Clear coat on 2004 hyundai

Maintenance/Repairs
1

The clear coat on my burgandy 2004 sante fe hyundai has broken. It is on the top,hood, and front fender tops. It looks terrible. I like this car a lot because I’ve had almost no trouble with it. I don’t have the money for a paint job. Can just the clear coat be repaired? How much should it cost?

2

Clearcoat can only be repaired by sanding it down and re-painting it. Since the underlying paint is exposed, it has oxidized and also requires painting over, or the paint will look uneven. Red and Burgundy colors are the worst for this type of damage. Green isn’t far behind.

Maaco is having a car-painting sale going on in my area (Atl, GA). Their ‘Ambassador’ pain job is only $299. Of course they will try to up-sale you on paint prep and body work before the paint job.

3

Drive The Car To 2 Or 3 Body / Collision Shops And Have The Finish Evaluated By Professional Car Painters. Many Will Do This For Free In The Hope You’ll Remember Them When You Crash. Weigh The Advice.

CSA

4

Thanks so much. I will check this out.

5

Thanks so much. I will check this idea out.
Nancy

6

And if you get it fixed…I suggest that to keep it looking new is to use wax. Wax is designed to protect the paint. It’s rare too see a failed paint job this new that was properly waxed every year.

7

You are right. I haven’t kept it waxed. It also sits in the sun all day, so I’m sure they both added to the cracking of the clear coat.
Thanks,
Nancy

8

The most destructive thing to paint is the Sun. And the only way to protect paint from the Sun is WAX. The UV rays can destroy paint. Any good wax will protect against UV rays.

Next most destructive thing for paint is Acid rain. Again a good wax will protect you against this.

9

I’ve now learned this. I don’t have a garage, but I always look for shade.
Thanks!

10

I would stay away from Maaco. They are cheap, but you get what you pay for. When I was working at a body shop (a real body shop) a good 20% of our business from people who went to Maaco first and came away very disapointed. The phrase “Here comes the Amdassador” was a running joke in the shop.