Clear coat coming off on Euroteck diffuser.
#126
If you don't know, why bother mentioning it? Much less why even participate in this thread? Of course.. I'm going to stalk you because of a friendly argument, which originated in a thread on a forum, with a city/country/state/town you gave me... :rolf If you actually followed what was said throughout this entire thread, I was asking for your location because that would give me sufficient details to assume whether the gas stations your father goes to either use hydrofluoric acid based cleansers or not. It wouldn't be a 100% accurate assumption, but none the less...
2.this has gotten way bigger than a "friendly argument" you have gone above and beyond what anyone would do to defend a company unless they had personal ties to it.
3.im sure you were. North Jersey bud. we get alot of snow here, which i am pretty sure means that to take all of that snow and slush off of my fathers cars, they use hydrofluoric acid based soaps.
#127
I'm not sure about you, or the rest who've contributed here.. but when posting, I've been nothing but calm. I don't know how you present yourself in real life when in an argument, but I'm sure you don't give each other hugs and kisses after all is said and done.
Aside from being calm, what makes you think I have any affiliations with Euroteck? You say it's because I'm 'defending' them? You're wrong. I'm not really on either side to begin with. I don't see how I've gone above and beyond while only trying to prove common sense from what I've read and personal experience. I've had to continuously restate thoughts, whether repeated or worded differently, perhaps this is why you think I'm going over the top. If it sounds, (or is read in this case), as if I have a grumpy/pissed off tone, it's usually because I'm being sarcastic. It's usually very blatant when I actually mean something, such as when I had called the other member an a$$hole.
In the end, whether it really was a manufacturing defect or other factors, none of us can be sure until a thorough inspection has been performed on the diffuser.
I think I'm going to go a few posts back and listen to airplanes again....
Aside from being calm, what makes you think I have any affiliations with Euroteck? You say it's because I'm 'defending' them? You're wrong. I'm not really on either side to begin with. I don't see how I've gone above and beyond while only trying to prove common sense from what I've read and personal experience. I've had to continuously restate thoughts, whether repeated or worded differently, perhaps this is why you think I'm going over the top. If it sounds, (or is read in this case), as if I have a grumpy/pissed off tone, it's usually because I'm being sarcastic. It's usually very blatant when I actually mean something, such as when I had called the other member an a$$hole.
In the end, whether it really was a manufacturing defect or other factors, none of us can be sure until a thorough inspection has been performed on the diffuser.
I think I'm going to go a few posts back and listen to airplanes again....
#129
I also commented solely on my experience with Eurotek customer service. Despite this thread, I do not have any question about the quality of their products - I am sure they have sold hundreds of pieces for the C63 and this is the first time I've seen someone claiming that the quality was sub par.
#130
Super Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 818
Likes: 3
From: Atlanta, GA
'02 C230 Coupe (Me) '03 SLK320 6MT (Wife)
After reading this thread I have found it very interesting. I cannot claim any special knowledge on clear coats or carbon fiber.
However, my first thought was that police cars where I work are bought new and put in service without any wax. These are dark blue metallic paint that are run three to four years, in the Georgia heat and sunshine. They go through a car wash that uses brushes which are NOT replaced anywhere like they should be. The cars are subject to significant grime, road gunk and scratches and scuffs. They are washed something close to weekly, some more often that that, depending on who drives them. After 3 years, they are still not showing peeling of the clear coat.
I am not an expert, but based on this example I would expect quality clear coat to last a year regardless of the use of car washes, wax or other issues. If you compared a carefully maintained part (or car) after three years to one that was never cared for I would expect a visible difference, but still not this kind of problem.
However, my first thought was that police cars where I work are bought new and put in service without any wax. These are dark blue metallic paint that are run three to four years, in the Georgia heat and sunshine. They go through a car wash that uses brushes which are NOT replaced anywhere like they should be. The cars are subject to significant grime, road gunk and scratches and scuffs. They are washed something close to weekly, some more often that that, depending on who drives them. After 3 years, they are still not showing peeling of the clear coat.
I am not an expert, but based on this example I would expect quality clear coat to last a year regardless of the use of car washes, wax or other issues. If you compared a carefully maintained part (or car) after three years to one that was never cared for I would expect a visible difference, but still not this kind of problem.
