Peeling Clear Coat 2001 Rav 4

[Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin]

I want to share my process this weekend and get some feed back from you guys on how I can improve. I apologize for all the words. A lot of this detail was me testing some different methods, so I had a lot of thoughts. Basically this is a fun research project.

 

I got to spend some time this weekend with my brother and I detailed his car for him. I focused on the exterior. I was with him Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday morning.

 

Friday

When I got there it was getting late around 5pm. With the sun finding it's resting place, I decided it was too late to fully commit to washing or doing anything extensive. So while the sun was out, I went around the car and inspected the paint in the sun and with a swirl finder flashlight. I assessed what needed to be done. I also had to keep in mind that chasing perfection is out the window at this point. 
 

1. The paint was very neglected. There was peeling clearcoat on the hood, and peeling was especially bad on the roof. on the doors and other vertical panels, there were a few small spots that had some peeling, but for the most part it was pretty intact. 

2. There were several deep scratches all around the car, but when I was looking for swirls or really fine surface scratches, they were present, but pretty hard to see. No matter which angle I faced or which light source I used, it was difficult to successfully locate the swirls. I don't know if that's a product of that light paint color, or if the paint was so worn down that the swirls had pretty much been leveled. Idk - not sure how it works. Other than the swirls though, the paint still seemed to have some oxidation or lack of depth.

3.  The gray texturized plastic trim on the doors and bumpers was painted very very similarly to paint used on the wheel arches (fender flairs(?)). Had I not done my inspection, I probably would have polished right over the trim thinking it was paint it looked so similar.

4. The black trim around the windows was also noticeably faded. Unfortunately I didn't think I had time to do a trim restorer, so I just planned to do a VRT on them.

5. The headlights were oxidized and yellow

6. The wheels and tires looked like they had been rolled around in soot or smoked in the green egg.

7. Glass was in decent condition

8. Interior seats were ripping and need some serious attention beyond my current skills.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This inspection was important because it helped to figure out what I needed to prepare for the detail, and it helped me begin to form a plan. I decided that I would focus on the exterior with a proper wheel and tire cleaning, strip wash, decontamination, polish, and wax.

 

Saturday

Prepare

First thing I did in the morning was pick out the chemicals and tools I needed for the day. 

 

Headlight Restoration

I decided that my first move would be to pull out my swirl killer and kill the headlight oxidation. I started off by using diluted rinseless wash to do a quick wipe down on the headlights and make sure there wasn't any dirt or dust on them. Then I started using my swirl killer on a test section until I figured out what process I was happy with. I will post a separate post about 2 methods I was testing for headlight restoration. Here's the one process I settled on for the RAV 4 headlights:

 

Step 1: Heavy Correcting Compound on a synthetic wool pad, about 3 passes.

Step 2: Heavy Correcting Compound on a microfiber pad, about 3 passes, use the pad conditioning brush, spray some DS on the pad, and go for another 3-4 passes

Step 3: Heavy Correcting Compound on a blue pad, about 3 passes, spritz DS, and go for another 3 passes

Step 4: Finishing Polish on a white pad, about 3 passes, spriz DS, and go for another 3-5 passes until the liquid was pretty oily looking.

Step 5: (during polishing stage) Revive Hand Polish

 

 

 

I'm pretty happy with the results, I see that its not quite perfect but its better and the goal was to improve visibility and not leave a flawless car. So the goal was achieved. See my headlight restoration post for other thoughts and to see my test of this method compared with another method.

 

I decided to do headlight restoration before the wash with the expectation for the oxidation residue and the polish liquids to sling everywhere, and boy was I right. the area under the lights would drip with yellow-brown oxidation, and the hood/windshield/my clothes ended up having specs of polish all over the place. I even took measures to use less liquids and make sure it was spread all over the headlight - still got everywhere. 

 

Wheel and Tire Cleaning

Wheels, Tires, and Wheel wells were nasty. So I selected some powerful chemicals to use on them. I had full strength Eco APC, full strength Wheel and Tire Cleaner, full strength Wheel Cleaner, and Full strength Tire and Rubber Cleaner.  I also had a bucket filled with water and car shampoo with all my tools in it. Keep in mind I do one wheel/tire completely before moving to the next.

