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Bubbles in Paint at Door Hinges

LastMango

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So it seems, at least in this rust belt climate, the bubbling is likely to be inevitable. Which is ok when under warranty in terms of cost (having to have repainting done of any sort on the exterior doesn’t thrill me) but if it is also inevitable that it will return the cost of repair won’t be cheap post warranty.
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I’ve not had a return of the issue, but it has literally only been weeks since the last fix (in twice, so far). But, I can also say that in my case, it came fast! Scary fast.

One day I washed the Jeep—no corrosion issues... and just a few weeks later, I had a fully involved door panel (inches away from the closest hinge on the flat part of the door) and several hinges showing a lot of bubbling. After those were fixed in June, the hinges on the previously painted door (which were not an issue the last time) were corroding under the paint, as well as a few others on both sides.

I live in West Palm Beach, Florida (car is from here too) and is garage kept at home & at work. The doors have lived half of their life hanging on the garage wall. I used to live in Buffalo, so I understand the potential issues in that part of the world as well, but this Jeep has never been there. The paint shop dude at FCA said “down here in Florida, the sun is hot—it’s not so much rust as water trying to escape when it gets cooked”. I smiled and let them get to work painting.

I feel very lucky that I’m leasing, given the potential for this to continue. Just hit 30k miles, I had planned to buy the car out afterwards, but that seems highly doubtful now. It’s a fun ride for sure, but I’ve had more than my share of issues.

No need to flame me, peeps—I’m not a hater, and love my Wrangler. Just passing along my experience with a 2018 JLU. I hope it all gets squared away appropriately—and that my story fits within the minority of ownership experiences.

I’ll also add that a friend of mine bought the same model weeks after I did... he loved my ride. Last I spoke with him (a week ago), he still had no bubbling paint issues. That’s good news!
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ChickenNuggets

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I have bubbling in mine at the same location as well. I’ll bring it to the dealer to see if warranty will cover it.

47573F1B-DA1E-4DF2-8070-2C6C08F9D3CB.jpeg


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lovespicyfood

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OMG, I hope this is not a widespread issue. Nothing is worse than paint issues and inexcusable on such a new car.

Just bought a Wrangler for my daughter so I'll be keeping a close eye on this issue...
 

nerubi

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Probably a ploy by all manufacturers with aluminum panels so the turn over is about the time warranty will expire. More car sales.
 

nerubi

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OMG, I hope this is not a widespread issue. Nothing is worse than paint issues and inexcusable on such a new car.

Just bought a Wrangler for my daughter so I'll be keeping a close eye on this issue...
Well it will become more widespread. Ford has a class action lawsuit against them for paint corrosion on their aluminum hoods. We are at the nascent stage with aluminum that we were decades ago with steel cars rusting.
 

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1quick1

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You guys should feel lucky you have paint on your hinges. Mine is half gone from rocks on the trails.
 

brewtus98

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OMG, I hope this is not a widespread issue. Nothing is worse than paint issues and inexcusable on such a new car.

Just bought a Wrangler for my daughter so I'll be keeping a close eye on this issue...
you can count on it happening. Not related to a build date or batch. All years '18 to '20 exhibiting the problem so far. Also not related to geographic location. Total bummer.
 

INCRHULK

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Clubs
 
I brought mine in last week for bubbling on the door at the front driver and passenger. They also repaired a scratch on the driver front, back, and B pillar they put in the paint doing other work.

They called to say it was ready to pick up, and about fifteen minutes called saying I could still come to pick it up, but they’d need it in again. They chipped the paint hanging the doors again. I inspected the doors and noticed dirt under the paint, and chips on the hinges on the passenger side too.

I brought it in this morning to have them repair last weeks damage, which they did. When they called me to come pick it up, they told me they were ordering new hinges. They had spotted more paint bubbling on the front driver and passenger, and while we were looking at it out side, we discovered driver side read hinges starting to bubble.

They are going to replace all the door hinges and we are keeping an eye on the hood and tailgate.
 

JLJeepGuy513

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I notice the issue also right above the windows, have 2 like that.


Also notice my door are really bad........
Jeep Wrangler JL Bubbles in Paint at Door Hinges 20200723_101218

Jeep Wrangler JL Bubbles in Paint at Door Hinges 20200723_101218
dang thats pretty bad! i have some bubbles on all hinges but no where near that bad!
 

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Rubi VT

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Basic Warranty
A. What’s Covered at No Cost to You
The Basic Warranty covers the cost of all parts and labor needed to repair any defective item on your vehicle that was supplied by Chrysler Motors — that is, defective in material, workmanship, or factory preparation. There is no list of covered parts since the only exception is tires. You pay nothing for these repairs. These warranty repairs or adjustments — including all parts and labor connected with them — will be made by your dealer at no charge, using new or remanufactured parts.

