Went through the clear coat!

[93PONY]

I`ve been taking care of some paint blemishes, chips & scratches.

Had no problems on half of the car, but on one section the clear coat seems to be pretty thin. I was using Meguiars #2 & a random orbit buffer/polisher & actually went through the clear coat to fresh paint. It looks awefull. The more I polish the bigger it gets (of course). I think I`m going to have a similar problem on another section that feels pretty thin.

So, how do I fix this?

Do I need to clear coat the affected area? If so, what brand & where can I get the stuff?



Thanks,

-Shaun

[BradE]

If you went through the clear then it`s repaint time. Blending will not work properly and you will see the blend line in less than a year. Repaint is the only option...sorry.

[Preachers Sheets]

Just so I know what to look for with the physical paint....... How did you know your clearcoat was thin?



I would like to check my paint.

[laynlow]

Paint thickness gauges are avaliable from a variety of sources, and in a whole range of prices. Check with a local autobody paint supplier.

[Andre']

Don`t use a magnetic gauge they don`t work. an electronic gauge such as an ETG-1 or ETG-2 is the only way to go, they go for $500.

[BradE]

You took the words right out of my mouth Andre`. The magnetic gauges are not accurate enough to get a true reading of the film build. They give very inconsistant readings. As Andre` said electronic is the way to go.:xyxthumbs

[imported_Intermezzo]

Showroom and Andre`, always gotta strut your stuff!

[DETAILKING]

See what they can do over time? A clear coat, on average, is maybe a BIT thicker than the thickness of an index card......not thick at all!

[imported_StyleTEG]

Sorry to hear that

Thats the kinda thing I have nightmares about.



I think dlw bought a prelude that had peeling clearcoat. He sanded and repainted the car and it came out looking great. Maybe he will post here and share some of his secrets

[Brad B]

It`s not a do-it yourself fix. Take it to a pro who can match the factory clear and recoat the panel or do a blend. That`s the best route to take. Small fixes like this, especially if it`s just the clear is not that expensive.

[BradE]

Brad,



I have heard from several very good body guys that blending is not the way to go. The blend will look good for a short period of time but then you will be able to tell it has been blended after a couple months and the resprayed area will fail often within a year. For it to be done right the whole panel needs to be repainted.

[Detailing NY]

It depends on where the clear is coming off if it should be blended or not. .

You might be able to do a spot paint, just paint the area that is damaged and then clear the full panel.

The way the vehicle will be repaired really depends on where the damage is peeling and if it is close to an adjacent panel, if so you might need to blend into the other panel for a color match.

One thing to remember blending is only fooling the human eye, trying to get the best possible color match on the vehicle.

[BradE]

Here is some old posts from Ron K. He has 30+ years expierence in the industry.

<strong class=`bbc`>"Sorry dude, bodyshop time. That is the only answer and don`t, repeat, don`t even listen to "blending" in the area.

With the high solid clears, a blend of the area will show up in a year or less.

There are shops that will tell you they can blend in on a high solid clear.

Yes, it can be done, but you will see in a short time, at most in most cases a year, exactly where the blend line is.

I must have looked at 20 vehicles during my last trip where I was asked to diagnois what the problem was on vehicles.

In all the cases, the concern was the result of a shop attempting to blend on OEM high solid clears." [/b]

[nerdhunters]

Trying to touch up clear coat will result in a halo around the touched up area. When the sun hits it you will see a halo around the area. I think the entire panel needs to be reclear coated.

[93PONY]

Well, that sucks.

I`ll post a pic in the morning. It`s on the hatchback corner.



So, is there anything I can do to minimize further damage? The rest of the paint is in really good shape & I HATE the body shops in my area. Taking it to one will most likly lead to other issues. Been that route before & don`t like it one bit!



Perhaps a sealant of some sort, or many layers of wax?

Or....could I mix some clear with touchup paint, thin it & use an airbrush to paint the area, then blend the paint?