Can sun cream cause paint issues?

Hi, I'm currently looking at a metallic blue Volkswagen Jetta 1.6 petrol. Myself and my girlfriend are a bit worried by faded patches in the paint. Could it have been caused by acid? We have asked the car dealer what it is and he said it was caused by somebody touching it with sun cream. What do you think?

Thank you, Dylan.

Dylan McDonagh (Tallaght,dublin)

Oct 2014 Filed under: paintwork

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Expert answer

Hi Dylan,

Ok, there is a problem here. Modern water-based car paints can indeed be affected by the metallic contents of sun screen, and Volkswagen Group cars seem to be particularly vulnerable. The solution, at least in part, seems to be a full-body mechanical polish, although you could take your chances and have a go yourself with T-cut. It's unlikely to cure the problem entirely though, so the only viable option could well be a full respray.

Of course, if the car is younger than three years old it should be covered by Volkswagen's paint defect warranty. We've heard that Volkswagen (and other companies) won't honour paint warranties where sunscreen is concerned (because it's not strictly a manufacturing defect) but you could try and argue it out with them. Certainly, it seems obtuse to us to argue that reactions to something as common as sunscreen indicate a serious lack of quality control in the painting process.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Adviser
@neilmbriscoe