Weird experience, need input pls

[jrsb1418]

Hello everyone. About a month ago, I had a customer with a late 90's bmw come in to have his car washed. I noticed a small baseball sized faded area in his paint. No clear coat chipping, just dulled out. So, i grabbed UC and a foam pad and hit the area by hand. The dullness disappeared, i threw a layer of klasse sealant on it, and it looked nothing was ever wrong. Well, He pulled back in yesterday wanting another wash and i noticed the spot is back.

What could be the cause of this?

[Murr1525]

Re: Weird experience, need input pls

A pic would help... but still could be the clear coat failing.

[Selectchoice]

Re: Weird experience, need input pls

Sounds like missing clear coat. I've seen a pure polish (M07), cover up and make the clear coat look for all intents and purposes as though it "re-appears", but a simple wash will remove the M07 and bring you right back to the start.

Looks like what is happening here.

[jrsb1418]

Re: Weird experience, need input pls

This is from the hood, obvious clearcoat failure.

[IMG]


This is the spot


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You can see in the pix theres dots where the paint didn't go hazy again, also along the top little ledge the paint is still glossy there too. and no clear coat crackage that i can see.

[Selectchoice]

Re: Weird experience, need input pls

Clear coat failure appears in many forms, doesn't have to be cracking, for example in the case of buffing too hard or too long. What you end up with is a look similar to your last two pics.

If you've polished/compounded the area and it came back again, it's clear coat damage.

[jrsb1418]

Re: Weird experience, need input pls

Ok thanks. Now, is there a way to tell if its missing clear coat beforehand, without having to wait to see if it reappears?

[Murr1525]

Re: Weird experience, need input pls

The clear coat is probably still there. It is just starting to separate from the base layer.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Weird experience, need input pls

The spot on the hood has obviously started to delaminate from the color coat, but on the door it's starting to break apart. Both are examples of clear coat failure, just exhibited in different ways. Once that clear starts to break down like it is on the door, nothing will permanently fix it except a repaint. What you experienced with a correction that reverts back to the original damaged appearance in a short period of time is classic for this sort of clear coat failure. Where old single stage lacquers would oxidize and the upper layers of paint could be buffed away and the true color and gloss revealed once again, the chemistry of a modern clear coat doesn't allow for this. When a modern, catalyzed clear coat oxidizes it often starts to break down and sort of crumble, and nothing will bring it back together again.

[Poki]

Re: Weird experience, need input pls

I had the exact same thing on my 02 Saturn. There is a great mobile body guy working our area. He diagnosed it as clear coat failure too. Sanded and re-sprayed with clear....PERFECT!!