 

1. Wheel Wells - I started by spraying Eco APC all in the wheel wells. Letting it sit for a while then brushing to help knock some stuff off. There was some kind of something coated at the top of the wheel well, and that stuff didn't budge, and I don't know that it ever will. So I left it and moved on.

2. Tires - Then I sprayed wheel and tire cleaner all over the tire and into the barrel of the wheels and into the lugnuts to start working some of the nastiness down there. I then agitated the tires, rinsed and repeated until the tires started to foam white instead of orange.

3. Wheel Barrels - I used a generous amount of Eco APC and Wheel Cleaner into the barrels and on the wheel face. I followed by using the turbo stick which was incredible for the barrels. I love that tool. If I noticed the turbo stick or the wheel looking like they were drying I would spray some Eco APC and/or Wheel cleaner on the tool and wheel and keep going. Once the barrels were clean, I moved onto the face of the wheel.

4. Wheel Faces - I started using the red wheel brush, but noticed I needed some more bite to get some of that stuff off. So I carefully used a brush that was a little bit stiffer (about similar to Adams Tire Brush) to try and get some of the darker spots and it worked pretty well. After that I went back to the red wheel brush and had some good luck finishing the wheels. 

5. Rinse. Once I rinsed, they actually shined!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Strip Wash

Before I rinsed the vehicle I made sure to have my buckets and foam canon prepared. I mixed about 3oz strip wash, 1 oz mega foam and filled the rest of a 16oz with warm water into my foam canon. and about the same amount of soap into a 5 gallon bucket with my wash media.

 

1. Rinse - Got big pieces dirt/dust/leaves off

2. Foam - Foamed the entire vehicle and allowed it to dwell for 3-5 minutes

3. Hand Wash - Used my mitt and thoroughly cleaned the vehicle. For hard to reach spots I would gently use a boars hair brush.

4. Clay - While the car was still wet and soapy I used a clay mitt and detail spray for extra lubrication. on non-peeling paint and glass.

5. Rinse

6. Iron Remover - I sprayed Iron Remover on all paint including the peeling paint (I should have done this before clay, but I was worried about time and not thinking)

7. Rinse

8. Dry with a microfiber towel. For hard to reach areas I used a sidekick blaster in conjunction with my towel.

 

 

Interior

Not much to say here. I did it quick and easy. Took the rubber mats out and used Rubber Mat and Liner Cleaner. Vaccumed the floor, used Interior Detailer on seats and plastic/vinyl. I used the new holiday odor neutralizer and it smelled nice.

 

I used the new Tire Shine on the rubber mats, used foam first to spread, then a microfiber to spread/dry. Then I left in the sun for about 30 minutes. They returned back to a dark matte black.

 

 

Trim/Wheel/Tire Protection

I applied VRT on the trim, it needs more attention but I didn't have the time this weekend.

 

I used the new Tire Shine on the tires, and H20 Guard and Gloss on the wheels.

 

Polish

I don't think I would consider this a true paint correction considering I wasn't trying to tackle any scratches really. My goal was just to remove oxidation and reveal a new layer of clear coat to improve clarity and depth to the paint.

 

I really only had a small area to work on considering 1/3 of the vehicle was peeling clear coat and the other 1/3 was textured plastic trim. So I really only polished the quarter panels, the top half of the doors on each side. 

 

Considering the rest of the paint was in such bad shape I took extra measures to make sure I didn't worsen the condition of any of the paint that was still okay.Before starting with any polish, I used a paint thickness gauge and took readings around the car. I noticed that in most of the places where I had planned to put the polisher, I was getting a pretty consistent reading of 120-130 micrometers (µm). I also took reading of the paint where it was peeling. Where clearcoat was still present on the hood, my readings were consistently about 115-125µm and where there was no clearcoat, my readings were pretty consistently around 91-92µm. I thought clear coats were much thicker than color base coats, but I since it was from 2001, I didn't know if those are normal readings for 20 year old paint which was painted using a 20 year old process.