#131
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,237
Likes: 2
From: Miami, FL
C63 AMG(sold), 2009 CL550, 2010 S550 Majestic Black, 2010 ML550, 2006 C230, 2009 Venza
Having bought multiple pieces from Euroteck for both my C63 and my C230. I can say that the quality is top notch. However, I do agree with some of the people that mentioned how Euroteck should try to work something out with the customer (even if it was the OP's fault).
#133
Not being cheap read the whole thread, and its been less than a year. Just informing everyone about my experience with Euroteck especially with Neals fine costumer care. Going to the body shop tomorrow they will know what happened.
#134
#135
#136
clear coat pealing
Just wanted to let you guys know, If Clear coat is properly prepped underneath and has high solids and u-v protection , it would never peel and certainly not fade. This coming from a car painter for 15 years and I also did technical assistance for a paint company from back east. Problem? there is a solution. In this case, better prep and higher end clear coat will fix the problem . I've seen the euroteck products. They are porobaly one of the best fitting out there. The clear looked good, but if one peels or fades, then they probably all will. My 2 cents!
#137
First of all, this is clearly an isolated problem, and most likely one that happened due to lack of care, because if this was normal, people who bought Euroteck parts years ago would be stepping forward with the same thing, and clearly that is not the case. This is not the fact that there is something wrong with Euroteck parts, this is the fact that one guy had a problem outside his warranty period and is likely due to lack of care and expects Euroteck to pay for it. The parts do not have a lifetime warranty, they have a 1 year warranty, and like we see here, no one else had this problem with Euroteck after many years.
It is so easy to make clear coat peel, first of all his CF parts were never waxed, he stated his car was waxed by his detailer, who I doubt he brought to the attention of the detailer he now has CF parts and assumed it was still the black plastic diffuser still on place and never touched them. How do we know that the OP did not have a rock chip, or another hit from road debris on the diffuser, then had it threw a few possibly bad auto washes, then on top of that power washed his car! if the clear coat was chipped, and if bad chemicals got in or under the clear coat and then you power wash it that = clear coat peeling. Point is, if damaged clear coat will peel, clear coat is not bullet proof, nor is it powder coat. If this was in a 1 year period we all know Euroteck would have fixed it no matter who's fault it was, but this guy thinks his part carry's a lifetime warranty? If the part was not prepped well, it would not have taken 1 year to find out the clear coat is peeling, it would have happened much sooner which shows it was most likely caused by something else. If my TV died outside of its warranty period how can you expect the TV company to replace it if it is out of warranty? sure it would be nice, but then that would mean a warranty lasts forever if they replaced it for me.
Just my 2 cents.
It is so easy to make clear coat peel, first of all his CF parts were never waxed, he stated his car was waxed by his detailer, who I doubt he brought to the attention of the detailer he now has CF parts and assumed it was still the black plastic diffuser still on place and never touched them. How do we know that the OP did not have a rock chip, or another hit from road debris on the diffuser, then had it threw a few possibly bad auto washes, then on top of that power washed his car! if the clear coat was chipped, and if bad chemicals got in or under the clear coat and then you power wash it that = clear coat peeling. Point is, if damaged clear coat will peel, clear coat is not bullet proof, nor is it powder coat. If this was in a 1 year period we all know Euroteck would have fixed it no matter who's fault it was, but this guy thinks his part carry's a lifetime warranty? If the part was not prepped well, it would not have taken 1 year to find out the clear coat is peeling, it would have happened much sooner which shows it was most likely caused by something else. If my TV died outside of its warranty period how can you expect the TV company to replace it if it is out of warranty? sure it would be nice, but then that would mean a warranty lasts forever if they replaced it for me.
Just my 2 cents.
#138
clear coat
Companies like BASF, Dupont , PPG, and many others will warrantee their clear and paint products for life. You are right that this is probably an isolated problem, but with proper sanding and proper clear, someone that has had a product for 10 years shouldn't have any problems other than rock chips.Ever see a new benz with a chip on the hood? the chip could stay there 20 years and the clear coat would never peel. I like the eurotec products. Like I mentioned earlier, they do have a great finish and fitment, but there shouldn't be any exuse why the clear coat peeled off other than paint product malfunction and the workmanship of the actual person that applied the clear. Fact rather than opinion. The truth can be very harsh.
