What is this and how to stop it!?!?

What kind of car is this happening on? Make and model. etc.

I am sorry to say it looks like clear coat failure.
The Clearcoat Failure Photo Archive - Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online

DLB

Looks like the clearcoat is peeling. I believe the only thing you can do is wet sand and re-clearcoating it. Check with a body shop....

trek said:

not what I wanted to read....so I'm guessing all I can do untill I can come up with the cash for a respray I'll have to just let it continually get worse?

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Yes it is going to keep peeling, you will need to visit a body shop.

you could try some rattle can clear coat - this should slow it down a bit.

A $20 can of wax could have prevented this from happening.

Counselor said:

you could try some rattle can clear coat - this should slow it down a bit.

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trek said:

you mean like Dupli-Color Clear coat?

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I would NOT try that.
You have no idea what type of paint system was used on your BMW and an over-the-counter rattle can spray paint can of clear coat could easily be incompatible with the factory paint and actually make the situation worst, causing the existing clearcoat to lift and peel even more than it currently it. Even more, it could effect and cause the base color coats under the failing clearcoat to pop and lift.

My best advice is to simply leave it alone and have a good bodyshop deal with it. It's going to need to be sanded down and resprayed, there are no viable other options once the clearcoat fails like it has.

Rsurfer said:

A $20 can of wax could have prevented this from happening.

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I know, isn't it unbelievable how people don't learn till it's too late!

Sad sad sad.

That looks like paint failure to me. It looks like the pigmented coat has failed down to the primer. Ford had this issue with a metallic gray years ago. That was why I asked what kind of car it was. I think the whole car might have to be painted. If that is paint failure. It will likely
continue even if the damaged areas are repaired. Get a good paint man to look at it. Let us know what he says. Interesting to say the least. Sorry for your misfortune.

trek said:

I bought the car in Feb, and have waxed it ever since...so your ignorance isn't needed thanks. I posted for help not to receive criticism.

Also from what I've read from the help of the other members is that Clear Coat Failure is not a problem on the surface but a deterioration of the paint itself. So even if I wasn't waxing, there is not much that I could have done to keep this from happening. I am assuming the waxing helps though.

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This kind of thing USUALLY happens because the clearcoat gets broken down by the UV rays which wax shields against.

And it's not your ignorance of waxing that I'm getting at, it's the ignorance of the past owner and the public in general.

So many people do not ever wax their cars and park them outside 24/7 so the paint is constantly bombarded by UV, rain, pollution, bird droppings, etc and there is no protection of the clear coat to prevent this from happening.

Also, the clearcoat is on top of the color coat. It goes clear | color | primer

If you look at the Meguiars link Dalton left you above. The pigmented coat is still there on all these pictures. The picture you posted of your car lookslike the pigmented coat has peeled away. If that is so, It's paint failure. When you have clearcoat failure, most of the time the damage area can be repaired and that will fix the problem. When you have paint failure, there is something else that went wrong when the car was painted. I am thinking the car will have to be repainted. I hope I am wrong. But would like to know.

If it's Clearcoat Failure then the only honest fix is to repaint the affected area or the entire car.

The below link,

Dalton Blevins said:

I am sorry to say it looks like clear coat failure.
The Clearcoat Failure Photo Archive - Car Care Forums: Meguiar's Online

DLB

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goes to a thread I created on MOL back in 2007 for two reasons,

1. Clearcoat failure is a common problem and questions like the one that started this thread are common.

2. A lot of people confuse Clearcoat Failure with oxidation and they are very different problems.


Just to note, I've started a new thread for archiving photos of clearcoat failure on this forum in the Hot topics and Frequently asked questions


Here it is,

The Clearcoat Failure Photo Gallery Archive


As I find good examples of clearcoat failure I will continue to add them to our thread here as a resource to help people identify whether or not this is a problem they see with their car's paint.


On a side note, this is what oxidation looks like,

1970 MGB - Extreme Makeover

Before





Oxidation can usually be fixed because the problem is topical , that is the problem is on the top surface of the paint. By abrading a little paint off the surface you can fix the problem.

Clearcoat Failure cannot be fixed because the problem is throughout the matrix, or entire thickness of the layer of clear paint. Abrading the surface just exposes more failed paint.

It's never any fun to be the bearer of bad news but when you're car's paint has clearcoat failure, the only honest answer to the question as to whether it can be fixed or not and how to fix it is the affected area must be prepped and painted just like a wrecked fender would be taken to a body shop and repaired and then repainted, or the entire car must be prepped and repainted.

So we're talking about getting a new paint job. Often times for many people the car that has this problem isn't worth it to the owner to invest the kind of money it will require to get a good quality paint job so the end result is learning to live with the problem, or learning to live with the ugliness.

Sorry...

belcherm58 said:

That looks like paint failure to me. It looks like the pigmented coat has failed down to the primer.

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trek,

I uploaded the below two pictures into your gallery here,

This one looks like an adhesion problem between the primer and the steel


This one looks like either de-lamination or clearcoat failure



Regardless of the problem and the root cause, there's nothing you can pour out of a bottle that will fix the problem.

Using a can of spray paint you might be able to somehow patch the problem but using a can of spray can paint and making it look good will be a challenge. Also if the root cause is a surface adhesion problem between the metal and the primer coating then the problem will likely continue wherever there's surface adhesion issues below the color coat.

belcherm58 said:

If you look at the Meguiars link Dalton left you above. The pigmented coat is still there on all these pictures. The picture you posted of your car lookslike the pigmented coat has peeled away. If that is so, It's paint failure. When you have clearcoat failure, most of the time the damage area can be repaired and that will fix the problem. When you have paint failure, there is something else that went wron when the car was painted. I am thinking the car will have to be repainted. I hope I am wrong. But would like to know.

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Based on the pictures, I have to agree that the problem is much more than just clearcoat failure.
Could the vehicle have been repainted?
Maybe just the hood has been refinished.
Anyway, stripping and refinishing the hood would be my first step and hope the rest of the vehicle's paint doesn't do the same thing.

CharlesW said:

Could the vehicle have been repainted?
Maybe just the hood has been refinished.

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That's what I'm wondering. Is it possible to contact the previous owner and ask them if the car has ever been repainted?