 

Anyways, I trusted my numbers, and, to be safe, made an assumption that the clear coat ended abound 100µm. I decided that if I took any reading below 110µm, I would stop polishing there to avoid any damaging the paint. I proceeded with a test section and I took readings after each step to see how much clear coat was being removed.

 

I taped off a 2x2 section on one of the doors to do a test section and figure out what process I wanted to use first. Least aggressive first always!:

1. Revive Hand Polish - I started with Revive Hand Polish with a Blue Hex Grip Applicator by hand. There was a visible improvement but not as much as I was looking for. Thickness readings about 0-1 µm removed.

2. Finishing Polish - Then I used Finishing Polish with a White Pad on a high speed with my Swirl Killer. Visually, I felt like it was starting to get some where, but I felt like I could do a little bit better. Thickness readings about 2 µm removed.

3. Correcting Polish - I moved to Correcting Polish with an Orange Pad on high speed, and when I wiped away the residue, I was very happy with the depth and clarity that was produced.

Thickness readings about 4-6 µm removed.

 

I settled on using a one step process with Correcting Polish and Orange Pad running the Show. I think it turned out pretty nicely.

 

It only took Two orange pads, one for each side of the car (not including what I used on the test section). I used the pad conditioning brush after every panel or every other panel depending on how I thought the pad was preforming, and I would spritz DS on the pad in the middle of polishing each panel. Total time was about 50 minutes after I did my test section figured out what process I wanted to use. Keep in mind, I was doing a small portion of a small car with only one step.

 

Something minor that I did and think it was worth it, was once I put up the polisher and cleaned up to move on to the next step, I used Revive Hand Polish on the Head lights and Tail lights. I think it worked very well on both!

Sunday

Protection

It was starting to get dark again, so I finished the night off by using Ceramic Spray Coating on both the Windshield and the Headlights to preserve the restoration.

 

To use Ceramic Spray Coating:

(on glass) I made sure to clay the glass during the wash, then use glass cleaner thoroughly and for the surface to be completely clean, smooth, and dry before applying CSC. I sprayed it directly into a microfiber applicator, and used the microfiber applicator in a cross hatch pattern to cover the drivers half of the windshield. As soon as that stuff hit the glass it seemed to be flashing. It was completely rainbow before I finished the cross hatch. So I ran quickly to the other side, and I applied the same way on the other half of the windshield. Then I quickily ran over and got my suede removal towel and carefully and thoroughly leveled the coating, first on the drivers side, then passengers.

 

(on headlights) I used a Surface Prep and made sure it was clean and dry before I applied and leveled the same way I did for the windshield.

 

At this point I put my stuff away, and told myself I would pick up in the morning, that way the coating will cure while I wait to come back.

 

Wax

The next morning quickly wiped down the vehicle of any dust with diluted rinsless wash.

 

Then I pulled out the Swirl Killer and Red Pad again. I thought Ceramic Liquid Wax was the candidate for this job, so I applied it using the machine. I would apply to 2 panels before I removed with a double soft towel. 

 

I thought it came out nicely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had a friend come by and help me everybody say thanks to this little guy.

Edited December 9, 2019 by Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin

[Rich]

That was a lot of hard work, but looks 100% better.  As for your "buddy",  that was Dasher.  He was spying on you for Santa to see if you were being naughty or nice.  I'm pretty sure you'll be getting a nice gift from Santa this year.  Thanks for the great write ups Juan!  

[mc2hill]

Great turnaround Juan! 

Good call on using the paint thickness gauge to confirm what you were seeing.  Not much you can do with the failing paint, but the Ceramic Wax should help it from  getting worse.

These type projects really allow you to learn more about paint correction, and how to work around various paint conditions.

Edited December 10, 2019 by mc2hill

[stalebreadjr]

And this is why I love this forum!  Not always the perfect scenario, not always the perfect answer, but detailed write ups like this give a novice like myself evidence of what the options are and the results!  Thanks for sharing Juan!!

