Clearcoat question
- Thread starter supton
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I remember my dad's gold 97 Camry that he bought new and was garaged was having clearcoat issues after 5 years. But it was never waxed, detailed and only saw automatic car washes since I wasn't in town back then. His 01 Camry was much better. It was a white diamond pearl with the gallery edition they called it. Even the alloy wheels looked great after 5yrs when he traded it. No detailing done to it either but looked great.
I'd just keep it clean and protected. Even some Mequiars wash and wax would be better than nothing. Maybe top with some spray wax. Keep it presentable looking without spending a bunch of time and money on it.
I'd just keep it clean and protected. Even some Mequiars wash and wax would be better than nothing. Maybe top with some spray wax. Keep it presentable looking without spending a bunch of time and money on it.
How do you know there is none left? Are you talking about the 1999?
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
How do you know there is none left? Are you talking about the 1999?
Yep. Bought the '99 in this condition, didn't really care as it was rust free and I could rattle-can it if it was a problem, rust wise. Appearance wise, you can't tell, not from 50 feet, so my concern is keeping rust at bay.
How do you know there is none left? Are you talking about the 1999?
Yep. Bought the '99 in this condition, didn't really care as it was rust free and I could rattle-can it if it was a problem, rust wise. Appearance wise, you can't tell, not from 50 feet, so my concern is keeping rust at bay.
I wouldn't worry about it. The top surfaces will get surface rust if anything, and you can address it then. I wouldn't put a cheap paint job on it; FWIW if I have anything repainted I want it to look good.
I've had a couple of previous non-garaged cars where I rarely ever waxed them. The paint on those lost all their luster and were dullish looking for years. But none ever showed any rust despite sitting it in hot summer and brutal winter weather year after year. The last one was a 1997 Lincoln I drove 230K miles up to 2009. I did wash them several times each year and monthly trips to a car wash where I used a wand to get dirt and grime off them. The old faded paint is still protective if you don't let anything breach it such as bird droppings, tree sap and organics, etc.
I learned my lesson though and have been waxing my current 2002 twice yearly. It still gleams. The only bubbles on the car are a pair of quarter sized spots on the hood that's coming up from underneath. For 16 yr old paint and stored outside, it's done really well. I make it a point to park under a shade tree when I can....but you have to more diligent with cleaning up the tree/bird droppings daily.
I learned my lesson though and have been waxing my current 2002 twice yearly. It still gleams. The only bubbles on the car are a pair of quarter sized spots on the hood that's coming up from underneath. For 16 yr old paint and stored outside, it's done really well. I make it a point to park under a shade tree when I can....but you have to more diligent with cleaning up the tree/bird droppings daily.
Originally Posted By: supton
I've only waxed maybe twice, and not the same vehicle. I thought the need for waxing had gone away? as in, not so required, at least (sure makes the car look nicer though).
Nope. It's basically a clear paint to protect the other paint. Still requires upkeep.
I'm still partial to the old single stage myself...
I've only waxed maybe twice, and not the same vehicle. I thought the need for waxing had gone away? as in, not so required, at least (sure makes the car look nicer though).
Nope. It's basically a clear paint to protect the other paint. Still requires upkeep.
I'm still partial to the old single stage myself...
Originally Posted By: Delta
Originally Posted By: supton
I've only waxed maybe twice, and not the same vehicle. I thought the need for waxing had gone away? as in, not so required, at least (sure makes the car look nicer though).
Nope. It's basically a clear paint to protect the other paint. Still requires upkeep.
I'm still partial to the old single stage myself...
My 2000 Mustang is single stage paint.
Originally Posted By: supton
I've only waxed maybe twice, and not the same vehicle. I thought the need for waxing had gone away? as in, not so required, at least (sure makes the car look nicer though).
Nope. It's basically a clear paint to protect the other paint. Still requires upkeep.
I'm still partial to the old single stage myself...
My 2000 Mustang is single stage paint.
Edit: I should say, no clearcoat on horizontal surfaces. There's still plenty left on vertical ones (except the tops of the doors).
Still rather tickled with this car. It's boring but still way more enjoyable than I ever thought a Camry would or should be. Just ticked over 32kmiles and that means... I finally got depreciation & repair cost per mile below 10 cents. [$1,500 purchase and about $1,700 in maintenance, repairs and upgrades.] Only gets 30mpg & is an automatic, those seem to be its only real problem areas.
Still rather tickled with this car. It's boring but still way more enjoyable than I ever thought a Camry would or should be. Just ticked over 32kmiles and that means... I finally got depreciation & repair cost per mile below 10 cents. [$1,500 purchase and about $1,700 in maintenance, repairs and upgrades.] Only gets 30mpg & is an automatic, those seem to be its only real problem areas.
Originally Posted By: supton
I thought the need for waxing had gone away?
That is not true at all.
I thought the need for waxing had gone away?
That is not true at all.
Originally Posted By: mightymousetech
Originally Posted By: supton
I thought the need for waxing had gone away?
That is not true at all.
Too late for my fleet then; all of them have some pretty big paint problems. Swirls, blotches, scratches, chips, dents. Luckily only one has clearcoat issues (although I'm not sure if the other two have clearcoat).
Originally Posted By: supton
I thought the need for waxing had gone away?
That is not true at all.
Too late for my fleet then; all of them have some pretty big paint problems. Swirls, blotches, scratches, chips, dents. Luckily only one has clearcoat issues (although I'm not sure if the other two have clearcoat).
I've got the same issue on my 2000 Ford Taurus wagon. The hood, roof and front fender were repainted by previous owner due to a deer hit (young 'un). The clearcoat on the hood and roof are detaching from the paint. At 18 years old, it's my classic.
I plan to have the car repainted at some point as we don't use it for every day service anymore.
I plan to have the car repainted at some point as we don't use it for every day service anymore.
Nick1994
$100 site donor 2024
Yeah the Arizona sun will do that. Here's my very dirty Camry. You can see the clear coat has failed too. The hood looks good because I suspect it's been repainted.
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