2022 Ford Ranger Paint Issue - Carbonized Gray

[WiscoLuke]

I recently purchased a 2022 Ford Ranger XLT FX4 and noticed a paint issue on lower front corner of driver’s side back passenger door (see pics).

The bumps appear to be hardened clumps of paint. Not sure it could be something else (such as metal protrusion that was painted over and clear coated). I’m just wondering what this could be and what’s the best thing to do about it. I’m thinking I’ll leave it alone and just live with it.

I live in the upper Midwest. If it’s just an imperfection in appearance and doesn’t pose any risk for rust or further deterioration of metal, I’m fine. It’s just unsightly and I want to do what’s best to care for my truck. I don’t want to open a bigger can of issues for a small area unless this is something to be concerned about.

I’m grateful for any feedback. Thanks!

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[JasonTremor]

Looks like trash under the paint to me, possibly seam sealer from the inside edge of the door.

 

[WiscoLuke]

Thanks Jason. If that’s the case, this should be a non-issue, right?

 

[JasonTremor]

Correct, seam sealer under the paint would be a non-issue for me in that location. You can probably look on the inside edge of the door there and confirm the presence of the seam sealer.

 

[AzScorpion]

If it really bothers you take it to the dealer and see if they'll take care of it for you under warranty. Only problem is if they don't have a good body/paint guy they could make it worse. I'm pretty OCD and it wouldn't bother me and I would leave it alone. It might be a good idea to at least have them look at it and document it in case it gets worse.

 

[JaysOnTheEDGE]

I wouldn't even touch it; they will probably just sand the area, respray and try to blend it and it will never look the same again. In the few months you'll have a bunch of chips anyways, paint durability on the ranger leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[RANGER PRIDE]

yeah....its a mass produced truck, painted by machines.
its not a show car.
Paint issues are on every truck in one way or another if you look hard enough

Could end up like my brother in high school. He got the family car as his first , a 1980 thunderbird when my dad upgraded.
He got it repainted because it wasnt great looking, and then rolled it a paltry 13 days later.
what a waste of paint.

 

[AdamHarris]

Living with a little spot like that would be far better than having the entire door not have factory paint on it anymore.

 

[Dgc333]

Just wait 6 months and you will have so many little nicks and scratches from driving the vehicle you will never notice it.

 

[D Fresh]

Living with a little spot like that would be far better than having the entire door not have factory paint on it anymore.

While I get, and agree with, your overall point, is that really the case anymore?

Seeing the quality of factory paint jobs now days I can't help but believe that any painter worth his salt could probably do better.

Am I way off base here? Do modern paint formulations limit paint shops the same as manufactureres?

 

[mailbox4449]

While I get, and agree with, your overall point, is that really the case anymore?

Seeing the quality of factory paint jobs now days I can't help but believe that any painter worth his salt could probably do better.

Am I way off base here? Do modern paint formulations limit paint shops the same as manufactureres?

Worked in a body shop for years (detailer, prep, sand, mask, buff, etc). A body shop can match the color and clear texture pretty close. Metallics are the hardest due to the flakes.

Also depends on the manufacturer. Some automakers have a decent paint job, while others did garbage thin coats.
What you have there is either a small chip that was touched up at the factory level and clear coated over, or bubble/drip mark in the paint that was clear coated over. As long as its clear coated, I wouldn't worry about it (unless it cosmetically bothers you).

I have seen A LOT worse for factory paint jobs, and in my opinion this is a very small defect in the paint, and in a spot that won't draw anyone's attention (except yours ). I would leave it. Dealer would probably just try to touch up the area and make it worse. A paint shop will sand and spot paint the area and clear coat the entire door (too much work and risk for such a small mark).

Now, with that being said, if you had a mark like that in the middle of the door, I would have the door repainted as it will be more noticeable by most. again, my two cents

 

[Dgc333]

While I get, and agree with, your overall point, is that really the case anymore?

Seeing the quality of factory paint jobs now days I can't help but believe that any painter worth his salt could probably do better.

Am I way off base here? Do modern paint formulations limit paint shops the same as manufactureres?

I would say that the acrylic urethane paint most body shops still use is more durable than the water borne paint the factory uses. Plus the base clear systems in use today allow the paint to be feathered into the surounding panel(s) then cleared over making it impossible to see where the repaint was done.

 

[D Fresh]

I would say that the acrylic urethane paint most body shops still use is more durable than the water borne paint the factory uses. Plus the base clear systems in use today allow the paint to be feathered into the surounding panel(s) then cleared over making it impossible to see where the repaint was done.

I wasn't sure if shops were held to same environmental standards as manufacturers. Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[mailbox4449]

I wasn't sure if shops were held to same environmental standards as manufacturers. Thanks for clearing that up.

Shops ARE held to the same EPA standards, however they deal with all sorts of paint finishes from the past to try and match, that the use of older types of formulas was needed. Most shops use water based paints as well, but prefer the old stuff which is still somewhat manufactured. Depends on the shop and workload. We used modern paints, but also used stuff that was probably no longer made, but still good enough to use in certain situations.

Color matching and applying paints is still an art!! Some people had an eye for it, and some people just didn't have it. I myself never painted...but I could tell by the finished product which of the 6 painters painted the piece. Blending pieces to match surrounding panels is an art in itself. My OCD was useful in spotting good work, or not so

 

[Marpater]

Michigan Assembly (where the Ranger and Bronco are painted) is a solvent born paint shop, the only Ford water born plants are KTP and DTP. As for the thought that hand spraying on an assembly line is anywhere near as good as robotically applied paint, is way way of the mark!

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