Hi. I'm just wondering if you can give me advice about my car's paint problem. I bought a brand-new Honda City in 2012. I've never had it repainted. But lately I've been seeing clear coat peeling off the body. I first noticed it on the fender, and now I see it on the half quarter panel and rear bumper.
Is it because my car is more than five years old? It's not parked under the sun. I'm not sure if this is because of Honda's poor paint quality. Please help me. Should I bring this to Honda or just have it repainted. Thank you!
Patricia P.
Hi, Patricia. What you're referring to is called delamination. It is a condition of the car's finish where the topmost clear layer is peeling off the paint layer underneath. There are times it happens in small sections, but it can eventually spread to the rest of the car.
One way to address this issue is to bring it to someone who can repair it. The best option is a paint professional. You can bring it to your dealer, but I think that's the most costly alternative. There are small independent shops which can do this for much less than what the dealer will charge you.
Depending on how far gone the clear coat is, it might be possible to fix this without getting a full repaint of your car. But first we need to determine the level of damage. If it’s a small spot and isolated to one or two panels, the repair can be limited to those panels. If the damage is all over the body, you might have to refinish the entire car.
How deep is the damage? If the peeling is limited to the clear coat, this can be sanded down and a new clear topcoat can be applied without having to paint the car. However, if the paint underneath is also peeling you'll have to repaint and clear coat that section, or even the entire car. Please take note that repairs can be done on a per-panel basis depending on the extent of the damage.
If you're the adventurous kind and you have time on your hands, there are plenty of tutorials online that can demonstrate how to sand and paint your own car. Or you might have a friend who has the skill necessary to do this. This can be a fun DIY project!
I hope the damage to your car isn't too bad.
