Clear coat is failing! Options and Advice?

[farscott]

I can't fathom how the automakers haven't figured it out yet. Remember the Dodge clearcoat peeling off of everything in about a year some years back? Waterborne paints.

I can't tell you how many gallons of waterborne epoxy primers and topcoats from about 8 different manufacturers I've sprayed on aircraft parts and they don't do that shit. Deft, Azko Nobel, PPG, Du Pont, Sherwin Williams....they all figured it out in the '80s.

In defense of the OEMs, the issue is the paint providers (Sherwin Williams, Du Pont, et al) are heavily constrained by two issues, allotted time for the painting process and the environmental issues with RoHS, REACH, etc. The plants have to run so many units per hour to meet production targets and the water-based paints are a PITA. It is not like aircraft where 1,000 units per year is massively high volume. OEM paint shops are running more than one vehicle per paint step per minute with a different color for every vehicle in the sequence. White can be painted right after black.

To add insult to injury, the water-based paints were sold to the OEMs as not needing the undercoat (cost save) that was used. It was done as the upgrades to the paint shops to support the environmentally better paint was totaling billions of US dollars per OEM. That ended up being wrong and the undercoating was later added back to the process. I was at Ford's Atlanta Assembly Plant when the paint shop was expanded to support the next generation of paint. That was not the smoothest upgrade.

That being said, if you get fifteen years out of a paint job and the underlying metal is not rusted or corroded, the paint did its primary job of protecting the metal.

[mmc45414]

2) Have you thought about doing it yourself?

I will add that I have done a couple of our motorcycles and while that is more forgiving (if you goof you just have one part to redo) if you are inclined at all you could probably pull it off. Being a skilled painter means being able to match up collision damage with weathered paint, if you paint the whole thing it will all be the same color. One of the reasons I took on the project is I had a couple of motorcycles that were worth less than a paint job would cost, I figured how bad could I screw it up?

[JRB]

A wrap will need prep work on failing clearcoat like that. The paint surface must be 100% smooth for a wrap to take. Also, doing a wrap isn't as cheap/easy/enduring as many folks think it will be. Given the situation, I don't think a wrap is a good solution.

Is the clear coat damage limited to the hood, or is it the roof/sides/etc of the truck too?

[mmc45414]

A wrap will need prep work on failing clearcoat like that. The paint surface must be 100% smooth for a wrap to take. Also, doing a wrap isn't as cheap/easy/enduring as many folks think it will be. Given the situation, I don't think a wrap is a good solution.

The only car I ever wrapped was the one in the car wrap class that I took as part of the decision making process of deciding I didn't want to do that because it is a PITA. And yes, that material is so conformal it would show all of the flakey stuff through it.

I think this is a perfect application for bedliner, but that is a highly personal choice...

[Spartan1980]

In defense of the OEMs, the issue is the paint providers (Sherwin Williams, Du Pont, et al) are heavily constrained by two issues, allotted time for the painting process and the environmental issues with RoHS, REACH, etc. The plants have to run so many units per hour to meet production targets and the water-based paints are a PITA. It is not like aircraft where 1,000 units per year is massively high volume. OEM paint shops are running more than one vehicle per paint step per minute with a different color for every vehicle in the sequence. White can be painted right after black.

To add insult to injury, the water-based paints were sold to the OEMs as not needing the undercoat (cost save) that was used. It was done as the upgrades to the paint shops to support the environmentally better paint was totaling billions of US dollars per OEM. That ended up being wrong and the undercoating was later added back to the process. I was at Ford's Atlanta Assembly Plant when the paint shop was expanded to support the next generation of paint. That was not the smoothest upgrade.

That being said, if you get fifteen years out of a paint job and the underlying metal is not rusted or corroded, the paint did its primary job of protecting the metal.

The production rate/longistics is a valid point and one I didn’t consider.

Definitely agree on the longevity statement.


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[Suvorov]

A wrap will need prep work on failing clearcoat like that. The paint surface must be 100% smooth for a wrap to take. Also, doing a wrap isn't as cheap/easy/enduring as many folks think it will be. Given the situation, I don't think a wrap is a good solution.

Is the clear coat damage limited to the hood, or is it the roof/sides/etc of the truck too?

I don't think the wrap is what I'm looking for. The hood has most of the damage but there is spotting on the roof and doors - it is only on the pax side oddly enough, the drivers side paint is still perfect (I suppose the way I parked left it more exposed to the sun on one side).

At this point a $4K paint job is not going to happen financially until the rhona has run it's course and we know if we have delayed civil war by another 4 years - my job is just too dependent on the health of the economy and what good is a nice new paint job when I'm using my 4Runner as a Technical on the streets of San Fransicko? Maybe next year.

I think my best option is to either learn to live with it or do the best wet sanding job I can, buy some dupli-color rattle cans, a Harbor Freight buffer, and do the best I can. It will most likely look better than it does and when I finally spend the $$$ for a real paint job it will all be covered up anyway.

[Spartan1980]

I will add that I have done a couple of our motorcycles and while that is more forgiving (if you goof you just have one part to redo) if you are inclined at all you could probably pull it off. Being a skilled painter means being able to match up collision damage with weathered paint, if you paint the whole thing it will all be the same color. One of the reasons I took on the project is I had a couple of motorcycles that were worth less than a paint job would cost, I figured how bad could I screw it up?

Speaking of motorcycles. One I did back when I was working in California. The Indian Chief in the foreground. The pic doesn't do it justice. It's a scan of a 35mm print. The pic itself isn't great either. This was basecoat/clearcoat wet sanded and rubbed out like old school lacquer. It was like glass and looked ten miles deep.

[JAD]

@Skyline

If it were my vehicle and I intended to drive the wheels off it I would get it professionally repainted. If it was going to cost a few bills, I would a) not mind renting a car to get by for a few weeks so that lead time wasn't a constraint, and b) be willing to drive the car quite a ways to find someone with strong recommendations.

Plus, you get to leave california for a while, which is nice.

[UNK]

I’ve been through that, but on a three year old Chevy. I’ve still not forgiven GM.

A buddy bought a used fairly new Chevy 1/2 ton. The cab corners rusted out and he took it to a body shop to get that fixed. When they pulled the bed they discovered the frame had rusted through. I also saw in my area a lot of too new to be rusting chevy trucks rusting through the bed. Mostly around the wheel wells but also in kick panels on the cab.
He traded it on a newer aluminum Ford and has close to a 100000 on it now with no problems.

[UNK]

I don't think the wrap is what I'm looking for. The hood has most of the damage but there is spotting on the roof and doors - it is only on the pax side oddly enough, the drivers side paint is still perfect (I suppose the way I parked left it more exposed to the sun on one side).

At this point a $4K paint job is not going to happen financially until the rhona has run it's course and we know if we have delayed civil war by another 4 years - my job is just too dependent on the health of the economy and what good is a nice new paint job when I'm using my 4Runner as a Technical on the streets of San Fransicko? Maybe next year.

I think my best option is to either learn to live with it or do the best wet sanding job I can, buy some dupli-color rattle cans, a Harbor Freight buffer, and do the best I can. It will most likely look better than it does and when I finally spend the $$$ for a real paint job it will all be covered up anyway.

If you go to a paint shop they can color match what youve got now, ie fading, and put it in aerosol cans.