Waxed my 92 Laredo today for the first time this year and noticed that the clear coat is starting to fail on the top of the hatch. I have the dark hunter green metallic and Im wondering how do I fix the problem? The paint is flawless and still shines up like new except for the top of the hatch. Do I just wetsand and spray a new clear coat? Let me know!

 

mine did the same thing but on the hood. ask the owner of the body shop we deal with where i work. he told me the only way to fix failing clear coat is to sand it and repaint and reclear it other wise it will keep pealing. so i am not gonna do anything at this moment till i absolutly have to. also the owner is my dads friend so im sure he is not telling me this just to get business.

 

That may work as long as the rest of the clear coat still has a strong bond to the color coat. Sun light, acid rain, improper care and time takes it's toll on clear coat, most often from the top down.

I would suggest clear coat the whole lift gate because blending new clear to old is not easy. You should follow the directions that the clear coat maker provides but most of the time you can do this: Wash the area to be painted (dish soap and water) towel dry, clean with 'wax and grease remover' allow to dry, scuff the area with grey scotch brite pad, use compressed air to remove dust then use tack rags (or wash again and allow to fully dry), mask where you don't want clear coat (remove kids and pets) apply clear coat per makers instructions.

Be very gentle if you wet sand where the old clear has failed. You do not want to sand through the delicate color coat! Color sanding the rest of the old clear is "ok" if you have imperfection you are trying to level out. Otherwise scotch brite is all you need do.

 

Actually, kids and pets are improved by clear coating.

 

Thanks for the input man. I'm definitely going to tackle this issue when it gets warm out again. Michigan weather is crazy haha.

 

Hahahahahahahahahaha

 

Gonna clear coat the turkey tomorrow just before serving, figure the heat will flash it off quickly between the kitchen and dinning room. For the hatch however I would X2 on the respray of the whole hatch, not really too much more than trying to dress just the top area. Really need to prep and insure the wax is removed, wet sanded, then sprayed. How much does a pro shop want to do the job? Would you deliver the stripped down hatch, your labour rate will be less than the shops. No good quick fix to this although you could prep the door from wax, wet sand the afflicted area, tape the whole area off and surrounding area from overspray, and rattle can the afflicted area only yourself? Just sayin. The top of the door is not the most visually accessible area. It could work for you.