[blk08e92]

I have a 2008 BSM 335i. It gets garaged almost nightly, but it is my DD so it sits outside daily while im at work. Over the last year I have noticed the clearcoat on my roof and hood seems to be getting in really bad shape. I am unsure if this is a complete clearcoat failure OR if its oxidation or something taking it to a professional for paint correction/buffing or whatever else they can do to fix it would work.

I am not the only owner of the car, i am the 3rd owner. The car was fully plastidipped to white about a year and a half ago. I removed the plastidip after about 6 months. I am wondering if maybe that caused the issue with my clear coat, although the removal went well. IF i had it to do again, i wouldve never had a black car plastidipped matte white..but thats a different story ( i won a contest for a free whole car dip)..

I dont visit drive through washes. I hand wash and have two buckets/mitts (one for wheels and one for the paint). Although with all of the swirls i have, you wouldnt think that!

I took these photos with the flash ON to emphasize what this looks like at certain angles in the sunlight. Its not any where near as visible as these photos make it seem, but i wanted to get the point across in the photos. The area on the hood and the area next to the sunroof are the two that are visible though at almost any time/ light condition / angle.

Opinions/suggestions? I'm not above having it repainted..It just sucks of course!

[P1]

Looks to me like clear coat failure. At this point, it does not hurt to polish it out as it cannot make it any worse, and a repaint will be required.

[mbanks21]

Holy crap that car is in bad shape. Def looks like failure. As posted above, take some compound and rub a small section. Use a light colored cloth, if it turns black then the clearcoat is toast.

[UncleWede]

Almost looks like you have a Monday or Friday (production) car. Not sure with all the automation that it's still the same, but in the day Monday or Friday meant the sprayers were not cleaned and you were prone to failure.

[David1]

Car was painted at some point. Needs to be sanded down and re-done.

[HooDat]

What clear coat would you guys recommend to use? Something reliable and has UV protection but nothing that kills the pockets

[originalgoods13]

Originally Posted by HooDat

What clear coat would you guys recommend to use? Something reliable and has UV protection but nothing that kills the pockets

Hi there, if you want to DIY, you'd have to remove the current clear coat by using a dual action random orbital polisher with heavy cutting pad and your preferred compound, or you can wetsand it off

I have been lucky with Dupli-Color clear coats but if you have an auto shop that can mix paints for you, you can buy their clear coats. I find them easier to apply and less run than over-the-counter clear coats

Alternative is to get a professional, it should not cost more than $500 to the hood and roof

[originalgoods13]

As much as I like DIY, the painting process is very tedious for a weekend warrior. You'd have to immerse yourself on a lot of free time doing painting, sanding, polishing, then do that over and over again to achieve desired result close to OEM quality

Also, you have to battle the dust and that is the most annoying thing when painting, it is inevitable

[HooDat]

Originally Posted by originalgoods13

Hi there, if you want to DIY, you'd have to remove the current clear coat by using a dual action random orbital polisher with heavy cutting pad and your preferred compound, or you can wetsand it off

I have been lucky with Dupli-Color clear coats but if you have an auto shop that can mix paints for you, you can buy their clear coats. I find them easier to apply and less run than over-the-counter clear coats

Alternative is to get a professional, it should not cost more than $500 to the hood and roof

Ah I see, for the dupli-color clear coat are you using aerosol cans or a paint gun? I was just interested in learning how to reclear coat some stuff as I have extra parts to work with. And thanks for the tips i really appreciate it. If you don't mind I may stay in contact with you to ask a few questions I may have. I just thought i'd want to learn this useful skill as a hobby

[David1]

Originally Posted by HooDat

Ah I see, for the dupli-color clear coat are you using aerosol cans or a paint gun? I was just interested in learning how to reclear coat some stuff as I have extra parts to work with.

You can not reclear it with cans. It needs to be striped and painted the correct way.

[HooDat]

Originally Posted by David1

You can not reclear it with cans. It needs to be striped and painted the correct way.

I understand the current clear coat must be wet sanded down, but I was wondering if you could spray a clear over it with aerosol, then wet sand and continue the process until you get a nice smooth layer. then buff/polish/wax it. I understand it wont be anywhere near as good quality as you would get with a spray gun but I was wondering if it would be okay.

[Wolf 335]

Get it done professionally. Don't hack the paint job.

Was that car ever repainted?

[mbanks21]

Originally Posted by HooDat

I understand the current clear coat must be wet sanded down, but I was wondering if you could spray a clear over it with aerosol, then wet sand and continue the process until you get a nice smooth layer. then buff/polish/wax it. I understand it wont be anywhere near as good quality as you would get with a spray gun but I was wondering if it would be okay.

I wouldn't. The clear won't bond and you'll be back in the same spot a few weeks later. Ideally the clear needs to be applied to fresh paint within 24 hours or so.

[HooDat]

Wouldn't the abrasions from wet sanding down the current clear coat help with the bonding with the new layer of clear? sorry for so many questions haha

[David1]

Originally Posted by HooDat

Wouldn't the abrasions from wet sanding down the current clear coat help with the bonding with the new layer of clear? sorry for so many questions haha

No

[originalgoods13]

Hi HooDat,
Sorry if I was not clear (no pun intended)

The distinction between the clear coat and paint is very minute and there is no proper way to just top it off with clear coat and call it a day (it will peel). There is a reason why primered surface likes paint and clear coat likes fresh painted surface (damn molecular bonding)

You will need to apply paint, then clear coat to achieve desired OEM look

I usually fine sand the paint before applying clear coat to achieve uniformity and even prior to applying clear coat

Then the fun starts with compounding and polishing

It is a bit of a messy job and will have lots of trial and errors for an amateur

The clear coat can be applied via can

If your thrifty you can find paint supplies and materials from dollar of cheap parts store, but ensure you buy quality paint mixed for you from an automotive paint shop

HTH

[originalgoods13]

I would suggest practicing on a spoiler lip or front aero lip before you tackle the bigger pieces (I learned this way)