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Is my paint ruined or is there something I can do?


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See attached. I read that a lot of LGT's have an orange peel effect on their cars. This image is on my roof. I have tried some things with no success. Is there anything I can do, does anyone have any suggestion? I would love to hear them.

subaru-orange-peel.thumb.jpg.e464916798fda3c362a521579b43639f.jpg

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I can't really tell what it is that I'm looking at in that picture. Orange Peel looks like the texture of an orange and came from the factory with it. It isn't something that just crops up somewhere down the road. If what you are seeing just started appearing then it could be any number of things. Hard water damage, failing clear coat, acid rain, etc. If your clear coat has been etched by calcium or acid rain, then the only way to repair it is to cut the paint. That needs to be done with a high speed polisher, so don't even try it by hand. I suppose it is possible to do it by hand, but it is not possible to do it evenly over the whole panel, so you'll just cause more harm than good doing it that way.

 

Definitely take it to a professional. Skip the body shops and the dealerships. They know very little if anything about repairing paint. A body shop will know more than a dealership, but they aren't going to polish it out for you, so don't bother with them. Find a reputable detail shop (not just a touchless car wash) and have them take a look. You need to find one that handles cars one at a time and doesn't just put them on a conveyor belt. That is just a car wash. A detail shop is going to look more like a tire shop with multiple bays for working on cars. Car washes won't be able to fix this problem either.

 

If you are seeing depth to it then it is already etched in the paint. The damage is done and it isn't likely to get worse. However, now you have compromised areas of your clear coat and it needs to be leveled out to prevent a number of problems. Clear coat failure can start with hard water damage, so you definitely want to get this looked at.

_________________________________________

“Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.”

O C D E T A I L S . C O M

OCDETAILS BLOG

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If I really dig deep in the dark corners of my memories (the place I try to stay out of) I can vaguely remember thinking to myself, "new cars shouldn't have water spots if they are washed and wiped down regularly". In any case, it has been there a while and doesn't seem to be getting worse.

 

The surface is also smooth to the touch. Here are some larger res images from the Nikon instead of from the cell phone. I will also note, it's only when under artificial light that it sticks out like that. Under direct sun light you can't even see it, but OCD and all that kicks in and it's driving me nuts.

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DSC_0005-002.thumb.JPG.a0a2389c1d443a3e22d91c32c18662a5.JPG

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Yes, I bought it new, off the lot, in August of '07. It is the worst on the roof, but the last shot shown is from the hood and there is the same effect on the trunk. There are no signs of this on the sides of the car.
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Well, it has had sprinkler water sprayed on it occasionally from the neighbor. It is mostly parked in the garage where it has been since I got it. There was about a 9 month stretch where it was parked outside.
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Had a body guy look at it today. He seems to think that the sealant under the clear is starting to crack. He didn't think it was the 2008's but he had to do about 30 hoods under warranty because of a similar issue that Subaru paid for.

 

I might try some heavier compound on an inconspicuous spot on the hood just to see what happens. I have some pretty major road rash on it anyways so it will need repaired sooner than later but the roof is in pretty good shape other than the scaling artifacts.

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That is really weird. Have you owned the car since new? That almost looks like lacquer checking. Is it only the roof that looks like that?

 

That is my thought after seeing those as well. At those angles it looks like some sort of paint failure. I'm not sure that polishing is going to solve it. Definitely take it to a couple other body shops and see what they can tell you. If it was hard water damage then I would expect to see it on other horizontal surfaces like the hood and trunk as well, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Paint will fail on the horizontal surfaces first, so it is very possible this is just paint failure.

 

Since 2007 what has been your car care routine? How often have you waxed it? If it spends a lot of time out in the sun, then it can certainly cause this kind of damage. For as much as I love Subarus, the paint quality is one of the major reasons I don't own one today. I absolutely don't trust it and I will not drive a car with paint falling off of it while I tell people I know how to keep a car looking good. ;) Kind of the worst advertising idea possible if you ask me. lol

_________________________________________

“Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.”

O C D E T A I L S . C O M

OCDETAILS BLOG

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Well, the blemish is also on the hood and truck, but it is the most visible on the roof. In the sun it just about all disappears but under the unforgiveness of florescent, it shows up like the pictures above.

 

I will typically wash the car every 2-4 weeks depending on how soiled it gets. During the summer months I wash it by hand with Simple Green and water. In the winter time, 6-8 months out of the year, I will use automatic car washes. Frequency depends on how cold it gets. I have gone 4 months without a wash because of the weather although I try to wash at least monthly in those conditions.

 

I will wax it typically once in the spring and once in the fall. I have used various waxes over the years.

 

During the day, the car sits out in the sun, all day long. At home it goes in the garage (with exception to that 9 month period where I lost my garage to "stuff"). Winter months here are dreadful and are overcast for much of the season. I suppose UV damage can still occur but direct sunlight is limited during this season.

 

I can not see any of this same blemish on the side panels. I didn't get a chance to try a rubbing compound last night but still have plans to try some at some point.

 

Not that I'm caring for it correctly, but my wife often says, "it's just a car" as I go out to clean it. I'm not completely anal, but for a 5 year old car I think it looks pretty good.

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Wait... you wash it with simple green? As in the all purpose cleaner? I wasn't aware they had a car wash soap, so please tell me you aren't using degreaser for a car wash. That could definitely have something to do with it. That stuff is way to harsh for automotive paint. It will strip any wax off the car that you have on it, so the first wash after you waxed it just rendered it completely unprotected. So on top of using an incredibly harsh wash process, you have also essentially left it unprotected in a fairly high UV environment for the last 5 years. Depending on where you live you have been at a pretty high altitude and that increases the UV radiation a lot. There is less atmosphere to filter it out. That can and does definitely cause damage.

