White, gray, or black; these aren’t the only automotive paint colors you can choose from anymore, especially among higher-end vehicle manufacturers. Whatever color car you do choose, the protective film that covers the base coat—otherwise known as the clear coat—gives off that brilliant shine we all associate with brand-new cars.
Over time, your vehicle’s clear coat deteriorates naturally due to normal wear and tear processes. However, certain factors can accelerate that deterioration, revealing the base coat layer beneath. Below, explore how to identify, address, and prevent these common clear coat failures to ensure your car’s paint always looks as good as new.
What are the most common types of clear coat failures?
Dents, scratches, and scrapes represent common types of paint defects, but clear coat failures specifically affect only the top protective layer. You can easily identify a failing clear coat by its dull, hazy appearance, often accompanied by small bits of brittle clear coat peeling off. In the worst cases, failure of the entire clear coat layer results in oxidation.
Fading or haziness
Brand-new paint appears glossy with a smooth, unmarred finish. In contrast, a failing clear coat can make the paint appear dull or hazy. Some clear coats can even appear yellowed as they degrade over time.
Faded or hazy clear coat stems from exposure to UV rays, environmental contaminants, insufficient paint maintenance, and exposure to harsh chemicals, including hard water. If the clear coat appears yellowed and the paint is relatively new (less than five years old), it’s likely that the painter used too much accelerator or failed to clean their mixing equipment properly. For older paint, a yellowing clear coat that’s also hazy can indicate that the hardener was contaminated, there’s a lack of cross-linking, or simply that the clear coat layer is thinning.
Oxidation
Clear coat failure often begins with a hazy appearance, which can lead to oxidation and, ultimately, delamination. However, oxidation and haziness are separate phenomena when it comes to clear coat, as oxidation represents a chemical reaction, while haziness often results from surface contamination. You can clearly identify oxidation based on the dull finish and rough patch of paint, surrounded by a white border, which may also exhibit a chalky appearance.
While oxidation isn’t necessarily the full extent of clear coat failure—delamination is—it’s a clear sign that your car’s clear coat requires attention. Like the other types of clear coat failure listed here, oxidation stems from an underlying lack of paint maintenance. UV rays, bird droppings, bug guts, tree sap, and exposure to harsh chemicals all contribute to oxidation as a result of clear coat failure.
Peeling (delamination)
As the clear coat on your car ages, it can easily wear down and become thin enough to start delaminating, otherwise known as peeling. When thin and brittle enough, your car can shed its clear coat like the dead skin from a severe sunburn, leaving behind a rough patch of unprotected base coat. Because this pigmented layer doesn’t have a glossy clear coat to protect it, it can easily appear hazy or cloudy.
On older vehicles, age and a lack of paint upkeep contribute to peeling, especially when combined with extensive UV exposure. However, when the clear coat of a brand-new car starts to peel, it can often mean that the clear coat itself was applied improperly. In fact, delamination that occurs so soon after leaving the production line frequently indicates an unclean painting environment, excessive flash times, and unsuitable drying conditions.
How to fix dull or damaged clear coat
The key to fixing a damaged clear coat lies in not only restoring the glossy finish but also blending the degraded area seamlessly with the rest of the vehicle. In some cases, it’s the expertise of a professional that’s necessary. Use the methods listed below to fix your car’s clear coat based on the extent of the damage.
Clear coat touch-up pen
If you catch the damage to your car’s clear coat early enough, you can easily use a clear touch-up pen for repairs. Before applying any clear coat, clean the area with a wax and grease remover to ensure the clear coat adheres properly, and lightly sand the surface to promote further adhesion. Then, apply the clear coat to the area, going slightly beyond the affected area.
Let the clear coat dry sufficiently, then apply more if you want to ensure the surface beneath is protected. If the area you’re repairing is in a prominent spot, you can easily wet sand it down to match the surrounding area and then polish the surface for an even glossier finish.
Clear coat spray (rattle can)
When paying for an entire respray of your vehicle’s clear coat exceeds your budget, a trusty rattle can of automotive clear coat does the trick. Much of the preparation for this process mirrors that of spraying a full coat of clear over the entire vehicle, just localized to one or more areas of your car.
Start by cleaning and degreasing the panel you’ll paint, even if it’s a smaller area within the panel. Remember that you’ll need to extend the new clear coat slightly beyond the repaired area to ensure a seamless blend. Sand this same area with 1500-grit sandpaper, then with 2000-grit sandpaper.
Next, mask off the surrounding area to prevent overspray. Keeping the tip of the spray nozzle about eight to 12 inches away from the surface, apply two to three light coats of clear, overlapping the spray pattern to ensure an even application. Once the final layer of clear coat dries, polish it to blend in with the surrounding paint and seal it with a layer of wax.
Professional clear coat respray
When your entire car has a peeling clear coat or oxidation over one large area or multiple panels, it’s best to seek out a professional clear coat application that involves removing the old clear coat and respraying a new one. Extensive clear coat failure may not be a viable option for DIY projects, as it involves lengthy processes and considerable effort.
How to prevent common clear coat failures
Although clear coat failure can manifest in several different ways, there are only a handful of prevention methods you can use to keep your paint protected and looking new.
Basic paint maintenance
As tempting as it might be to run your vehicle through an automated wash, resist the urge—unless it’s touchless. If you prefer to wash your car yourself, do so in a shaded area, away from direct sunlight. Avoid using hard water, select only products formulated specifically to clean your vehicle, and dry your car immediately afterward.
When it’s not in use, park your car in the garage, shielded from the elements. If you can’t park in a fully enclosed structure, at least park your vehicle under an awning or carport.
Paint surface care
In addition to routine washes, further enhance your car’s clear coat with a wax or sealant. Apply a coat of wax every six to 12 months, or every three months if you live in a particularly sunny or hot climate. Sealants can also help boost the clear coat’s protective properties.
If you don’t have the tools, desire, or time to wax your car yourself, consider contacting a local professional detailer. Using their expertise and the products they have available, they can remove any stubborn contaminants from your paint before sealing that clear coat with a protective wax coating.
Professional solutions
Two common professional solutions exist for protecting your car’s clear coat: paint protection film and ceramic coating. Paint protection film provides a transparent yet robust barrier between your car’s clear coat and the outside world, resisting everything from bugs and bird droppings to any other types of substances or chemicals found on the road. This film, when applied in single-layer sheets directly to the painted surface, also exhibits self-healing properties that deter lasting scratches, dings, and dents.
Ceramic coating performs a similar function, but without the physical film. Instead, a protective chemical layer bulks up the clear coat to further resist some of the same environmental hazards mentioned in the paragraph above. Depending on the ceramic coating product you choose and how it’s applied—whether DIY or professional—most coatings last anywhere from one to seven years, with some offering up to a decade of protection for the most advanced formulations.
Avoid costly clear coat failures with superior paint care products
Whether you paid for a custom paint job or just want to keep the factory paint looking like new, superior paint care products can help protect and enhance that glossy finish for years to come. If you’d like to learn more about preserving your car’s clear coat, contact us or call us at 336-378-7872. We’re happy to help you bring your car’s paint back to life.
