new/used Porsche... uh oh!!

[nyc997]

Hi guys - I'm freaking out a bit.

Just bought a 10-year old Porsche. I took it the local detail shop and they said I may have a problem.....

Detail Guy: "Has this car been in an accident?"
Me: "uhhhhh.... I don't think so. nothing on the carfax or inspection would lead me to believe"
Detail Guy: "You see these lines? Evidence of a previous clear bra. They must have taken off to repaint b/c of an accident/damage"

The "lines" are in the 1st 2 pictures below.

Description: It looks as if someone took a razor blade and made a perfect cut across the paint/clearcoat.
I can barely "feel" anything, but you can definitely SEE it. If you closed your eyes and rubbed it, you wouldn't notice anything at all.

A couple questions:
1) Is this evidence that some sort of clear bra was previously on the car?
(the lines are exactly on mirror opposite sides of the car [2 lines on hood, driver/passgr, 2 lines on wheel well, driver/passgr])

2) If it IS in fact evidence of a previous clear bra.... is it "fishy" as to why the previous owner removed it?
In other words, are there good reasons one would take of a clear bra--one that doesn't involve damage?

I'm optimistic.. that maybe the old bra was fading, cracking, and/or yellowish and they thought it looked better w/o it?
The last picture shows what I "think" is a bra (I woudn't know) and that's currently on the rear fender. It doesn't look in the best condition.
So assuming it was put on at the same time, I would assume the hood bra was also in bad condition. Maybe I'm just crazy.

Detail Guy: "So this car has almost 70k miles? AND it looks this good? YEAH BRO... it must have been repainted b/c it wouldn't look this good."

What do you guys think?
ACCIDENT/DAMAGE? or He just REMOVED it b/c it looked like crap?

Thanks in advance.

Hood "line"
55883

Wheel well
55884

Rear bottom fender "bra" - small cracks, yellowish hue
55885

[Sizzle Chest]

I've removed PPF for clients before. Some had discolored, others just didn't like the 'look' of it-specifically with only partial panels covered, you can see the line. So, IMO, I would not say that removing/removal of PPF is necessarily 'fishy' or any indicator of accident damage/paint work.

As far as your defects go, they appear to be from when the PPF was applied originally and the installer used a razor to cut the PPF and actually cut into the paint with the blade. You say you can not feel the cut/line, so it may be minor and possible to be removed via either paint correction or wet sanding.

It could also possibly be an 'edge line'. This is from the paint not covered being corrected/compounded/polished over the years while the paint under the PPF was not touched. Sometimes you can feel a slight raised area of the paint surface that was under the removed PPF. This could also be resolved with some wet sanding.

I would also attempt to find another detailer to use, his comment about the vehicle not being able to look 'that good' for its age/mileage is disconcerting...

As far as your last picture: If it's in the front of the rear tires/on the rear fender/rocker area, yes, that's a factory Porsche stone guard and it is manufactured out of a type of 'clear bra' or PPF. It is typically much thicker than PPF that is used on what you would see on a vehicle hood for example. You can purchase replacements for these. Just find a reputable shop/detailer to remove them as I have seen some damage from inexperience in the removal process.

Hope this helps you!

[oneheadlite]

First off, welcome to the forum!

I've gotta say, your "Detail" Guy makes me nervous. He should be able to identify signs of bodywork with confidence based on factors other than "I think they pulled the clear bra". Orange peel, sanding marks, tape lines, imperfections in the paint/clear should all stand out to someone who does this for a living. Does he have a paint thickness gauge and know how to use it? It also shouldn't be so shocking a car with 70k can look good!

To me, if they pulled the clear bra to repair accident damage, the unfortunate cut line into the paint should have been corrected during the repair. I'd say it's much more likely a ten year old clear bra was just showing it's age. Is there a chance the clear bra remaining by the rear fenders was factory applied? I feel like I've seen film on P cars there even without clear bra on the hood.

Where did you have the car inspected? I work at an independent BMW/Audi shop and do a lot of prepurchase inspections, unfortunately it's quite common to find bodywork on cars with clean carfaxes.

Hope this is of some help.

Edit: Scott posted while I was typing my response. I should add I am a technician first, and detail enthusiast second; Scott does amazing work and has had much more exposure than I. Great info!

[Mantilgh]

Sounds like the PPF did its job.

If it was applied new and the vehicle is ten years old with almost mint paint it would seem they had the aging PPF removed prior to sale. The lines are unfortunate side effects, whether induced by the original installer or from its presence on the paint.

[FlyinLow]

Great post, gents! Scott Harle, thanks for that sound and detailed explanation. Something now to look for in the future. Bozo is jumping to conclusions but should have a paint thickness gauge and be able to tell if it was likely painted based on hard evidence...
NYC 997: Yes, find another detailer! Please post pictures of any corrections you have done or do yourself. Would love to see the outcome. Enjoy your new ride, and be über proud that it looks so good with its miles...:coolgleam:

[C5Longhorn]

Did you get PPI?

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[LSNAutoDetailing]

Yikes! Scott (sizzle chest) gave you the best info. I have nothing to add. However, I'm shocked that the detailer came to that conclusion because PPF was removed and a line was present.
I've had PPF removed, replaced, and quite frankly, I don't like the job they did, so I may have it done again... I know from compounding, polishing etc... there will be lines where it gets removed.
A detailer should have had a paint thickness gauge and taken measurements. That is one sure fire way to tell if an area had been repainted...

Should you worry? no!!! Enjoy your Porsche, and find another detailer. There are several very excellent detailers on Long Island that are on this forum, if can make the distance/mileage.

[nyc997]

Thanks everyone!

I've never been so welcomed to a car forum before. I was completely ready for the "did you use the search function?" flaming... but thanks to all who replied. I feel better now.

Yes - I had a PPI. But this was the first time using a/this Porsche dealer, so I assume ... ASSUME... they would've been able to pick up on any previous damage [I also assumed CarFax always picked up accidents, but Mr. Google tells me differently]

Regardless - the car in its current state runs/drives straight/fine, so not too worried.

My next step is to read-up on how the best way to get rid of those fine lines from the Bra and maybe decide if it's something I want to re-add.

Thanks again everyone!