 

In your environment I would definitely be keeping the paint protected. Carnauba waxes are only going to last five or six weeks, so you have to wax it at least that often to keep the paint protected. If you can't keep up on it that often then you should use a sealant which will last longer. Something like Klasse or Zaino might be what you want if you are looking for durability. There are others like CQuartz or Opti-Coat are also incredibly long lasting sealants which would give you the protection you need. Waxing it twice a year just isn't going to protect the paint. It's not about obsessing over the car as much as it is about protecting your investment. You paid a lot of money for that vehicle and it doesn't make sense to watch the paint fall off of it. The paint is literally worth more than any other component or piece of the entire car, so it only makes sense to maintain it just like you do the engine. It may be 'just a car', but it is also one of the most expensive things you probably own. Homes, education and vehicles. That is what we always seem to spend the most money on. I don't know anyone who objects to protecting their valuables. ;) Tell her the next time she gets her wedding ring polished or vaccums her floor that it is 'just a ring' or 'just a house' and maybe she'll start to see your point. ;)

 

Anyway, hopefully you are able to find the solution. When you say you are going to try a rubbing compound, are you going to do this by hand or with a machine? I'll just say right now that if you aren't using a machine, then don't try. For as fragile as Subaru paint is, it is still much too hard to get anywhere with by hand. You need a high powered machine and most likely a dual action polisher or low power rotary buffer is not going to do the job.

_________________________________________

“Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.”

O C D E T A I L S . C O M

OCDETAILS BLOG

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I see that in Florida a lot. Looks like the sun eating your paint. The roof hood and trunk are always exposed to the sun, so that is what makes it the worse affected area.

 

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Ooooh, Simple Green? I agree with OCD... a few years of washing your car with a houshold cleaner will do some damage.

 

 

Like washing your car with dishwashing liquid for years and years.

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@OCDetails,

 

I use Simple Green for everything. I can't say that it has been part of every wash, but I have gone through a couple gallons of it. Being highly concentrate I really don't use much. When it comes to grease (and wax) cutting action, isn't dish soap just as harsh? Happy to take some basic advise here, I imagine I will be washing cars for at least another 30 years. Would be nice to get it right! :)

 

I was not going to do it by hand. I have a Porter-Cable variable speed sander/polisher. I thought I would give that a try....

 

The higher altitude isn't something I've considered before although we are only at 3,500 feet or so, but still.

 

To be honest, if I waxed the car every time it lost it's luster, I would be waxing at least monthly if not more. I guess that's kind of the point. I'll have to consider that. I am working on putting a Natural Gas heater in the garage this winter so as the need arises I can have a heated space to get things done. Even if I had to use a car wash with their heated water and pressure hoses, I could always bring it back in the garage for final drying and waxing. If I don't, I am up to six months with no real way to properly care for the vehicle other than having a detail shop do their thing. At a $150 per detail, I can pay for my garage heater fairly quickly.

 

I appreciate the advise and will look into some of those other products, mainly the sealers which have peaked my interest.

 

@Gire,

 

So do you buy specific car wash soap? How is it any different than dish soap or other cleaners? Do you make up your own washing solution like vinegar and a drop of unicorn blood? Just curious...

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You know, the sun is a bitch on car finishes. WHen I lived up in NY I never saw faded headlights, faded paint on roofs/trunks/hoods. Here in FL a lot of faded headlights, paint and all sorts of paint defects on cars that are not that old. THe worst is the plastic parts turning whitish and actually disintegrating on a 10 yr old car.

 

My 5 month old legacy is already showing signs of fading plastic parts on the roof and under the wipers. :spin: It's a lease, so I really do not care.

 

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dish soap is not a good idea either. They put all kinds of scented crap and skin moisturizers as well as harsh detergents to dissolve grease in that stuff. It is in no way safe for your paint. You should use a soap meant for use on cars. Meguiar's makes great car wash soap. Get the Gold Class soap. It won't strip your wax and it won't destroy your paint.

 

On this kind of damage the Porter Cable isn't going to do a whole lot of good. It is goo at getting out light surface damage, but this is a lot more severe than that. It's like sometimes you can just put a little aloe on a burn and sometimes you need to go to the hospital for the burn. This is more of one of those hospital trips than something I would suggest working on yourself.

_________________________________________

“Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.”

O C D E T A I L S . C O M

OCDETAILS BLOG

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BTW - These bad washing habits were passed down to me. Help me brake the cycle. I want to change.....for my children's sake. :D

 

That is usually the case. Most of us learned how to care for our cars from our fathers. I don't know about you, but my dad learned how to wax his car back before clear coat when everything was bullet proof and they used kerosene to make the paint look glossy. Detailing is as much of a technological art form as anything else, and just like anything technology related, a lot has changed in the last ten or fifteen years. Paint has changed dramatically. Anything painted after '04 is shit, pardon my french. They have gotten better at it, but lipstick on a pig doesn't change anything. The paint is still absolute crap. So the products and technique of caring for it has to change as well. The way I cared for paint ten years ago is much different from how I have to do it today, so there is definitely a lot to stay current on when it comes to paint care.

_________________________________________

“Cleanliness becomes more important as godliness becomes more unlikely.”

O C D E T A I L S . C O M

OCDETAILS BLOG

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