We all would like our vehicles to maintain the sleek look it had when we first drove it off the dealership’s lot. Unfortunately, the different conditions your car will be exposed to make this impossible.

If your car’s clear coat is failing, you can take it to a body shop to have it rectified. The problem with this is it costs a ton of money and will leave you without your car for a few weeks. Luckily, there is another option, and we are going to tell you all about it.

Reasons your coat is failing

Debris from the roads you drive on can affect the coating’s condition. The pits and scratches that sometimes occur can cause the clear coat to peel if left unattended. However, the most significant cause is the UV rays from the sun. The rays degrade your car’s coating, slowly burning it rough and white over time.

Sometimes, however, your car’s coat peeling might not be entirely due to the driving conditions or the sun’s rays. Sometimes, there are cases where the factory took too long to add a clear coat on the base coat. When the base coat is left too long, it becomes completely dry.

A completely dry base coat makes it difficult for the applied clear coat to settle. This makes it much easier for the coating to flake or even peel off quicker.

Rectifying your car’s peeling clear coat

You can take your car to a body shop for a quality solution. There, your car will be stripped and have a primer and basecoat applied to it. This option results in a quality, long-lasting solution, but it isn’t cheap.

Alternatively, if you are a do-it-yourself driver interested in saving a bit of cash, there is a way you can resolve your car’s peeling coat yourself. You will have a good-looking vehicle, but the solution won’t last as long as that experienced after visiting the body shop.

You will need a few tools for the job; degreaser, car wash supplies, aerosol clear coat, microfiber cloth, painter’s tape, and sandpaper. For a professional-looking finish, you could get a spray gun.

Start by using a degreaser to remove any leftover wax. After this, clean the whole panel with your chosen car wash supplies to remove the earlier used degreaser along with any possible contaminants.

Grab the painter’s tape and tape off the affected area. Place the tape about an inch from the damaged area to be safe. Using the sandpaper, sand down the damaged coat until you can no longer feel it. Lightly sand the surrounding area as well. Once you’ve done that, wipe the sanded area with the cloth dipped in isopropyl alcohol.

Now you can proceed to spray the coat. However, before you do, make sure you shake the can for no less than a minute. Then, apply a light coat to the whole sanded area and let it dry. After five minutes, spray a second light coat. Wait for another five minutes and add a third layer if you feel the need to.

If not, slowly pull off the tape at an angle facing away from the rectified area. You will notice that the area you just repaired doesn’t match the rest of the panel. Depending on the conditions, leave the coat to dry for a period ranging between a one and 24 hours.

Once the coat is completely dry, lightly sand the border of the repaired area. Use rubbing compound to polish the areas, rotating it between the new and old coat. You should wait a few weeks before waxing your car.

There you have it, if done correctly, the peeling coat will be completely repaired, and no one but yourself will be able to tell the difference.