Paint patchy after rain

TigerTim

Hi All,

I have a red 1985 Toyota MR2 for the past 7 years. Prior to me owning it, it was resprayed at some stage. Car is used for summer runs only & rarely used in the rain. Had it on a run 2 weeks ago & it really rained & paint is destroyed. Its like the sun bleaches the paint thru' the rain droplets. It's all little white patches now. I've masked the discolouration on the past with red coloured Turtle Wax but now its so bad, that doesn't make much difference. There's a really good finish on the paint except for this problem. Can't afford to get it resprayed at the moment so looking for any solutions. I've also used Meguiars Paint renovater & that does help & I think the white patches fade over time. Pics below. Any help appreciated







LOOKS OK FROM A DISTANCE

Curran

Those spots have only come up since the rain two weeks ago?

TigerTim

I've always got a few spots on the flat surface after rain but usually a good polish masked them. This is the worst I've seen. Car was out for most of the day & we got some heavy rain. Was also parked up for a while for lunch. It's like the sun has bleached the paint thru' the rain bubbles. Tried T-Cut as well but it seems well buried in the paint. Only the flat surfaces where the rain sat are affected, wings & doors are OK.

Thanks,

T.

Curran

Has the car got any protection on it? A wax or sealant?

Its very hard to say without seeing it properly, but it seems like the water spots are lightly etching the paintwork.

peasant

My guess would be that car is too well waxed and you're getting lovely beads whenever it rains.

Lots of old cars with red paint fade really badly with age. This is due to the red paint pigment not being as UV resistant as other colours.

Yours doesn't fade evenly but only in those spots where a beady water droplet acts like a magnifying glass and burns the sunlight into that one spot.

That's my theory anyway ...but other than keeping the car out of the rain/towelling it down immediately after it stops I have NO idea on how to prevent this from happening again...sorry

Spike Witwicky

Would a good machine polish with a heavy cutting compund do any good?

Curran

Probably wouldnt even need a compound. A machine polish with a finishing pad and polish would do the trick, Id say.

bxsmyth

Paint expands and contracts with heat. If you had it out on a sunny day which then had sudden rain (typical "april showers" weather we had recently) then the water can permeate the surface and become trapped when the paint contracts. When it dries, you get these blotches where it has oxidised or bleached the red pigment on the surface.

It depends on how porous the paint is but you might get away with a light polishing however sometimes heavier work is needed.

TigerTim

Thanks for all the replies.Peasant -the car is really well waxed, always a good shine on it. Its when the droplets rest on the flat surface,the sun seems to bleach the paint under the droplets.Not sure how to cure it without a respray which is out of the question at the moment. Is there any good coloured wax that would mask the issue. These spots appear to fade a little over time. I've tried t-cut etc but no luck. This is definitely the worst it has been.

T

Spike Witwicky

TigerTim wrote: »

... Not sure how to cure it without a respray which is out of the question at the moment. Is there any good coloured wax that would mask the issue. These spots appear to fade a little over time. I've tried t-cut etc but no luck. This is definitely the worst it has been.

T

The two posts (from professional detailers) above yours say it may be fixable with a machine polish.
You say you tried TCut. Was this by hand? I doubt hand polishing will correct the issue.

TigerTim

Yes, it was T-cut by hand. Will check out getting it machine polished.

Thanks

T

Spike Witwicky

TigerTim wrote: »

Yes, it was T-cut by hand. Will check out getting it machine polished.

Thanks

T

List of detailers here should be able to help
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057212731
Twould be a shame to see a lovely classic like that fade away