Is this beyond fixing? I don't even know what I'm looking at...

[XterraJohn]

I bought this Nissan Maxima used from Carmax. When it was brand new, I noticed that a couple areas looked a little chalky, but overall, the paint appeared fine. However, after a year or two, it started looking like different parts of the car were fading at a different rate than others, with a distinct line separating the two. I've tried using some OTC polishing compound with a Craftsman D/A buffer, but, didn't see any real improvement as the paint appears to be clear-coated and the fading appears to be in the base color itself.



Is there anything I can do to minimize or at least blend the two shades together so that the fading isn't quite so obvious?

Full-size pics available at the following URL:



Index of /images/maxima

 

[XterraJohn]

After looking at the top area of the bumper below the headlight housing, it definitely appears to have been painted at some point since the car left the factory.



Does anyone think that polishing the clearcoat would at least mask the problem, or would that just make it more obvious?

 

[David Fermani]

I'd really like to see it in person, but it looks like burned in overspray that occured when the shop painted the trunk. It's hard to believe a shop would have burned in such a distinct cut off point like that. I know you tried compound, but try spot sanding to see if you can cut through it.

 

[Flashtime]

It looks like a very poor spot repair/refinish job. Odds are, it was done

by a mobile repair guy and not a shop. It's common practice for dealers

having minor repairs done on the lot. Someone got too "creative."



Have it looked at by a shop you trust or as many as you can. The only

real fix is to have the panels (adjacent panels too) refinished. It's costly.