Over the last year, I've started to notice small bubbles forming under or in the paint job on my 2006 Jaguar XJ8:
The body should be aluminum, correct? Is this from some form of corrosion? Is it an imperfection in the paint's adherence to the metal/primer? Is it something else? Thanks.
Aluminium can suffer from crevice corrosion and the X350 cars can suffer it in certain places where water, or even worse, salty water gets close to the alumnium in the absence of oxygen. In this it is unusual, as steel needs the oxygen. The corrosion product is aluminium hydroxide, a white powder. Typical places are: -
- creep-out from leading edge of trunk lid. The horizantal rubber seating lip on the rea screen seal holds water and scrapes the underside every time you open the trunk. Cut the lip off !
- creep-out from bottom of rear screen seal at the D-post
- creep-out between "Jaguar" escutcheon and the trunk lid crevice.
- creep-out adjacent to the side door pillars
- creep-out from the wheel arch edges
Having said all the above, I've not seen anything so far that looks like your bubbles, and I owned two X350s from 2010 to 2019. Has the car been resprayed there at any time ? It would help if you tell us what panel it is too.
The photo is from the passenger side rear fender. However, these bubbles are appearing on the trunk lid (the boot), both rear fenders, and a few on the passenger side rear door. I'll go over the car again tomorrow when the light is better, but that's all I could see for now. I bought the car used about six years ago and I have no idea the history. It might well have been repainted. I am hoping to get up enough cash to repaint the car anyway, but was curious what sort of damage I might be looking at once they strip it down.
BTW - I can take more photos (tomorrow) if anyone wants/needs to see them.
Thanks for the reply, btw.
EDIT - None of the bubbles are on an "edge" or crevice. All of them are scattered onto the surface (not an edge).
Do you mind putting the car in your signature? Since you're a regular poster, wouldn't have to repeat it every time.
The earlier cars had some rivet issues, but 2006 is not "early" and those are not rivets.
Whilst aluminium can corrode (think boats), unbelievable in the middle of a panel and if originally done properly.
If a panel has been repainted, there should be other tell-tail signs which a professional could tell.
If you are thinking of a total repaint, I hope the car was cheap. Given your other issues, it should have been?
A repainted one will be even cheaper to sell...
(I'm perplexed that you seem to have owned this car for a long time, yet are coming across a plethora of issues recently?)
Quote: A repainted one will be even cheaper to sell...
I don't plan to resell. So, this is a non-issue.
Quote: I'm perplexed that you seem to have owned this car for a long time, yet are coming across a plethora of issues recently?
Plethora of issues? It's the air suspension and the bubbles in the paint. Other things I asked about here are minor - clogged wiper-washer tube (was easily fixed), replaced gear shift knob due to cracked finish, replaced wood trim on doors due to cracks from heat, an issue with one key fob burning through batteries (not an issue with the car itself, right?), a cracked speaker grille on the dash (replaced now), and wanting to revitalize the chrome trim above the doors. Oh, and the sunroof motor. These are the things that I asked about on the forum here. I mean, most of the stuff I've asked about are small things, like what to do about a small scratch on the black finish on the front air vents, etc. Extremely minor. The other stuff, like the bushings in the back ... that's age. I've put over 50,000 miles on this car since I've owned it. I expect some wear and tear. The engine and transmission are in awesome working order. The body is without dings and dents.
Your location says Virginia so i'm wondering if you live near the ocean. Maybe salty air caused this. I'd find a good local body shop and let them take a look. We have a good shop nearby and it makes sense to get to know them.
Quote: Your location says Virginia so i'm wondering if you live near the ocean. Maybe salty air caused this.
When I had purchased the car, I did not live near the ocean, but was about 4 to 5 hours away. But in 2017 I moved to Virginia Beach and then bought a house in Norfolk. So, I am a lot closer to the ocean than I used to be.
I'm thinking now that your car maybe had a paint job before you bought it, maybe due to an accident, and the shop did not follow proper process for aluminium panels. If all the paint is removed, It is important to only use flatting material suitable for aluminium, and if carborundum paper is used and particles of this are left behind on the aluminium, it could have caused your problem. As I remember, there was some guidance on this in the Technical Notes 2003.5
Those spots are quite small. I'd be inclined to pop the least intrusive one and see if it's full of white powder (aluminium oxide). And dig down to the metal, there's only one small spot to repair for your efforts.
If it's down to the metal, aluminium primers last better when applied in a controlled environment, as distinct from DIY, is my amateur experience anyway.
