base coat. It can also happen when the clearcoat is excessively thick when applied.

Google image 'solvent pop' and see if this looks similar to your car.

Hopefully this info helps.