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View Full Version : Warning about purchasing body & paint supplies online



Jeff Kleiner
01-22-2026, 04:44 PM
I recently heard from a roadster builder whose painter had sprayed Evercoat Slick Sand high build polyester primer and after 48 hours it was still tacky and had not dried. He asked what the problem could be---I suggested that perhaps the painter failed to add the catalyst. He got back to me after speaking with the painter and said that in fact the catalyst was added. Digging deeper he revealed that he had purchased his products online and found that the production date on the Slick Sand was 2020 and the catalyst was 2018. Per Evercoat these have a 1 year shelf life meaning that they were at least 5 years out of date! :eek: That pretty well answered what the problem was and now they'll spend a whole bunch of hours using gallons of acetone to strip the uncured primer off.



The point of sharing this is to once again issue my warning and recommendation to any of you do it yourselfers or builders who may be providing supplies to your painters to always buy your chemical products (i.e. fillers, primers, sealers, paint and clear) from legitimate local suppliers whether it be a PPG, Xalta, Sherwin Williams, Dupont or whatever store. When you buy online, even if it's a name brand product like Evercoat you really can't be sure about what you're getting. Sometimes saving 50 bucks can get real expensive in the end...

Jeff

ProfessorB
01-22-2026, 08:58 PM
Not exactly on topic, but I have seen similar experiences with buying TIRES online. A little cheaper but way out of date.

Jeff Kleiner
01-23-2026, 07:30 AM
Not exactly on topic, but I have seen similar experiences with buying TIRES online. A little cheaper but way out of date.

Yep. In late 2020 I was doing body and paint on a Mk4 that was built in 2018 and noticed that the date codes on all 4 the MIchelin Pilot Sport tires was from early 2010! I asked the owner if he was aware and of course he wasn't. When he bought them online from WalMart they were at least 8 years old...but he said he got a really good price :rolleyes:

Jeff

JimStone
01-23-2026, 10:15 AM
So Temu isn't a good source for auto body supplies?

Jk

Thanks for the wisdom

Now I need to go check my tires for a date

Dgc333
01-23-2026, 02:23 PM
Even with local suppliers you still should be checking date codes before buying.

A local auto body supplier near me has cans of paint and filler on the shelf with thick layers of dust on the top of the cans, that tells me they have been around for a significant amount of time.

BEAR-AvHistory
01-23-2026, 02:25 PM
If you buy anything online check the return policies. No restriction other than how long you hold the unused item, seller pays for return shipping is the goal. Got all my online parts from registered vendors here, Amazon & member personally recommended sellers like McMaster-Carr.

Jeff Kleiner
01-23-2026, 02:53 PM
Even with local suppliers you still should be checking date codes before buying.

A local auto body supplier near me has cans of paint and filler on the shelf with thick layers of dust on the top of the cans, that tells me they have been around for a significant amount of time.

So does mine but those items on the shelf are for display…when you buy they pull from fresh stock in the back.

Jeff

Higgybulin
01-23-2026, 03:06 PM
Well the good news is the slick sand was removed, a few good coats of Feather Fill have been laided down and the blocking has begun. Small speed bump but a lesson to be learned for sure.
Higgy

kirby
01-23-2026, 03:16 PM
I just had a contact inform me he had the same issue with paint recently he bought online!