How to Fix Dull Clear Coat on a Car [5 Effective Ways]

A clear coat is an outermost layer that provides extreme support to the paint on the surface. It gives a total finish by giving it a transparent fresh look. You can see this protection is used on almost every car after giving them good paint. It protects the paint from getting dull because of the exposure to the excessive heat of the Sun and UV rays. Besides, it provides optimum guard to the body and enhances its beauty.

But everything must decay and a clear coat is no exception than that. The clear coat has some abrasive faults as well and it gets dull with time. People in general badly want to know how to fix dull clear coat on a car to make them look fresh again.

Because many people don’t know that a clear coat requires some care and maintenance. Otherwise, it starts to strip and fade with time. Too much exposure to calamity disaster can actually cause dullness of the clear coat within a few days which looks depressing.

Therefore, it’s important to renew your clear coat and bring the old smooth texture back to the surface following some important aspects that we’re going to provide you in this article. So, let’s dive into the main topic already.

To Fix A Not Shiny Clear Coat – 5 Things You Can Apply:

To make your clear coat shine again, there are some things that you can apply. A clear coat does not guarantee you to last long like forever. It’s so common that you to fall in love with your new painted car that has an extremely shiny surface.

But the surface becomes foggy because of the high emission of gas from the rear part of a car, and other things like dust, heat, and penetration of moisture from heavy rainfall.

However, before getting into the process of how you can fix it when your clear coat does not look shiny anymore, let us enlighten you with the materials using which you can fix the damaged clear coat.

1) Machine for Polishing:

There is a machine that comes with the job of polishing spaces where it needs to be polished to remove the dullness of the clear coat. For larger spaces and surfaces, this polishing machine is a suitable material. Various versions of machine polisher come along in the market but you need to choose the one that has a mild buffer to buff the surface attached to it.

This machine is featured with a more or less aggressive rubbing compound. If you really want to use a machine for polishing, go with the dual-action polishers. These polishers are less aggressive and therefore provide more guarantee to protect the main paint on the car and remove the dullness of the clear coat at the same time.

2) Heat Gun:

Another satisfying tool that can eliminate the dullness and foggy appearance of a clear coat is a heat gun. A heat gun, as you know, comes with extreme flame. But the good thing is that you can adjust the range of flame of the heat gun using a particular setting. This will help you save the paint and clear coat from burning or damage.

Besides, a heat gun requires immense carefulness while you are trying to abolish the foggy or dull area of a clear coat. Too much heat will make the clear coat strip crack. Set the flame to the lowest range and then start providing heat to the spot.

Don’t hold the heat gun on the same spot for a long time. Otherwise, it will affect the surface badly. Move the heat gun in a back-and-forth direction and slowly the dulled part will be removed.

3) Hand Buffing:

If you have no problem doing some real manual job then you can hand buffing method. If the clear coat has dulled surrounding some little area then you can choose hand buffing instead of using machine polishing. It is mostly an abrasive that remains in liquid condition. You can find a great resemblance of this hand buffing with sandpaper.

This compound brings back the real texture of a fresh clear coat by abolishing contaminants. It soothes and offers no risk of affecting the fine paint under the layer of clear coat.

For the delicate parts of your car, there is no better option than hand buffing. Besides, for smaller places, this method is hundred percent safe.

4) Removing Old Coat:

Repairing a damaged clear coat does not mean you need to strip off the old clear coat and apply a new one again. But if the old clear coat has become so much dull that it is beyond fixing unless you strip off the old one, then it’s always better to remove the old one. It might take some more steps, labor, and time, but it’s totally worth it.

When you tend to remove the old clear coat, the result will be definite and obviously a positive one. Using the preceding methods that we have uttered above might result negatively if you fail to follow the exact instruction.

But if you fix the clear coat by removing the old one and putting a new one then there is a higher chance that the outcome is positive.

To remove the old coat from a car, use 80-120 grit sandpaper with a dual-action orbital sander for car body work. Start with 80 grit to remove the bulk of the old coat, then switch to 120 grit to smooth out the surface.

5) Using Sandpaper:

Using sandpaper on a clear coat is not entirely a crime. Rather, sanding with the right grit sandpaper makes the surface smooth. But make sure the sandpaper is wet. It’s because wet sandpaper lessens the harshness of the thing and prevents buildup to be happened after sanding the area.

For areas that are excessively dull, using 600-grit sandpaper is alright. It helps to lessen the dull images of the area.

But you need to be patient and not hurry. That’s because if you put extreme pressure and do it following the back-and-forth motion instruction then the paint and surface both will be affected. Here is a guide of 3 Effective Ways to Sand a Car to Bare Metal Easily.

Fix Dull Clear Coat on a Car & Make it Shine – Step-by-Step Process:

It looks odd and ugly when your nicely shaped car is carrying a dull appearance because the clear coat has started to fade. In this situation, if you really want your car to get back into its feet then help it by following the process of fixing a not shiny clear coat.

