Questions about Clear Coat Failure…Is it inevitable?

[John U]

I traded in a '12 Odyssey with 280K miles with the White Diamond Pearl paint that looked as good as when I drove it out of the dealership 10 years before. It lived thru winters in the midwest and 100+ AZ weather. It was always covered with various sealant/waxes/ceramics etc.
I never had any paint peeling or clear coat issues which is talked about on forums.... the pictures I see show vehicles never cared for!

This picture is the day I traded it in.

[Setec Astronomy]

I think being white helped, as did being regularly "waxed".

[hooked]

I traded in a '12 Odyssey with 280K miles with the White Diamond Pearl paint that looked as good as when I drove it out of the dealership 10 years before. It lived thru winters in the midwest and 100+ AZ weather. It was always covered with various sealant/waxes/ceramics etc.
I never had any paint peeling or clear coat issues which is talked about on forums.... the pictures I see, show vehicles never cared for a day in their life beyond a trip thru a free brush wash.

This picture is the day I traded it in.

Congrats. Both of my cars have never been through automated car washes. I had a 2001 Olds minivan that I didn’t really take care of paint wise (but never been through a car wash) and it did not have cc failure after 12 years.

[Big Dave]

Unfortunately I didn't own the FJ for its first 5 years and 130k, so I had no idea how it was treated, but after a couple of months I could guess. It had never had a transmission service, the tyres were wrong load rating (as in below the legal rating for the FJ), the cabin filter had never been changed, and it was owned by a smoker, and the rear springs had sagged, but I was always going to lift it anyway.

Sent from my motorola edge 20 fusion using Tapatalk

[Desertnate]

I think it comes down to a lot of factors: care for the paint, length of exposure, geography, etc.

Our family has had cars well past the 10 year age point and no signs of clear coat failure at all, but I also have a Honda in the family we bought used about 6 years ago which has me a bit worried. I have a feeling the previous owners were not very kind to the car. Every one was a daily driver which sat out all day and saw all manner of weather.

When we lived in Hawaii, I think that was the most brutal conditions from a salt air and sun perspective. Cars only 4~5 years old with total clear coat failure were not uncommon...but at the same time I also saw 20+ year old cars on what looked to be their original paint. Those with failure seemed to be pretty grimy, which pointed to no attempt at all to care for the car.

[mc2hill]

I purchased my black 2000 Frontier new and it was always outside for the 1st 10 years I owned it, getting some protection when I had the bug. I started learning here and on other detailing forums in 2010 (and I was able to park in a garage when at work), and it was properly cared for until it was totaled 2020. The hood had a lot of crazing, embedded bugs, bird droppings, but otherwise the clear coat was good there and the rest of the truck. I initially used a Mother's '3 step' process (by hand - maybe pre-wax cleaner, glaze, and wax?), but started using a paint sealant every 6 months in 2010.

I would say step up to a sealant (or coating) to protect both cars, and continue to use the wash with additives as a 'booster'.

[DanaDetailingPros]

Be cool after so many years of ceramic on the market if they had real world stats. Like sunscreen. I do know that a 20 year old car with zero wax or care will resemble an 70-80 babe in her days like a dried up prune.


Sent from my iPhone using Autogeekonline mobile app

[Desertnate]

Be cool after so many years of ceramic on the market if they had real world stats. Like sunscreen. I do know that an 20 year old car with zero wax or care will resemble an 70-80 babe in her days like a dried up prune.

Purely anecdotal, but the 2010 Mazda3 my daughter now drives has worn nothing but coatings since at least 2015. It was my car bought new and it wore sealants for a couple years. After I gave it to here, it's worn nothing by coatings. Also of note, since she started driving it, it has exclusively sat outdoors. The paint still looks brand new and not what you'd expect from a 14-year old car.

[Coatingsarecrack]

I think being white helped, as did being regularly "waxed".

Pretty racist that you think all other races are susceptible to clear coat failure….

I kid…. Agreed I think assists in CC failure is added by heat and white will hold the least…


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DUBL0WS6]

Inevitable, yes. Now what the timeframe is varies according to different factors. I've seen pics of show cars stored in climate controlled storage with paint failure.