Fish Eye

A fish eye is a dimple in paintwork caused by a contaminant on the painted surface repelling the paint.

This is usually found on panels or areas which have been repaired and repainted. If contaminated with products which contain oil or silicone, the paint will be repelled from that area, causing a thin spot or hole in the painted surface.

This cannot unfortunately be polished out or wet sanded out as it is a hole in the painted finish.

What it means

A fish eye (often written fisheye) is a small, round crater in fresh paint or clearcoat. Instead of laying down smoothly, the wet coating suddenly pulls away from a tiny contaminated spot on the panel, leaving a dimple with a ring around it. The centre may show primer, basecoat or even bare substrate, and under raking light the defect looks like a series of little “eyes” staring back at you.

Why it matters

• Very visible on fresh paint: Even a few fish eyes can ruin the look of a new spray job, especially on bonnets, roofs and other large, reflective panels.
• Signals contamination problems: Fish eyes usually point to silicone, oil, polish residue or other surface contamination that has not been removed properly before painting.
• Can be costly to fix: Local nibbing and spot repair is sometimes possible, but clusters of fish eyes often mean stripping back and repainting the area.
• Highlights process issues: Recurring fish eyes suggest deeper problems with cleaning, panel wipe, air lines, gun maintenance or silicone use in and around the spray area.

Where you’ll see it

You will see fish eyes mentioned on bodyshop rectification sheets, quality control reports and technical paint bulletins. Customers might simply describe them as tiny holes, dimples or pin-prick craters in the paint. They are most common in resprayed areas and smart repairs where contamination has not been fully removed or has been reintroduced between stages.

Context

Fish eyes sit in the same family of paint defects as craters, solvent pop and contamination blisters, but are specifically associated with surface contamination and loss of surface tension in the wet paint. Typical causes include silicone-based polishes and dressings, oil or grease from handling, poorly maintained airlines and compressors or contaminated cleaning cloths. Prevention relies on strict cleanliness, correct use of panel wipe, keeping silicones away from the spray area and, where appropriate, using paint systems and additives designed to resist or control fish eyes.

Common mistakes

• Trying to simply “polish out” fish eyes without removing or repainting the affected material, leaving the crater shape still clearly visible.
• Spot-sanding individual craters too aggressively and breaking through surrounding clearcoat while chasing the last trace of the defect.
• Blaming the paint brand alone, instead of checking for panel contamination, dirty air supplies, silicone products and poor cleaning routines.
• Continuing to spray over obvious fish eyes in the hope that extra coats will fill them, which usually makes the defect more noticeable and harder to fix later.

Written by Danny Argent. Last updated 18/11/2025 21:32