'87 Volvo with Original Paint Protective Coating

[Flying Floyd]

I have just purchased an 1987 Volvo and the original owner states that the car had a clear coating applied at time of purchase. My question is how do I deal with this coating when wanting to wax the car? Can I ruin the coating or wax over it?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: '87 Volvo with Original Paint Protective Coating

Sounds like he's describing a "Paint Protectant", in other words a dealer applied coat of wax, chances are slim to none that they took a brand new car into a body shop and scuffed and sanded the original paint and then sprayed new clear paint over it.

(Just so we're all on the same page)

Couple of questions,

• How does the paint look and feel as of today?
• Showroom new in any lighting? Or does it need some polishing?
• Do you know if it has a single stage finish or a clear coat?

Below you'll find an article on how to check for a clear coat finish. Clear coat paints became the norm starting in the early 1980's, so it might be a good idea to check on this particular model.


In a nutshell, if this was a dealer applied paint sealant, (in simple terms a coat of wax that the person was probably charged a horrendous amount of money for), then it's likely all worn off by now just like any coat of wax on a car this old and for sure if it was a daily driver.

So what you want to do is just wash, clay, clean, polish and wax like everyone else in the world. If you want to do just a couple of things then you could wash, clay and use a cleaner/wax.

Tell us how crazy you are about the car and how much time and energy you want to invest into the car and we can recommend specific products for you to use.

Here's the aforementioned article,


From Meguiar's *NEW* FAQ

Here's the link, below is the answer,

How can I tell if I have a clear coat finish?


To determine whether you have a clear coat or a single-stage finish perform this simple test.

• Find an inconspicuous area to test, such as the lower rear quarter panel of your car's fender or inside the door jamb.
• Clean this area first with car wash and water or Meguiar's Quik Detailer. You don't want any dirt or grime to interfere with your test.
• Using a small piece of white cotton, such as a piece of terry cloth towel, rub a little paint cleaner or Cleaner/Wax into the paint of this inconspicuous area.
• After rubbing for a few moments, turn your cloth toward you and look to see if there is any color from your paint on the cloth.

If you have a red car and you now have red paint residue on your cloth, this is a pretty good indicator that you have a single stage finish. If you have a red car and you don't see any red paint residue on your cloth, this is a pretty good indicator that you have a clear coat.

To be 100% sure, you should test in a couple of different areas.

Note: If you have a white, or very light colored car you should use a dark piece of cotton cloth and look for the color of your car's finish on it after rubbing some paint cleaner or Cleaner/Wax into the finish for a few moments.