Shedding skin!!

CambsCali1958 · Jun 2, 2026

The lovely red coat on my 14 year old T5 is looking sad in places!
The metal parts still looking great and benefitting from the several coats of wax and ceramic I’ve applied in the 5 years I’ve had the van.
Unfortunately the non metal parts ( front bumper/ lights surround and GRP pop top roof) not faring so well!
Underlying paint appears unaffected, lacquer coating is bubbling and delaminating.
I know that unfortunately this means finding a paint shop that specialises in this type of thing and taking a sharp intake of breath at cost!
Just wondering if this sounds familiar and what experience anyone out there might have of this!
Many thanks

Camperfamily · Jun 2, 2026

Flaking of paint isn’t a commonly reported issue on here, but here’s a post on a similar topic - suggesting incorrect painting in that case:
https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/peeling-lacquer-to-external-plastic-trim.59619/post-758932

Perhaps best to add some photos and some members with specialist knowledge can help. @Perfectos has expertise in paint / bodywork.

Note the Cali roof is aluminium rather than GRP so flaking you’ve got on roof may well be for different reasons than on plastic trim.

sidepod · Jun 2, 2026

Classic VW/Audi red paint fail.

Perfectos · Jun 3, 2026

sidepod said:
Classic VW/Audi red paint fail.

Red paint.

Lots of manufacturers struggle with red paint / lacquer combo, including the Italians.

tobydogplaystation · Monday at 8:00 AM

CambsCali1958 said:
The lovely red coat on my 14 year old T5 is looking sad in places!
The metal parts still looking great and benefitting from the several coats of wax and ceramic I’ve applied in the 5 years I’ve had the van.
Unfortunately the non metal parts ( front bumper/ lights surround and GRP pop top roof) not faring so well!
Underlying paint appears unaffected, lacquer coating is bubbling and delaminating.
I know that unfortunately this means finding a paint shop that specialises in this type of thing and taking a sharp intake of breath at cost!
Just wondering if this sounds familiar and what experience anyone out there might have of this!
Many thanks

Yes mine did exactly the same , also another in village where we live, just the same. Must be a fault with the red vans of this period.

Paulfwb · Monday at 9:47 AM

CambsCali1958 said:
The lovely red coat on my 14 year old T5 is looking sad in places!
The metal parts still looking great and benefitting from the several coats of wax and ceramic I’ve applied in the 5 years I’ve had the van.
Unfortunately the non metal parts ( front bumper/ lights surround and GRP pop top roof) not faring so well!
Underlying paint appears unaffected, lacquer coating is bubbling and delaminating.
I know that unfortunately this means finding a paint shop that specialises in this type of thing and taking a sharp intake of breath at cost!
Just wondering if this sounds familiar and what experience anyone out there might have of this!
Many thanks

Unfortunately this is a typical characteristic of red paint work on vehicles. I’m surprised that this problem hasn’t been fixed because it’s been around since at least the 70s. It’s the effect of sunlight on the material. The only gain is that it demonstrates just how dangerous sunlight can be.
In spite of liking the colour, I would never recommend red.

Resophonick2022 · Monday at 9:50 AM

tobydogplaystation said:
Yes mine did exactly the same , also another in village where we live, just the same. Must be a fault with the red vans of this period.

Yes my van’s clear coat began to fail on the front bumper. Had it all stripped and re-sprayed. Cost around £400, van looks amazing again now but fully expecting other areas to start bubbling so will sort it on a piecemeal basis as and when needed.