turtle5353's post just below yours is spot-on....
Folks, do NOT trust e-coat... It is not sprayed on the part with the solid intention for it to be the basis and foundation of your prime-and-paint job... It is sprayed on there simply to ensure that the panels make it from Taiwan to USA, on that long boat ride through the salty air, without rusting.
But yes, the panels are stamped/assembled in large production runs, and then e-coated in large batches, and there very well could be the slight/invisible beginnings of surface rust prior to the coat being applied... Or oil... Realize that even in the finest factory with excellent quality control, this is factory production, not the careful attention of an experienced body/paint guru.
We frequently get complaints from customers when they receive a panel, any panel, that there are scratches in their e-coat, which most of the time are there at the time we receive the parts out of the overseas container.
And we have to carefully explain that the e-coat is just there to protect the part up to the point of their receipt, it is NOT intended to be a beautifully laid-out and flawless base-coat and foundation for their paintwork. Get rid of it. It's advisable regardless of whether it got scratched or scuffed in-transit.
Rick
NPD