#140
Companies like BASF, Dupont , PPG, and many others will warrantee their clear and paint products for life. You are right that this is probably an isolated problem, but with proper sanding and proper clear, someone that has had a product for 10 years shouldn't have any problems other than rock chips.Ever see a new benz with a chip on the hood? the chip could stay there 20 years and the clear coat would never peel. I like the eurotec products. Like I mentioned earlier, they do have a great finish and fitment, but there shouldn't be any exuse why the clear coat peeled off other than paint product malfunction and the workmanship of the actual person that applied the clear. Fact rather than opinion. The truth can be very harsh.
All of our clear is the highest quality PPG they make. And being in the body shop/paint field you would probably appreciate the fact that OEM paint procedures cannot be compared to those found in local body shops or independent places. We would need a multi million dollar facility to paint and prep parts how OEM's do it. Not even Mercedes, but Honda, Toyota etc.... Also, the characteristics of paint bonding to metal is entirely different to those found in composites. Although with the right prep paint bonds to composites very well, it will never bond to composites quite as well as it does to metal. We have employees here with over 25 years of experience with composites, I am proud to say they were former government contract employees with Northrop Grumman who have help built composite unmanned military aircraft. We know a thing or two about composites. The fact is, we do not know how this part was ultimately cared for, we do not know if the user has rubbed acetone or something harsh on the area and does not want to admit it. The point is simple, the part is out of warranty and there is nothing we can do and there is nothing anyone can prove to see why it happened. If the part sounded like it was cared for well, even out of the warranty period, we most likely would have bent the rules a bit and fixed this for the customer. However it would appear it was not cared for in the best of conditions. The fact is, there are many outside influences that can cause clear coat to peel, and that is indeed a fact.
#141
clear coat
You are right about matching oem's process, but there are ways to replicate the quality. We can go back and worth and by responding or not responding doesn't mean you or myself is right or wrong, but I had to simply mention about the clear coat again. With a co. like PPG, whether oem on a ferarri or in a local shop the clear coat chemically bonds to the color underneath. There is a certain time limit when the clear coat has to be applied. PPg would garrantee that. It's simple in your case, you have great products, use great clear coats, but the adhesion was poor. You do not have base color for the clear to bond on but a sanded surface underneath. When sanded and prepped correctly, there isn't anything that would make it come off. PpG would agree would that. I'm not here to bust anyone's chops. I just wanted to state some facts. My expertise in this field can be obtained at no fee, whether its euroteck or others. Why wouldn't i want a product that i'm intersted in to be of better quality. I would think euroteck would want the same. If your car goes to a body shop and your clear peels as a result of poor prep, most of you would go back and have them fix the problem. By the way I'm considering euroteck for my Wide Body C63 Coupe i'm building. Debuting at Sema.
#142
You are right about matching oem's process, but there are ways to replicate the quality. We can go back and worth and by responding or not responding doesn't mean you or myself is right or wrong, but I had to simply mention about the clear coat again. With a co. like PPG, whether oem on a ferarri or in a local shop the clear coat chemically bonds to the color underneath. There is a certain time limit when the clear coat has to be applied. PPg would garrantee that. It's simple in your case, you have great products, use great clear coats, but the adhesion was poor. You do not have base color for the clear to bond on but a sanded surface underneath. When sanded and prepped correctly, there isn't anything that would make it come off. PpG would agree would that. I'm not here to bust anyone's chops. I just wanted to state some facts. My expertise in this field can be obtained at no fee, whether its euroteck or others. Why wouldn't i want a product that i'm intersted in to be of better quality. I would think euroteck would want the same. If your car goes to a body shop and your clear peels as a result of poor prep, most of you would go back and have them fix the problem. By the way I'm considering euroteck for my Wide Body C63 Coupe i'm building. Debuting at Sema.
Thanks
#143
How long is warranty on your products??
Thank you by the way for the compliments of our parts.
