Foggy Clearcoat

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I've seen this term mentioned regarding clear coat after a polishing. We have a 2014 Accord and regardless if I've done a hand polish or with my DA I never really seem to get the clarity that I'm looking for. From a couple of feet away it can really look good. But it seems that when I'm inspecting it closeup it just looks slighly "Foggy". I have, at least I think I have, removed the swirls and contaminents from the clearcoat but I can't help and think I'm either not being aggressive enough or using the wrong products.


The last "detail" was using my DA with a consumer level polish and then covered with a separate carnauba wax (both Meguiar's). The fog seems to be there after the polish. For the record, it's not a severe, but it's definitely not the result I think I should be getting. Would hitting it with a final ultra fine polish and pad help (I know/guess I could try)?
 
It might be the MF towels you are using for cream removal
 
Some pictures could help if you don’t mind downloading Tapatalk to make it easier to share.

Hate to go right to worst case, but since you’re in California the thought of clearcoat failure always comes to mind. What color is it?

Is it every panel, or mainly hood/roof/trunk?
 
Based on your description, my advice is that it’s time to get as aggressive as possible on all fronts, meaning it’s time to quit beating around the bush with finishing polish and cut to the root and get rid of All the defects once and for all. And once you’ve finally done that it’s also time to protect those results with the hardest most durable protection you can find [that’ll ultimately be up to your opinion] and hopefully it lasts because if it doesn’t it could be failure to the worst degree…

Btw I’m going through the same thing on the roof of my Cadillac right now. I thought I had gotten rid of that similar “foggy” looking clearcoat with an aggressive compound about a month ago, only to begin seeing it start to re appear in some areas while having a good look at the paint last time I was at the gas station. I know for a fact my protection didn’t make it through a nasty 3 day storm we recently experienced over here, but regardless seeing the fading re appear in such a short amount of time isn’t a good sign at all. I shall try again. I’m currently mulling over what I’ll choose as far as lsp. I don’t need gimmicks, I need real paint protection.
 
could be several things

but to get that clarity on softer clears takes exp. (sometimes dumb luck also ) and "separates the men from the boys"
 
Also, Honda paint has been known to have a history of pre mature failure the same way Michelins are known to suck at accepting tire dressings. Just sayin. Lol.
 
As hard as it is to provide an internet diagnosis, I agree that it could be any of the items previously suggested, i.e., early stages of clear coat failure, not being aggressive enough from the start, or simply not finishing out completely.

If it is early-stage clear coat failure, there really is no long-term solution. While polishing will provide some initial improvement, the improvement is usually short-lived. I've been working with paints since the 1970s (actually late 1960s) and have seen this phenomenon over-and-over again. Once the paint film starts to break down (as is the case with clear coat failure) you can't stop it. You can slow it down but regardless of what you do it will always continue to deteriorate at a faster rate than "sound" paint. The situation that Eldorado2k described with the roof of his Cadillac may very well fall into this category.

Los Alamitos is about an hour or two (depending on traffic) from where I live in Ventura County. If you are interested in making the drive, I'd be happy to take a look and give you my opinion. If its paint failure causing your issue, then at least you'll know and can quit beating yourself up over it. If it turns out that your issue is process related, I could help you dial-in a process that you can then use to get the desired results. Freebie offer if you're interested.
 
2black1s said:
As hard as it is to provide an internet diagnosis, I agree that it could be any of the items previously suggested, i.e., early stages of clear coat failure, not being aggressive enough from the start, or simply not finishing out completely.

If it is early-stage clear coat failure, there really is no long-term solution. While polishing will provide some initial improvement, the improvement is usually short-lived. I've been working with paints since the 1970s (actually late 1960s) and have seen this phenomenon over-and-over again. Once the paint film starts to break down (as is the case with clear coat failure) you can't stop it. You can slow it down but regardless of what you do it will always continue to deteriorate at a faster rate than "sound" paint. The situation that Eldorado2k described with the roof of his Cadillac may very well fall into this category.

Los Alamitos is about an hour or two (depending on traffic) from where I live in Ventura County. If you are interested in making the drive, I'd be happy to take a look and give you my opinion. If its paint failure causing your issue, then at least you'll know and can quit beating yourself up over it. If it turns out that your issue is process related, I could help you dial-in a process that you can then use to get the desired results. Freebie offer if you're interested.
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What about some of those miracle hack jobs that Ive seen on youtube where guys “repair” failing clearcoat with what I believe to be a simple spray can application of clearcoat?

I’m probably butchering the actual process [because I didn’t really sit down and pay too much attention to the couple of vids I watched] but it’s something along those lines… Do you know how to do that? Or is that really possible the way they seem to say it is?
 
Eldorado2k said:
What about some of those miracle hack jobs that Ive seen on youtube where guys “repair” failing clearcoat with what I believe to be a simple spray can application of clearcoat?

I’m probably butchering the actual process [because I didn’t really sit down and pay too much attention to the couple of vids I watched] but it’s something along those lines… Do you know how to do that? Or is that really possible the way they seem to say it is?
Click to expand...

Generally speaking, those miracle hack jobs are usually just that... Hack jobs. It's pretty easy to make them look good in a photo or video but seeing them in real life is another story.

If you could send a link to a specific video, I could watch and critique it for you.

As for spraying a rattle can of 2k clearcoat... With the proper preparation, application, and finishing it could turn out great. It's really dependent on what you're trying to paint over.

Here's a motorcycle part that I did a crack repair on and painted with rattle cans (waterborne base coat and 2k clear) a couple years ago.

View attachment 75953 View attachment 75954 View attachment 75955
 
Rather than quote and answer each response..... Thanks to everyone. I realize that without pics it doesn't tell a lot, I just don't think a pic would pick this up. I going to try a more hearty polish and see what that gets me. When I think about it I'm pretty sure I've been babying it and it's time to put a little more elbow/DA grease into it. I'll be doing some experimenting with a more aggressive polish and pad combo.

@2black1s I appreciate the offer. I'll put it on my short list.

@eldorado2k I just got rid of my 2011 DTS. I seemed to have close to the same problem as with the Accord. I'm 99% it's process and products. I just have to dial it in.
 
Honda Fan said:
I realize that without pics it doesn't tell a lot, I just don't think a pic would pick this up.

@eldorado2k I just got rid of my 2011 DTS. I seemed to have close to the same problem as with the Accord.
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Oh I know exactly what you mean, it’s hard, nearly impossible to get a good picture of what you’re describing, especially on certain colors i.e. the metalic blue on my Cadillac.

These were some of the hardest pics I’ve ever tried to capture and I was bearly able to do it, but here’s the best I could do without any lights.

You can see the area where I had just compounded on the left vs. the faded area on the right.

6bc49492a98ab64aac1954bdb2f8e4c3.jpg

28977028923805a9a511c24b0f1ba215.jpg


And here’s more of a 50/50 even though it actually looked alot different irl than it does in this picture.

50e6ccdb204ccc8613e729c1226f06a7.jpg


Thumbs up for having owned the last Cadillac DTS.
 
If it’s a Honda, a horizontal surface, and the car lives without shade in a sunny climate like Florida, California, or Arizona, it could be the beginning of clearcoat going bad. You see It all over Florida apt complexes.
 
glen e said:
If it’s a Honda, a horizontal surface, and the car lives without shade in a sunny climate like Florida, California, or Arizona, it could be the beginning of clearcoat going bad. You see It all over Florida apt complexes.
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Further reason why I’m glad mine is essentially a garage queen
 
Find an ultra fine finishing pad (some are black) and a fine finishing polish. If that doesn't work it's probably a clearcoat issue.
 
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