Help! Bad clear coat problem

[EssieK]

Re: Help! Bad clear coat problem

Unless your Silverado has very very soft paint you'll be able to remove those holograms in no-time - maybe a wee bit longer if you go by hand. Holograms are rather easy to remove as they are in fact very shallow swirls in the paint - probably left from the dealer giving it a "shine" before you picked it up. I've done a fair few cars where dealers have left tell-tale signs of complete and utter incompetence (both new and 2nd hand cars).

As previously mentioned that automated car wash is definately not the culprit here - it just stripped the car of wax/sealer/fillers and showed you the true state of the paint.

Upon fixing the problem yourself (don't bother handing in the car to the dealer again) make sure you check the paint for additional holograms - preferably in full sun from different angles, or by using a SunGun (or any very powerfull flashlight with at least 250 lumens).

[greg0303]

Re: Help! Bad clear coat problem

Almost every car has swirls problems. Especially dark colored vehicles show them off in sunlight. I would try to remove your imperfection with SwirlX first. Orbital buffer may not be aggressive enough in your case so you may need to step up to DA polisher. If unsuccessful the next step would be Ultimate Compound. After paint surface is restored apply a coat of NXT Tech Wax 2.0 for protection.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Help! Bad clear coat problem

I would not jump to wet sanding right off the bat. You could get some swirl-x and do a test spot. I have had great success using this product. If that is not improving your paint you can step up to the Ultimate compound. Getting a G110 would also help. But you can achieve great results by hand.

Some pics would be helpful in guiding you the right way.

[Mudwalker]

Re: Help! Bad clear coat problem

I really appreciate the reply. I've just been nervous about attempting to fix this myself. I just don't want to make things worse. I tried a while back to polish out the paint, but I didn't know about clay barring first, and I did scratch the clear coat a bit. I'd be willing to bet some of that would have to be wet sanded, but if I can make it like 50% better I would be happy.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Help! Bad clear coat problem

First off, welcome to MOL!!

Now, as crazy as this might sound, the holograms you're seeing may have been there all along. If you've been waxing regularly it could very well be that you've been doing a good job of concealing them and the car wash you went through used a strong enough detergent wash that it stripped everything off the paint.

You mentioned the dealership buffing the truck to remove swirls but they all came back in a couple of weeks. Again, it's quite possible that part of their "buffing" process included heavy use of a glaze to fill and conceal these minor defects. A glaze like that will wash away after a few washes and reveal the swirls and holograms that were there all along.

Add to this the fact that in the three years you've owned this truck you've slowly been adding more swirls - it's just a fact of life unless you are extremely particular about how you wash and dry your vehicle. Even then, with soft or delicate paint, it's almost impossible to avoid them entirely. It also sounds like they've never really been given a fair shot at removal, which is where something like a good D/A buffer and some Ultimate Compound comes into play. A simple orbital buffer like those $30 things you can pick up at the auto parts store just don't have the power to correct these defects.

Read through our 5 Step Paint Care Cycle for some specific information on how to properly address these issues and bring your finish back to where you want it.

[Mudwalker]

I have a 2006 Chevy Silverado that I purchased new. I noticed about a week after I bought it that it had some light swirls in the clear coat. The dealer buffed it, but the swirls came back about two weeks later. Then I started noticing after washing it that hard water was staining rather easily and I started wondering if there was something wrong with the clear coat.

About two years ago I went through an automated car wash and that left the worst hologram in the clear that I've ever seen. It's on the driver's side door, about 10"x8" and in somewhat of a rectangular shape. When the sun hits this spot it looks like there is literally a hologram in the clear coat. The whole truck got swirled up really bad just from that one trip through the car wash. I should mention that it is a dark blue truck, and I'm wondering of this really bad spot on the door can even be buffed out. Do I need SwirlX along with an orbital buffer? How could this one pass through the car wash do this much damage? Is it possible that the clear coat was not properly made?

This is making me sick, even after all this time. I want to fix it, but I'm afraid I will make it worse. And if something is wrong with the clear coat, wont I always have swirl issues?