Dull patches on metallic paint

[br1anstorm]

Last year I bought a 1990 (one-previous-owner, not heavily-used) 560SEC. The colour is a metallic browny-gold (I believe MB called it Impala?). On the roof and bonnet there are dull patches in - or on - the clear lacquer top surface. I don't think it's the result of birdsh*t deposits. My guess, or suspicion, is that it is the result of leaves having been left lying on the car while it was parked for lengthy periods outside. Whatever the cause, what suggestions has anyone got for dealing with the problem? Because it's a clear lacquer final coat, I hesitate to use an abrasive such as T-cut. But polish alone won't put it right. Other ideas would be welcome. (Has anyone tried any of the products from Farecla, which are supposed to be good?).

Rgds

br1anstorm

 

[television]

MB had just got the water based paint something like right by 1990, though it was still subject to discolouration by nature and birds and sun. the fact that these marks show on the horizontal sufaces indicates that the car has been left for long periods in a dirty condition and not waxed even in base coat form red is the weakest colour and gold is next to red. the marks are caused by moisture getting in between the two coats.(pin hole)
The only cure is to flat the top coat off with a 600 grade paper and have it resprayed. Have a word with a small body shop (for the car that is) my local one will do my top coats if I strip and do the preparation, and its this that cost the money = time

Malcolm

 

[tom7035]

As TV says, the only cure is to re-laquer the whole panel affected. IMO this is not really a DIY project unless you really know what you're about with refinishing. As for rubbing it down yourself, the paint underneath is thin enough as it is - needs great care not to end up needing the base colour applied too!

 

[br1anstorm]

Thanks for both the replies above...

Looks like a choice between devil and deep blue sea: a difficult DIY job (with risk that inexpert work could make matters worse), or an expensive visit to a proper paintshop (and partial resprays of 15 year old metallics are always hard to get right).

Unless any other less drastic options exist, I'm slightly tempted just to leave it as it is, and hope that what are at present only minor blemishes don't get any worse!

br1anstorm

 

[television]

Thanks for both the replies above...

Looks like a choice between devil and deep blue sea: a difficult DIY job (with risk that inexpert work could make matters worse), or an expensive visit to a proper paintshop (and partial resprays of 15 year old metallics are always hard to get right).

Unless any other less drastic options exist, I'm slightly tempted just to leave it as it is, and hope that what are at present only minor blemishes don't get any worse!

br1anstorm

You are right about partial resprays, the old and the new would look so obvious. If you did flat it it would have to be base coated and top clear. Modern paint has a much better shine from the gun. As from April this year a new EEU directive will ban all but water based paint. I have managed in the past by frequent polishing to make a better job of it, but it never last long, even had a friend who used thin oil, left it on for some days, then polished it off.

 

[tom7035]

br1ainstorm, where are you in Scotland? I can personally recommend a paint/bodyshop locally who doesn't charge an arm and a leg - entire roof section and bonnet - £250 all in as an example, not £600-£1000 as has been paid by some members of the forum 'down south' in the past! Back-street type two-man outfit but good at it, been in business over 40 years.

 

[television]

[QUOTE=tom7035]br1ainstorm, where are you in Scotland? I can personally recommend a paint/bodyshop locally who doesn't charge an arm and a leg - entire roof section and bonnet - £250 all in as an example, not £600-£1000 as has been paid by some members of the forum 'down south' in the past! Back-street type two-man outfit but good at it, been in business over 40 years.[/QUOTE]
That's a good fair price, I would call that trade price, it is possible to use fading technic to blend it. I think one looks after a car better when it looks good

Malcolm

 

[Steve-O]

Have you tried buffing it off with a compund like G3?? -

We use it at work and it makes a big difference and will take most of it off.

 

[br1anstorm]

Dull patches... and what to do about them

In answer to Tom7035... I'm quite a bit further north - near Inverness (recently moved "back to my roots" after 30 years living in Surrey and working abroad). But I travel south from time to time, so wouldn't have a problem getting to Dunfermline if the recommended paintshop is as high quality and good value as it seems!

Steve-O's comment is interesting. I used some of the Farecla range, and was impressed, when doing some minor body and paint repairs on my day-to-day transport, a Jeep Cherokee. But I'm still an amateur and don't have all the spray/buffer/polisher kit needed to do a seriously good job across several panels of a classic car!

The thing I'm still puzzling over is exactly what the dull patches are on my SEC. They don't look too bad except at certain angles, so I don't want to use the sledgehammer of full respray to crack a small nut, so to speak. I'm still trying to figure out whether the problem is (a) only the top clear lacquer coat surface that has been dulled by fallen-leaf deposits - in which case polish or a mild paste might fix it; (b) something that has got between lacquer coat and colour coat - ie the pinholes/moisture theory - which implies rubbing down and respraying the clear coat at least; or (c) something which has (chemically?) affected the lacquer and also the colour/base coats, needing a full several-coats rubdown and respray to put right?

I guess a paintshop expert will have to to eyeball it to make a definite diagnosis. Meanwhile if it won't actually do any harm (ie cut too far into what might be thinnish layers of paint) I am tempted to give the G3/G10 stuff a try...

br1anstorm

 

[television]

I guess a paintshop expert will have to to eyeball it to make a definite diagnosis. Meanwhile if it won't actually do any harm (ie cut too far into what might be thinnish layers of paint) I am tempted to give the G3/G10 stuff a try...

br1anstorm[/QUOTE

early water based clear coat was weak and became porous letting in damp or making it lose contact with the base coat, worse on red and gold as they are so soft, it must be flatted, base coated and clear, have it done.

Malcolm