Help w/ Clear Coat Failure on roof

[lovemytoyota]

Dear Forum Members

I am not a car guy and would appreciate any help from the experts or car enthusiasts. I have a 2004 silver Toyota Corolla. After searching this forum, it appears I have Clear Coat Failure on the roof the car. See the pictures from the link below. The damage is on both the drivers side and passenger side of the roof.

https://plus.google.com/photos/111392478584769192245/albums/5972187475973453073?authkey=CJemq5OFzKbu4wE

I submitted these pictures to a mobile detailing guy, he stated the clear coat was peeling and rusting and referred me to a paint guy. The car paint guy quoted the follow repairs:

Pro repair and refinish roof $275
Ext detail $125

Questions:
1. Is this definitely CCF?
2. If it is CCF, is it worth it to get it fixed? The car only has 72,000 miles on it and I drive less than 2,000 miles a year. Hope to have the car for another 10 plus years.
3. Are the repairs within reason? Does the roof need to be detailed after being painted? Doesn't have to be great, just look presentable and prevent further problems.
4. I park outside. What is the best preventative maintenance practice for this type of damage going forward?

Thanks

[DogParkGuy]

Re: Help w/ Clear Coat Failure on roof

It looks like clear coat failure to me. The only fix is repaint. The price quoted seems very low and doesn't involve painting. CCF is caused by improper painting at time of manufacture or by damage later not repaired correctly. Best preventive maintenance is to wash the car regularly and use a good wax.

[lovemytoyota]

Re: Help w/ Clear Coat Failure on roof

The price quoted seems very low and doesn't involve painting.

If the quoted repair doesn't involve painting, what does it involve? The detailing specialist referred me to the other guy who does painting. What type of repair services and procedures go into fixing CCF besides a repaint (i.e. sanding, striping, buffing...)? I am not really sure how to ask follow up questions.

[Joe Dragon]

Re: Help w/ Clear Coat Failure on roof

If you want to keep the car for 10+ years, you have to get it repaired & repainted. Otherwise it will progress to rust sooner rather than later. Detailing is unnecessary after painting if you want to save the $$$ & do it yourself.

[C8N]

Re: Help w/ Clear Coat Failure on roof

Does look like clear coat failure.
I guess you can spray down cc on it but color match is going to be a problem and it will not resolve your rust issue.

Price does sound low and especially if there is rusting going on. Rust on a car is like cancer and it will spread.
If you are planning to keep the car for 10 more years, I suggest you get this done the right way which will involve sanding it down to the metal and a respray of base and clear.
I can't imagine that to cost anything less than $500.

[lovemytoyota]

Re: Help w/ Clear Coat Failure on roof

I suggest you get this done the right way which will involve sanding it down to the metal and a respray of base and clear.
I can't imagine that to cost anything less than $500.

I would only need to sand down and repaint the roof, correct? Or does the entire car need to be repainted?

[Daniel Kinder]

Re: Help w/ Clear Coat Failure on roof

to MOL love!

Like the others have said that's about all you can do is a repaint to CCF, besides just trying to prolong the oxidation process of the base coat itself and just keep filling in the pores to keep from oxidizing further and any acid rain and such into the pores speeding up the already gone paint.

Now on another note I have a 96 xj jeep cherokee with clear coat failure( CCF)and the horizontal surfaces are pretty nasty and almost 80% over my hood alone. What I'm going to TRY!!! and do this summer and will post up my findings good or bad, the outcome with plenty of pics.

The first thing I'm going to do is lightly sand (just to knock off and smooth the edges of the clear from being rough) with 3000 grit or 2500 grit (the least aggressive I can get by with) and then use Ultimate Compound with a orange cutting pad and just make about 4 cover passes and remove product and then make sure I have a completly full bottle of M07 show car glaze and with my hands (using a foam applicator) and just apply the M07 on the applicator (not worrying about how much product I'm applying because I will be trying to push the pure polishing oils into the pores of the base coat and hopefully bring some shine to it. I will be applying very heavyly over entire surface and let set over night to let the oils soak into the pores of the base coat (like you would be doing if your working on a older single stage paint that has been neclected for many years and trying to bring the paint back to live using the least aggressive product and technique because of the delicate older pigmatation paint that is and will be very oxidized) and then the next day skin the surface removing any left over M07. And maybe try another application of M07, thin skin it off and apply a application of M16 and then layer it with M26 and see the improvement if any but it can't hurt anything to try.

[C8N]

Re: Help w/ Clear Coat Failure on roof

I would only need to sand down and repaint the roof, correct? Or does the entire car need to be repainted?

Well... I would guess that it won't be long before your hood and trunk will start to fail as well since I imagine the rest of your horizontal panels had the same type exposure as the roof.
Again, it is just a guess and it might not be the case. This is a decision you will need to make but if I were you and plan on keeping the car for 10 more yrs, I would just get the entire car painted.

[jankerson]

Re: Help w/ Clear Coat Failure on roof

to MOL love!

Like the others have said that's about all you can do is a repaint to CCF, besides just trying to prolong the oxidation process of the base coat itself and just keep filling in the pores to keep from oxidizing further and any acid rain and such into the pores speeding up the already gone paint.

Now on another note I have a 96 xj jeep cherokee with clear coat failure( CCF)and the horizontal surfaces are pretty nasty and almost 80% over my hood alone. What I'm going to TRY!!! and do this summer and will post up my findings good or bad, the outcome with plenty of pics.

The first thing I'm going to do is lightly sand (just to knock off and smooth the edges of the clear from being rough) with 3000 grit or 2500 grit (the least aggressive I can get by with) and then use Ultimate Compound with a orange cutting pad and just make about 4 cover passes and remove product and then make sure I have a completly full bottle of M07 show car glaze and with my hands (using a foam applicator) and just apply the M07 on the applicator (not worrying about how much product I'm applying because I will be trying to push the pure polishing oils into the pores of the base coat and hopefully bring some shine to it. I will be applying very heavyly over entire surface and let set over night to let the oils soak into the pores of the base coat (like you would be doing if your working on a older single stage paint that has been neclected for many years and trying to bring the paint back to live using the least aggressive product and technique because of the delicate older pigmatation paint that is and will be very oxidized) and then the next day skin the surface removing any left over M07. And maybe try another application of M07, thin skin it off and apply a application of M16 and then layer it with M26 and see the improvement if any but it can't hurt anything to try.

It will work for a short time if you are going to have it repainted...

The problem is that the undercoat is very soft so it won't last very long.