Peeling Clear Coat, or Something Else?

"Boxer_4" (Boxer_4) 06/01/2017 at 15:26 • Filed to: None

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As seen on a friend’s ‘03 WRX. Wisdom would suggest peeling clear coat, however, the little corner of nice looking WR Blue paint ( which matches the rest of the car ) is under the cloudy layer, if that makes sense. If you chip off the edge of the cloudy layer, the paint looks fairly glossy, like it still has a clear coat...

I’ve heard of 3M and similar “clear bra” products before of course, but I’ve never heard of anyone using them in this manner, let alone on just one panel, so that seems unlikely.

A) does anyone have any insight on what’s going on? and B) if this is some protective film, what’s the likelihood of it coming of without damaging the paint underneath?

PotbellyJoe and 42 others > Boxer_4 06/01/2017 at 15:31

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it’s clearcoat. The paint underneath is shiny paint because it’s been under a clearcoat for this whole time.

Mr. Plastics powered by GreyGoose > Boxer_4 06/01/2017 at 15:31

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Looks like the clearcoat to me. Maybe that was the last panel to go? You can polish the paint even without a clearcoat (as seen on old classic cars).

crowmolly > Boxer_4 06/01/2017 at 15:41

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Not an aftermarket protective film. That’s base coat coming through.

vicali > Boxer_4 06/01/2017 at 15:43

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98 Impreza did the same, clearcoat failure.

When you hit it with the polisher it will make the pad blue.. that’s how you know you’re hitting the paint..

Rust and Dust - Oppositelock Forever > Boxer_4 06/01/2017 at 15:54

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As others have stated before, it’s clearcoat delaminating.

Looks like it’s probably been painted before, thats not Subaru clear failing. The basecoat shouldn’t be shiny, appears as if it was repaired at the front edge of the door, or blended for a fender replacement. Either way, it was just clear application at the rear edge of the door. Someone got lazy prepping the blend panel/undamaged area of the door (needs to be scuffed for the new clear to bond), and now the clear is delaminating. And they may have used some bargain-basement cheap-o clear as well, it shouldn’t be that cloudy (as evidenced by the rear door and the unmolested clear now exposed by the failing coating).

Boxer_4 > PotbellyJoe and 42 others 06/01/2017 at 15:56

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That makes sense. I guess I’m more used to seeing damaged, matte looking paint left behind than glossy.

He’s looking to get some other paintwork done soon ( front left fender, it’s a long story ), so I’ll mention this to him next time I talk to him.  

Boxer_4 > crowmolly 06/01/2017 at 15:57

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I guess I’m used to seeing damaged paint under peeling clear coat, which threw me off. Makes sense though.

crowmolly > Boxer_4 06/01/2017 at 15:58

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Any chance it’s a respray?

Boxer_4 > vicali 06/01/2017 at 16:00

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I’ve not usually seen WR Blue clear coats peel before, but there is no history on the car, so I wouldn’t be surprised if some panels had been repainted before.

We’ll take a closer look next time I see him.

Boxer_4 > Mr. Plastics powered by GreyGoose 06/01/2017 at 16:05

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There’s no history on the car, but with 140k on an ‘03 WRX with an aftermarket CAI, BOV, and horribly installed aftermarket stereo, it wouldn’t surprise me that a few panels were repainted.

We’ll have to take a closer look next time I see him and figure out whether the door was repainted at some point, or whether more was done. Hopefully, it’s just the door. He’s looking to get other paint work done, so I’ll be sure to bring this up with him.

Boxer_4 > crowmolly 06/01/2017 at 16:08

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It’s an ‘03 WRX with 140k miles, some choice bolt ons, an awful aftermarket stereo install, and no service history, so odds are pretty good that at least some of the panels have been resprayed.

vicali > Boxer_4 06/01/2017 at 16:11

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Mine was Acadia Green, those patches would never shine up.. but it was a rally car so I didn’t fuss;

Boxer_4 > vicali 06/01/2017 at 16:24

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I’ve always liked Acadia Green.

Boxer_4 > Rust and Dust - Oppositelock Forever 06/01/2017 at 16:37

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I wouldn’t doubt that panel was repainted before as part of a blend job.

So, what you’re saying is that whoever blended the door didn’t scuff back the original clear near the back edge, and just painted new clear coat over it? Interesting. And really stupid.

If that’s the case, that would explain why I didn’t know what I was looking at. We’ll have to take a closer look now that I have a clue as to what I’m looking at. I’ll be curious to see now if the clear on the door is cloudy everywhere, or just where the original clear wasn’t scuffed.

He’s looking to get some paintwork done soon ( actually, he just replaced the front bumper and front left fender... ) so I’ll be sure to bring this up with him.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > vicali 06/01/2017 at 16:41

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That color was gorgeous.

Rust and Dust - Oppositelock Forever > Boxer_4 06/01/2017 at 16:56

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The cloudiness could come from poor quality clearcoat, inadequate application of the clear coat (wrong mix ratio with clear/reducer/hardener, not enough coats to hold up to UV damage, wrong reducer/hardener for the spray temperature), or a lousy prep job, allowing the new clear to lift, and moisture to get under it and “cook” in the sun, or any combination of the above.

If he’s just had the left fender replaced and hasn’t painted yet, it’s really the best time for him. Most shops, especially on a 14 year old blue metallic color, will want to blend adjacent panels to the fender (hood and door).