Putty was softened when it is coated with the topcoat before fully hardened, producing a ‘‘putty trace’’.

Basecoat with poor solvent resistance was covered with polyester body filler, then topcoated.

Insufficient sanding of body filler.

Paint coat dried too quickly.

Allow basecoat to dry completely before applying the topcoat.

Mix the body filler with specified amount of hardener and allow filler to dry thoroughly after application.

Do not apply body filler over the old paint with poor solvent resistance.

Avoid excessively thick paint coat application.