Clearcoat Fracturing versus Clearcoat Failure

opie_7afe · 09-12-2011, 04:57 PM

im wondering if say you have clear coat fractures would it be cheaper to just wetsand and reclear the effected areas? my thinking is the clear will flow into the fractures thus sealing them off and be gone forever, or would re clearing it just lead to fracturing of the new clear...

**mcpp66** · 09-12-2011, 06:06 PM

Those pictures of clear coat fracture just looks like swirls to me???

**timaishu** · 09-12-2011, 06:33 PM

Originally Posted by mcpp66

Those pictures of clear coat fracture just looks like swirls to me???

I can understand you thinking that looking at the pictures. But after compounding it 6 times and wetsanding once and it looking no different. I can assure you they are not swirls.

Also hard to capture a good picture of it.

**mcpp66** · 09-12-2011, 06:46 PM

Well, your last statement certainly clarifies the situation.

**tuscarora dave** · 09-13-2011, 08:27 AM

Here's a few photos of clear coat fracturing that I have put together over time. Some are harder to see in the photos than others. This GMC Safari has clear coat fracturing just on the passenger side door. Why or how it occurred on that door only is a mystery to me.

When I show up to detail a car and I see something like this old BMW sitting under trees for extended periods of time there is almost always clear coat fracturing present.

Clear coat fracturing on the roof of same BMW.

After some compounding, polishing and a layer of M-21 sealant there is a significant improvement but still fractured none the less.

Here is an extreme case of clear coat fracturing where the acid erosion from sitting under trees has taken this car's paint far beyond just fracturing. I posted this one just for fun.

opie_7afe · 09-13-2011, 12:45 PM

come on tuscarora dave you know you can just buff the last one out!...make it look brand new! lmfao..im just kidding of course!

**Hoytman** · 02-23-2013, 08:05 PM

Found this article while searching for a video for another forum member.

Reminder to Mike and myself as I have pictures and examples on black paint, with sun shots before compounding/polishing and after sun shots.

This post is so I can search my own postings so that I can find this thread again. I didn't realize Mr. Phillips had an article on it. I even have full 1080 HD video of black paint in the sun. Stay tuned...

**tuscarora dave** · 02-27-2013, 09:26 AM

Originally Posted by opie_7afe

come on tuscarora dave you know you can just buff the last one out!...make it look brand new! lmfao..im just kidding of course!

That's too funny!!!

That car belonged to one of my best friends so we had time to horse around with it. Nothing that we tried would even get it white again so in a moment of ridiculousness we scrubbed it up with Westly's Bleche-Wite and it came out as white as snow.

The car has since gone to the crusher.

**spence** · 02-28-2013, 01:42 AM

I have the crows feet on the hood of my 2001 black Acura CL. The roof, trunk, side panels have no crows feet. I attribute it to heat from the engine or I have been told Acura used fiber glass for the hoods so that may be the diference. Detailers and painters have told me that it is the paint that is fracturing and not the clear coat. A little disapointing considering the cost of an Acura and Honda's normal high marks for quality.

**STI4Life06** · 04-08-2013, 03:37 PM

Originally Posted by Marc08EX

Hi Mike,

How about this?

*** Image taken from: Cracks in paint(crows feet)? - 8th Generation Honda Civic Forum

It seems like they are calling it crows feet. Now would you consider that clear coat fracture or clear coat failure?

Thanks.

Originally Posted by Mike.Phillips@Autogeek

I would continue to call the defect in the above picture and link you shared crows feet or in the old days it was called lacquer checking, or lacquer cracking.

Both Lacquer Fracturing and Crows Feet are both a type of crack or fracture in the paint but have a very different appearance.

Mike,

I have a Subaru Leagcy that had been repainted some time ago by a previous owner and it now has "crows feet", looks exactly like what Marc posted above.

Recently, someone had keyed my entire car and now I am trying to get a repaint under my insurance. I went to a reputable body shop today and they told me it will cost me out of pocket $1k to have them repaint it since he would have to chemically strip the paint all the way down to bare metal because of the crows feet and the insurance will not cover it.

My question: is that really true? Will they need to strip the paint entirely? I don't think your a painter but maybe you have a good friend that you can ask?