[RayS]

Hi @Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin Juan, 

given that both of us get some pretty neglected vehicles to work, I really appreciate you taking the time to write up the details on your restoration.  You did a great job on bringing the vehicle back to life and providing details...Thank you.

 

we need to get the Carolina and Georgia contingent together.  Thomson is about 1/2 way between Atlanta and Columbia and I bet we could get a good discount on a group rate at the Hampton inn for a weekend Meet-N-Greet any weekend or than Masters weekend...

 

I am a little behind on the forum and slow responding, I’m in Greenville, SC meeting with folks from Dallas, Denver, Michigan, Tampa, New Jersey and Bangalore, but give some thought to a spring Meet-N-Greet.

[Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin]

On 12/10/2019 at 12:21 AM, Rich said:

That was a lot of hard work, but looks 100% better.  As for your "buddy",  that was Dasher.  He was spying on you for Santa to see if you were being naughty or nice.  I'm pretty sure you'll be getting a nice gift from Santa this year.  Thanks for the great write ups Juan!  

Thanks, Rich. Had fun doing it. Hope I get mor like these

 

LOL I hope so. Dasher was fearless. Seemed like he wanted to come help when I was using the swirl killer.

 

On 12/10/2019 at 10:21 AM, mc2hill said:

Great turnaround Juan! 

Good call on using the paint thickness gauge to confirm what you were seeing.  Not much you can do with the failing paint, but the Ceramic Wax should help it from  getting worse.

These type projects really allow you to learn more about paint correction, and how to work around various paint conditions.

Thank you sir! I appreciate your advice prior to this job! I really enjoyed working on this rav4. I hope to get more like this. Twas a very rewarding experience.
Thank you. It was my first time using the gauge. I calibrated it and it gave pretty consistent readings, in your experience, did those numbers sound correct?

when I used it to test the readings on my vehicle, which is a 2017, I believed I got consistent readings of 170-180um. Does that sound right?

 

On 12/10/2019 at 11:27 AM, stalebreadjr said:

And this is why I love this forum!  Not always the perfect scenario, not always the perfect answer, but detailed write ups like this give a novice like myself evidence of what the options are and the results!  Thanks for sharing Juan!!

Thanks Matt. I hope I can get some more jobs like this one. Glad you were able to read it!

 

On 12/10/2019 at 8:10 PM, RayS said:

Hi @Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin Juan, 

given that both of us get some pretty neglected vehicles to work, I really appreciate you taking the time to write up the details on your restoration.  You did a great job on bringing the vehicle back to life and providing details...Thank you.

 

we need to get the Carolina and Georgia contingent together.  

 

but give some thought to a spring Meet-N-Greet.

Thanks for reading Ray! Was definitely inspired by your previous write ups. Also thanks for the helpful advice leading  up to this job!

 

thats a good idea!

[mc2hill]

On 12/13/2019 at 6:41 PM, Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin said:

Thank you sir! I appreciate your advice prior to this job! I really enjoyed working on this rav4. I hope to get more like this. Twas a very rewarding experience.
Thank you. It was my first time using the gauge. I calibrated it and it gave pretty consistent readings, in your experience, did those numbers sound correct?

when I used it to test the readings on my vehicle, which is a 2017, I believed I got consistent readings of 170-180um. Does that sound right?

 

The numbers for the Rav4 are similar to what I have seen, but the 170-180um readings are thicker than I remember.  

 

I have a vehicle inspection form I got from another detailing forum, and tweaked it to note the readings before and after polishing.  I have about 2 years worth now, so I have a decent reference database, but no 2 cars are exactly the same.   

A friend borrowed the coating gauge when he was car shopping and stunned the dealer when he told him a panel had been repainted!

[Yo-Yo Ma's Cousin]

Alright good to know!

 

That's funny! People are pretty confused when I bring out my gauge as well. Just being thorough! Maybe we're just obsessed on here, I don't mind accepting that as truth.

 

Thanks for your responses, Michael!