General Clear coat ruined

[Danoid]

Hello, has anyone else’s flat red (passion or something like that) clear coat come off?

It’s a joke as it’s ever panel pretty much. I know red seems to suffer the most but check this out

The car is physically not worth spending money on a repaint, so I’m toying with the idea of at the very least wrapping the roof and possibly black as I can’t see I’d be able to get a close colour to the existing red due to aging etc

 

[jrkitching]

I've seen quite a few like this, generally on cars 10+years old. As you say, non-metallic red seems to be the worst colour for it.

Once the clearcoat starts to break down, they often get much worse rather quickly. Anyone buying a used 500, particularly one in this colour, would be well advised to inspect the paint carefully and walk away from any that show even the slightest sign of the clearcoat peeling away.

Personally I wouldn't spend any more on this car than is necessary to keep it safe and reliable.

 

[Danoid]

Yeah it is annoying, there’s a part near the wing mirror which has perished as well so will need a new one of them at least as the rubbers have gone. Clearly the car thinks it’s in a much hotter climate than it actually is

The car is a 2009 so exactly like you said after 10 years, to be honest the roof has been going silly like this for a good few years.

I might give wrapping the roof a try, as black seems to be cheap enough and the other spots I might sand down a tiny bit and spray clear coat myself, it can’t get any worse

 

[Troubles with 500c]

The front bumper went on our 2010 500c. Was easy to replace with a better condition one. The black plastic brake light mount is pealing like crazy, so not just the red that suffers.

 

[John202020]

I wonder if it's colour related our 2009 car is in silver the paint finish is still very good, not seen any evidence of issues with the clear coat.

 

[jrkitching]

The ones I've seen look like UV breakdown of the clearcoat; if you rub hard, it'll crumble beneath your fingers, much like sun damaged plastic does.

I'd say it depends on how much time it's spent in the direct sun, and how well it's been kept cleaned and waxed.

Once this becomes visible, it's probably too late to save the finish.

I don't think there's any point trying to touch in the clearcoat. The damage is too extensive, and getting new clearcoat to adhere properly to old paint is problematic. The only permanent fix is to sand to a sound substrate and apply a complete primer/paint/clearcoat system; not a justifiable cost on a 2009 500. But the damage is only cosmetic; leaving it as it is won't stop you from getting the remaining value out of the car.

If the appearance bothers you greatly, I'd suggest the money, time and effort it would take to improve matters would be better put toward replacing it.

 

[Ralf S.]

Wrapping isn't the easy answer you might think. The surface has to be immaculately smooth, otherwise it will appear lumpy.. so you'll need to sand it down.. and the wrap itself can cost as much as a cheap blow job. Re-painting also costs the same..

You will need to remove the aerial and any fittings, then sand off all traces of the clear coat.. so when you get there, then you've spent half the cost already. A re-paint will be fairly simple; paint and a new clearcoat.. by comparison.


Ralf S.

 

[Troubles with 500c]

It’s worth having a go at painting it yourself. A roof is nice and flat and it certainly won’t look worse.

 

[Oz500]

The clear coat on my 2008 blue 500 lounge deteriorated and broke down when the car was only 8 years old; it’s now 15 years old.
One day I would like to get it fully resprayed.
Fiat really should have been held to account for their paint not lasting as long as what consumer protection might consider as acceptable.
The life expectancy of a vehicle, and environmental protection against unnecessary pollution , would suggest that even 10 years isn’t long enough.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

In that situation, if I was wanting a fix because it was unliveable-with, then I would wet-sand the remaining clearcoat off, leaving the base coat as carefully as I could and then work the paint with a DA & suitable compound, finishing off with a tough sealant/wax. Repeat the re-sealing as needed.

It'd be a right faff, mind...

 

[decappottabile]

I remember back in 2010 when Fiat recalled all 500 Rosa models because there were issues with the paint caused by UV light. All owners got a brand new car.
Apparently it's not just an issue with the pink cars.

 

[Ralf S.]

Paint was switched from lead/acetates based to water based abooot 25 years ago and red paint in particular suffered from fading, until the manufacturers tweaked their formulas to make it last. Red and any reddish paint is still the weakest colour in terms of durability.

But it's harsh to blame Fiat. Fiat doesn't make paint and it doesn't decide to make paint that peels or fades, just to save a few quid. They get paint from paint manufacturers (who presumably or should know what they're doing) and they apply it in a paint process, using equipment and controls specified by the paint manufacturer.

Obviously not all paint is created equal and a Bentley might be from a flashier/more durable paint range than the stuff used on a volume hatchback.. but the main threat to paint life comes from the environment, since everyone knoes that if you parked your car in a museum and waxed it every week the paint would last forever.

So, wash your car regularly, wax it (don't just "polish" it) and keep it away from bird poo, UV light and industrial fallout.. then you've given it the best chance to last.


Ralf S.

 

[TrevC]

Paint was switched from lead/acetates based to water based abooot 25 years ago and red paint in particular suffered from fading, until the manufacturers tweaked their formulas to make it last. Red and any reddish paint is still the weakest colour in terms of durability.

But it's harsh to blame Fiat. Fiat doesn't make paint and it doesn't decide to make paint that peels or fades, just to save a few quid. They get paint from paint manufacturers (who presumably or should know what they're doing) and they apply it in a paint process, using equipment and controls specified by the paint manufacturer.

Obviously not all paint is created equal and a Bentley might be from a flashier/more durable paint range than the stuff used on a volume hatchback.. but the main threat to paint life comes from the environment, since everyone knoes that if you parked your car in a museum and waxed it every week the paint would last forever.

So, wash your car regularly, wax it (don't just "polish" it) and keep it away from bird poo, UV light and industrial fallout.. then you've given it the best chance to last.


Ralf S.

My neighbour's 5 year old Merc has lacquer peel on its alloys. Paying a lot for a car doesn't guarantee quality materials.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

My neighbour's 5 year old Merc has lacquer peel on its alloys. Paying a lot for a car doesn't guarantee quality materials.

TBF there's any number of alkaline cleaners that get sprayed on wheels - the first time I used a particular one I'd used on other cars on my wife's diamond-cut wheels (dreadful things in general, but I digress) I wished I hadn't.

Get a tough time do wheels.

 

[jrkitching]

My neighbour's 5 year old Merc has lacquer peel on its alloys.

They're well known for it; I have a friend who got through 3 sets in less than 10 years.

 

[chris3234]

Don't help on the wheel front the obsession with diamond cute wheels these days they allways look bad after 4 years with lots of peel and corrosion

Don't know why they are on most cars these days give me a good painted finish anyday

 

[The Panda Nut]

You can probably peel off the laquer and the sand thr red paint off with an orbital sander. cleann and prep the surface and respray with rattle cans 2 or three max will be needed. re laquer and polish with Farecla compund until smooth. A weekends work. If you can borrow a double action polisher / mop the job is quite dooable to produce amuch improved appearance.

My metallic blue Golf did the same. The entire laquer peeled off the roof and bonnet. I sold it and the buying garage said it was OK to re-laquer! The blue paint was sound, but nowhere near a smooth finish.. According to VW you must NEVER use a power washer on VW paintwork and this was my fault.... Ive been cleaning all makes of car for at least 35 years 85 different ones washed at least weeky removing at least a million miles of dirt, and no other cars paint failed. Would I buy another VW? No, rubber turbos don't help improve my opinion of this manufacturer either. They have good points but reliability was not something VW could lay claim to.

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