Powdercoating-Generally Speaking

[54warrior]

I haven't purchased many parts that have been powdercoated, nor have I ever had any parts powdercoated. That being said, in my limited experience with the stuff, so far I've been disappointed.

I bought a set of N-Fab Nerf Steps awhile back, along with my ProComp Lift Kit. Both were powdercoated. Both have since flaked or worn off. Both seemed to be very thin, like paint. Both were installed at 13k, and I now have 30k on my truck. Now I'm not slamming the fit or function of these products, because both installed with ease and have served their main functions to a high degree. The problem I have though, is the fact that in 17k miles, these d*&^ parts have rust on them. Now don't get me wrong, I understand that there is wear and tear associated with driving a vehicle, but I believe this to be excessive.

The powdercoating on the Pro Comp components was flaking off in my hands when I installed the lift, come'on, surely they can do better than that. With everyone ranting and raving about how great powdercoating is, it makes me wonder if the process was performed correctly on my parts (it probably was), or if it was cheaper($$$ ding ding dingthey) to just put a "thin" coat on???

The nerf steps are rusted on the leading edges of the steps, I've since touched up with spray paint twice. They also show marks from entry/exit of the vehicle very easy. It looks bad because I certainly don't enter/exit the rear as much as the front. This leaves a shiny spot in the back and a scuffed to hell mark in the front.

My friend had powdercoated a-arms on his quad, and that stuff lasted forever, seemed to be a thicker coating, and resisted wear much better in general.

With all that said, to this point, I'm really unconfident in buying anything that's powdercoated. I've seen parts on display at different shows, and it appears to be a much better job. This leads me to believe that your better off buying a painted part, stripping it, then having it powdercoated to your own specs.

Any thoughts?

[KYDeepwater]

Most of the problems with these types of parts are how well the metal is prepared prior to applying the paint. There are some very tenacious powder paints out there, if used in the right applications. We sell metal pre-treatment chemicals to industrial users, and get all types of defect parts in our lab for analysis. Most times, there are organic soils on the metal underneath the part, or the part was not converted (phosphate coating) properly before applying the paint. If you look at most aftermarket hitches, for example, they rust around the weld seams. This is due to the weld smut (scale) left on the metal, that is not completely removed in the acid bath. The smut isn't tightly bound to the metal underneath the weld smut, and comes off in very tiny pieces, leaving the metal exposed to rust. A very tiny amount of rust will crawl, or spread, underneath the coating until a large enough flake of paint is loose that it falls off of the part.
All of the manufacturers are constantly getting badgered by the comptrollers to reduce prices, which leads to poor quality metal supplies, lower concentrations of chemicals to treat the parts, and consequently bad parts. There are some good ones out there, mostly suppliers of parts for established companies. The companies that supply parts to Harley Davidson are some of the best due to Harley's stringent specifications on the parts they receive. If you do re-paint, make sure the parts are very clean, dry, and not rusting, even flash rust can cause real problems, prior to applying the paint.

[ptgarcia]

Like KYDeepwater said, powdercoating is only as good as the prep work and the guy apllying it. You can get cheap "Earl Sheib" type powdercoat or quality (insert famous painter name here) powdercoat.

I have had wheels and suspension parts coated and the coating is tough and still looks as good as new.

[Leadsled124]

you should take that stuff right back to the guys who did it and demand for it to be redone RIGHT. Powdercoating should be WAY THICKER than paint and NEVER flake. And yes it means that they did not prep it. weather it be sandblasting first, chemical dipping to remove old finish, or as with chrome, they are soppossed to spray a texture for it to stick too. i have a guy that sponsors me for MX and my wheels dont flake even with the dirt and roost. I would hook you up if you lived in SoCal. heres a little link to the photo shoot of some of or bikes before we get the website up. all anadizing and powdercoating done by Just Performance (JP)
http://www.cid4design.com/jp/

and or site that is not really done yet..
http://jp-industries.com/

[BKW]

Are you sure the parts are powdercoated? Could be some of that stuff the auto parts places sell that goes on with a paint brush.

Looks similar...

[cneary812]

a few years ago at my work they were experimenting with powder coating for the auto industry. When done correctly powercoating chemically bonds to the metal and becomes part of it. It should not flake or chip in any way, yes if you drive over a rock you may scrape it off but that is to be expected. Also powdercoating is expensive, I wouldn't be surprised if it was just painted and said it was powdercoated to save some money. Send it back for them to do it right and call them on it.