What's this clear coat damage and how to treat it?

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dbruins

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I've got 3 areas on my 2003 H2 Hummer that look like the pic below. The area in the pic is about the size of a nickle but the other two are slightly larger. My concern is that they'll grow and eventually take over the entire car!

Here's what I've done so far:

1. Wash
2. Alkaline wash - Finish Kare 1119 Soil and Coating Remover
3. Rinse
4. Acid wash - Finish Kare SIRR Steel, Iron Rust Remover
5. Rinse
6. DP Universal Detailing Clay bar with DP Universal Clay Lubricant
7. Wash with Finish Kare 118 Shampoo Super Concentrate & pH Neutralizer
8. Rubbing compound on scratches and these damaged areas (as seen in the pic below).
9. Pre-sealant treatment with Porter Cable 7424XP Dual Action Polisher and Klasse All-In-One Polish
10. Buff by hand with Terry cloth
11. Acrylic sealant with Porter Cable 7424XP Dual Action Polisher and Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze
12. Buff by hand with Terry cloth

And the clear coat damage remains.

I'm guessing it's UV damage as I live in Vegas and had the car parked "naked" in the sun for quite a few years. Or are these damaged areas a result of something else?

Two of damaged areas are on the roof and out of few so I don't necessarily need to repair them. My main question is:

Is there anything else I can do to keep these spots from spreading?

https://www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/vK6FGgEWMSGUrfeyoJ1eKIrFkFsJ5J3WC-yU8cIBy6k
 
That's a Type 2 Bird Dropping Etching or a Fracture Etching.

Sorry to say there's nothing you can do to undo the damage and the only way to prevent it is to keep birds away from your Hummer.

Here's the picture...

watermark.php






Here's my article on this topic...



Two Types of Bird Dropping Etchings

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Two Types of Bird Dropping Etchings
  • Type I Bird Dropping - Topical Stain Etching
  • Type II Bird Dropping - Fractured/Wrinkled Etching

There are two common types of damage associated with bird dropping etchings;



Type I Bird Dropping - Topical Stain Etching
Type I Topical Stain Etchings are usually only topical, that is shallow enough that they can be completely removed or at least greatly improved to the point where they are difficult to see.

This type of etching can be removed using a clear coat safe compound or polish by hand or machine. Hand removal is almost always more efficient as you can exert more pressure to a small area and thus keep your work area isolated to just the affected area. By machine you can use a Spot Repair System, again to keep the work area isolated to just the affected area.

M105RemoveBirdDropping002c.jpg



Type II Bird Dropping - Fractured/Wrinkled Etching
Type II Wrinkled Etchings are usually too deep to fix safely. The problem is the paint fractures, (splits apart in tiny lines,), or wrinkles as the paint swells and bunches together. In both instances, the resulting defect is throughout the clear layer of paint and not topical. Thus trying to remove it will require removing so much clear paint that you will likely expose the basecoat, or colored layer of paint which has a dull appearance. For this reason it's not safe to try to remove a Type II Bird Dropping Wrinkled or Fractured Etching.

BirdDroppingEtchingWrinkles.jpg






:)
 
Having seen a few of these in person i have often wondered...would touch up paint used to fill in the cracks be worthwhile?
 
You could try prayer.



But, other than that - not much you can do, but to use something with UV protection on the paint and keep the car out of the sun.
 
So with the Hiroshima/Type II bird doo-doo, is it just the paint layer affected or the base coat also ruined and susceptible to lifting, bubbling, rust, etc.?
 
I have seen this damage repaired somewhat on some of our fleet vehicles. Usually there are 5 or more of the spots like the picture and numerous other fractures in the clearcoat. The paint shop lightly sands and cleans the hood. They then spray a few coats of clear on it. The hoods do not look that good afteward. Only somewhat better than before. You can still see the damage underneath the new clear. Our paint shop like most others will tell you the only way to properly fix it is a repaint. Ours are on the cheap because they are generally old cars that are close to the auction block. I would only attempt to touch up the clear if I was at the point of having the hood repainted.
 
Thanks for all the feedback!

I'll just live with it, put on a good coat of UV protectant (as listed above), and keep her away from birds and out of the sun as much as possible.
 
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