Any way to restore this paint?

[widyhs]

The car has been subject to California hard water and exposed to the UV rays daily since 99. The car is a black Honda Civic. Did a clay and Menz IP on PC. The exposed and cleaned paint shows this cuts. On touch, the car surfcae feels smooth but all the etchings look like they were scracted through the primer.



Anyone has any idea what this is and if it is correctable or needs a complete repaint job. Closer inspection to other panels shows the same deep cuts alebit hidden by oxidation and dirt.

[SpoiledMan]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but a repaint is in order.

[Al Buff]

The car has been subject to California hard water and exposed to the UV rays daily since 99. The car is a black Honda Civic. Did a clay and Menz IP on PC. The exposed and cleaned paint shows this cuts. On touch, the car surfcae feels smooth but all the etchings look like they were scracted through the primer.



Anyone has any idea what this is and if it is correctable or needs a complete repaint job. Closer inspection to other panels shows the same deep cuts alebit hidden by oxidation and dirt.

im really clueless on what causes that effect, although i have seen it on many cars. it looks like little cracks in the paint, right? i even tried wetsanding those out with no results! there is absolutely no way of getting rid of those.. trust me.



i heard from one guy that its from a bad repaint that doesnt cure correctly and thats what causes it.



and i heard from another guy that its the manufacturers fault because they let the basecoat dry too long before applying the clearcoat.. supposely, when they change shift, the spray guy would just leave when its time to clock out, leaving a unfinished job and then the other guy comes in late and sprays it too late..



i also heard that its caused by someone shattering the window and get sharp glass all over the hood.



i really dont know the real reason tho but i would like to find out.

[Civicman86]

I was told it is clear coat failure (often called crows feet) and cannot be repaired without repainting/clearing. I have it on the hood of my accord so I feel your pain :bawling: .



EDIT: Found this thread that shows the same thing. http://autopia.org/forum/car-detailing/92427-clear-coat-failure.html



I have a good link at home Ill post when I get home. It tells somewhat of what causes this problem.

[lusid]

I dont know but that looks gross :X



the texture looks :X

[imported_MCA]

Unfortunately a repaint is in order due to clear coat failure...sorry to see that

[My5ABaby]

If it`s clear coat failure you may have that under warranty. I think my paint warranty for things like that is 8+ years.

[txz28]

It is also very common on Chrysler vehicles. I have had at least a couple in my family that have had the problem. You can either live with it or have it repainted.

[the other pc]

Whether you call it cracking, checking, crazing, splitting, alligatoring or crowsfeet the bottom line is the same. It’s all the way through that paint layer so there’s nothing that can be done to repair it. It’s re-spray time.



You can’t just spray over it either. You need to sand it down completely smooth before laying new paint over it.






...i heard from one guy that its from a bad repaint that doesnt cure correctly and thats what causes it. ....




... i heard from another guy that its the manufacturers fault because they let the basecoat dry too long before applying the clearcoat.. supposely, when they change shift, the spray guy would just leave when its time to clock out, leaving a unfinished job and then the other guy comes in late and sprays it too late...A number of different faults in the application process can cause it. It can also be caused simply by age and environmental exposure.



It occurs when the film loses elasticity and/or shrinks causing internal stresses that exceed the material’s yield strength.



I don’t buy the shift change story, not on new cars anyway. They’re painted by robots on continuous flow production lines.






...i also heard that its caused by someone shattering the window and get sharp glass all over the hood....OK, that’s not one of the causes.





PC.

[Envious Eric]

yep re paint needed...no other way around it!



I did a honda civic the other day and the hood was in this condition. The car had never been detailed in 8 years...so when TOPC says age and environmental exposure, he is dead on!!!

[widyhs]

Thanks for the feed and bad news. I have expected nothing sort of repaint will bring it back. The car belongs to a friend who have asked me for a thorough detail. He was cool about it but I honestly dont understand how someone could fail to care for their car to let this happen. I did tell him that a repaint will be the only way. Still don`t understand how the paint cracks through the clear though.

[widyhs]

Could it be that the fact it was a black color car with constant exposure to sun in the afternoon, hard water sprinklers and cold nights have led to its failure?

[.VorteX.]

Don`t know if there is only one reason for it to happen or one thing you can blame it on. So many things come into play.

Anyway... Repaint is in order.

[the other pc]

High levels of sun exposure and recurring extreme temperature changes tend to accelerate the effect.



It usually hits horizontal panels first. You’ll often find the hood is hit hardest and earliest.





PC.

[jimmybuffit]

Very common on 6-10 year old Hondas (and Wranglers). So common that I expect to see it.



Darker cars seem to be more prone to this defect. IMHO, it is a combination of constant UV exposure and absorption, inferior paint application, and poor under hood insulation.



Still, needs to be stripped and resprayed.



JB