Fading Clearcoat

[SHOoff89]

As the title above says, my clearcoat on my 91 has started to flake away. My plan was to paint it before the convention, but that deal fell through when the guy who was going to paint it got fired from the body shop he worked at for doing side jobs. So my question is, is there anything I can do (buff, sand, whatever) to the paint/clearcoat so I will not be embarassed to take the 91 to the convention or am I just screwed? It is flaking pretty bad on the hood and roof, and I am not looking for a nice finish, just something a little more clean than what I have until it is painted this fall. Thanks

 

[93nighthawk]

I would do Meguires 3 step program (clean/polish/wax) $20. That would help some. Or you could shell out $100+ to have the exterior detailed. You also might want to invest in a clay bar to help remove fallout on the paint.

 

[Shoman594]

Brian, once it starts it will not stop.. sorry I had a '91 + that started out small in one spot then it started happening in on the trunk top the hood and the top of the car. This is a problem with the paint on the late 80's through about 92 cars. Dont worry about it looking bad for the convention, just clean it up as best as you can and bring her and have fun! Trust me i have seen some shos that have been in bad shape show up at the convention so dont worry

 

[91 SHOplus]

Been there, Done that....

Dude, Once the clearcoat starts to peel, your only option is to get the car resprayed, or deal with the white spots.

It's like your skin peeling off of your body from a sunburn. It won't look good untill all the dead skin is off.

 

[SHOoff89]

I kinda figured there wouldn't be an easy way out. There never is with the SHO. There must be something about the climate out here that does this. Both 91's and the 89 have had this same condition in one form or another.

 

[MOJOSHO]

It is not the weather in CA...

The peeling clear coat is a known defect of the late-80's early-90's Fords, as well as other brands.

This defect was known when many people purchased their cars but it was not revealed to buyers. (The tech bulletin is about "horizontal delamination". Check the issue date.)

Ford does not (or did not several years ago) participate in the auto manufacturers' mediation board so when it happened to me, Ford offered me 50% of the repaint cost in '93 (I have a '91+). I refused.

I later learned that most people who filed in small claims court against Ford got full reimbursement.

A class action suit was filed on behalf of truck owners and I believe was settled but no suit was ever brought for Tauruses.

Bottom line: we overpaid by $3K to $4K for our cars.

So much for Ford standing behind their products.