[s-cars] deteriorating clearcoat

[Fred Munro]

Hi Teddy;

The photo looks like clearcoat failure. The proper fix is to sand the roof
to remove the failed clearcoat, wet sand with 600 or 1200 grit, and shoot a
new basecoat and clearcoat. The basecoat dries to a matte finish; the
clearcoat gives the weather protection and gloss. It also magnifies any
flaws or scratches in the basecoat, so trying to sand the failed clearcoat
and shoot new clearcoat usually doesn't work very well. It doesn't take much
more time to do a basecoat + clearcoat than just a clearcoat anyway - the
basecoat usually dries to recoat in 15 minutes. Don't sand through the
primer to metal and you won't have to re-prime, but a sealer might be a good
idea if you aren't sure your new paint is compatible with the old finish.

HTH

Fred Munro
'94 S4 (pearl white gives me a headache)
'97 S6 (black I can colour match)

-----Original Message-----
From: s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com
[mailto:s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com]On Behalf Of Theodore Chen
Sent: April 10, 2006 7:39 PM
To: Tom Green; s-car-list at audifans.com
Subject: Re: [s-cars] deteriorating clearcoat


the attachment didn't make it through, so here's a link to the
picture on geocities:
http://www.geocities.com/tedebearp/CIMG2544.JPG

-teddy

--- Theodore Chen <tedebearp at yahoo.com> wrote:

> tom,
>
> i haven't had a discussion with a body shop yet, because i wanted to
> seek the list wisdom first so i know what i'm talking about.
>
> the car is emerald green.  i've attached a small picture to this email so
> you can see what i'm talking about.  the surface is rough and looks white
> instead of green.  when it rains, the white disppears completely and you
> can't see the deterioration, which is why i think it's the clearcoat and
> not the base color.
>
> the problem is only on the roof of the car.  both the hood and trunk have
> been repainted previously due to rock damage and vandalism, and look OK.
>
> i don't need the result to be perfect, since it's on the roof of the car
> where nobody really sees it closely, but it looks pretty ugly now.  i'd
> also like to deal with this problem before the base color gets damaged
> (if it isn't already).
>
> -teddy
>
> --- Tom Green <trgreen at comcast.net> wrote:
>
> > Teddy,
> >
> > I'm sure you will find this a widespread problem among the s-car
> > owners since
> > they are all 10 to 15 years old.  The problem is just a matter of
> > degree and the
> > owners perception.
> >
> > Have you discussed this with a body shop that you would trust ?   I
> > have been
> > told that the clearcoat can not be replaced or recoated to eliminate
> > the lines
> > that sparkle when the sun catches them right in the pearl white
> > paint, and the
> > solution is sand and repaint.  This defect is in the base coats and
> > not just the
> > clearcoat.   Not a pleasant prospect, you will agree, considering the
> > cost and
> > uncertainty in the outcome.
> >
> > I have a local shop that has done some repaint on the front and did a
> > great
> > job with the pearl white.  So it's a matter of cost here, about $3.5
> > K.  Yeah,
> > big K's.
> >
> > The black avant paint suffers mostly from failure of a poor repaint
> > job.  The
> > original sections are intact except for roof spots that look like
> > acid rain or
> > whatever they get in Nevada (mine smelters or power plant
> > fallout ) .  Zymol
> > carbon wax hides it pretty well.  Just hides it for a while, though,
> > another big
> > K infusion is the real fix.
> >
> > This is just my lament.  I haven't seen your problem, and I forget
> > the color.
> > There are some cars where the clearcoat does appear to just peel off and
> > this may be repairable.
> >
> > Tom
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Original message:
> > > Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2006 10:10:57 -0700 (PDT)
> > > From: Theodore Chen <tedebearp at yahoo.com>
> > > Subject: [s-cars] deteriorating clearcoat
> > > To: s-car-list at audifans.com
> > > Message-ID: <20060406171057.10683.qmail at web50608.mail.yahoo.com>
> > > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
> > >
> > > what's the right way to fix this problem?  can the old clearcoat be
> > > wet sanded and covered with new clearcoat?  does all the old clearcoat
> > > have to come off?
> > >
> > > -teddy
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > S-CAR-List mailing list
> > S-CAR-List at audifans.com
> > http://www.audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/s-car-list
> >
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
> http://mail.yahoo.com > _______________________________________________
> S-CAR-List mailing list
> S-CAR-List at audifans.com
> http://www.audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/s-car-list
>


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
_______________________________________________
S-CAR-List mailing list
S-CAR-List at audifans.com
http://www.audifans.com/mailman/listinfo/s-car-list