What is blistering on a fibreglass or composite panel?
Blisters on a fibreglass, composite or carbon panel usually come from inside the panel. These materials can hold air in the resin, and it pushes out until the paint lifts. It looks like normal blistering, but there is no metal here to rust.
What kind of repair does it need?
Stripping the area, letting the panel dry properly, sealing it and painting. The drying step is the one that gets skipped, and it decides whether it comes back. It takes days, not hours.
Cracked or failed paint cannot be painted over. Every crack shows through the new paint again. So it is stripped back first, which is what makes this more than a normal panel job.
What to do next
Tell the shop what the panel is made of. If you are not sure, a magnet will tell you it is not steel. A shop that treats this as rust will strip it, paint it, and it will blister again.
Sources
- PPG GBpaint maker
especially for gel coat bubbles in GRP. Prepare and seal carefully.
- Sherwin-Williams Automotivepaint maker
Remove all cracked paint film and refinish
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