Oxidation or Clearcoat failure

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vik

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Hi

I am new to this forum. So pardon me if I am little ill-informed. My car is suffering from this problem, pics attached.

1. I kept my car for whole year outside without any cover(and its UAE heat)

2. Occassionally washed it with wash liquid(once in a week) i got from supermarket

3. Didnt do, and infact wasn't aware of something called detailing till now.

and so condition is as bad as it looks.

Anything I can do now? dont want to repaint it, something which I can do myself and wont have much impact on my pocket? Even something which can fix it for short term.
 
It is really hard to see from those pictures to be honest. It looks to be a combination of both, but since the car is dirty, it is hard to tell.
 
The first picture looks like someone's buffed to long? Hard to tell from the pictures.

Check out my two article here, see if the paint on your car looks like any of the paint on the cars in the pictures.

The Clearcoat Failure Photo Gallery Archive


Look at the hood on the car in this thread, this might be what you're seeing....

Beginning Clearcoat Failure




If it is clearcoat failure there's really no honest fix except to repaint the car. Nothing you pour out of a bottle or scoop out of a can is going to undo the damage.

That's the sad thing about clearcoat paints, once they fail isn't game over.

With single stage paints, if they oxidize it's no problem.... just remove the oxidation and you're back to healthy paint you can polish to a high gloss.


Technology.... isn't it great!


:D
 
Good news here is that you really can't make it worse. Well you could but it already either failed or oxidized. So you might as well grab some kind of OTC compound and work it into the paint with a foam applicator/pad. If it gets better, your answer is oxidized and you're in good shape. If it doesn't get better it's probably clear coat failure and it still needs to be re-paint.

Give it shot and tell us what you find.


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Hi Mike

Yes you are correct, first picture was my test spot. I purchased few products and that is where I tried, might have rubbed more than needed(which you caught just by checking pics, excellent)

As per me, before I go with repaint, I would love to try something at my own and then if nothing works, certainly repaint option is always there.

Correct or amend if below process looks good. which I am planning to do on one fine night.

1. I will wash car with car wash products.
2. I will dry it
3. I will use clay bar with lubricant(car Wash liquid with water). I will have to just move the clay without putting pressure.
4. Wash again.
5. I will apply polish on the spot.
6. Using foam, I will rub it in circular motion 4-5 circular motion on one spot. will not allow it to dry and then wipe it off with clean terry cloth.(is this what you call buffing?)
7. No wash now, or do I wash? (need feedback)
*8. Apply wax(wax color is white yellow, my car is Black, is that an issue?) wax box comes with a applicator.
9. Apply wax again in circular motion but 1-2 circular motion per spot, forming a thin layer of wax.
10. Leave wax on car for another 30 Mins or so.(or do the whole car in one shot and move to step 11 from the spot I started.
11. Remove the extra wax using terry cloth.
*12. Is the wax need to be wiped off or Do I rub or buff as well?
13. No Wash.
 
1-5 is good.
6. Yes that is polishing. Technically you should start with a polish but by hand I would just go for a compound to see if the spot gets any better. Compound is more abrasive so will clear the oxidation faster than a fine polish.
7. No need for a wash here.
8-shouldn't matter on the color of wax except too much wax could get stuck in the failing clear/oxidation. However, most if not all should buff out.
9. You can apply wax in a circular or straight line motion. That is purely preference. I use circular because I think the wax spreads better that way.
10. 30 mins may be a little long but works for a ballpark figure.
12. Wiped off and buffed off is essentially the same thing. In my head, I wipe to remove the wax then turn to a clean side of your towel and buff off to get any residual left and leave a shine. Wipe/buff is the same process.

***a couple times you mentioned using a terry cloth. Use a nice soft microfiber if you can. They are different fibers. Terry cloth I believe is made from mostly cotton which can actually scratch your paint with enough force. Microfibers are made from polyamide and polyester which is a little softer than terry cloth cotton.


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Thanks VMGolfer for the detailed reply.

For Polish or Compound, I just bought rubbing compound as well, so Now do I use polish only, or rubbing compound only or both, also which comes first if I use both?

Also any specific way to apply rubbing compound or to be applied just like polish?
 
Start with the rubbing compound. By hand you can't do too much damage.

Normally when polishing a heavily defected car, you reach for the compound as it will cut through the most clear coat. However, most if not all instances after compounding you are left with micro marring/scratching. So then you would follow with a polish which cuts through less clear coat and "fixes" less scratches but leaves a better finish.

Go ahead and apply the compound the same way you would a polish. Use a little pressure, working the compound into the paint with a foam pad. Continue working the product until it starts to spread nice and thin and will become almost translucent. Then wipe clean with a microfiber and check your results. Continue this process until you achieve desired results. Shouldn't take more then 2-3 attempts.

Since you're applying the compound by hand, a polish really isn't necessary unless applying to a large area. If you want to be perfect follow with a polish, applying as you did the compound. You should only need one good attempt/pass. But again polish isn't truly necessary.


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Okie so I followed the process and everything WAS great. Car was shining and seemed better. Except few white spots(i guess clear coat failed). But then I was inDIY mode and so bought one black lacquer paint and sprayed it on bonnet and now it looks like crap. The lacquer paint has crease and bubbly texture, very rough. I was scared and so stopped spraying it and so now there are few lines of lacquer paint. I m sure now this is body shop job. Any guidance by which I can remove this paint so that can respectfully drive to body shop if not completely solved.
 
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