I've noticed many vehicles with clear coat fogged or damaged. What is the most common cause? Are some paint colors more prone to damage than others? Ed
Clear coat damage
- Thread starter Eddie
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Seems like the sun is the most likely culprit. My silver Jaguar X-Type never had any paint issues until I parked it outside. Then the problems started. Parking it in the garage again stopped the rapid pace of disintegration.
The elements take a toll on it but the sun is the worst offender. Not cleaning the vehicle regularly and using some sort of surface protector found in automatic car-washes done regularly or a good wax a few times a year / sealant once/twice a year so that you have a sacrificial layer on there will help to combat this.
I suspect it's folks are lazy and don't bother to protect their clear coat / paint just from what I can see here.
I suspect it's folks are lazy and don't bother to protect their clear coat / paint just from what I can see here.
Sun damage, the elements, salt, neglect, and people going overboard with paint correction wearing away a very thin to begin with clear coat. Yes you can kill paint with kindness too.
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Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
A lot of it is just junk paint from the manufacturer. They've all had their rounds of bad paint over the years.
My step-mom's 2010 Pontiac G6 was performance red, after 3 years the clear coat on all horizontal surfaces was gone.
My step-mom's 2010 Pontiac G6 was performance red, after 3 years the clear coat on all horizontal surfaces was gone.
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Lack of keeping it clean and never waxing it.
Peeled or cloudy clear-coat can be from a bunch of things. Constant sun exposure does not help at all. I've had quite a few cars and only a couple were garage kept. The rest lived under the sky all their life and none of them had a problem (however, I waxed them 2x a year).
I tend to think that defective paint or flawed paint jobs are the major culprits. Factory clear-coat defects can -and do happen. Local auto/body shops screw-up paint jobs all the time. Also, if someone goes crazy with 1200 grit polishing compound (like meguire's #105) and a 7" microfiber pad at 6,000 RPM, the clear coat will get cut down significantly. Once it's ultra-thin like that, the sun will take over and finish the job. A properly done paint correction will reduce thickness by around 5 microns and most cars only have 70-100 to start with. An idiot with a buffer can speed-up wear & tear like nobody's business.
Ray
I tend to think that defective paint or flawed paint jobs are the major culprits. Factory clear-coat defects can -and do happen. Local auto/body shops screw-up paint jobs all the time. Also, if someone goes crazy with 1200 grit polishing compound (like meguire's #105) and a 7" microfiber pad at 6,000 RPM, the clear coat will get cut down significantly. Once it's ultra-thin like that, the sun will take over and finish the job. A properly done paint correction will reduce thickness by around 5 microns and most cars only have 70-100 to start with. An idiot with a buffer can speed-up wear & tear like nobody's business.
Ray
I'm not sure what you mean by cloudy coat. By that you mean the situation where the finish is kind of worn away in a ‘sunburst' pattern?
I've noticed that a lot around here.
My theory? Used car lots. The lot hires a guy to use a fairly aggressive abrasive to bring up the shine, but at the cost of the clear coat.
New paint is so expensive and the effect of a clear coat failure so catastrophic, that I might look around to get a meter at a decent price before going used car shopping.
I've noticed that a lot around here.
My theory? Used car lots. The lot hires a guy to use a fairly aggressive abrasive to bring up the shine, but at the cost of the clear coat.
New paint is so expensive and the effect of a clear coat failure so catastrophic, that I might look around to get a meter at a decent price before going used car shopping.
Our 2005 Toyota Avalon has that chalky look from parking outside. I wash the car monthly and wax monthly. Tried Nu Finish but been using Meguairs Ultimte for the last 5+ years since I can use it on the black trim as well. I see lots of Toyotas on our street and in our neighborhood with the same issue. I read it's because Toyota switched to environmentally friendly clear coats.
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