is there any hope for this damage? 56K warning

[the other pc]

The reason you're not getting much gloss from the base coat is that you're not supposed to. It isn't formulated to be glossy. The base coat is just for color. The top (clear) coat is where the gloss and environmental protection comes from. Leave a base coat exposed and it will rot a lot faster than the clear did. You'll probably start seeing rust pretty quickly too. Base coats and primer aren't designed to keep water and oxygen away from the metal substrate either (although in Az your chances are better than most places).

I doubt if a reputable shop would be willing to just shoot some clear over it, especially if they have any kind of warrantee at all. They might be willing to spray it like a panel repair job, primer/sealer, base coat, clear coat and blend it in to what's left of the intact paint.


PC.

[tonka]

after much buffing and polishing, even with a random orbital polisher, the results just weren't there. i brought it to a trusted body shop here in town and they said to get it repainted. it's not worth "saving" at this point because of the exposed base coat. estimate from the shop: $500. oh well, guess the car is going to stay like that for now. thanks for all the help guys. the car does look better, but you can totally see where the clearcoat is failing. the lines are still there, although the paint color did come back.