Yikes

While doing a visual inspection of my car today, I noticed some oxidation is starting between the rear glass and the body. I rubbed my finger against it and I got a bit of red paint on my finger. (Excuse the pollen)




I know the proper way to fix it would be to sand it down and repaint it, but I'm not going to do paintwork to a $2500 car. My question is this: what can I do to stop it spreading further? Will washing it, clay baring it, waxing and then polishing keep it from spreading?

3.2TLc

Red colors tend to oxidize quicker than other colors, especially the flat areas on top.
Apparently the clear-cote is wearing thin and causing the "red" pigmentation residue on your fingertip.

If ya don't want to spend the bucks for a full repaint, consider having only the affected top flat areas repaired. Otherwise, keep the area sealed with wax to help protect it from further oxidation.

Nicks2001tl

Wash the car dry it completely, clay it or rubbing compound and apply a Paste Wax like mequiars.


I wonder though if you can`t lightly sand the edges (2000 grit) of the oxidixed area, mask it off and spray some duplicolor clear coat on it since it is such a small area.

3.2TLc

Yeah, it would be interesting to know if it's just a thin spot in the affected area or if the oxidation issue concerning the paint is more widespread over the other flat areas. So, give us a better pic without the pollen for better assessment of the painted flat surfaces. Thanks !!!

Yikes

The clear is starting to oxidize by the rear windows. I say that because its getting a bit dull, but nothing a good wax won't correct.

00TL-P3.2

Mine has gotten pretty bad over the last year, pretty much exclusive to the roof currently.
Have thought about doing something to fix/stop it, but haven't decided what to do yet.

Yikes

Went to my car today to discover this on the driver's side mirror:



This somehow happened over night. It wasn't like this yesterday. What caused this? Now I'll either have to repaint it, or go to the junkyard for another one. This really wrecked my day.

3.2TLc

Overnite shedding ? "Spring Thaw" !!!
Hmmm, what's gonna be next......the roof ?

But seriously, just featheredge the spot on the mirror with polishing compound and seal it with a coat of wax. Why waste the time replacing the mirror for cosmetic reasons ?

Yikes

Is this going to happen to the rest of my car now?

d1sturb3d119

iTrader: (1)

That is clear coat failure not oxidation. Oxidation is easy to fix. A light compound will fix that. You have clear coat failure. Paint oxidizes evenly. Its the entire layer of clearcoat that goes dull.

Failure happens in patches. You have clear coat failure. If you compound it or use any abrasives it will strip the clear and expose your base coat. Throw on some sealant and apply wax to slow it down but the areas it has bubbled it will fail very soon.

Bad paint care and bad weather has taken it's toll and its now toast. Your options are to either repair it like Nick said or repaint those areas or Vinyl the car. Vinyl does have adhesives and can strip your paint when it comes off so be careful there.

Because of rock chips and a botched paint repair job on my part I have wrapped my front bumper in vinyl. Slight color shift but I don't care about rock chips anymore which is nice.

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...failure-2.html

Nicks2001tl

That's really weird, almost like something corrosive spilled on it. It should be isolated to your 2 areas but be aware clear coat failure can spread quickly.

Yikes

As for the mirror, I have a friend who does body work professionally.

I asked him about it, and he said I can wet sand it using 1000 grit or higher, and if paint doesn't come off, I can clear it. I rubbed that spot on the mirror with my finger and no paint came off.

In regards to the rear, wonder if I carefully tape and sand, could I buy the paint from Honda and repaint just that area, then clear, or would I have to blend it in with the rest of the panel?

Nicks2001tl

You can buy paint from Honda but am pretty sure they only have touch up paint(for rock chips etc.). There is a rattle can on Ebay for about 14 bucks. Your paint match number is on the inside of your drivers door.

3.2TLc

Ya gotta be careful when attempting spot repairs.....as sometimes a novice can make things appear worse.

Nicks2001tl

Very true. When wet sanding take your time apply as little pressure as possible. If you use a rattle can of paint feather it at first and take your time. Results will be better.

Yikes

I couldn't agree more. I think that if I were going to do this, I'd have to sand off all the clear (probably with 80 or 120 grit) and probably into the base coat since the color has already started to wear off (The color appears faded, which means the paint is damaged and no longer salvageable), lay a primer on it before scotch briting it or hitting it with some 320 grit on a DA, then the base coat, then clear it.

But I'd have to buy the proper tools, worth it for a plastic mirror that I can get from a junk yard...and plus for a novice with no body work experience who will probably use it once or twice?.... probably not. I'm just crossing my fingers that my clear coat doesn't start to peel anywhere else. As I said before, worst case scenario, I can replace the mirror if I really want to. All you have to do is pop off the door panel and then unclip the little plastic triangle cover and you're left with 3 or 4 8mm bolts and a wire harness to unplug.

fsttyms1

First and foremost, wash the car really well with dawn to remove any grease and wax.

For areas where its just the clear like your mirror, you can wetsand the whole mirror and reapply clear.

For areas like by the window, it will take more. You can try to wetsand (only sand to remove the shine, when done wetsanding the finish should be dull, not shiny. REMEMBER,You arent trying to remove the clear) the area carefully trying not to remove the color, just blend the clear so that it is a smooth transition (sand at least 12" from the effected area, then apply a few light coats of clear and get a clear coat blender to blend the clear (helps melt the old and new together. Then when dry wetsand and polish the area. This may or may not work depending on how well you can wetsand the area without effecting the color. You may need to try to get your color in a spray can and blend the color then clear.



Odds are you cant buy the color from your dealer, nor would you want to. Look online for local automotive PAINT stores (not PARTS) and get them to mix it for you.

fsttyms1

You do NOT need to remove the paint with that grit. All you will be doing is causing yourself a LOT more work. IF the color is faded DONT remove it. It and the primer are still there. Removing it may cause adhesion issues. Wetsand the effected area to smooth it out and lightly and slowly try blending the color from the effected area to the good area. All you are trying to do is trick the eye into not seeing the difference in color (if any) then clear. I have spot repaired areas like this before with nothing more than spray cans (though using my spray guns is easier). Its easier in smaller vertical areas than large flat surfaces, sometimes those require the complete panel to be recleared.

3.2TLc

^^^ Excellent advice ! from the master of "DIY"s....Fsttyms1 thanks !!!

fsttyms1