All of our clear is the highest quality PPG they make. And being in the body shop/paint field you would probably appreciate the fact that OEM paint procedures cannot be compared to those found in local body shops or independent places. We would need a multi million dollar facility to paint and prep parts how OEM's do it. Not even Mercedes, but Honda, Toyota etc.... Also, the characteristics of paint bonding to metal is entirely different to those found in composites. Although with the right prep paint bonds to composites very well, it will never bond to composites quite as well as it does to metal. We have employees here with over 25 years of experience with composites, I am proud to say they were former government contract employees with Northrop Grumman who have help built composite unmanned military aircraft. We know a thing or two about composites. The fact is, we do not know how this part was ultimately cared for, we do not know if the user has rubbed acetone or something harsh on the area and does not want to admit it. The point is simple, the part is out of warranty and there is nothing we can do and there is nothing anyone can prove to see why it happened. If the part sounded like it was cared for well, even out of the warranty period, we most likely would have bent the rules a bit and fixed this for the customer. However it would appear it was not cared for in the best of conditions. The fact is, there are many outside influences that can cause clear coat to peel, and that is indeed a fact.
All of our clear is the highest quality PPG they make. And being in the body shop/paint field you would probably appreciate the fact that OEM paint procedures cannot be compared to those found in local body shops or independent places. We would need a multi million dollar facility to paint and prep parts how OEM's do it. Not even Mercedes, but Honda, Toyota etc.... Also, the characteristics of paint bonding to metal is entirely different to those found in composites. Although with the right prep paint bonds to composites very well, it will never bond to composites quite as well as it does to metal. We have employees here with over 25 years of experience with composites, I am proud to say they were former government contract employees with Northrop Grumman who have help built composite unmanned military aircraft. We know a thing or two about composites. The fact is, we do not know how this part was ultimately cared for, we do not know if the user has rubbed acetone or something harsh on the area and does not want to admit it. The point is simple, the part is out of warranty and there is nothing we can do and there is nothing anyone can prove to see why it happened. If the part sounded like it was cared for well, even out of the warranty period, we most likely would have bent the rules a bit and fixed this for the customer. However it would appear it was not cared for in the best of conditions. The fact is, there are many outside influences that can cause clear coat to peel, and that is indeed a fact.
#147
hmmm...this just really seems a bit odd...
First of all, a well manufactured paint product should not peel off in 1 year or so...even if it was used and abused the entire year...but this is just an opinion of mine.
Secondly, if it was abused by the owners, wouldn't the peeling/damage be all over the entire piece? Or at least other parts of the piece will be starting to show wear? Point here is, if it was abused, through non waxing and cleaning with wrong chemicals then the damage should be more evenly spread all over the part? Not saying that it would peel the entire thing, but some areas peeling, and some show signs that it is starting to peel or dull.
All process no matter how perfect the QC is, still makes mistakes. Even the 6 Sigma of GE still makes mistakes.
It just seems to me that if the peeling such as this occurs just in one portion of the entire product, and the rest of the product is perfectly fine, shiny and new as you would expect it to be. Isn't the possibility that it is a manufacturing error be more likely than user abuse?
First of all, a well manufactured paint product should not peel off in 1 year or so...even if it was used and abused the entire year...but this is just an opinion of mine.
Secondly, if it was abused by the owners, wouldn't the peeling/damage be all over the entire piece? Or at least other parts of the piece will be starting to show wear? Point here is, if it was abused, through non waxing and cleaning with wrong chemicals then the damage should be more evenly spread all over the part? Not saying that it would peel the entire thing, but some areas peeling, and some show signs that it is starting to peel or dull.
All process no matter how perfect the QC is, still makes mistakes. Even the 6 Sigma of GE still makes mistakes.
It just seems to me that if the peeling such as this occurs just in one portion of the entire product, and the rest of the product is perfectly fine, shiny and new as you would expect it to be. Isn't the possibility that it is a manufacturing error be more likely than user abuse?
#149
Secondly, if it was abused by the owners, wouldn't the peeling/damage be all over the entire piece? Or at least other parts of the piece will be starting to show wear? Point here is, if it was abused, through non waxing and cleaning with wrong chemicals then the damage should be more evenly spread all over the part? Not saying that it would peel the entire thing, but some areas peeling, and some show signs that it is starting to peel or dull.
All process no matter how perfect the QC is, still makes mistakes. Even the 6 Sigma of GE still makes mistakes.
It just seems to me that if the peeling such as this occurs just in one portion of the entire product, and the rest of the product is perfectly fine, shiny and new as you would expect it to be. Isn't the possibility that it is a manufacturing error be more likely than user abuse?
That's a fair question. Regarding the reason it happened in that spot, it actually more so confirms the fact it was water/wash related, because since its at the inside area of one of the fins, water likes to stay dripping or stuck against something with 2 sides. Also, like mentioned, that area probably is a bit thinner in the clear coat due to spraying it is not as easy to get to in that area without making it thick in the wrong spots. I would recommend a good quality wax or sealent such as Zaino or Meguairs. Wax it every few months, wash it with quality soaps such as those from Zaino or Meguairs, and wipe it dry with a good quality terry towel or microfiber cloth. These are not cheap parts, it is so easy to care for them, not only will it be protected, it will also look a lot better! These are designed to last the life of the car if taken care of correctly.
#150
Wow... I accidently stumbled on this thread and I can't believe I read the entire thing...
Having 2 family business's myself, we always try to have the mindset that "the customer is always right" ... There have been instances (as with any business) where we've dealt with unhappy customers, some where we understand/believe the customers side and some where we feel the customer is just blowing smoke to get free **** etc etc...
In this case, I do not know who is at fault... It is very true that environmental conditions can indeed be harsh for your vehicle, but in my opinion I don't feel a part such as this should have this type of failure after just 1 years time... It is true that we don't know what type of conditions this thing was subject to, however, if it was really that bad I feel that there would be more damage to indicate such...
Regardless, I have worked with customers who are unhappy, sometimes going to the extreme of replacing or refunding... 1 unhappy customer/situation can affect much more than 1 future customer... In this case, I would like to believe that these parts hold a nice amount of markup so in the end replacment or repair of the part would not be financially as harmful as having this ordeal hit the public eye with a representative of the company acting in an unprofessional manner to said customer...
No disrespect to said company or it's affiliates, but that's how I feel and would have dealt with it...
I haven't purchased any of these particular products for my vehicle, though I have held keen interest in doing so... One thing my wife and I discussed was buying the cheaper knockoffs for this reason alone; that if product gets damaged or suffers some sort of failure, it will not hurt the pocketbook as much...
In business, it's never too late to make things right... As a company, you'll obviously be able to produce or repair the product for much cheaper than it is being sold, a nice outcome would be to offer a goodwill repair to restore faith in this and future customers...
I wish both the OP and Euroteck the best...
Having 2 family business's myself, we always try to have the mindset that "the customer is always right" ... There have been instances (as with any business) where we've dealt with unhappy customers, some where we understand/believe the customers side and some where we feel the customer is just blowing smoke to get free **** etc etc...
In this case, I do not know who is at fault... It is very true that environmental conditions can indeed be harsh for your vehicle, but in my opinion I don't feel a part such as this should have this type of failure after just 1 years time... It is true that we don't know what type of conditions this thing was subject to, however, if it was really that bad I feel that there would be more damage to indicate such...
Regardless, I have worked with customers who are unhappy, sometimes going to the extreme of replacing or refunding... 1 unhappy customer/situation can affect much more than 1 future customer... In this case, I would like to believe that these parts hold a nice amount of markup so in the end replacment or repair of the part would not be financially as harmful as having this ordeal hit the public eye with a representative of the company acting in an unprofessional manner to said customer...
No disrespect to said company or it's affiliates, but that's how I feel and would have dealt with it...
I haven't purchased any of these particular products for my vehicle, though I have held keen interest in doing so... One thing my wife and I discussed was buying the cheaper knockoffs for this reason alone; that if product gets damaged or suffers some sort of failure, it will not hurt the pocketbook as much...
In business, it's never too late to make things right... As a company, you'll obviously be able to produce or repair the product for much cheaper than it is being sold, a nice outcome would be to offer a goodwill repair to restore faith in this and future customers...
I wish both the OP and Euroteck the best...