2.2 Corrosion Warranty
A. Description of Coverage
This warranty covers the cost of all parts and labor needed to repair or replace any sheet metal
WHAT'S COVERED
panels that get holes from rust or other corrosion. If a hole occurs because of something other than corrosion, this warranty does not apply. Cosmetic or surface corrosion — resulting, for example, from stone chips or scratches in the paint — is not covered. For more details on what isn’t covered by this warranty, see 3.6.
B. How Long It Lasts
This warranty starts when your Basic Warranty begins under 2.1(D).
This warranty has two time-and-mileage limits:
• For sheet metal panels, the limit is 36 months, with no mileage limit.
• For an outer-body sheet metal panel — one that is finish-painted and that someone can
see when walking around the vehicle — the limits are 5 years or 100,000 miles on the odometer, whichever occurs first.


This is a WIDE SPREAD problem. It started in 2007 when jeep went to Aluminum hinges on the doors.
Yes I realize aluminum itself does not rust. This is not a "rust" problem its a problem in the way Jeep anodized its aluminum. If its not done perfectly with zero imperfections then the anodized aluminum causes oxidation under the paint, even with the absence of air and water.

Bring it in and have the service manager look at it and document it. Trust me, it won't be the first time he's seen this.

uummmm - its a jeep thing ?? :facepalm:
 

DaltonGang

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Well, crap!!! After reading this depressing thread, I decided to inspect every hinge. All was great, until I got to the hold, and saw one 1/4 inch bubble. It was on the hood, on the passenger side, along the hinge. This just pisses me off. Jeep Thing my ass. Can these cheapskates just galvanize the aluminum, or at least prime it properly, before slapping it together??
I don't have a nick, scratch, or dent on this. I bought it new 09/2018. I don't live in the rust belt, I have never driven on salted roads, and I dry the hood hinges whenever I wash the thing.
So, does this new Bronco, that is coming out, have aluminum panels??
Just saying.
 

DaltonGang

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Basic Warranty
A. What’s Covered at No Cost to You
The Basic Warranty covers the cost of all parts and labor needed to repair any defective item on your vehicle that was supplied by Chrysler Motors — that is, defective in material, workmanship, or factory preparation. There is no list of covered parts since the only exception is tires. You pay nothing for these repairs. These warranty repairs or adjustments — including all parts and labor connected with them — will be made by your dealer at no charge, using new or remanufactured parts.

2.2 Corrosion Warranty
A. Description of Coverage
This warranty covers the cost of all parts and labor needed to repair or replace any sheet metal
WHAT'S COVERED
panels that get holes from rust or other corrosion. If a hole occurs because of something other than corrosion, this warranty does not apply. Cosmetic or surface corrosion — resulting, for example, from stone chips or scratches in the paint — is not covered. For more details on what isn’t covered by this warranty, see 3.6.
B. How Long It Lasts
This warranty starts when your Basic Warranty begins under 2.1(D).
This warranty has two time-and-mileage limits:
• For sheet metal panels, the limit is 36 months, with no mileage limit.
• For an outer-body sheet metal panel — one that is finish-painted and that someone can
see when walking around the vehicle — the limits are 5 years or 100,000 miles on the odometer, whichever occurs first.


This is a WIDE SPREAD problem. It started in 2007 when jeep went to Aluminum hinges on the doors.
Yes I realize aluminum itself does not rust. This is not a "rust" problem its a problem in the way Jeep anodized its aluminum. If its not done perfectly with zero imperfections then the anodized aluminum causes oxidation under the paint, even with the absence of air and water.

Bring it in and have the service manager look at it and document it. Trust me, it won't be the first time he's seen this.

uummmm - its a jeep thing ?? :facepalm:
Oxidation, in powdery form, is how aluminum rusts. Oxidation is rust. It just looks different than Ferrous(Iron) metals.
 

brewtus98

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I notice the issue also right above the windows, have 2 like that.


Also notice my door are really bad........
Jeep Wrangler JL Bubbles in Paint at Door Hinges 20200723_101218

Jeep Wrangler JL Bubbles in Paint at Door Hinges 20200723_101218
WOW. That's bad!! Currently waiting to see how bad mine gets.
 

Browns19872

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Update: got my door completely replaced because my paint was bubbling. Got it back and everything seems perfect until driving it for a few days. Now every time I go over bumps I have this annoying squeaky noise right by my left ear. I’ve been back to the auto shop 5 times and they can’t figure it out. Now they won’t even contact me back to try and fix it when I call them saying it’s still there. It’s been a nightmare and it makes me want to trade in my Jeep as soon as I can. Sucks because I love my JL but I can’t deal with that noise for as long as I keep it.
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