ashtray

iTrader: (12)

Hello all,

My 97 SC300 has recently shown haze on the roof, it looks as if the shine is fading away as it doesnt even look wet when its wet....The same problem is on my front bumper but much more severe and sun damaged looking. Should I see if a professional detailer can fix this or should I wet sand, buff and respray clear coat on my own? I will update this with pictures asap but wanted to get opinions asap. Thanks.

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

Sounds like the beginning stages of clearcoat failure unfortunately. Usually happens to cars that sit out in the sun alot and/or never or rarely get waxed.


You can always try claying the area to see if it makes it smoother. Using a very mild polish like Menzerna 106fa or po85rd can restore alot of the gloss to it if there is still clearcoat left but at the same time you are making the clear layer even thinner and risking "striking through" to the base coat.

Before anything, you can take a MF towel, put on some polish on it and rub a section on the roof or the top panels, if your MF towel is turning white, it means you already have no clearcoat left and are basically rubbing off the base. Sorry to hear and good luck.

TOGWT

For oxidized paint try the following (this is only a temporary ‘fix’)

• Wash the paint surface and dry thoroughly
• Clean the paint with chemical paint cleaner (Klasse All-In-One) using an Lake County (LC) orange foam pad at speed #4, this may take 2-3 applications
• If a chemical paint cleaner doesn’t remove the oxidation use a (LC) purple foamed wool (PFW) pad and Menzerna’s Power Gloss (POS 34A) or Meguiar’s M105, clean or replace with a clean pad as the oxidized paint will load the pad
• A foam pad will transfer kinetic (friction) heat to the paint and may exasperate the problem
• Using Gloss It EVP Pad Prime will help maintain sufficient oil lubrication for the polish
• Wet-sanding will remove ‘oxidation’ debris, which may remove too much clear coat
• Once the oxidation has been removed use a decontamination system (Aquartz Iron Cut)
• Apply an oil rich product to stabilize the paints binder system (3M Imperial Hand Glaze) apply a thick coat and allow to dwell for 12-24 hours before buffing, repeat as necessary until surface has an ‘oily’ sheen.
• Remove residue and apply a polymer coating (Opti-Coat™) for protection.
• Try to keep vehicle paint surface away from UV heat radiation
• Keep paint surface waxed on a regular basis.

Temporary remedy – wash and dry the surface, and then use a chemical paint cleaner (Klasse AIO)Check the paint thickness and there is sufficient thickness polish the surface (Meguiar’s M105)Apply a coating (Opti-Coat™) for protection

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

If a paint is clearcoated and it's starting to fade (especially the top panels like the roof, trunk and hood), 9/10 times it's clearcoat failure and not oxidation. Most of the time the term oxidation is synonymous with single stage paints. Although clearcoated paints can also oxidize over time, it takes an enormous amount of neglect, time, and abuse to get the paint to that stage, it usually doesn't happen.

Lexus DWP is clearcoated, so any further polishing like I said will only make the situation worse. It will, for a short period of time, look shinier, but it's like with SC headlights, if they are turning yellow, buffing and waxing will only shine them for a little bit but ultimately make them yellow even quicker after you are done.

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

Best thing you can do, and a permanent fix is to have a bodyshop scuff the fading panels and re-clear them if there aren't any large defects that don't need further prep work like deep scratches, paint chips, dents, and so forth.

ashtray

iTrader: (12)

No scratches, dents or chips. I wax it many times a year, and before I bought it, it was a garage queen under a cover that hardly saw any miles a year. After I purchased it the best I could do for the first year was oak tree shade at my house, once I moved it was in a parking garage, and about every other day saw sunlight from rise to set, but is that all it takes for a car to lose its clearcoat? Seriously wth?

jfelbab

All paint can fail over time given the amount of pollution and elements it is subjected to. Most evident will be the horizontal surfaces. If the paint is failing, as evidenced by the oxidation, you can bring it back to looking like new, albeit temporarily.

I struggled with paint failure for several years on my 1991 MR2. The red SS paint would turn pink in a mater of a few weeks. What I found to work the best was to clay then polish with a paint cleaner. Paint cleaners work mostly by chemical action along with very fine abrasives. They will remove a minimal amount of paint. I used to follow with a glaze like Meg's #7, (Show Car Glaze) or Red Moose Glaze and then apply a sealant. A car cover will help as would keeping it parked in a garage or ramp as much as you can.

Today there is a newer segment of coatings that can offer greater protection. These coatings offer a more durable and longer lasting protection against continued oxidation. The products I'd suggest are Opticoat 2.0, or one of the Quartz coatings, (A-Quartz or C-Quartz.) These are considered "permanent" coatings (or semi-permanant) and they lay down a much thicker protective layer than sealant or wax and offer a higher degree of UV protection. They are in many ways like another clear coat.

All that said this is still a delaying tactic. If your intent is to keep the vehicle for several years you might consider budgeting for a repaint down the road.

With my MR2, I could get a month out of this process and then need to redo it. This interval continued to get shorter until it would only last a week or two. I finally had it repainted and still own it today. If I had access to one of these newer coatings, I suspect I could have delayed the repaint for at least a couple more years.

The coating route is certainly a lot less expensive than a repaint and less of a problem than repeated oxidation removal.

There is another option to consider if you want to think outside the box. There are a lot of wraps available today to apply to your paint. You can have a myriad of designs and surfaces applied. Meguiar's has Wraptivo: http://www.wraptivo.com/ This option is also less expensive than a repaint.

Here are a couple videos: