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My daughter has a 2012 Expedition and is getting some paint bubbling around the license plate area on the rear hatch and on the hem flange. Research on the ‘net show this is a common problem on Navigator/Expedition hoods and rear hatches.
She took it to a body shop and they said they could fix it, but it would likely come back within a few years ! The best fix was to replace the whole hatch !! Or just live with it (it seems very solid under the bubbles).
Obviously this is aluminum oxidation. I am sure the “root cause” is improper cleaning/surface treatment/priming of the bare metal. (Having worked in the automotive industry, I am also fairly certain that these parts were manufactured by a supplier who also likely was responsible for cleaning/surface treatment/priming.)
I am looking for feedback from professional body ad paint people on how to properly repair this.
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Your spot on with the poor paint prep and oxidation.
It would mean stripping the part bare of all paint, then using quality prep practices and a higher quality primer made for that surface. Did you go to a dealership paint center for that poor advice? I worked briefly for a Cadillac dealership collision center and found it very frustrating. We were not allowed to fix commonly known issues with new practices. It all had to be factory and we had to feed a line of fecal material to customers too just to tote the company line. I would find a successful independent shop, maybe even a custom shop that has a professional appearance. They should be able to do what’s needed.If there is an issue with water dripping down from an internal area, then you can invent a way to block that flow if water. The lower panel behind the rear door on lots of SUVs like to rust in example, but some folks are drilling small hole midway and injecting foam into it to keep water from ever reaching that area.
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