Factory primer vs. epoxy primer battle still going strong in my booth

I had a 2018 Honda Accord come through last month with a rear quarter panel job. The customer wanted me to use the factory stuff because that's what their buddy at the dealership recommended. I laid out the costs - $120 for OEM primer versus $45 for a quality 2K epoxy I've been using for 5 years. They went with the factory option and three weeks later I'm seeing adhesion failure where the clear coat lifted around the edge. Now they're back asking me to redo it with the epoxy and pay again. Has anyone else dealt with customers who trust dealer parts over actual trade experience?

3 comments

3 Comments

stellat4611d ago

Oh man, I've been there. The dealership special lol. I had a guy once insist his 2015 Ford could only be painted with Motorcraft stuff from the parts counter. Three months later that paint was peeling worse than a sunburned tourist. Now he's a loyal epoxy guy after paying me twice for the same job. Sometimes folks gotta learn the hard way that fancy packaging doesn't mean it'll stick to your car.

charles_coleman11d ago

Depends on what you mean by "fancy packaging." Factory paint systems are engineered for specific substrates and flex characteristics. You can't just slather epoxy on a plastic bumper cover and expect it to flex without cracking. That Motorcraft stuff might have been the wrong product for his prep work, not the wrong brand. I've seen guys ruin perfectly good factory finishes by sanding them down and throwing on random epoxy that looked great for six months then turned into a cracked mess. OEMs spend millions on R&D for a reason.

grantw4111d ago

Well I'll be, you're right about that prep work being the real culprit. I had the same trouble back when I tried painting my old F-150 bumper with some fancy marine epoxy. Looked like a mirror for a few months, then started flaking off like a cheap sunburn. Switched to a proper two-part urethane made for automotive use and never looked back.