How does cracking of paint occur, pretty much right after paint and not accident oriented? I've got a few spots and I can't figure out how it happened and how the paint shop missed it. How can I correct these?

Can be caused by painting over old cracked finishes.

There could have been contaminants in the paint or gun. Sometimes like, when you spray can primer something it will crack or spread before it even dries if the surface isnt prepped right.

Taylor, where exactly is the crack or cracks?

There is one on the lower right quarter, down on the bottom 'curve' or 'ridge' (hard to describe). It is cracked but still black paint, so it's not like I'm seeing primer or sealer or anything. There's also one right next to the drip rail on the left side, where the drip moulding starts to curve downward.

How can I fix this or does a paintshop have to do it?

My cousin-in-law who is a body man looked at my car last night. He said the cracks are where filler was used a bit. Though all rust was replaced with sheet metal, filler was used like normal and I recall it being in places where filler was around. Also he alerted me to one spot I thought looked like a run that has been getting bigger is rust trying to push through, probably where the metal wasn't cleaned well.

I just wanted to ask some people here because while my cousin-in-law really knows his stuff, he is still younger and not as experienced compared to some people here. He says a good paint shop would strip the roof and down around the quarters to do a complete repaint so everything is blended well. Is this what it would take?

He said I should possibly look into a guarantee or warranty of sorts on paint job from the place I had it painted at, since the 'bad prepping' for the supposed rust and the paint cracking at the filler is what they did and not me. Is it 'standard' for a warranty or guarantee like this to offered on things they did 'wrong' (stuff happens I know) and the paint job less than one year old? Know it varies from area to area. They're members of the BBB and my dad has had them paint his work vehicles for years, so...

Just wondering what it looks like it will take to fix my problems because I would like it fixed so it doesn't get a lot worse and become a very visible problem. Thanks.

Your Cousin in law sounds like he has it dialed! Your best bet is to put on your crap happens hat and head down to the body shop that did the work. Most good shops would repair it and if it is a franchise shop they they will most likely have a decent warranty. As you said, this is an area that they did the work on, and not you, so they are responsible for it. They can fix it and blend it in and you'll never see it again.

The last shop (non-dealer) I worked at had 3 yrs on paint/finish and limited lifetime on new/replaced panels. Every car was always photographed before & after and kept in a file. It varies between shops, dealer's and franchises but almost all will stand behind their work. It's not like your car is a taxi or courier or something which no one will warranty heavily.

Hope it helps.