ScratchX and black paint

[Kristy]

I wanted to post and see if someone could give me some advice on using ScratchX on my hood, top and trunk areas. I have a 94 black civic and the hood has the whitish colored areas. Im guessing this is oxidation. I only have it in certain spots and not all over. The hood and the top are the worst and the trunk is not so bad. I have the 3 step wax but it really didnt do anything to help the white/chalky colored areas. I just got some scratchx and have been working till I think my arms are gonna fall off . The areas I use it on look better .... but then its almost like it soaks in and then looks about the same as it did. Why is this happening?

I have been reading about CC failure ... what is that, and how do I tell If I have that. I have had my car now since 94, probably only gonna keep it about another 6-8 months ... but I wanted to try and get the paint to look the best I could. I dont have any special tools ... (the nifty polisher you all talk about) ..


If someone could give me some tips or ideas .. Id greatly appreciate it.

Thanks,

Kristy

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Kristy,

Clear coat failure is simply the clear layer of paint deteriorating to the point that it cannot be saved. It often times looks whitish, (on darker colored cars), and will have a texture to it. It also usually takes place on the horizontal or flat surfaces.

No amount of polishing can undo the damage. I'll try to find a picture of it and post it. Can you take a digital picture of these areas on your car?

[Mike Phillips]

Here's some pictures of clear coat failure,

[Kristy]

Ill try and take some pictures ... I will post them soon as I can.

Mine doesnt look at all that bad. So maybe there is some hope.

I just need more arms ...


Kristy

[Kristy]

Here are some pictures ...

These are the best I could get. Hope it shows up ok.

the first picture on the top, the first spot near the windshield .. I have worked on that spot about 6/7 times. It looks better than the far spot on the top.

Here are pictures of the top







Here are pictures of the hood






I hope there is some hope. Im not looking for a miracle .. just a little more black color.

Thanks.

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Kristy,

thank your for getting the pictures and then getting them uploaded, comparatively speaking, that was fast.


Two things,

1), You never know what you can do until you try.

2) Try a small area with ScratchX, or a cleaner/wax like ColorX and see if you an improve a small area. If you can, wait for a few days and see if the improvement hold on.

If you can't fix a small area, you cannot fix the entire problem. If you can improve the affected areas, but it doesn't last, then save your time, energy and products.

To me it looks like clear coat failure on its way to the pictures I posted, but not quite there yet.

Follow the instruction outlined in the below link. Even though your not trying to remove scratches, the principals are the same.

How to remove a defect by hand with ScratchX

[Kristy]

thanks for the reply. I was going to wait untill tonight to post them. But I figured whatever ... took them, resized and posted.

Not quite the reply I wanted to hear, but its better I know the truth and not kill myself trying.

I did the hood .. it feels sooo smooth. But not much difference. I will concentrate on a few places on the top. I did that one spot a few times. Ill see if it stays like that for long.

But like I said when I would do larger spots on the top, it would look a lot better. Kind of like an oil that had replenished leather, and then it would soak in and look the same.

Ill let ya know. I dont wanna waste too much more time on it. Just try to make it look as shiny as possible. Guess I shoulda kept better care of it. Lesson learned ...

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by Kristy

Ill let ya know. I dont wanna waste too much more time on it. Just try to make it look as shiny as possible. Guess I shoulda kept better care of it. Lesson learned ...

Clear coat finishes are incredibly durable with just a little maintenance, but with no maintenance at all they will fail over time, sooner in more extreme climate regions.

We see a lot of cars with clear coat failure out here in the Mohave Desert.

[Kristy]

well, i did maintain it ... but for the past 8 years =/- I havent done as good of a job.

But either way. Georgia sun is killer.

Thanks for the help. Ill let ya know if I make any difference in the paint in the next few days.

Im thinkin about a silver car ... for my next car.

[LiquidBlack]

This might help:

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=88

Its the Bronco II extreme makeover.