Paint Results - Disappointment - 03/12/2012

As you may have guess from hints dropped in earlier sections, the first attempt at paint didn't go very well. 

When the car came out of the booth in December of 2011 we quickly found out that there was some type of paint defect that affected every panel on the car that was painted in the booth. The defect resembled fine lines but were pronounced enough that you could feel them with a fingernail tip.

It was initially assumed to be a defect in the clear. 
Over January and February of 2012 they wet sanded and buffed the car to try and correct the clear, but after multiple attempts and a steady decline in motivation, they asked me to pickup the car to give them a break and some time to think about other options. I was hesitant to take them up on this option, but eventually in March 2012 I picked up the car and brought it home. The following pictures are from when the car came home.

To close the loop on the first paint attempt, you have to fast forward to October 22nd 2013 which is close to 2 years after I originally started this paint job. I figured it was time to finish the job and stopped by to see if they were ready to take the car back. I was told they weren't interested in finishing the car and that I didn't owe them anything for the work done. I had very mixed feelings about this news. I was annoyed that the car was now marked with paint defects and now I'd be out on my ass feeling like the car would always be 1/2 done until it got repainted. On the other hand, I was sympathetic to the owner since he just bit the bullet for the entire thing. They did do a good job on the bumper, fenders, sunroof, and jambs, but they also broke my rear windshield, replaced it, and didn't tell me about it... I was definitely conflicted.

I considered looking for a new painter, painting it myself, driving the car as is, wrapping it, or cutting the project short and parting it out.

I ended up finding a phenomenal painter to correct the problems and repaint the car, but you'll have to keep reading to see how that unfolds :D