Boatingnyc

Hi -
Is there anyway these Black spots on the roof and tail can be cleaned? Or is it Rust and has to be repainted?

Thanks in advance

pethelman

Sadly, these are the "death throws" of dying clear coat. The clear coat starts to oxidize and get thin and become pitted, trapping dirt and even starting to cause little mildew spots. You'll never be able to make the roof look "normal" again without new paint, but you can definitely make it look better, get rid of the black spots, and even slow down the inevitable decline of the clear coat with some good paint correction techniques.

This 3M product is fantastic

But in this situation, it really needs to be applied with a wool pad on a random orbital buffer. Follow up with a good sealant (ceramic) and you'll get a lot more life out of the current paint, even though it still won't be perfect. It gets spendy and time consuming to buy the product and tools to do this for yourself on a one-time basis. A good alternative would be to find a detailer with paint correction skills and they could fix you right up.

Boatingnyc

Thank you -- would 'Awesome Cleaner Degreaser' work as well?

pethelman

To some degree, any cleaner with some agitation will really cut down the appearance of the black spots, but I had a hard time getting them completely gone and staying away until I corrected the paint and sealed it. The moisture that sits in the dying clear-coat is the problem and will continue to mold over time (especially if parked in the shade) if left unprotected. Getting a protective barrier on there after removing as much oxidation as possible really helps slow down the return, just in my experience.

95maxrider

iTrader: (32)

It's hard to tell from your photos, but those black spots could be from what's known as "artillery fungus"

https://extension.psu.edu/artillery-...g-and-vehicles

Which, from my experience, need to be carefully scraped away with your fingernail before beginning your regular washing routine. Oftentimes a clay bar needs to be used after to get all of them removed.

But, I also see clear coat failure, so that's probably the bigger concern. What pethelman posted is all correct. If you're not interested in repainting the roof, the best you can do is to buff the hell out of what's left of the clear to make it look better, and then protect what's left with continuous applications of a sealant or ceramic coat. On my old 3rd gen I was able to polish the roof enough to go from this:



To this:



It's obviously not fixed, but it's a lot more presentable. But that was with a good random orbital polisher and a few rounds of polishing.

Boatingnyc

Should i get the car repainted or get one of those car wraps ?

95maxrider

iTrader: (32)

Either one is going to cost many thousands of dollars. Unless you car has extreme sentimental value, or you plan on keeping it forever, neither is a wise use of your money.