My request yesterday under "dulling Paint" seems to have been swamped by yesterday's heavy use of the Back Room, so I'd like to repeat it.
I looked up some threads on this for last December or Jan and there was reference to a blotchy lacquer finish. I have a similar problem. My Alfa 75 roof and boot has a lacquer finish which is coming off and the car looks awful as a result. Polishing the exposed paint with Autoglym improves the colour quite well.
I have a quote of about £400 for stripping and respraying the affected area which is above my current budget. The lacquer can be peeled off by sliding a thin Stanley blade under the lacquer, but this is an extremely slow and laborious task.
Does anyone have any better ideas please?
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Mike,
Sorry if your problem went unanswered but I have a feeling I know why, there is really only one answer and that is to strip and properly spray the affected panels. And I know you don't want to do that.
Are just these two panels affected? I would assume these to be the original paint as accident damage is usually to the lower panels. And it is in accident repairs this problem can sometimes be seen. When a panel is replaced it can help the match if the adjacent panel is given a coat of laquer over the original paint, this gives a halfway appearence between the brand new paint and the older paint which is now separated by this laquered panel. But because the laquered panel isn't being fully painted often the prep work isn't quite good enough. And after a few years the laquer may start to peel, usually around trim or door handles where polish residues might have gathered. This creeping peeling edge collects dirt and looks terrible. The only answer is to properly prepare and redo the lacquer.
Actually typing this makes me think and wonder if all of the car has been repainted in the past for some reason. Perhaps the lacquer coat on the roof and boot was blown on to improve the match as I've just described.
I try to minimise the running costs of our own cars to a sensible degree but when it comes to paint sometimes you just have to give in and spend out on the job.
My local paintshop contact charges me £100 - £125 per wing/door for a perfect finish (I take all the trim off before he has the car to avoid these peeling problems) so I guess your £400 for bonnet/roof is not too far out.
Peeling off the laquer by hand is an interesting option and the finish may then look a little better for a while, but without that laquer coat it may fade badly.
Do you enjoy the car? If it had a £400 mechanical breakdown would you pay that out or scrap it? As the paint is the first thing you see as you walk up to it, and a tidy appearance perhaps a factor in the pleasure of owning it, perhaps the cost is worthwhile.
Sorry no answers really, just theories.
David
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I agree with David W's rationale about repainting. I had this dilemma with damaged lacquer cause by bird s**t on the black ZX and the bill for repainting the roof, bonnet, and one front wing was £300 - two and a half years ago. Fortunately I was able to beat up the dealer who sold it to me and lighten his wallet.
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Only one word for it - Paint-stripper!!
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The best thing you can do here is to use a very fine grade of wet&dry abrasive paper to remove the lacqer in the affected area - then simply have the panels "blown over"in lacquer by the local bodyshop.
I did this once on the bootlid of a VW K 70 - remember them, took great care not to remove any of the metallic base coat , and had it looking like new.
I used to walk past an alfa 90 every day - it was C registered and in very good nick - metallic dark blue - these had a 2.5litre twin cam motor and sounded gorgeous.
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