Best way to address clear coat failure?

DonutTyrant

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Hello everyone, I recently received an older model Honda civic from my parents for my first car. The car itself runs great, but the paint has what I believe to be definite clear coat failure occurring. From what I have read, the best way to fix this is to have the car repainted. I took the car to a body shop to get an estimate and was given a total cost of ~$4,600 to repaint the car. I have attached some pictures of the paint damage at this imgur link.

Imgur: The magic of the Internet

Is there any hope to fix this issue on my own without paying $4,600 to repaint an older car such as this? What would be the best step for me to take?

Any input is appreciated. Thanks.
 
if it was mine, I would look up the actual value of the car on NADA and/or KBB. if the car is only worth $2,500 then I wouldn't be able to justify spending $4,600. Take it to a couple of other reputable shops and get a quote. If it's clear coat failure, the only way to resolve that issue is to repaint it.
 
What would be the best step for me to take?

”Uh oh...better get Maaco!”


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Bob
 
Agree with the above on what the net-value of the car is. What's the rest of the car like? It's likely the hood roof and trunk could be shot but what about the panels you've not shown? Gotta be a cheaper shop around to get that thing sprayed too. $4,600? What shop would even take the time and insult someone like that if the car itself isn't likely worth much more. Shame on them.
 
Gotta be a cheaper shop around to
get that thing sprayed too. $4,600?

What shop would even take the time
and insult someone like that if the car
itself isn't likely worth much more.

Shame on them.
B531983D-B5D9-44C8-90E9-FAF23CE6BC89.jpeg



Bob
 
The price seems rather high for a full repaint. I repainted mine for $2500 to fix clear coat failure, rust on the upper roof by the passenger side windshield and paint actually fading under the clear. The body shop even took care of some minor dents for me. The car is worth about what I paid for the repaint. The other question you need to ask yourself is whether this is a car you will keep for a long time and if it is worth it.
 
Hey everyone thanks for the replies. To answer your questions, I looked up the KBB value for the car and the estimate is about $8,051.

I took the vehicle to a Bruce's Super Body Shop. The man who estimated the price told me it would take 8 days to fix the damage. I dont remember everything he told me, but to summarize... I was told they would be removing the hood, top and rare panels, sanding them down and repainting them entirely. They also said they would have to do it this way in order to be able to give us a lifetime warranty on their paint job. They did say the sides/doors of the dart were perfectly fine, just the clear coat damage on the top/trunk and I was told the hood had some cracking due to possible damage from rocks. Lastly, they would also be replacing some of the moulding on the top of the car as it was starting to peel.

I will look up a maaco and see how much they quote me for an estimate.

How much would you say it too much to pay for having the car repainted at the estimated car value? Also, if it would not be worth it at the prices I am given, is there anything I can do myself to fix the issue?
 
Gotta love that inferior Honda paint. That's how most 5 plus year old Hondas look down here in Florida. My buddy bought a new sti a few year ago, the rear roof looked like that after 18 months!

My 2003 Xterra sat outside for 12 years and it never failed.

I'd go with Maaco or Econo and just have a quick respray done to it. No harm no foul.
 
Hey everyone thanks for the replies. To answer your questions, I looked up the KBB value for the car and the estimate is about $8,051.

I took the vehicle to a Bruce's Super Body Shop. The man who estimated the price told me it would take 8 days to fix the damage. I dont remember everything he told me, but to summarize... I was told they would be removing the hood, top and rare panels, sanding them down and repainting them entirely. They also said they would have to do it this way in order to be able to give us a lifetime warranty on their paint job. They did say the sides/doors of the dart were perfectly fine, just the clear coat damage on the top/trunk and I was told the hood had some cracking due to possible damage from rocks. Lastly, they would also be replacing some of the moulding on the top of the car as it was starting to peel.

I will look up a maaco and see how much they quote me for an estimate.

How much would you say it too much to pay for having the car repainted at the estimated car value? Also, if it would not be worth it at the prices I am given, is there anything I can do myself to fix the issue?
Richmond?


Sent from my Z982 using Autogeekonline mobile app
 
Gotta love that inferior Honda paint. That's how most 5 plus year old Hondas look down here in Florida. My buddy bought a new sti a few year ago, the rear roof looked like that after 18 months!

My 2003 Xterra sat oustide for 12 years and it never falied.

I'd go with Maaco or Econo and just have a quick respray done to it. No harm no foul.

I'm going to do a new car prep on a Mazda 5 SUV this weekend. The paint measured in a 2.5 to 3.5 mils all the way around. Ironically 2.5 on the roof! No wonder why their paint chips so easily. It's by far the thinnest measurement average I've seen to-date on a new car. I even stopped by the local dealership to measure a few of theirs and they are the same. WOW!
 
It's your first car and not meant to be perfect. I'd take it for what it is and use your money on other more important things. There will be many more cars in your future and I'd bet they'll get better each time.
 
It's your first car and not meant to be perfect. I'd take it for what it is and use your money on other more important things. There will be many more cars in your future and I'd better they'll get better each time.
+1 on this! It's nice to have nice things, but even better to have a bank savings for life long independence. That includes independence from oppressive loans and credit cards. Start early with that kind of reasoning.
 
+1 on this! It's nice to have nice things, but even better to have a bank savings for life long independence. That includes independence from oppressive loans and credit cards. Start early with that kind of reasoning.

One way to solve the problem of having nice things, is to make more money.
 
One way to solve the problem of having nice things, is to make more money.
Why do you think so many lottery winners end up bankrupt? They buy in the now and don't plan for their future needs. Instead they just worry about wants. That's when you end up with nothing. I've known people who made very modest incomes, who had very nice retirements. I've known people who made tons of money yet have none. If they quit working they'll lose everything. Retirement isn't ever in their future.
 
Why do you think so many lottery winners end up bankrupt? They buy in the now and don't plan for their future needs. Instead they just worry about wants. That's when you end up with nothing. I've known people who made very modest incomes, who had very nice retirements. I've known people who made tons of money yet have none. If they quit working they'll lose everything. Retirement isn't ever in their future.

That's what makes the world go around. We all have different wants and needs.
 
What kind of Honda is this? What year?
Either ways, don’t spend 4k or whatever that guy said it would cost to paint it. That’s insane. That’s why I dislike most mechanics and body shop guys... They lie.
 
What kind of Honda is this? What year?
Either ways, don’t spend 4k or whatever that guy said it would cost to paint it. That’s insane. That’s why I dislike most mechanics and body shop guys... They lie.

2010 Honda Civic
 
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