For this process, you need to go through some real steps. If you can attain these steps successfully, your job is done. So, let’s get into the process thoroughly.

1: Know, What Materials You Need –

Every activity requires some materials and as a DIYer, you know that without materials fixing things like a clear coat is impossible. However, if the old clear coat needs to be removed then the following things are important to collect.

1. Soft microfiber sponge
2. Bucket with water
3. Soap
4. Masking Tape
5. Sandpaper
6. A place with enough ventilation system
7. Ventilated mask
8. Hand gloves
9. Clearcoat spray
10. Dry and soft cloth
11. Old newspaper
12. Rubbing compound

2: Wash the Car and Make it Dry –

Now that you have collected every material that we require for the task, we can unlock step 2. In this step, you need to remove the old dull, and damaged clear coat using water, soap, and a microfiber-like soft sponge.

Use car wash soap for better results. Soak the sponge in the soapy water and wash the car by gently scrubbing at first. Rinse the car with fresh water. You can use a water hose for a quick job. Then use a clean soft cloth to wipe out excess water and leave the car in a space where enough air passes by so it dries naturally and fully.

3: Sand the Old Clear Coat and Rinse Again –

After your car gets completely dry, it’s time to sand the car’s old clear coat. For this step, you need to cover the delicate parts of the car like the edges of the headlights, front door, rear door, and so on. To cover them, use masking tape. Make sure the width of the tape is 5/6 inches for better protection. Then you can start the sanding procedure using 600-grit sandpaper.

Soak the sandpaper with water and then sand providing a back and forth motion. This sanding makes the surface even and ready for the upcoming steps.

Don’t over sand the surface and provide a firm pressure to avoid negative impact.  After, sanding, remove the masking tape and rinse the whole car again with soapy water and give it some time to dry.

4: Get Your Car and Yourself Ready –

It will protect from dust, rainfall, and excessive heat from the sun.

Another important thing is, that the place should not be damp in condition. A passage of air should come into that place. After placing the car in such a place make yourself ready. Wear a safety mask or ventilated mask, and then wear hand gloves to prevent any fatal accidents.

5: Spray 2K Clear Coat Aerosol Can –

In this step, you need to spray a clear coat aerosol can. But before that, wipe your car properly with a clean and dry cloth. Also, use some old newspaper to cover the windows and re-mask the delicate parts of the car. Then take the 2k clear coat aerosol can and shake for some time. We chose 2k instead of 1k because it comes with a hardener that is more effective.

After shaking the can of the spray, start to spray it. Take the can some space away from the spot and then push the sprayer. Don’t hold the sprayer on the same spot because it will make the substance run down and every space will not be covered. Start from the right and then go to the left and thus cover the whole space by spraying.

Using the same style, apply the spray three times after each coat gets dry.

6: Unmask the Covered Areas and Prepare Them for Blending –

Next, if you want a shiny finish, you need to blend in a clear coat. 2 days after applying the sprayer, you can start the process. Waiting for this long will result in something magically speaking the real truth. Unmask the masked places and wipe the surface with a soft sponge. After removing dust and debris, let it dry.

Then use 1500-grit sandpaper and re-sand the place in the same way we’ve stated before. Make sure there is no uneven line on the surface. With mild pressure, sand the surface and then touch it to feel the evenness. After that, rinse the surface again and wipe it with a dry cloth to make it dry.

7: Use Rubbing Compound to Polish –

In this step, take 3 or 4 drops of this important substance, the rubbing compound. Take a woolen pad and with those drops start to polish the spaces. You must be careful in this step. A harsh rubbing might cause the peeling of the clear coat.

Therefore, give full attention to this task and spare the clear coat from stripping. After polishing, use a microfiber cloth and wipe the space. This is the final job and your clear coat is fixed fully and satisfyingly.

FAQs –

1. Why does clear coat get cloudy? How do you fix a cloudy clear coat on a car?

A clear coat tends to get cloudy when there is excessive film. The thickness of it causes an unnecessary cloudy and foggy look to the clear coat. Besides this, the cure oven also causes this problem to happen. Too much film and over cure is the most reasonable fact that clear coat gets cloudy. And we have stated very clearly and vividly how you can get rid of this problem using only just a heat gun above.

2. Why does my clear coat look hazy? How do you revive a clear coat?

If your clear coat looks hazy then it can be assumed that the clear coat was being exposed to the emission of foul films or heat of the sun. It can also cause because of the hazardous calamity in nature. As a clear coat requires maintenance as well, you cannot just hope full advantage of it.

3. How do you make a clear coat matte?

There is a very interesting way to make a clear coat matte. To accomplish the way, you need talcum powder. Mix the talcum powder with a clear coat taking the proper proportionate and then apply it to the place and your clear coat will become matte in the process.

Conclusion:

Hopefully, you understand how to fix a dull clear coat on a car. You must know to have the proper knowledge about the coating. Need to follow the above steps and it helps to get shiny looking at your car paint. You must have good products and materials for shiny finishing. Thank you.

Last Updated on July 14, 2024 by Rogers Weber

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