Need help with clear coat degrading or oxidizing

[joebruin77]

Hey, everyone,
I recently noticed that the clear coat on the back trunk edge of my wife's 2014 Honda Accord is degrading or oxidizing (see pic below). Her car is parked outside 24/7 and is exposed to lots of bright sunlight throughout the year.

I could use some help/advice with two questions:

1) Can I restore the clearcoat using Optimum Clear Coat Restorer or a similar product myself? Any guess as to whether or not the Optimum CCR would be effective in this situation?

2) If I take it to a bodyshop, can they just spray some clearcoat on top of it, or would they have to strip away the old paint and repaint the area?

3) What can I do to minimize any further damage to the clearcoat? Her car has a ceramic-infused spray sealant as its main form of protection which I apply once every 3 months. I also apply Meguiars D156 as a drying aid and maintenance spray between applications of the sealant.

Thanks for your help,
joebruin77

[Bobby B.]

Only the spoiler looks oxidized / clear coat failure. I would remove the spoiler from the trunk lid and have it professionally repainted. It should be held on by 3M double sided molding tape and maybe two screws.

[joebruin77]

That's a great suggestion. Do you think I can remove the spoiler by using fishing line to gently separate the spoiler from the trunk?

[Rsurfer]

That's a great suggestion. Do you think I can remove the spoiler by using fishing line to gently separate the spoiler from the trunk?

Along with the fishing line you will need heat. A hair dryer is safer than a heat gun.

[psnt1ol]

Going Off topic a little bit....

This could be a fun DIY project.

Once its off, vinyl wrap the spoiler. There are wraps available to match your car paint or you could do matt black for contrast. Just a thought.

[psnt1ol]

I just found a pic from a few years ago that I wrapped the front lower lip of a 3 series. The original part was scratched to heck from going over a speed bump. I wrapped it in gloss black.

[John U]

What’s the “life” of a wrap in a 24/7 environment?

[psnt1ol]

What’s the “life” of a wrap in a 24/7 environment?

4 to 5 years.. like everything else, proper maintenance with a UV blocker LSP will make it lasts much longer.

[ducksfan]

What’s the “life” of a wrap in a 24/7 environment?

It depends on the wrap - Both manufacture and type of finish. Then there's the amount of UV it will be exposed to. This can vary a lot depending on latitude location, elevation and where you park your vehicle. Safest bet: 3 yr. for good quality wrap. After that, It depends on a lot of stuff.

Interestingly, the life is more often dictated by how long until the glue adheres permanently to the paint then how long the finish lasts. I saw a Justin Pate video awhile back where they were spraying a light film of soap on the horizontal surfaces and then stripping about 4 inches around the perimeter to try to counteract this. I don't know if it was a one off or his new approach.

If you're going to try it out, go for the good stuff. The bad stuff takes more skill to apply. You want cast film, not calendar (easier to shape). Check out Avery Dennison wrap at BuyWrap.com - good stuff.