Newbie Q: can only part of a car have clearcoat?

jeff91c2t · 01-15-02, 01:39

This is my first post to this board so forgive my ignorance. I've been reading for a while trying to learn a little before diving in. I hope I can get out my question with the right amount of detail. But first I must say I'm amazed at the amount of knowledge and skill it takes to properly care/detail a car. I had no idea!

So here it goes....I recently bought a 91 Porsche. Color is guards red. In the light of day the paint looks great but under fluorescent lights there are fine scratches all over the surface. Looks down right scary. My guess is from many poor washings. I also had several deep scratches that required wet sanding to remove (2000 grit) and then polishing with an orbital buffer. We were able to successfully remove the scratches but something strange happened. I would have expected the car to have a clear coat all over but it turns out that some areas do not (paint can be removed with a cleaner wax). There are no signs of a repaint.

So my guess is either the car has been repainted in some areas or the previous owner buffed through the clear coat. Any ideas which??? Is it possible to go through the clear coat and still have the paint look good?

Also, now that I realize that some of the car has a clear coat, and some areas don't, what would be the proper steps to remove the fine scratches?

DETAILKING · 01-15-02, 01:52

I have to be honest with you. After reading your writeup, I pictured and expected your porche to really look bad. I was blown away with that pic. It looks AWESOME!

Anyhow, it does sound like the clear coat was broken through in some spots. It doesn't surprise me, as most products do contain abrasives and back 10 years ago, they were quite harsh. This should give everyone an indication of what can happen over time with abrasives...

Anyway, your car looks great. I would think that if the clear was broken through, you would be able to see it the spots. I had some spots on my camaro where the clear was chipping off, and you could see a difference in color of the car because the clear coat is not 100% clear.

It really is tough without seeing the car, I would look around for some hi-end custom paint shops and get a second opinion. If anything, you could wet sand your entire car and get all those scratches and swirls out, and then have it recleared.............

jeff91c2t · 01-15-02, 02:19

Thanks for the compliment! I was somewhat surprised when I saw paint comming off in some areas and clear in others (while wet sanding). I would think you could see the difference from one to the other. But we just couldn't tell. And there are definetly no signs of a repaint (to my untrained eye and a semi-trained eye)

I think through out the life of the car it's been "detailed" quite a few times, and not by the owners. I don't think the PO ever lifted a finger himself but had plenty of cash to have others work on it. I've never paid much attention to "the look" of a car other then if it's clean (until I found this board). Usually I just like to drive it hard and put it away wet. But now I'm hooked on doing the right thing....thanks for the tips.

Short Cut · 01-16-02, 10:24

Hi Jeff welcome to the forum! Sweet ride dude that sure is a pretty Porsche. I have a '94 Porsche 911 and the whole car is clear coated. Although I have to say that the doors look like they weren't painted at same time as the car. I'm pretty sure that it is factory paint but it has more orange peel than the rest of the car.

My neighbor has an '83 944 Porsche and it does not have a clear coat. I have used SMR with my PC on both cars and the product combined with the PC application worked extremely well.

Is the non-clear coated paint on just one panel or section? Typically when clear coat fails or is rubbed through you will see the edges around the breach begin deteriorate as well.

Redcar GUY · 01-16-02, 11:39

Nice red car

jeff91c2t · 01-16-02, 11:58

Thanks Shortcut. I like your 3.6...very nice! I tried for the 3.6 look by going with Kenisis Supercup rims. Just couldn't afford that extra .3 liters ;-)

It must be the entire panel because there are no places where you can see a breach. I did notice that the paint was very soft when wet sanding. It seemed to come off way too easy. This was all on the left hand rear fender flare. On the rh fender flare, just the clearcoat was being removed during sanding.

I also have a little orange peal but you really have to get close and at the right angle to see it. My plans are to tape everything off and do a full detail (inside and out). This is just what I need....more ways to kill time with the car. Usually being underneath keeps me busy enough. Now it's top and bottom....I'm doomed!