Paint Issue

[aa9zz]

I am noticing a cracking and peeling of paint on my 2010 3500 along the area where the height as increased. My body shop says they think it is a manufacturing issue in not preparing the surfaces properly.

Has anyone else seen this or can my body shop be wrong?

[joemikeb]

Your body shop's explanation sounds plausible, but if there is a Mercedes Benz Sprinter dealer nearby, you might see what their body shop has to say.

[russ240]

Originally Posted by aa9zz

along the area where the height as increased

I am confused as to where on the vehicle you are talking about. If you mean the lower body molding along the sides where airstream extended the "rockers" of the vehicle down that is part of airstreams work, not MB's so it would be up to Airstream to fix it. Either way, peeling paint is usually due to bad prep work though there can be chemical issues as well. Pics would help diagnose if you can get good close ups.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by aa9zz

I am noticing a cracking and peeling of paint on my 2010 3500 along the area where the height as increased.

Do you perhaps mean the edge of the high roof, where it joins the body right above the window line?

[aa9zz]

Yes, Protagonist is correct. It is on the high end of the roof above the window and below the edge of the roof. I will try to post a picture.

[Protagonist]

I'll be interested in seeing the pictures. A little over a decade ago, I had a pickup truck that had damage to the paint right over the windshield. Wasn't a manufacturer defect, though.

While driving down a rural highway, I startled some sort of carrion-eating bird (small buzzard or big crow, didn't get a good look) feasting on roadkill. To save itself from being run over, the bird launched itself right over my truck. To gain extra altitude quickly, the bird shed weight by vomiting on the roof of the truck. The stomach acid ate the paint before I could wash it off. Apparently, carrion-eating birds have some fiercely corrosive stomach acid! Since the insurance company wouldn't believe the story, they wouldn't pay, so I left it unpainted for the rest of the time I owned that truck.

[ben322]

The metal is a Mercedes issue. We've got problems with the painted plastic trim but it looks like I'll have all the lower trim repainted. I suppose it's possible that the white units don't have this issue, but the Silver looks like its scratched below the clear coat.

[wayneskid]

Poor paint quality and resulting rust issues seem to be common problems with Sprinters and are extensively discussed on the Sprinter Forum. Sprinters apparently don't get the same quality paint job that MB cars are given.

I have no issues with paint or rust on my Interstate so far but it's spent a good part of it's life in a heated garage.

[number9ine]

The paint issues that are discussed elsewhere are almost exclusively T1N Sprinters (the first generation model sold in the US, last model year 2006), and of those, the single-stage paint colors--especially white. NCV3 Sprinter chassis are fully primed with a cathodic dip process that puts the whole chassis in a tank. My understanding (although I haven't confirmed) is that the NCV3s all use a multi-stage paint process with clearcoat. The metallics definitely do.

The area where your clear is failing is OEM Mercedes. If you're still within your bumper-to-bumper warranty (or close enough to it) I'd take it to the dealer and have them address. If not, go get an opinion on how the clear failed, an assessment of the rest of the paint to make sure it's not bound for the same, and an estimate to repair. Your insurance company may cover if it's related to a specific contaminant that you can document, such as a sappy branch touching the van in your driveway.

Good luck!