Sun Damage on Car

[Midnight]

Hi there, I am not very Car savvy, but I'm not going to be tricked out of thousands of dollars.

I have a Ford Telstar '89, it's Silver, and has minor sun damage on the bonnet, roof and the boot lid. I believe the technical term is 'dead clear coat'.

I spoke to a few people who are minorly car savvy and have looked at my car, I've been told it's just the clear coat that is damaged, and the paint is still well in tact.

I've gone to see 2 car painters for a quote, but they are trying to convince me for an entire repaint. They want to take it all off, fix any dints, repaint, primer, clearcoat etc, and charge me $1500.

Now, a full paint job would be nice, but I've seen examples of where just the clearcoat has been taken off and redone, and it's just what I want. I'm only 17, and this car isn't going to be my car forever, I just want it look decent.

I do know there are painters out there who would gladly do this small task, but when it comes to 'professionals' I guess I lack confidence. Does anyone here know the best way to handle this situation, find a painter, and just tell him what I want without being pressured into anything else. I don't know about the rest of the world, but in Aus, Tradees (mechanics, plumbers, painters, builders), they all have a rep for taking people for everything they're worth.

[paul.segovich]

Re: Sun Damage on Car

Most people refer to that as 'clear coat failure'. There's a whole thread of pictures somewhere around here that I'll try to find for you. But here is a quick thread about this problem, and what you can do to fix it (nothing).
Clicky

[Midnight]

Re: Sun Damage on Car

Hmmmm...I'm guessing I must not have clear coat failure then, since whatever I have, my friend had, and managed to repair. Is there anything similar?

[Paul S]

Re: Sun Damage on Car

First of all welcome to the forum. As far as the finish on your car, the body shops are pretty spot on with what they are telling you. The amount of prep it would take to sand down and remove the clear only would be close to the same amount of labor if not more then it would take to re-paint the car. Never have seen just the clear removed and redone by itself. Not saying it couldn't be done but can't see it where it would be pratical. Other members might have a different opinion.

[Paul S]

Re: Sun Damage on Car

Hmmmm...I'm guessing I must not have clear coat failure then, since whatever I have, my friend had, and managed to repair. Is there anything similar?

Pictures would help in seeing what the problem is that your looking at.

[ClearlyCoated]

Re: Sun Damage on Car

The Clearcoat Failure Photo Archive

Just to note... Clear Coat Failure is not a problem --> on <-- the paint, as in on the surface, but it is a deterioration or breakdown of the paint itself. By this we mean the damage is --> in <-- the paint, as in... throughout the matrix of the layer of paint.

This is why you can't apply a topical paint cleaner to clear coat failure and fix the problem.

Does that make sense?

The only honest repair for clearcoat failure is to repaint the affected area or the entire car. Mike Phillips

[paul.segovich]

Re: Sun Damage on Car

^there it is.
Thank you.

[Midnight]

Re: Sun Damage on Car

Will touching up the damage suffice as a non-permanent, purely aesthetic choice for a few months?

[paul.segovich]

Re: Sun Damage on Car

What do you mean, touching up? What process were you thinking?

[Midnight]

Re: Sun Damage on Car

Well, my father and his friend were talking about it, and I wasn't following properly, but it was something about smoothing it down, clear coat for a base, painting over it, and add another clear coat then waxing and buffing.

[Mary S]

Re: Sun Damage on Car

One thing that might be worth trying is to put a pure polish on it like Mirror Glaze 07. I remember another poster who had clear coat damage, and although this did not fix the problem it made it look better.

Whether you could wet sand the clear coat down and re-clear it, or whether you would have to entirely repaint it would depend on whether the problem went all the way through the clear coat or not. If you had to remove all of the clear coat, I am not sure you could do this and leave the base coat intact. The clear coat is much thicker than the base coat, and you might not be able to retain the base coat in an even layer.

[Selectchoice]

Re: Sun Damage on Car

Might sound like a stupid question, but are you sure your paint is in fact clear coated? Not all of the colours in this model year are. I am not sure about the silver you have...

Another point is that at $1500 as quoted, the price is approching or exceeding the value of your entire car. Regardess of whether or not they are charging a reasonable price for the work, it's not an expense I'd recommend as you'd never recoup the $$.

If it is clear coated, one thing I have tried with good success, and as mentioned in one of the posts above, is to polish the spot by hand with M07 Showcar Glaze. It may cover the spot and "blend it in" (for want of a better phrase) somewhat due to the rich polishing oils, making it less visible to your eye. Don't wax over it as the wax will pull some of the polishes "hiding abilities" away. It will wash off over time, but if it's just a small spot then applying it after a car wash is a small drawback. And for a few dollars for the polish, it can't hurt to try. It may be your answer in the short term.

Hope this helps!

[Midnight]

Re: Sun Damage on Car

Might sound like a stupid question, but are you sure your paint is in fact clear coated? Not all of the colours in this model year are. I am not sure about the silver you have...

Another point is that at $1500 as quoted, the price is approching or exceeding the value of your entire car. Regardess of whether or not they are charging a reasonable price for the work, it's not an expense I'd recommend as you'd never recoup the $$.

If it is clear coated, one thing I have tried with good success, and as mentioned in one of the posts above, is to polish the spot by hand with M07 Showcar Glaze. It may cover the spot and "blend it in" (for want of a better phrase) somewhat due to the rich polishing oils, making it less visible to your eye. Don't wax over it as the wax will pull some of the polishes "hiding abilities" away. It will wash off over time, but if it's just a small spot then applying it after a car wash is a small drawback. And for a few dollars for the polish, it can't hurt to try. It may be your answer in the short term.

Hope this helps!

Exactly, because I paid $1200 for the car, and it's 21 years old. And, yes, the car is clear coated.

When you mention not all the colours being clear coated, does this mean you have a source that says what the types of paints are? Because if you do, I'd really like it because I wanted to buy a little bottle of touch-up paint for minor scratches, but I don't know what specific colour my car is. I would say it's a kind of bluey-silver.

[agp56]

Re: Sun Damage on Car

Usually there are two or three places on a vehicle that are an ID tag with information about the vehicle that are combinations of two or three letters & numbers. Common places for these ID tags are: trunk lid, drivers door jamb, upper part of the firewall, radiator bulkhead. You would find the color code on that ID plate and it would give you the information you need to get the correct color for your touch up paint.

[Selectchoice]

Re: Sun Damage on Car

As agp56 said, you will find a build id tag, more than likely under your bonnet, against the firewall (back part of your engine bay-riveted just below your windscreen). There is a paint and trim code on it.

If it doesnt specifically say "paint" which it may not, you can always call your local Ford dealer and they can decipher the id code, or a local auto store should have the colour codes on file. If either of those don't carry the paint, they can point you in the right direction locally.

Good luck!